Gluten Free Is Not That Hard!

[chrissy]

i was just doing some research, and ran across a statement saying that a gluten free diet is hard to follow, and i am thinking----it really isn't that hard. however, i do remember only 2 1/2 months ago crying over this diagnosis for my children----and nearly crying in the store on one of our first shopping trips after diagnosis. isn't it amazing how your perspective can change when you really need it to?!

christine

[francelajoie]

I agree..I think it was hard at the beginning but after I found substitutes for everything I like, it was kinda easy. I think it maybe be hard for a picky eater but I eat ANYTHING!! I can't think of one thing I don't like.

[tiredofdoctors]

I agree -- gluten-free eating is really not that hard. It's AVOIDING the gluten that inevitably comes from other households, restaurants, etc., that is the hard part. Also, it kind of stinks that you have to always cook your food at home.

[Guest nini]

you are right, it really isn't hard. I too remember crying in my car as I was leaving my Dr.s office when he told me to go gluten free, Crying at the health food store because I couldn't find anything safe to eat (didn't know what to look for) and Crying at the grocery store when I realized that all of my favorite foods had gluten in them. Now I've learned that if I just switch BRANDS I can still eat a lot of the same things I always liked.

[Guest Viola]

Perhaps they mean the diet is hard to follow because of the difficulty with restaurants, family outings etc. I think that is where most of the problems are, and if that is what they mean, they are right.

Gluten free if you live with another Celiac, or alone in your home is not hard ... the life style can be.

[jerseyangel]

Yes--I agree it sounds harder than it actually is.

[Nancym]

I've had to make so many dietary changes that make gluten free look like child's play! Seriously, giving up milk products and all starches was so much worse. But even past that, I enjoy my new diet now. Simple foods taste incredibly good to me.

[key]

I believe this is harder as a vegetarian. i have been rebelling for a year. All the "meat substitutes" I ate before and loved were made from wheat. I basically don't have a "meat" now. That is the hardest part and I was a die hard fan of whole wheat bread! I have been on the diet for almost a year and can't say it is the easiest thing. Especially not being able to eat out. I can eat a baked potatoe out or go to PF Chang's.

It also forces me to cook like every meal. I guess I am healthier, but I have been sicker this year then ever, with colds, etc. I am hoping to feel better this next year.

My life was definitely easier before.

Monica

[Guest Robbin]

I tend to agree with Monica and some of the others. Gluten free alone is not so bad, but if you have to give up other foods along with it, then it is very difficult. I remember when my son was first dx with diabetes and had such a strict routine (its far easier nowdays) I was panic-stricken. Now, with the severely allergic child/celiac, the diabetic diet seems so much easier...unfortunately, some are both diabetic and celiac and allergic --THAT is a major challenge! Like was said before, our perspective changes. There are people who can't eat food at all and have to take their nourishment from a liquid enterectly (sp?) (--directly through a tube into the stomach.) My dear old father-in-law suffered like that for a year before he died. So, it all depends on your own creative meal planning and "intestinal fortitude" (So,sorry for that baaaaad pun!) to get through it. I have to admit it, though, I have been having some really @*!#$% days with this one.

[Lisa]

I always enjoyed cooking and this was an added challenge, but a no-brainer. No problems here.

It is just a lot of research and good information.........and it just took about six months to get my act together. So all the newbies out there, just know that it takes some time to learn that you can live a normal life. Seek out your local restaurants and find some safe dinners you can have when you are tired of cooking. So you can take a break.

To be honest here, I have never cooked better than I do now. I can have a totally gluten free dinner party, except serving bread to my guest, and they don't even know. They rave about the food.

It is good.

Lisa

[Canadian Karen]

I agree wholeheartedly. That is why I make it a point of saying to the newbies that although it sounds so hard at the beginning, to trust us, it will get so much easier once you get the hang of it and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I would also like to give credit to companies like Kraft, who make our lives so much easier. There are soooo many things that I can continue to have because Kraft has made it a point of making sure to make it without any stupid gluten in it...... and more importantly, clearly telling us when there IS gluten in it......

Kraft, I love you!

Hugs.

Karen

[debmidge]

It's easier once you know the "ropes" but in the whole scope of things, it is harder in that you lose your flexibility somewhat.

Prior poster said it right, situations out of your control like at work (lunch meetings) , homes of others, restaurants. But again, this impact doesn't happen to everyone; some have less restrictions (dairy, other flours, soy, etc.).

When we think about a question like this one we have to keep in mind those who are less fortunate whose life style was very abruptly changed and may perhaps have other health problems and other dietary issues going on.

It's a very broad statement to say that the diet is easy or hard; there are degrees of impact.

