Thinking of going gluten free - WWYD?

[frugalmama]

I'm considering going gluten free. I've known for some time that I am at least gluten sensitive - I have more joint pain after eating gluten meals back to back. I've always just balanced it out with gluten free meals, and it's been okay. Now though I'm really having issues with joint pain, and my thyroid. I have Grave's Disease {auto-immune hyper thyroid}, and it's not responding to treatment as well as my doctor had hoped. It's been 5 years and it's still not in remission with medication. I refuse to have it taken out surgically for a variety of reasons. I know I have another auto-immune on top of the thyroid issues, but no one has ever been able to figure out what it is.

 

My one reservation on going gluten free is making it work around my allergies - I am allergic to soy, chickpeas / garbanzo beans, and peanuts. DD is allergic to oats, all tree nuts, and coconut. It seems like every gluten free recipe I see calls for something either DD or I am allergic to. We are very much starch eaters here - I have to have carbs or I get blood sugar issues from the thyroid.

 

Is it possible to go gluten free with our allergies? For those who have made the jump to gluten free - how long was it before you saw improvement? How did you make it work for you? What blogs / books would you recommend?

[elegantlion]

I went gluten free on January 1. It was not out of necessity, but I was having severe joint pain, especially in my hips, and bloating. The pain was gone in about a week. I feel more energetic and my skin is extremely soft. That wasn't even really an issue, my skin has always been in good condition, but I am really amazed.

 

I've been pleasantly surprised at the number of gluten free items I'm able to find. I do notice many of them use soy (which I'm trying to limit, but no allergies). I would take a trip to the store just to read food labels. Can you have rice?

 

I'm sure others will have better suggestions, but I want to encourage you to try. I've gone gluten free in the past, then usually break down on pizza night. This time I've been really good and it hasn't seemed as hard.

 

One thing I did right before the new year was basically gorge myself on glutened products. I did pizza, crab rangoon, Chinese food, bread. So by January 1 was ready to quit. I had been very careful and only ate it so often before the end of December. The gorging made me feel awful, I could barely walk my hips hurt so badly. So it was a little self-inflicted pain to help me realize what I was giving up, pain not pizza.

[mothergooseof4]

I went gf due to Hashimoto's and digestion issues on Jan. 1. Within a few days my digestion issues started to clear up. I haven't had any testing done on my thyroid yet so I don't know about that. My adult acne cleared up as well as my severely dry legs and cracking heals.

 

I think I got glutened on some Vday chocolates the other day and I feel horrible right now. Tummy hurts, dizzy, fuzzy headed, indigestion, etc.

 

You can do it. You may have to limit your carbs to fruit. If you can do rice, you should be able to do most of the Pamelas products. I have been using her mixes to make bread, biscuits, and cookies. I also make muffins and breakfast breads but most of those are Paleo recipes and use coconut flour and almond flour, but if you can do rice you should find plenty of recipes using rice flours. Just google "gluten free" along with whatever you are looking to bake....cookies, muffins, etc. and you should come up with plenty of recipes. Rice pasta is good, too. Also, Amazon sells a lot of gf stuff and it is usually cheaper than I can buy it at my health food store.

[Ellie]

You can make almost any meal gluten-free without using soy, chickpeas, any nuts at all, and coconut. Now, if you're trying to substitute ingredients so you can have, say, pizza or even bread, then yeah, it will be trickier, but I can cook all day long without ever using one of the ingredients you listed. :-)

[mommymilkies]

It's totally possible. My three youngest girls and I went GF in October. We have Cashew, Kiwi, Peanut, Pecan, and more allergies. We are soy free due to my 7 yo's profound Hashimoto's. We mostly use almond flour. Paleo/Primal sites & recipes are wonderful if you're looking for recipes. Good luck!

[frugalmama]

You can make almost any meal gluten-free without using soy, chickpeas, any nuts at all, and coconut. Now, if you're trying to substitute ingredients so you can have, say, pizza or even bread, then yeah, it will be trickier, but I can cook all day long without ever using one of the ingredients you listed. :-)

 

This is what I'm worried about - we eat pizza at least once a week, and bread is a daily food around here. Same with pasta - we eat it almost daily.

 

Is there a cookbook you'd recommend?

[frugalmama]

For those of you doing GF for reasons other than Celiac - are you as strict with following GF? Do you occasionally have something with a little gluten?

[jplain]

For those of you doing GF for reasons other than Celiac - are you as strict with following GF? Do you occasionally have something with a little gluten?

I don't know whether I have celiac disease, but I do have a cousin with celiac dz and other extended family members with other autoimmune diseases. I initially went GF because my breastfeeding child was wheat-sensitive. Later I went completely GF because I have developed a whole bunch of autoimmune-ish symptoms but so far have had normal lab results. Since there does seem to be a link between gluten intolerance and autoimmune disease, I figure going GF might stave off full-blown autoimmune disease for me.

