GlutenGladi8or

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<div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"/></div><div class="lh"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://news.google.c...><b>Gluten-Free Diet Often Difficult for <b>Celiac</b> Patients</b></a>
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<font size="-1">For patients with <b>celiac</b> disease, eating a diet that's free of gluten can be tricky. But if you can get savvy at managing your diet, you'll enjoy a better quality of life. British researchers examined the diets of <b>celiac</b> disease patients and found that <b>...</b></font>
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With just a little bit of guidance (focusing on the perishables departments: Seafood, produce, dairy, meat, etc.) I think more and more Celiacs would find that a gluten free diet is just as economical as any other diet. Their favorite stores have thousands of gluten free items that have been inherently gluten free for thousands of years.

I could not agree more. When I told my mom I had to go gluten free, she started calling me up every single time she saw any thing labeled gluten free. Nine times out of ten it was some kind of bread or cake substitute. She meant well and I just thanked her.

The "Aunt Bee Effect" to a "T" LOL

He also thought it was funny that I buy very few gluten-free processed products.

Funny or WISE?

Good decision making my friend.

I would like to see the weekly diet log of those who ate gluten free, didn't lose weight, and their respective exercise activity. Unfortunately, I think it's relatively safe to assume that their food diaries would have a number of gluten free items that MOST definitely will not lead to weight loss: gluten-free Cookies, gluten-free Cakes, gluten-free Brownies, gluten-free Cheesecakes, etc. In fact, these are generally empty calories, full of carbohydrates and sugar.

I would recommend that if the participant in the study were eating the aforementioned "processed items" (regardless of exercise or not) that they replace them with foods that have been gluten free for thousands of years.

• Fresh fruits & vegetables
• Lean meats
• Fresh/frozen seafood
• Beans and other legumes
• Dairy & Eggs (if there is no allergy)
• Frozen fruits & vegetables
• Healthy nuts such as almonds
• Dark chocolate (instead of process gluten-free sweets)

When we are first diagnosed, the word "disease" throws off too many people who are not aware of Celiac and the "Aunt Bee Effect" begins to take over immediately. Remember this lovable character from The Andy Griffith Show? If Opie fell off his bike, Barney shot his foot, Floyd cut his hand with a pair of scissors, or Otis needed to nurse a hangover... what happened? Aunt Bee showed up at the Mayberry Square with a basket of cookies, cakes, fudge, cornbread, and brownies. And then everyone was mysteriously much better!

The same thing happens when our friend/family find out (Bless them though, they mean well!) They shower us with HIGHLY processed foods that they typically find in the center of the store in packages on the shelf. Celiac “newbies” feel that their only options are packages that are blatantly labeled as GLUTEN FREE. (Don’t even get me going on the addition of high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors/colors, or preservatives in many of these center-of-the-store items!)
Celiac, Gluten Intolerant, and Non-Gluten-Intolerant consumers WOULD most likely lose weight if they shopped the "Golden Horseshoe" (perishables section) of the store and relied on whole/fresh foods instead of processed. And just like any diet, some sort of physical activity must take a roll!

Education for the newly diagnosed Celiac (out of the gate) is the crucial first step in leading a healthy lifestyle. But, the concepts are very basic and easy to follow. No matter how ANY diet is labeled (Atkins, low fat, Zone, etc.) nobody will lose weight unless better food decisions are made and they include some sort of physical activity.

Brian Gansmann (Organic Industry Veteran)

Hi Gladiator,

Here's an average day:

Breakfast - gluten-free muesli with soy milk OR 2 pieces gluten-free toast with peanut butter and honey

Lunch - Quinoa salad with chickpeas

Dinner - Chicken and veggies/salad (or sometimes fish - I dont eat red meat, just chicken and fish).

Snacks are fruit generally. I have seen a lot of gluten-free snacks, like chip-type things, etc. But have been told to keep it pretty simple to start (diagnosed less than a week ago). I also dont eat nuts, so I'm limited in what I can snack on.

Am I eating enough protein? I dont really know alot about that sort of thing..

With the exception of your honey at breakfast, I'm not seeing any forms of all natural sugars. If you snack just a few times on the following it will elevate your blood sugar throughout the day and you won't have those "lows" and doldrums:

- Apple with almond butter
- Mango chunks (buy them frozen and let thaw)
- Smoothies with berries (strawberry, blackberry, blueberries)
- Dried fruits
- Pears

Give that a try with your small snacks (in between meals). Remember, you want to stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day... it will keep you from feeling fatigued.

The Gluten Gladiator