[key]

demidge,

You said it very well!!! I am not being a complainer, but my life was easier before and traveling and eating out are not as easy for me. I have to cook two meals for my family separately every meal. I don't want to take my other kids bread, "meat substitutes" etc., just because of us. I miss these things and they don't have the disease and shouldn't have to follow it. I would like to start cooking more tofu different ways, but basically this diet makes us eat alot of mexican food and gluten-free pasta's and it is way more expensive for us. It would be cheaper if we ate meat maybe, because we wouldn't need so many bread substitutes, etc.

It has gotten easier then when we first found out for sure, but that is because we have gotten used to the way of life more.

Monica

[Guest nini]

demidge,

You said it very well!!! I am not being a complainer, but my life was easier before and traveling and eating out are not as easy for me. I have to cook two meals for my family separately every meal. I don't want to take my other kids bread, "meat substitutes" etc., just because of us. I miss these things and they don't have the disease and shouldn't have to follow it. I would like to start cooking more tofu different ways, but basically this diet makes us eat alot of mexican food and gluten-free pasta's and it is way more expensive for us. It would be cheaper if we ate meat maybe, because we wouldn't need so many bread substitutes, etc.

It has gotten easier then when we first found out for sure, but that is because we have gotten used to the way of life more.

Monica

You can do an awful lot with Dried beans... so much really... I haven't had any coffee yet this morn. (out of sugar) so I can't remember recipes... but when I was vegetarian AND BROKE I lived off dried beans, canned veggies, rice and potatoes... I didn't use any meat substitute, just got my protein from beans and nuts and occassional dairy (I was lacto ovo vegetarian so I also ate eggs too)...

[teankerbell]

I am a newbie (about a month into it) and I agree too. In the beginning it was hard. I was use to eating bagels for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and spaghetti for dinner with a roll. I am casein sensitive so eliminating cheese and chocolate was extremely difficult. Looking for satisfying substitutes was really a challenge. But this website has been helpful in seeing what other people do and getting yourself educated about it, you learn to get creative with substituions. For me, I went back to making my own Mexican food (learned how to cook Mexican food while living there for a few months). It has a lot of flavor, which a lot of gluten-free stuff is missing.

My DH's doctor suggested to him to follow my diet for his health. DH has a hard time on his own figuring out what to eat. I basically tell him it isn't that hard, eliminate bread and breadlike items. Oh but he loves his waffles when he goes out for breakfast! Well, be like me and don't think about it and eat yummy eggs without the toast (even though it goes so good with it!) and substitute it for fruit.

My friend who is Italian, said she would probably go nuts not being able to eat gluten and doesn't want to know if she is intolerant. Lots of people say that to me because they know it is a difficult intolerance to have because there is so much gluten out there in everything, like peanuts.

The hardest part is eating at a restaurant and if you are traveling or on vacation, it is very challenging. At work when they are gathering for a b-day or cake, or bagels or donuts, I just don't go there. I don't need to be there to watch everyone else eat what I can't and I am fine with that. Yet, my co-workers have been very sensitive to the fact that I can't have those things anymore and I am grateful for that.

What is frustrating is how expensive our gluten-free food is. What angers my DH is the price of Raw nuts that require no processing costing so much more than the roasted one. He feels that is not fair and an injustice. Well, it is what it is and I have to eat. So I pay it.

In a nutshell, I think the mindset is different when you are forced to eliminate it from your diet versus some one who doesn't have to. And the ones who are writing this saying it is difficult may be the ones that don't have to live it.

I will get off my soapbox now - sorry for the long post!

[tarnalberry]

I don't think people would find the diet so hard if there was some general level of knowledge about food and cooking. Bring back home ec! Bring back nutrition classes and cooking classes! Make sure that people don't feel lost in a kitchen! You can always *choose* to eat out ever meal, but you shouldn't have to feel like you have to, because cooking is too daunting of a task.

[chrissy]

we eat peanuts and roasted nuts-----i'm a little confused about why you are only buying raw nuts, i assume you haven't been able to find any that haven't been dusted with flour---but i totally agree with you about unprocessed nuts being more expensive!!! i can't figure out how to say this---i keep typing and deleting-----but i think you really understood what i was saying when i said it is amazing how your perspective can change when it really needs to.(when you are forced into dietary changes)

it's the people that haven't learned to swim that are afraid of the water.

i just think it might be a little less overwhelming to the newly diagnosed if the docs and the written reports said things a little differently----more like,"the gluten free diet may seem overwhelming at first, but given a little time and practice, it will become much easier than you think."

when our ped gi first talked to me about celiac he said, "the good news is, it is totally controllable with diet."

that is alot more positive than," the diet is really difficult, but it will controll the disease."

christine

[Ashley]

Once I learned through Celiac, that you eat to live, not live to eat, this diet is not hard at all. It's kind of sad, thinking back, that eating a piece of pizza was the only thing that would make me happy :/ I think what's really hard is fitting back into the social events involving food. Dating is really fun. "Wanna go eat out?" "No, every freakin' thing has gluten or is probably crossed with something having gluten" , but, you adjust by going to eat ice cream instead XD . But, really, there is a lot of comfort food out there gluten-free.