 

I've noticed that when I'm accidentally glutened at a restaurant, my unexplained arthritis (presumed post-viral) returns. So no, I don't ever intentionally consume gluten, and my list of trusted restaurants is quite small.

 

My husband is more or less GF because he eats paleo, but he's not strict about it. He'll pick croutons off his salad, etc.

[jplain]

As others have mentioned, a Paleo diet might be a good fit. Many Paleo eaters do consume sweet potatoes. Others add in white potatoes and white rice. You could easily (and cheaply!) get your carb needs met with those foods.

 

I have to have carbs or I get blood sugar issues from the thyroid.

You might want to experiment with that. After a period of adjustment, many people with thyroid issues find that lower carb eating greatly improves their blood sugar control issues.

[elegantlion]

For those of you doing GF for reasons other than Celiac - are you as strict with following GF? Do you occasionally have something with a little gluten?

 

I try to avoid it. I did eat out yesterday and am not sure if the fries were totally gluten free, because of the oil, I feel a little yuck today. I wouldn't go out and order my usual of a sandwich or breaded chicken fingers. I have boundary issues, if I start with allowing it in one area I know I'll eventually slip in others.

 

I know I'm not as careful as if I had celiac, but I do try to stay away from gluten products.

[Peaceful Isle]

I have gone gluten free the past few months and saw a BIG change in my pain from fibromyalgia pain, and also my IBS . No change with my hashimotos hypothyroid though.

I have never been "diagnosed" with gluten problems, just kinda self diagnosed, ..that and my mouth swells every time I eat bread!:glare: I'm not sure about going gluten free without soy and nuts etc.. This may sound funny, but I actually went on Amazon to look at gluten free products. There is quite a bit.

Also, Sprouts and Whole Foods carry many gluten free items.

 

Maybe for your family, you could just find 7 dinner meals, and repeat them each week. I know it may seem boring, but there are many options. Example:

Dinner

1.pasta ( rice or corn) with meat marinara sauce.

2.Chicken Stew thickened with corn starch.

3.Salad with chicken breast on top with your choice of gluten free salad dressing

4. Chili and gluten free cornbread- easily found as package mix

5. Loaded potatoes with butter, sour cream , bacon etc..

6. salisbury steak (beef stock &thickened with corn starch) with a side of rice

7. breakfast for dinner - eggs, grits, bacon, fruit etc..

 

Breakfast-

1.Chex cereal is gluten free

2. They have gluten free waffle and pancake mix

3. Gluten free bars - but most include soy and nuts :(

 

Lunch

1. tuna, chicken, or eggs salad with lays chips - MW is gluten free

2. Gluten free bread/crackers with ham and cheese

 

 

Hope this helps. This is kinda what I do :)

PM me if you want more easy meals that your family might like. These are just a few. I tried to chose them without nuts and soy I'd be glad to help you on your journey. It took a while for my family to get in the groove of things. Good luck to you and :grouphug:

Edited February 18, 2012 by mommyof4AZ

[Peaceful Isle]

Also, PF Changes actually has a gluten free menu - YUM YUM :D

[desertmum]

I've just been diagnosed with IBS. The insurance doesn't cover the food allergy test so the doctor suggested I cut out milk, wheat and gluten. I can't add much to the discussing since I am just beginning my journey. I don't know if I am remain totally faithfull to a gf diet, because I cook for the family and stuff...

[frugalmama]

I have gone gluten free the past few months and saw a BIG change in my pain from fibromyalgia pain, and also my IBS . No change with my hashimotos hypothyroid though.

I have never been "diagnosed" with gluten problems, just kinda self diagnosed, ..that and my mouth swells every time I eat bread!:glare: I'm not sure about going gluten free without soy and nuts etc.. This may sound funny, but I actually went on Amazon to look at gluten free products. There is quite a bit.

Also, Sprouts and Whole Foods carry many gluten free items.

 

Maybe for your family, you could just find 7 dinner meals, and repeat them each week. I know it may seem boring, but there are many options. Example:

Dinner

1.pasta ( rice or corn) with meat marinara sauce.

2.Chicken Stew thickened with corn starch.

3.Salad with chicken breast on top with your choice of gluten free salad dressing

4. Chili and gluten free cornbread- easily found as package mix

5. Loaded potatoes with butter, sour cream , bacon etc..

6. salisbury steak (beef stock &thickened with corn starch) with a side of rice

7. breakfast for dinner - eggs, grits, bacon, fruit etc..

