ndw3363

Peter, I'm with you on the migraines! Only time I get them now is if I get accidentally glutened. Let's see, I'm healthier than I've ever been, I'm finally at a mostly normal weight and able to stay at it without much effort (I finally self diagnosed when I was losing weight very quickly and couldn't afford to lose another pound), I get compliments on my skin and hair all the time, I no longer have to live with bloating and gas all the time, blood sugar has stabilized. And ya know, I guess I don't bruise as easily as I used to either - didn't think of that until I saw someone else mention it!

I don't have company often, but when I do, it's gluten-free all the way. I have a broiled tilapia recipe that everyone loves, served with roasted sweet potato and broccoli. Other things are enchiladas, taco salad, pork chops breaded with crushed gluten-free cornflakes (a family favorite even among gluten eaters), and my favorite for fancy meals...tuna steaks with mushroom cream sauce served with brown rice and snap peas. It's expensive, but so worth it when I want to impress. I never have rolls or the like in my house. I typically don't make a starch for just myself when I cook, but when company comes over I will have rice or potatoes for the meal - don't expect everyone to go carb free like me. Luckily, as of today (praying this doesn't change - I'm a little over a year gluten-free), I can still have dairy which helps. If that ever changes, I will need a whole new list of recipes.

Ok, so before going gluten-free, I was never a vegetable eater. But once you take most of the sugar out of your diet, things start to taste different. So I've been a veggie eater for the past year and been loving it. However, broccoli was always one of those veggies that I could only eat in very small pieces and usually smothered in something not healthy. A friend of mine posted a recipe for roasted broccoli on facebook and I was intrigued. I love roasting veggies so I thought I would try it. Seriously, could have eaten just this for dinner and been happy (actually had the leftovers for breakfast...yes it's that good). I'm sure many of you veggie eaters already love the stuff, but for those trying to break into the veggie loving world, I thought I would share.

My link

Hope I linked the site correctly.

I eat the Bob's Redmill Mighty Tasty gluten-free Hot Cereal (I buy it at Whole Foods or Kroger) - I add some vanilla almond milk and a touch of sugar to it, and it's a VERY good replacement for Cream of Wheat. I actually think I like it better than cream of wheat. You can add all kinds of stuff to it...maple syrup, cinnamon, fruit, etc. Directions on the package makes a large batch - I normally either make the large batch and reheat over the next few days for breakfast, or just cut the recipe down to make just enough for one day.

Just watched it on their website - always knew I hated that show. Why, and I mean WHY would anyone that doesn't have to be on this diet want to try it? Oh I'll lose weight cause most of the people I see that are on the diet are thin....well that's because we don't absorb any nutrients and we're SICK!!! You want to voluntarily join our club? Really?? The laziness of some people in this country astounds me. I don't want to eat healthy and exercise, so I'll just pull a new diet out of the clear blue sky...surely that will solve my problem right? I don't actually have to CONSUME a vegetable as long as I'm not eating gluten!

Sheesh! Ok, I'm done venting for now. Yes I agree that the most frustrating part of that whole segment was "while you are waiting for your doctor's appointment, go ahead and try the gluten free diet...can't hurt". Only then you are almost certainly going to get a negative test result (like I did) and doctor's won't pursue a formal diagnosis after that.

While there may be a lot of junk on the internet these days, I am so thankful for sites such as this. Nice to know we don't have to suffer alone! Happy Friday everyone!

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but you may ask to have your stomach acid levels checked. This was happening to me ALL the time. And since you seem to feel better when you only have a salad or something else very low protein, it could be that your acid levels are too low (a very common problem for those with celiac). Once I started taking a HCl supplement with meals (I eat mostly protein and veggies anyway, so I take it with every meal), I noticed an amazing difference. I'm not sure why most traditional doctors tell everyone that it must be HIGH stomach acid causing their symptoms - they will tell you to take prilosec or whatever without even doing any testing. For some, that is the problem. But for others, like me, it was the opposite. The symptoms are almost identical. I did a google search on low stomach acid vs. high stomach acid - came across some great information. Hope you feel better soon!

