JoeRose
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Dec 23, 2011
Posts: 185
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 Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 4:17 pm Post subject: Gluten |
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I've been debating going gluten-free for a while now but it is simply too expensive for me (especially as I am a student). I want to do it for a number of reasons: I have tremors, fasciculations and a host of other non-explainable strange symptoms. I've always wondered whether an allergy to gluten may be the cause.
I was just wondering whether anyone here has a gluten free diet? What type of things do you eat?
Is there any way to achieve a gluten free diet without buying special gluten free foods? What type of things should I eat and how long for? How long would it be before I notice any effects on my general health.
Any advice on this area would be extremely helpful. I think it's time for me to completely change my lifestyle and I want to start it right away!
Thanks,
Joe |
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mushroo
Velociraptor
Joined: Sep 15, 2011
Posts: 492
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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Your doctor can test to see if you are sensitive to gluten. If you're not, then you will probably see zero health benefits from a gluten-free diet and it would be a waste of money and effort.
I've been gluten-free for 18 months (at my doctor's suggestion), and to be honest with you, because most of my favorite foods were already gluten-free, so it was an easy transition.
I eat:
rice
beans
all vegetables
all fruits
eggs
dairy
I almost never buy the "convenience" foods like gluten-free pretzels, gluten-free pie, gluten-free bread, etc. because they are expensive and completely unnecessary to a balanced & healthy diet.
My two favorite foods have always been Japanese sushi and Indian vegetable curries over rice, which are naturally gluten free (although with Japanese food you want to use tamari soy sauce instead of shoyu soy sauce). Homemade soup is arguably the least possible expensive food you can eat, and is gluten-free unless you add noodles, croutons, etc. 
Last edited by mushroo on Wed May 09, 2012 4:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Janissy
Phoenix
Joined: May 06, 2009
Age: 46
Posts: 4853
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Potatoes are also a good non-gluten way to get carbohydrates. Either white potatoes or the vitamin-filled sweet potatoes are great choices. |
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smudge
Your worst nightmare
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Joined: Sep 07, 2006
Age: 25
Posts: 2118
Location: London
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| Posted: Wed May 09, 2012 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Additives have a BIG effect on me, almost drug-like. I would look into these too - they are very important. |
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Kurgan
I'm always right
Joined: Apr 07, 2012
Age: 24
Posts: 1695
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 7:09 am Post subject: |
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I've been gluten free for years, and I eat the following more or less everyday:
- Tuna
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Oats
- Fruit and vegetables
Much cheaper and not to mention healthier than the common bread, butter and sausage diet. |
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Kjas
Onçinha
Joined: Feb 27, 2012
Age: 23
Posts: 4893
Location: the place I'm from doesn't exist anymore
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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If you want to do it cheap, your best bet is too cook a lot of asian style dishes, as they are usually use rice or rice noodles for bases and therefore cheap (plus extras you can just freeze). Curries, stir frys, soups, rice dishes, and all the other fun stuff. Since most of it consists of vegetables, a bit of meat, some rice, and curry paste or base sauce, it's not really that hard to do and it's usually fairly healthly.
In summary, stick with lots of fresh vegies, a bit of meat, rice, for main meals and some fruits and nuts or yogurt always works for snacks.
warning: be careful if you buy oats, because the majority of them are not gluten free, are usually contaiminated.
Provided you don't buy all the replacement foods, your shopping bill shouldn't be expensive. Just remember to read every single list of ingredients on everything you buy. Even the weirdest stuff has gluten in it (ice cream, soups, almost anything proccessed).
3 months is generally the best amount of time to see if there is a difference. 1 month is too short, since if you are reacting to it, it would take at least 3 weeks to stop reacting. Some people experience withdrawal, so you have to allow for that too.
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mushroo
Velociraptor
Joined: Sep 15, 2011
Posts: 492
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| Posted: Thu May 10, 2012 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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| I advise against starting the gluten-free diet before you see your doctor and get tested. Doing so may result in a false negative. To get accurate results you should do a "gluten challenge" where you eat quite a bit of gluten in the days before the test. |
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Aharon
Phoenix
Joined: Dec 27, 2011
Posts: 632
Location: Kansas
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| Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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I've been "wheat free" for a month now, and it has defintiley helped with my lethargy, brain fog, cravings and insomnia. I wouldn't say I'm totally gluten free as some of the foods I occasionally eat were manufactured in a facility that processes wheat; but I dot have celiac disease and am not concerned if I ingest a rogue gluten protein once in a while.
