Gluten Free Lifestyle/Dieting

[WRVgirl]

Was hoping some members here are doing this, or have done the gluten free diet in the past.

For medical reasons, I am going to give it a go and I'm confused! I've been reading articles online and blogs and stuff and all I can deduce is that Gluten is a wheat protein found in just about everything that tastes delicious!

I have Hashimoto's disease [where my body produces antibodies that attack my thyroid, kidneys, adrenal glands and anything foreign in my body [such as when I get pregnant] I was reading that people with autoimmune diseases also generally have a higher than average NK cell count in their body...

Supposedly, the antibodies thrive on gluten and that by cutting it out of my life, I may be able to stop miscarrying every time I get pregnant; to be honest, I've been envisioning it as by cutting out gluten, I'll be starving the antibodies and they won't have the energy to attack my body! lol

I'm a HUGE fan of bread and cookies and cake [but who isn't? lol] So I know that this is going to be hard, but I am excited about reaping the benefits that come with living gluten free.

How do you substitute? I know rice is ok, but that soup stock isn't. Is there a way to make soup stock on your own?

Do you have any good recipes or meal idea's?

How do you deal with eating while you're out and fast food is your only option?

How do you feel on the diet? Better? Worse? The same?


Any tips, tricks or stories would be 100% greatly appreciated. All of this reading I've done, is making living gluten free seem much too easy to be true! Ha ha ha

 

[Highlander]

Hi there from a fellow Hashi!
I went (mostly!) gluten free last year and it really does help. I try to follow the Paleo way of eating, we found it really hard at first but once you get into the way of it, it becomes much easier. Also your reaction to gluten becomes more pronounced after you have been off it for a while so that makes you less likely to cheat! But I still slip up now and again - sometimes the temptation is too strong!
Coming off refined sugars help too - we try to stick to honey and maple syrup. I bake with almond flour and coconut flour - there are tons of recipes out there to help the sweet tooth!
I'll PM you with a few sites that I found really helpful when I was starting out.
Best of luck - I know how daunting it is to make such a big lifestyle change but good for you for making it!

PS Are you on synthroid or dessicated? I felt so much better when I switched to NatureThroid but sadly had to switch back when I moved country as I can't get it here now but it's worth looking into if you haven't already.

 

[WRVgirl]

I'm on synthroid 200mcg daily.

OMG. I would LOVE some sites, I can't seem to find much on my own

I'm hoping the gluten helps control the antibodies...up until 200mcg, my TSH has been soo up and down and all around. I would love to just be stable and healthy! lol

 

[SesameSt.Chicks]

Hi!
I have much experience with cooking for special diets. For my mom, and for her job at a B&B.

I liked using the cookbook cookbook, "You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free." It has a guide for starting to eat and "live" gluten-free, how to set up a kitchen living with someone severely allergic to gluten, and a chart of flours to substitute. The author herself is not allergic to gluten, and I think this may be helpful in assuring the gluten-free (GF) recipes are good substitutes for 'regular' non-GF recipes.

Chocolatecoveredkatie.com is my favorite recipe blog. She includes many gluten-free options to her recipes, and also posts many gluten-free recipes. She has a tab for "special diet" recipes, and under that is all her "gluten-free" recipes.

There are many tasty and bread-y recipes out there! Good luck, and I hope a GF diet helps you.

 

[WRVgirl]

Thanks Sesame!
I'll have to look into that cookbook! It would be nice to know the difference between the flours and what flour goes to make what item! It's all a bit confusing.

I've been told that almond flour is the best for baking and rice flour is good for making breading...I still need to get over the sticker shock though! I went and picked up a couple items and spent over $100! Our grocery bill is about to double! ha ha ha

 

[nova022]

You can eat gluten free without buying a lot of the "gluten free" products. You can eat almost any meat, fish, poulty, fruit, nut or vegetable. I felt so much better the first week of being gluten free that I do not ever plan to go back to eating gluten. The one time that I cheated, and that was to be polite because my daughter in law fixed a cake for my birthday, the reaction was severe enough that I will never do it again. Wal-mart does carry some gluten-free things at half the price of other stores so if you want gluten free pasta, crackers, flours and so forth check there first. I got the books "Wheat Belly and "The Gluten Free Girl" and they were both excellent. A great side bar is that both my husband and I also lost considerable weight without trying.

 

[Malibu99]

Hi there I'm severely sensitive to wheat, corn, soy, and pretty much any grain (Especially corn). I haven't eaten grains/gluten in 5 years.



Quote:
I'll share some tips later today.

 

[WRVgirl]

Awesome!

Thank you for all the ideas and tips, and just generally letting me know that I'm not alone! lol

There's so much to take it.

I was pointed to a WONDERFUL gluten free/paleo recipe site called http://www.thedomesticman.com and I've been drooling over all of the recipes this morning [probably because I'm fasting for my surgery this afternoon and I'm absolutely STARVING!]

 

[nova022]

Awesome!

Thank you for all the ideas and tips, and just generally letting me know that I'm not alone! lol

There's so much to take it.

I was pointed to a WONDERFUL gluten free/paleo recipe site called http://www.thedomesticman.com and I've been drooling over all of the recipes this morning [probably because I'm fasting for my surgery this afternoon and I'm absolutely STARVING!]

I hope you are recovered from your surgery and are back in the swing of things. How are doing being gluten free? Have you tried any of thedomesticman.com recipes?

 

[newfoundland]

My son-in-law is on a gluten free diet. He eats meat, vegetables, fruit, eggs and cheese, as well as the gluten free foods that are available at most supermarkets now. Gluten free flour is available and can be used for most recipes that we use wheat flour for, although it does not rise in quite the same way. It's hidden gluten that you have to be wary of for example in ready prepared sauces etc. Soup stock can be made out of vegetables and meat bones in the usual way but I'm guessing you mean thickening it without flour. Try instant mashed potato but read the label carefully before you buy as some brands contain traces of flour.