I have had negative blood test and skin biopsy results. But I don't need an official diagnosis to convince me to stop eating gluten. When I have it, I feel terrible...when I don't, I feel better. Good enough for me! Since going gluten free, I put weight back on (which is good but it happened rather quickly which was a little of a bummer - time to get back in the gym!!), I can eat a full meal without being uncomfortable, and my energy level is much better. Oh, and my skin condition (which I was told was not DH), magically cleared up on it's own. Whatever doctors - I don't need your diagnosis. I feel better and that's what keeps me from eating that donut in the break room! :-)

Thank you for starting this thread! This symptom is how my hell began. Three years ago, I thought I was getting a UTI (got them all the time in college) so of course I made an appointment with my GP. He said "well I don't see any evidence of infection, but here's an antibiotic". I had no reason not to trust him. Of course, antibiotic didn't work so he gave me a "stronger" one. All the ladies know what happened after that. Because (I now know) my immune system was already compromised by the inflamation response, the two courses of antibiotics caused persistant yeast infections (have only been infection free for about a week or so at a time over the course of three years). I was diagnosed with interstial cystitis, but I KNEW that wasn't what was going on. Never would have put the two together though. Glad to know that I wasn't crazy. Been feeling much better since going gluten free - have only had a couple uncomfortable days in the two months since I went gluten free.

I think the reason that I am spending more on food is that I'm trying a lot of new recipes. I LOVE to cook (nowhere near gourmet, but I love a nice home cooked meal). What I am finding, is that a lot of my favorite things to eat, were already gluten free (or only had to alter one or two ingredients). My go to meal for leftovers...taco salad. Make it once and you have dinner for a week. I also only buy meat when it's on sale. I have all of my staple ingredients - then I just look for sale items. So even if I'm craving steaks on the grill, we won't get them unless they are on sale - we'll make burgers instead. It's annoying I know, but you just have to adjust your thinking. And try to stay away from all the "convenient" packaged gluten free stuff. It really won't make you feel any better. Best way to heal is to eat real food. I LIVE on frozen veggies and fruits (and I used to HATE veggies).

I went to a naturopathic doctor at one time and he had me spending over $200 every 3 weeks on supplements. I couldn't afford it - racked up thousands on my credit card. In time I realized I only need a handful to feel better. I still spend more than I would if I was eating pb&j or pasta every day....but I'm also healthier than most too.

Last night I made chicken and black bean tacos. I used to make them as burritos, but haven't found a suitable flour tortilla substitute yet and I don't like corn tortillas. So I just fill taco shells now and it's still delicious! I've always loved to cook and I'm not letting this gluten-free thing get me down. Luckily, almost all of my favorites can still be made by either changing or omitting a couple things. Obviously my fav breaded recipes are out, but I'll find new favorites! Also found a great recipe for pecan crusted chicken with a mustard sauce. BF said it was REALLY good!!

Made roast beef/gravy, mashed potatoes and mixed veggies earlier this week. Made the gravy with cornstarch and it was perfect.

Finding out what the problem is is a very important first step. Especially after being ill for so long. It's only normal to become a bit impatient to feel better once you actually KNOW what caused the problem in the first place. It took years for your system to get so messed up - but hopefully (for all of us), it won't take nearly that long to heal the damage. I'm so sorry to hear you are having such trouble. Have you seen a naturopathic physician? They might be able to recommend something for the pain that won't make you sick. Not cheap, but I've had great results in the past. Maybe acupunture? I really hope you feel better soon. That "I can't get comfortable" feeling is the worst - physically and emotionally.

I have no observations on this, but I'm extremely intrigued. Two years ago I got really sick and ever since then I've been strictly natural and homeopathic when it comes to medicines. I had a doctor tell me that what I ate had no impact on the health issue I was having at the time. I had another doctor give me two rounds of antibiotics even though "no infection was detected". I guess where I'm going with this is that I'm a huge believer that everything is connected. I can't wait to see the replies you get on this! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

I've been gluten free almost 4 weeks now. First 3 were brutal. I'm just now starting to feel a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Headaches aren't as bad and I'm not all over the place emotionally (the sunny warm might have something to do with it though). From what I hear, it can take a few months to really feel better. That's the only thing keeping me going at this point. This week, I FEEL better, but I want gluten foods very badly. I'm hoping the craving phase goes away by this weekend. Luckily, my favorite wine is gluten free! That should help!