I ate a lot of corn tortillas the first couple of weeks, and corn chips, but after about 3 weeks my desire for bread and other grains has gone down a lot. I currently eat a little rice almost everyday, but not much, and I did buy a box of gluten free waffles to treat myself with once in a while.
Overall I feel much better, and have no plans to go back on wheat. I'm addicted to it, and am better off without it.
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If aliens come to get me, it won't be an abduction, but a rescue operation. |
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Jojoba
Sea Gull
Joined: Feb 08, 2011
Posts: 231
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ChangelingGirl
Brazilian Wandering Spider
Joined: Sep 19, 2007
Age: 26
Posts: 1612
Location: Netherlands
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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| I may be gluten intolerant, but like someone already said, you'll have to be on gluten while getting tested, and a gluten--free diet does little fo rpeople who are not sensitive to it. I know there's some alternative medicine hype about gluten addiction and that kind of stuff, but I don't buy into that. Then again it doesn't harm your body to go gluten-free, so if you do believe in this, go ahead and give it a try. |
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Mackica
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 16, 2010
Posts: 536
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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I am not a fan of gluten at all.Our bodies,which are thousands of years old,are not designed to digest the modern gluten grain.I tried eating manna bread earlier this year,which is raw sprouted wheat,and that was the absolute worst case of indigestion I've ever had! The original gluten grain,einkorn,is apparently much more digestible and does not trigger allergic reactions like the modern gluten grain does.Give it a shot!
http://www.jovialfoods.com/einkorn.html
Namaste,
Tajna |
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PenguinMom
Deinonychus
Joined: Oct 31, 2009
Posts: 322
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 1:40 pm Post subject: |
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Once you get used to cooking gluten free it's not so expensive.
Yogurt, fruits, eggs, fish, nuts vegetables and rice are all gluten free.
Ice cream, nutella, gummies, and hard candies are good gluten free deserts.
Chocolate is gluten free.
Cook lots of stews and stir fries to start with, they're easy. Once you lose the habit of "bread" you will find more variety in your diet,
Millet, buckhweat, etc are pretty cheap, mix with beans and you've got your protein and carbs in one quick easy meal.
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I am not an expert on anything. Any advice given is with the best of intentions; a small way for me to repay a community that helps me when I need it. |
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mushroo
Velociraptor
Joined: Sep 15, 2011
Posts: 492
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 2:52 pm Post subject: |
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| ps A classic symptom of celiac disease is eating wheat cases "steatorrhea," which is a type of diarrhea that is loose, greasy, and floats on the surface of the toilet water. This is caused by fats passing undigested through the body due to malabsorption. If untreated (by switching to a gluten-free diet), over time the patient may have difficulty gaining/maintaining weight and may develop diseases of malnutrition (such as anemia) even though the diet is sufficient. |
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Mackica
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 16, 2010
Posts: 536
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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| PenguinMom wrote: | Once you get used to cooking gluten free it's not so expensive.
Yogurt, fruits, eggs, fish, nuts vegetables and rice are all gluten free.
Ice cream, nutella, gummies, and hard candies are good gluten free deserts.
Chocolate is gluten free.
Cook lots of stews and stir fries to start with, they're easy. Once you lose the habit of "bread" you will find more variety in your diet,
Millet, buckhweat, etc are pretty cheap, mix with beans and you've got your protein and carbs in one quick easy meal. |
Wow,almost all the foods you mention are triggers to ADHD and are really harmful for anyone to consume in the long term.
Caffeine,I'd never feed a child that.Theobromine is a toxic addictive chemical found in cacao.
Dairy,which is known to contribute to allergies,mucus buildup,indigestion,headaches in the long term.
Processed foods and sugars are so harmful for those with ADHD,not mention "regular" people.
The SAD (standard American diet) is a poison,my gosh so many are victims of it!  |
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mushroo
Velociraptor
Joined: Sep 15, 2011
Posts: 492
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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Orthorexia nervosa = an eating disorder characterized by irrational obsession with food that is "healthy" and "pure."
If your Doctor gives you specific reasons to avoid specific foods (for your diagnosed celiac disease, lactose intolerance, ADHD, etc.) then that's one thing... but please don't deny yourself the normal foods that everyone eats just because you read some website.
"Better to eat beer and franks with cheer and thanks than sprouts and bread with doubts and dread." |
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