 

Breakfast-

1.Chex cereal is gluten free

2. They have gluten free waffle and pancake mix

3. Gluten free bars - but most include soy and nuts :(

 

Lunch

1. tuna, chicken, or eggs salad with lays chips - MW is gluten free

2. Gluten free bread/crackers with ham and cheese

 

 

Hope this helps. This is kinda what I do :)

PM me if you want more easy meals that your family might like. These are just a few. I tried to chose them without nuts and soy I'd be glad to help you on your journey. It took a while for my family to get in the groove of things. Good luck to you and :grouphug:

 

Thanks - this kinda gives me an idea for options. Some of your ideas won't work for us - I forgot to mention in the OP that we don't do pork products for religious reasons, and I'm not into salads of any type at all. And Sweet potatoes are out - I had a reaction to handling those last week during DD's science project :glare:

 

Plain cornmeal should be gluten free right? I'm thinking cornmeal mush for breakfasts or cornmeal pancakes.

 

I'm going to have to take a look at what is available and would work for us next time I go to the grocery store - I know they have a LOT of gluten free items now, but I've never really looked at them as the price is much higher than I'm used to paying for things. Something tells me going GF won't be kind to my meager grocery budget.

[Peaceful Isle]

You could make homemade mac and cheese with corn noodles and thickened with corn starch. - Just another idea :D And yes, cornmeal is gluten free.

But, always check the labels just in case the product was "made in a facility that produces wheat products". Cross contamination can be a problem. Just make sure the labels say gluten free.

 

It is true that going gluten free may be more expensive. Amazon lets you buy in bulk. That may help for the specialty items.

Edited February 18, 2012 by mommyof4AZ

[jplain]

And Sweet potatoes are out - I had a reaction to handling those last week during DD's science project :glare:

Bummer. Fortunately white potatoes are unrelated to sweet potatoes, so those should still be an option.

 

Plain cornmeal should be gluten free right? I'm thinking cornmeal mush for breakfasts or cornmeal pancakes.

Depends on the brand. Quaker-brand cornmeal is NOT gluten free. They freely admit to cross-contamination. I stick with Arrowhead Mills brand, which my regular grocery store carries in the natural foods section.

 

Something tells me going GF won't be kind to my meager grocery budget.

I don't buy GF subs for myself. I buy things that are naturally GF: meats, veggies, dairy, eggs, and nuts. It helps to focus your shopping on the edges of the store, where the fresh foods are usually located. If you stay out of the aisles, you avoid most of the gluten and gluten-contaminated products. Yeah, I'm probably paying a little more because I buy packaged foods from more trustworthy companies (like Arrowhead Mills), but it is worth the peace of mind. Edited February 18, 2012 by jplain

[jplain]

As I mentioned above, I don't buy GF subs for myself. And when I'm baking (mostly for others, I don't often eat sweets), I try to avoid complicated and expensive GF flour mixes. This recently published article on NPR has some great naturally GF recipes.

 

Kitchen Window: Baking Without Flour Bring Sweet Results

 

In fact, my kids and I just put the Lemon Cornmeal Cake in the oven. At Christmastime, we often make variations of the nut butter cookies.

[Albrosmom]

We went gluten free not quite a year ago. DS had severe abdominal pain that subsided in 8 weeks. He has the celiac genes. I am gluten intolerant. My favorite cookbook is Cooking for Isaiah. One of my dear friends deals with multiple allergies in her home and she's able to pull off gluten free too. DH and I really like a cauliflower pizza crust.

[HLDoll]

I went GF in Oct after being diagnosed with Hashimotos. I just got my antibodies tested in late Jan and they went from 400 to 200. I also noticed improvement with regard to my bowels. I try to be strict about what I consume and will not knowingly eat gluten. I think I've accidentally had gluten on two occasions and definitely suffered in the bathroom following those meals. I haven't really tried to find GF replacements for things I once loved. I mostly have just changed the way I eat. As a result, I'm much lower carb now and managing weight is much easier. It certainly can't hurt to try it. But I think you really have to commit to it. Cheating occasionally isn't going to help you any.

[yslek]

I'm not gf, but have experimented with gf recipes since a number of friends & family members can't have gluten. I got a cookbook from the library that had some really good recipes. It was called Grain Free Gourmet. Also, if you google GAPS diet recipes, you should find workable recipes. (GAPS is gf & a whole bunch of other stuff free as well. Some recipes do feature coconut products, but many should work for you.)

[lilypoo]

Tom Sawyer's Gluten-Free flour has made all the difference going GF for my kids. I'm mostly Primal but this flour is made out of rice and tapioca primarily and I do allow myself rice on occasion a la Perfect Health Diet so I partake too. It's allowed me to make pancakes, bread, cookies, etc. that taste and look NORMAL to the kids. I used to make all our substitutions with almond flour and most were heavy and oily, no matter what I tried. My 7yo daughter has Crohn's and her remissions are much more solid when she's GF. I'm less bloated and irritable, and I lose weight effortlessly. And IBS goes away for me completely. Everyone in the family is trimmer on a GF diet, even when we still eat sugar.