[jerseyangel]

I don't think people would find the diet so hard if there was some general level of knowledge about food and cooking. Bring back home ec! Bring back nutrition classes and cooking classes! Make sure that people don't feel lost in a kitchen! You can always *choose* to eat out ever meal, but you shouldn't have to feel like you have to, because cooking is too daunting of a task.

This is what I was thinking when I said it looks harder than it really is. I wasn't being flip, but the at-home cooking aspect of it is just not any harder for me than before. I always cooked meals from scratch before, and I still do, just tweaking ingred. when necessary. I will say that I just don't go out to eat now--that is hard because we almost always ate out on the weekends and now I have to cook everyday . I do miss the convenience of being able to grab a snack or meal where ever I want--that's a pain.

[Guest BERNESES]

Perhaps they mean the diet is hard to follow because of the difficulty with restaurants, family outings etc. I think that is where most of the problems are, and if that is what they mean, they are right.

Gluten free if you live with another Celiac, or alone in your home is not hard ... the life style can be.

That's exactly how I feel- I love the diet- the food is good, there's so many choices but the lifestyle adjustment is HUGE. Finding gluten-free food must be so much easier now than it was even 5 years ago and for that I am so grateful, but I find that I miss being able to have lunch or dinner out with family and friends because I might get sick. I think I'm in the phase of this where it just dawned on me that this isn't a diet, but a lifetsyle very different from my old one.

[paw]

It's a very broad statement to say that the diet is easy or hard; there are degrees of impact.

I am working on it. I have been gluten-free since October and dairy free for almost 2 years. In addition to wheat I can't have soy, tomatoes, beans, onions, peppers, garlic, msg and too much sugar makes my blood sugar go crazy. I have problems getting more than one serving of protein a day. Doc wants VERY low fat cholesterol meats in limited amounts. I have not bought any of the gluten-free breads -- they look nasty and I would have to go buy a toaster and that stuff is expensive.

I do have a hard time with this diet. I have not found a place to eat outside my home that has not made me sick. That includes Thanksgiving and Christmas. I did not eat those days because people told me there would be a vegetable tray and then they decided to swap it for a cheese and cracker tray. Same with other "safe" foods that I was told would be there. Being far from home, you just don't eat.

I do not have any convenience "travel" foods, what I eat needs to be cooked from scratch and kept in a refrigerator and that does not work when you are in a "wheaty" place. I need to eat organic meats because the cheap stuff makes me sick and that is hard to find if you are away from home. Like I said, I am working on it.

[Guest cassidy]

Going gluten free has been very challenging for me.

I have a job where I eat about 8 meals a week with my customers. I use caterers and the only caterer that goes to this one area told me they don't know what gluten is and they don't feel comfortable making me any food. I'm so glad they told me, but I can't eat with my customers in that area.

I took people out to dinner on Thursday and the restaurant said they didn't know what gluten was and didn't feel comfortable serving me either.

I have a two day meeting this week where I will be staying in a hotel without a kitchen. I don't know if I will feel comfortable eating anything because I don't want to get sick when I'm in the meeting. So, I'll pack my snacks and everyone will stare at me when I pull out my own food.

It is my job to bring meals to my customers and it isn't an option to stop doing it.

This diet is totally worth it and I feel lucky that I found out what is wrong with me. I just wish that I wasn't constantly in situations where attention is drawn to what I am eating.

This experience is individual for everyone. I don't think anyone can say it is hard or easy in general, only that it is easy or hard for themselves.

[debmidge]

One of the issues my husband has with this diet/lifestyle is the amount of washing dishes cooking from scratch takes and the time it takes. We don't have a dishwasher and one of us is constantly having a sinkfull (usually my husband does them). The clean up takes longer than the cooking does.

Cassidy: Agree with you. "I don't think anyone can say it is hard or easy in general, only that it is easy or hard for themselves." It's such an individual experience.

P.S. My husband says living this lifestyle is hard.

[Jnkmnky]

It wasn't so easy five years ago when I started my son on the diet. Today it's super easy. I have my entire family on the diet and it's nothing (except pricey). When we found EnerG's Crackers, our life was complete. They're the best "saltine" substitute out there. All of my food groups are covered and I don't feel I'm making any sacrifices at all. I agree that the main celiac support groups, web sites, book writers and any other celiac leaders should start saying, "the gluten free diet USED to be difficult to follow, but today is EASY....." I had my son's pediatrition just last year, tell me that the diet is too restrictive to put all of the family members on and she questioned why I would even consider it..... Her example was, what would I do when the kids went to birthday parties that had pizza and cake... ? That kind of medical advice, reasoning, expertise is so poor quality.

[Canadian Karen]

Debmidge,

Did you try that casserole you were talking about?

Hugs.

Karen