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Who here is totally Wheat/Gluten Free ????

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Posted 10/2/2012 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
and if your not ... have you ever tried going off gluten / wheat completely for a length of time ? If so what happened , how were your symptoms ???
Posted 10/2/2012 4:31 PM (GMT 0)
I just started gluten free and have seen little change from it.
Posted 10/2/2012 5:37 PM (GMT 0)
I have gone completely wheat/gluten/grain free for a time. (GAPS diet to heal leaky gut).

Now am gluten free except for occasional slip.

I see a huge difference! If I eat gluten I have fatigue, brain fog and body aches.

Also, I just learned that certain kinds of yeasts in the gut will convert gluten to ammonia! yikes.

Anyway, hope this helps!
Posted 10/2/2012 6:32 PM (GMT 0)
randompains , how long have you been gluten free ? And how strict do you adhere to it ? If you dont mind sharing can you post some examples of what a daily menu for you looks like ? Also have you eliminated all grains for now or did you just eliminate wheat ? One more thing do you still drink coffee ? ( or should I say do you drink coffee ? )

Nan , I would be very interested in reading about the yeasts /gluten conversion , interesting stuff !
Posted 10/3/2012 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
I have been gluten/dairy/sugar free since January. The biggest thing I have noticed is weight loss of 20# and big improvements in blood sugar and cholesterol levels. I don't believe I'm actually allergic to either wheat or dairy. The couple cheats I have made don't seem to make any noticeable impact for me. I've chosen to stick with it to keep inflammation down and to maintain the other health gains. And to stay away from the sugar to not feed the Lyme.

I have also noticed that natural foods taste so much better when you go off sugar. It's amazing how good a strawberry or a good butternut squash actually tastes.
Posted 10/3/2012 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
I've been gluten free since Thanksgiving. I don't notice much of a change on it. I stick to it extremely strictly. Only once did I have a piece of non-gluten free bread and it was accidental.

Here's a sample menu for me:

Breakfast:
Gluten Free Egg McMuffin (made at home with cheese)

Lunch:
Tuna with apples, olive oil mayo, celery
or
PB sandwich on gluten free bread

Dinner:
Ground Turkey with tomato sauce, green pepper, brown rice
or
Chicken with brown rice, broccoli, tomato, onion, garlic
or
Turkey burger on gluten free roll
or
Gluten Free pasta with cheese or tomato sauce

Snacks:
Larabar PB cookie flavor (no sugar added)
Gluten Free cereal with almond milk
SO no sugar added coconut milk ice cream
Fruit
Posted 10/3/2012 7:23 AM (GMT 0)
I've been 100% wheat & gluten-free since 2005 (before I was diagnosed with Lyme, though my Lyme symptoms started long before...).

Yes, being gluten free makes a huge difference for me. I know it when I get "glutened."
Posted 10/3/2012 12:06 PM (GMT 0)
I have been predominantly gluten free for years now. For me, gluten is definitely an issue as I get bloated, have a food coma, joints get achy, and my nose runs if I eat it. Sometimes I trial it as I miss some things, but for the most part I just simply avoid it. I don't even eat GF foods as usually those are more trouble than they are worth plus many use corn and I try to avoid GM foods as well. It is certianly worth a shot, and it takes up to 2 weeks for you to notice a difference, but anything you try, you should give 30 days. :)
Posted 10/3/2012 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
Im about gluten free for 2 weeks - No Coffee and yes I love coffee (trader joes house blend or green mountain) :(

breakfast - 1 slice gluten free bread or gluten free pancakes
Lunch - grilled veggies or smoothie or gluten free soup
Dinner - salad - (cucumber, spinach, romaine, carrot, tomato, almonds, broccoli, bell pepper, sesame seeds)

I am very strict and dont know how long I can keep this up.

Post Edited (randompains) : 10/3/2012 7:00:31 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/3/2012 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
Randm , it sounds like a pretty healthy gluten free diet !  Hmmmm , I wonder if you have another food allergy along with the wheat gluten ? I have wondered this with myself . My mohter was having alot of pains , charlie horses, blacking out , feeling inflamed sore etc... and she went to a holistic doc, they sent out bloodwork for food allergy testing , it came back positive for being allergic to red meat , wheat/gluten , dairy ( even cheddar ) , nightshades( tomatoes , potatoes etc. ) onions , garlic . and a few others !