 

We also avoid all other grains but rice. I've come to the conclusion that corn is kinda garbage. I've lost 40+ pounds and reversed diabetes and hypertension since I went grain-free.

Edited February 19, 2012 by lilypoo

[Unicorn.]

I make gluten free bread w/out any of those ingredients that you listed as allergies. As long as you can have rice, corn, potato, tapioca, sorghum, millet, ..... there are always substitutions! We went gf (for dd's sake) w/ the new year, and while I'm not sticking to it completely, dd and dh are.

 

Hodgson Mill Multi purpose baking mix has millet, sorghum, brown rice flours, and xanthum gum. Their bread mix does have bean flour, but I've made bread from scratch just using millet, sorghum, rice flour, potato starch, or corn starch.

Arrowhead Mills (my favorite) all purpose baking mix has rice flour, sorghum, tapioca starch, rice bran extract and xanthum gum.

 

Shop around at different food stores. Our local grocery has a gf pasta line that is made from corn and rice, and tastes like reg. pasta. Rudi's gf bread, and glutino are good, and cheaper than Udi's. Our favorite is the Whole foods brand sandwich bread, but I have to drive an hour to get that. Making it from scratch is easier than making reg homemade bread though. I also think we have eaten more carbs since going gf than we used to, because I was making a lot of things to show my dd that she didn't have to give up treats. So I made cookies, pumpkin muffins, which are better than regular, as are brownies!!

 

Try the Gluten Free Gourmet, and Gluten Free Gourmet Bakes Bread cookbooks. I also like Annalise Robert's books.

[Mommee & Baba]

We have pizza night every other Friday.

 

This is the recipe I follow. It's NOTHING like making it with wheat flours at all. It's very sticky! It was funky for me at first. I am used to it now and we all like it. Just have olive oil or something similar to use for spreading the dough out on the pan with your hands as it's easiest. When I first saw the dough I added more flour to it to make it look more like the "wheat flour" pizza recipes. WRONG! I ended up with a brick! So even though you may see it and think "woah! Something is not right..."stick it out and follow the recipe. I let mine rise every time as my kids like it "puffy & airy". If you don't let it rise it'll be flat and more dense.

 

http://glutenfreemommy.com/homemade-pizza/

Edited February 19, 2012 by mamaofblessings

[ZeldaRules]

Why don't you try a high raw food diet? It will break your craving of chocolate, breads, etc. you will get your carbs from the fruits. A raw food diet is used as a detox diet. You will feel crappy for a few days while your body detoxes. I felt blah days 3,4,5&10. I drink a smoothie every morning, have soup or salad for lunch and then eat a smoothie for dinner or another salad - or bananas with peanut butter. You could eat them with almond butter. You need a high powered blender (Vitamix or Blendtec) for this diet and a dehydrator would be a good idea.

 

I had pizza yesterday, but I hadn't had any bread for over 4 weeks, and I don't really miss it-and I was a carb queen. I love bread and chocolate and cookies and and and... 30 days is a good number for this diet, as it's long enough to break your cravings and bad habits, and it will detox your body, helping you in the long run. After your 30 days is up, reintroduce foods you can have. Spend that 30 days researching meals you can have and you will be prepared and ready to go and will have formed better eating habits.

 

Watch these Netflix movies: Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead & Forks over Knives. Both are food documentaries and are very informative.

 

Good luck.

[Ellie]

This is what I'm worried about - we eat pizza at least once a week, and bread is a daily food around here. Same with pasta - we eat it almost daily.

 

Is there a cookbook you'd recommend?

You can buy gluten-free pizza crust, and gluten-free bread and pasta, as well.

 

A friend has a bread machine that she makes bread in almost daily (she says gluten-free bread doesn't freeze well).

 

As an Atkins-ite :) , the thought of that much carb daily gives me the chills, lol.

[sassenach]

Paleo would work with your limitations, except for the nuts/coconut thing. Maybe pick up a good paleo cookbook and just use olive oil when it calls for coconut oil, and skip the nuts.

 

I went grain free 2 weeks ago. It's been easier than I thought it would be. I'm leaning on a lot of paleo recipes, even though I haven't completely gone that way (I'm still eating limited dairy and beans).

 

I personally haven't noticed any improvement with joint issues, but I don't think I am gluten sensitive. I'm cutting grain mostly because I think it's an unnecessary part of my diet, and it was making me really overweight. I've already lost 5 pounds, and I am truly not skimping on portions. It's amazing that one little thing could make such a difference.