Does anyone really follow a gluten-free diet?

I have just started it about a week ago, so it hasn't shown drastic help yet. It is kinda tough but it isnt the end of desserts. I tried some gluten-free chocolate chip cookies and they were very good. The major problem is that most gluten-free specialty foods can be pricey. But there are many foods in the grocery store that are naturally gluten-free(most meats, rice, vegetables, and fruits). I am still learning about what I can and can't eat. I even had a wedding this week for my brother. I couldn't have any of the desserts, but they did give me food that was gluten-free.

Some good links for recipes and guidelines:
http://glutenfreemommy.com/
http://www.gicare.com/Diets/Gluten-Free.aspx
http://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsafe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Unsafe-Ingredients/Page1.html

I started back in February of this year a different kind of diet that has helped me tremendously. I no longer even take the Colozal I took last year. It started out when I started to read The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin. I highly recommend this book or his other which is called Patient, Heal Thyself. He was a sufferer of Chron's Disease and healed himself without the use of drugs. He recommends gluten-free and I don't agree with everything in the book but I took parts of what he mentioned and applied it to my own diet. Things like staying away from pork and shellfish made a difference. I then cut out most bread, foods and drinks that were using high-fructose syrup (which I noticed always sent me running to the bathroom) and I tried buying foods that were organic and natural. I eat a lot of fruit and veggies now. Stuff like strawberries, carrots, broccoli. The only meats I eat are chicken and fish. Both I prepare with little seasoning and if I order it somewhere I make sure it's that way also. I also drink a glass of pressed, organic carrot juice (sometimes I mix with a smoothie or another organic juice.) This has done wonders to my system. I also drink half a glass of Aloe Vera (make sure you get the fillet and not the whole leaf kind... Whole leaf doesn't have the inside stuff you really need.) In about 2 months most of my symptoms dissappeared. Seriously. I think there is so much stuff in food nowadays and it may be what is causing UC and Chrons Disease. I stay away from prepackaged food. Any food that looks like it's fake or has sweeteners, artificial flavorings...if you can't pronounce or understand most of the ingredients on the label just stay away from it. I don't go all gluten-free but I do think it can help.

There are different types of flour you can use that is wheat free. I was on the scd diet for a few months and I baked with almond flour. It didn't help significantly but it did help me to realize some of the foods that I am intolerant to.

I do it. At first it was a struggle, but I learned. There are many gluten-free flours (like potato and tapioca) that work great for coating chicken, etc., pasta (made with corn), even cookies. Puffins make a gluten-free cereal with honey and it's really, really good.

I have tried to eat lo carb for years, so I don't miss the bread. The frozen gluten-free breads are just awful, I can only eat it toasted, like with a toasted cheese sandwich. I found some good gluten-free crackers.

Generally since corn and potatoes are OK, there are lots of goodies available. I lost weight but then discovered I could eat potato chips, yum.

I learned here that I could drink Heineken and didn't have to drink beer made for sorghum when I wanted beer, although it wasn't that bad.

I'm eager to hear if it helps you.

I follow the SCD diet and am in remission.

Had a flare that lasted 6 weeks, I refused to take prednisone again. Diet got in back. It feels good to walk around without being changed to a toilet.

I have been gluten free and noticed my allergies have decreased. I have a cold at the moment and am not feeling great as I have had problems coming off the pill.

hello Shelliesv,
i am also on the SCD.. So far so good. It takes discipline, but very doable. I am a medical resident and the hours are pretty tough, but i still manage.
the book to get for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is called Breaking Vicious Cycle. It has changed the lives of thousands of pple. there are groups on the internet as well to help with support of this diet.
it makes ALOT of sense especially for pple who have crohn's (i have UC)
i am also on meds as well (6mp......) and supplements.
Let me know if u have qns. if anyone is gonna go Gluten free it makes way more sense to do the diet (it has to do with complexity of the Carbohydrate, u'll have to read the book to understand)
Good luck
feel well
Ghena 31male, UC since 2000

Can you update us Shellie? Have you tried the diet?
Excuse my ignorance but what is "SCD"

I noticed gluten-free cake at my local Starbucks recently- it was an orange cake. When mainstream places like Starbucks start offering gluten-free foods it goes to show that gluten's become a problem for a lot of people nowadays.

I don't have any issues with gluten. I can eat as much as I want. It's fructose that I have issues with. I must say that I feel very fortunate. It would be much more difficult to give up gluten than fructose.

Christine1946 said...
My doctor had me tested to see if I were gluten intolerant before embarking on such a diet and it proved that I wasn't. I do know a woman who has this malady and she sticks to a gluten free diet very religiously and is doing well. However, if the tests show you can tolerate the gluten...why torture yourself?

I was tested for allergies also and test results said that I should have no problem with Gluten.

The Gulten Free diet has done wonders for my UC. I have accidentally eaten Gluten on two occasions that I know of and I had bad UC symptoms later that evening and the next day.

Remember, most GIs will tell you that food has nothing to do with UC but I think most of us know better.

I also have been using a combination of the SCD diet and Anti-fungal diet. It has helped me become 'normal' again without the dependency on steroids. I have been on it for 4 weeks now and have always went several times a day when I wasn't on prednisone. Now I go zero or one time a day and the blood continues to diminish on its own with each passing day. I have been off the roids for 2.5 weeks now for the first time in a year. Usually 2.5 weeks off the roids I'd be on the toilet 8 to 10 times by now.

Is it hard to stick with? Yes and no.

I failed miserably when I tried the diet back in January when I was in a super bad flare. It's all about ATTITUDE! My attitude at the time was everyone around me can eat anything they want so I should be able to as well. It's not fair. I caved in and lost the battle of will power with my gut.

Within the last month I was flaring even on low dose steroids and my doctor mentioned remicade since imuran was not working. I said no, what's the next option. He said colon removal. I said no and figured it was time to take matters into my own hands. And more importantly I changed my ATTITUDE along the way. Now my attitude is this: Rather then the whoa is me attitude, I have the attitude that it could be worse. I could have something like pancreatic cancer and a death sentence awaiting me in 6 months. Just because I can't eat cookies or pizza or bread or pasta doesn't mean I can't or won't be happy. I loved those things, but I love my HEALTH a lot more.

Even though I'm more hungry now, I am also a lot more happy. I'm able to have more energy to play with my children, because I'm not running to the bathroom to poop blood every hour or two. I have more energy to go out and do fun things with my wife. I don't have this disease figured out and I could flare again tomorrow, but I think I'm on the right track with this diet. Also, if you see positive results it's that much easier to stay away from the things you love when a craving hits.

I thought I wasn't going to be able to live a year ago when I gave up pop (pepsi and mountain dew). I was a 3 or 4 can a day guy for 12 years - I needed it to live or so I thought. For the last year I've drank filtered water exclusively and believe it or not I don't miss pop. I don't miss alcohol. I don't miss juice. I don't miss tea or lemonade. What I always go back to is that I miss my health more than all of those things combined. I took my health for granted and now I will try anything that is non-medical first.

Everybody has the discipline and will power deep down to do it. It helps having a strong support team and getting your spouse on board. But ultimately it starts with an I can attitude.