She eliminated those foods and her weight just fell off ( she is almost too skinny now , weird ! ) and her pains ALL went   away .

I have seen this type of response with a few other people . For example a friend I went to school with... she owns a spa , and she and I had discussed our fibromyalgia issues in great detail over the years , she even started a fibro support group at her spa , I recently saw her at the pet store , and she told me that her symtoms have completely been alleviated , I of course had to ask her what she was doing . She told me she had gone all raw , all organic . Started juicing , and eating everything raw . She said she still eats meat and shell fish but it has to be organic , free range etc... bc the hormones in the meat contributed to her fibro pain . idea  

Now I find that low carb /atkins style eating has always led to a decrease in fibro type pain and other symptoms , BUT as the years roll on I started to miss the other foods , then recently I have been reading alot more about wheat /gluten etc.. and now I do moderate low carb , low grain , and I dont do such high meat  , instead I do alot of veggies and some meats , and I now try to avoid processed meats and cheeses . I just try to eat everything in whole form . I have felt so much better in general since these changes .

I do think sometimes its just trial and error to figure out what foods dont agree with us , and what foods are going to help us .

Sugar , even in the form of fruit really bothers me . I have to stay low or none on that too !  I am finding alot of alternatives that fill in the voids so I dont feel deprived . In fact lately I crave the healthy foods and the processed stuff does not even taste good to me anymore . I also have bad attacks after eating the processed stuff , my body is on strike against it lol  tongue  

Posted 10/3/2012 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
Summer , if you dont mind , I'd like to say what I notice about your sample menu ....
You are still using lots of grain products , and peanuts , and alot of nightshades . Have you ever thought of maybe trying a true elimination diet ? And doing only non allergenic foods for say a couple months .. then add back one allergen food at a time and see after about a week if you have a return of symptoms ?

I only mention this because I am thinking ( and have been told ) that maybe this is the only true way to narrow down what foods are causing us pain and inflammation . I know the lyme and coinfections alone cause alot of that , but what we injest is another big peice of it , and of course our immune systems would really thank us for hte break in the food department , while its trying to combat the other infections .

I know it is hard to do , I sometimes feel limited if I try to think of eliminating even more food groups . But I am gearing up to give a hardcore elimination diet a chance ! I would be eliminating nuts , peanuts , ALL grains , ALL nightshades, onions/garlic , eggs ( :-( I do love myself a good omlette ) , dairy , wheat /gluten , no fruit , or anything that triggers yeast ...
that will leave me all unprocessed meats , seafood , most veggies , so I will be doing alot of root veggies , soups , stews, salads, juicing , smoothies . It will still leave me alot of good food , but it will limit me in the ways of preparation I spose . I'd like to do it for 30 days , and then add back one food at a time , I am hoping some of them dont cause me a reaction ( like rice , and like eggs , and some dairy like hard cheeses and butter ) so that I can have a little more variety . I will not even try to add back wheat /gluten because I have already seen what this does to me . But I am curious if there are more that I am allergic to that is continuing to hamper my health . I bet that is the case , and probably with most of us !
Posted 10/3/2012 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
Garfield ! AMEN! to that .... I know exactly what you mean about how you start to appreciate the nice flavors of our foods , and even crave it without anything else :-) I n otice that sometimes I will crave something sweet that I use to eat , and once I have it , I think EWWWW this is sickeningly tooo sweet and I wont even want it :-)
Posted 10/3/2012 8:48 PM (GMT 0)
My problem is my weight is at an all time low and I look disgusting. 5'4 and 130lbs. My gp says its still in line with my height but one look at me and you know somethings wrong. On days I eat 2 slices of bread and a salad for dinner my protein is off. This must be fixed, problem is finding food my stomach tolerates. Oh what to do? I'm hoping to find more recipes or a lymes specific cookbook.

Oh yeah meat and dairy make me sick just thinking of them. Processed food always gave me heartburn so I went off them many years ago.
Posted 10/4/2012 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Random pains, have you discovered Recipes for Repair yet? A cook book for Lymies and others wanting to follow an anti-inflammatory diet.

