Trouble gaining weight

[izzyherb]

Hi y'all; I hope you're well.

I've been living on a gluten, dairy, corn and GMO-free diet for over a year to cope with different diagnoses. Although it's a ton of work and confusing at times, I'd been feeling fine until my doctor told me to cut out grains. Brown rice, quinoa and millet were staples in my home, so I'm at a bit of a loss. I'm hungry almost constantly and cannot seem to gain healthy weight; unsurprisingly, my mental health is also deteriorating. Has anyone else had this issue? If so, how did you handle it? I'm trying to increase my intake of healthy fats, but it's not been enough. I've swapped my regular rice for things such as vegetable "noodles" and riced cauliflower but would like to change things up or at least add something to it. If y'all have ideas on adding more carbohydrates to my diet I'd appreciate hearing those as well.

I'd love any input - thanks in advance!

[Scott Adams]

What kind of doctor do you have, and why did they recommend cutting out all grains? The grains you mentioned are gluten-free, so should be safe for your gluten-free diet. I realize that there is a grain-free diet movement, however, I believe that you should only exclude things from your diet that are actually causing you things like a negative autoimmune response, intolerance, allergy, inflammation, etc.

[RollingAlong]

My spouse was eating grain free when first diagnosed. To gain weight, he prioritized protein and tried to increase the amount of protein he ate each week by 5 grams.  Sometimes he would put collagen in broth to get a bit more protein.  It was a fair amount of work, but it did the trick.    Are potatoes, turnips, parsnips options for you?  Sweet potatoes? Beans, lentils?   The asian market has some very nice Japanese Sweet potatoes with great flavor.    Konjac noodles and Palmini are a nice change from riced cauli.   And a little honey may help too.    Best wishes! 

[Scott Adams]

Another thought is that you've cut out sources of fiber, which may be causing you issues. You may need to add psyllium fiber powder or other fiber to your diet if you've cut out all grains. Beans and lentils are a great idea.