My two favorite gluten free breakfasts for ideas for others:
Quinoa pancakes - beat together an egg, bit of almond milk, throw in pre-cooked quinoa ( or brown rice), walnuts. Have also added blueberries or butternut squash or sweet potato with some cinnamon & nutmeg or cardamon. Beat it together & cook like thick pancakes. With the good protein in quinoa I find it gives me a good start to the day.

Scrambled eggs & veggies - my favorite is to saute up some onions, pepper, tomatoes, zucchini & garlic then add the eggs. A nice slice of raisin millet bread on the side. If you are eating dairy some goat cheese or feta is nice (my husband eats that -no dairy for me.)

Dinner - hubby often grills something and we have a couple veggies on the side. Lunch for me is usually left-over dinner. This time of year - fresh veggies from the garden as much as possible tho we are nearing frost time.

Snacks - green smoothies, nuts, Beanitos chips & Salsa, almond crackers & hummus, & the occasional coconut milk frozen dessert (no sugar added)
Posted 10/4/2012 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
thank u all for posting, I am starting my gf diet tomorrow, if I have the energy....
Posted 10/4/2012 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
Lotta: r.e. yeast and gluten. All I know is that the Dr. here at Hansa said yeast will convert gluten into ammonia. So, I am assuming if there is yeast overgrowth in the gut it could convert gluten into ammonia. Or maybe it only would do so if the gut did not break down the gluten??

I know I am gluten intolerant and have loads of ammonia in the system..although the doc is saying that is from long term lyme and another infection (forgot the name) co-existing.


I have at times ..for many months..been completely grain free. It was helpful. Now eat very few grains..only rice and occasional oats. It takes some switching, but it is second nature to me now.

good luck!!

oh..crock pots are great. You can put meat and veggies in in morning and have dinner and leftovers. lots of good recipes online.

and I eat eggs with veggies sauteed next to them for breakfast...like the British..eggs and tomatoes! :)

N
Posted 10/5/2012 3:36 AM (GMT 0)
Quinoa pancakes!? I cannot wait to try them!

Both my accupuncturist and herbalist have recently mentioned giving up the G word...I think it might be time to give it another go! The first time I was a teenager and...well, let's just say I didn't have the willpower for that!

Good luck to all of you who are embarking on this - I have yet to go GF for a significant time so I can't say for sure if it's the gluten, but in general, I've noticed a huge difference when I eat all whole/wild/natural foods versus even a healthy version of the standard American diet.
Posted 10/5/2012 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
I have seen the book Garfield and plan on getting it just funds a little tight. Hope to get it soon, great sample chapters on amazon.
Posted 10/5/2012 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
 

My daughters severe symptoms before lyme dx had me searching for anything that could help pain go away or at least subside. So to get her to go GF and beef free I had to show her that I could do it too. That was May 2012 and she only stayed on diet 2 weeks. She did not have any symptoms going back to regular foods but I stayed GF due to gut pain when I ate gluten.

Sinse then I have no more cravings for bad sugary baked goods. Found some Betty Crocker GF cake and cookie mixes for when I do have bad moments. about $5 for a mix, so much more expensive, but a treat when I do get them. I used to always be hungry, now I have to force myself to eat and am much pickier about eating healthy. Lots of nuts, fruit, ground turkey, veggies, yogurt, cheese and we have our own chickens for eggs. Beans are better protein for lyme recovery so I make many different kinds of chili. Turkey chili, white chicken chili with like 8 fresh veggies in it. I am constantly trying new ways to cook legumes.

 I know my daughter is too sick to cook at all. Many of you must be just as sick so it has got to be so difficult to shop and eat healthy. Family support is a very valueable asset when lymes makes someone so sick. Good luck to you first timers.  

Posted 10/6/2012 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
I don't worry about restricting night shades and grains. My thought is that it would be unhealthy to eliminate too much while being very sick with multiple infections. I think you have to pick and choose what's best for an individual situation.

I really don't think that the majority of my symptoms are being caused by my diet so I don't obsess too much. I eliminated gluten, refined sugar and most dairy. I am also getting too thin and can't restrict much more. The peanut butter keeps my weight stabilized.
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