Optimal Diet For Celiacs

[Mango04]

I forgot to add - I love sprouted raw foods, such as sprouted pumpkin seeds and sprouted sunflower seeds. Sooo energizing and good!

I'm also a big fan of my juicer

[BRUMI1968]

Everyone should check out the website the world's healthiest foods.

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[Mango04]

Everyone should check out the website the world's healthiest foods.

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That's a great list, especially for anyone running out of ideas for healthy food. As celiacs, we can eat just about every singe thing on that list (with the exception of a couple grains they mention).

[Carriefaith]

I am also dairy and gluten-free. I have done a lot of reading on foods that are beneficial for humans in general. The number one food that I think people should eat daily is blueberries. I personaly feel better after I've eaten blueberries, they seem to boost my energy. Here is a list of foods that I feel should improve health:

Blueberries

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Broccoli

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Spinach

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Oranges

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Salmon

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Also try to incude a lot of fruits, non starchy vegetables, and extra lean meats in your diet. Try to eat less rice, starchy vegetables (potatoes), and fatty meats.

[Phila]

It sounds like you eat a lot of grains in the form of gluten substitutes. You mention a grain at every meal. I would consider trying to decrease the amount of grains you're eating - they have anti-nutrients in them, can block mineral absorption, and have some other issues surrounding the fact that they're lectins.

Since reading "Dangerous Grains" I have felt guilty about the amount of grains that I eat. I know that I would eat alot more veggies if I gave up some of the grains and would lose that last 15 lbs to boot! Bully, do you find that you feel much better when you limit grain consumption? And....how do you prevent hunger on such a diet? If you tell me that you feel better I just may be tempted to do an overhaul of my diet.

[CarlaB]

Since reading "Dangerous Grains" I have felt guilty about the amount of grains that I eat. I know that I would eat alot more veggies if I gave up some of the grains and would lose that last 15 lbs to boot! Bully, do you find that you feel much better when you limit grain consumption? And....how do you prevent hunger on such a diet? If you tell me that you feel better I just may be tempted to do an overhaul of my diet.

I do not eat a lot of grains. Ocassionally I'll eat rice, but maybe once per week. I'll have potatoes a couple times per week. I'm perfectly happy with fish/meat and veggies for dinner. I'll eat about a handful of raw almonds daily (good fiber), a Lara bar or Bumblebar with almond butter, sometimes I'll use a corn tortilla with veggies and salmon for lunch but I'm trying to cut down on corn, usually for me it's a protein and veggie. I prevent hunger by eating all the time!! People who spend a few days with me, like at a convention or something, are usually shocked at how much/often I eat!

[Carriefaith]

Where can I get more fiber?

Raspberries! They have a lot of fiber.

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I eat them plain and frozen, but here a few ideas to make them yummy:

- Put maple syrup on them frozen or non-frozen.

- Try them in a smoothie. Add honey instead of sugar.

- Pour almond or rice milk over them and eat them like cereal.

[Green12]

Since reading "Dangerous Grains" I have felt guilty about the amount of grains that I eat. I know that I would eat alot more veggies if I gave up some of the grains and would lose that last 15 lbs to boot! Bully, do you find that you feel much better when you limit grain consumption? And....how do you prevent hunger on such a diet? If you tell me that you feel better I just may be tempted to do an overhaul of my diet.

I am trying to figure out the great grain debate for myself. I recently went without grains/legumes for a month or so and substituted fruit in its place, I felt better on the grains and legumes I was eating than the one piece of fruit a day I added in. I have a lot of questions. Are some grains less harmful than others (i.e. millet, quinoa, amaranth)?

I seem to do fine with red skinned potatoes, sweet potatoes/yams, winter squashes, brown rice, wild rice, and some circles say to completely avoid these things as well.

It just makes me confused.

[Phila]

I am trying to figure out the great grain debate for myself. I recently went without grains/legumes for a month or so and substituted fruit in its place, I felt better on the grains and legumes I was eating than the one piece of fruit a day I added in. I have a lot of questions. Are some grains less harmful than others (i.e. millet, quinoa, amaranth)?

I seem to do fine with red skinned potatoes, sweet potatoes/yams, winter squashes, brown rice, wild rice, and some circles say to completely avoid these things as well.

It just makes me confused.

Yup. I'm confused too about what is optimal. Tis part of the reason why I started this thread, but I think I'm just more confused. LOL.

[Green12]

I'm just more confused. LOL.

Phila, me too!

[rinne]

Make that me three.

Great thread.

I'm with the organic meat, vegetables and fruit crowd, also some fish, a little in the way of grains. (I had buckwheat with onions, garlic, potatoes and steamed chard with a aged goat cheese grated on top for lunch today.) I am also eating a little chocolate, nut butters and maple syrup.

I am not consuming gluten and dairy and am minimizing my consumption of soy, corn and eggs.

I am not taking any supplements and plan to reintroduce the ones I bought once I feel better and can more accurately assess whether or not they are of benefit.

I like to dance and I try to do that every day, also stretching. I know I need to do some weight bearing exercise because my arms look weak and I'm feeling like a wimp.

The newest thing I have introduced is the unpasturized sauerkraut since I am not taking a probiotic.

I am substantially improved over my January condition and it is directly attributable to diet and acupuncture, in my experience the two work together, the acupuncture opens the meridians and leans our bodies toward health but it is what I do in between the sessions that either supports healing or detracts from it.

[BRUMI1968]

Since reading "Dangerous Grains" I have felt guilty about the amount of grains that I eat. I know that I would eat alot more veggies if I gave up some of the grains and would lose that last 15 lbs to boot! Bully, do you find that you feel much better when you limit grain consumption? And....how do you prevent hunger on such a diet? If you tell me that you feel better I just may be tempted to do an overhaul of my diet.

Well, it's been about 15 days with no grains of any kind. At first it was hard, but it's gotten much easier. My digestion got better, though it didn't work itself out entirely (until I quit fruit and sugar a few days ago)...it was better, but I was still bloated. I do think I started to lose fat, since my biceps looked bigger even though they aren't, so I figured it was less fat to hide them.

My new symptoms, not sure if they are from grain restriction or not, are backache, leg muscle aches, leg cramps, and leg fatigue. I can't walk up a hill right now to save my life. I'm pretty low on physical energy. (This is mostly after quitting sugar/fruit, but probably started quitting grains). It's highly probable that I'm dehydrated, especially as I'm eating more protein that I did for the past 15 years as a near-vegan.

The upside is that everything seems visually sharper and brighter, fingernails better, teeth don't bleed when I brush/floss.

I think it's worth a try if you have the time to make the extra veggies. The hardest times are when you want to pop into the store and find something for yourself to eat other than fruit. The other day I bought a slab of salmon from the deli case, and it was dry and nasty...that and some olives were probably the only things in there that would've been easy to eat.

I do chicken roll-ups (I've added meat back to my diet), veggies and poached eggs, veggie omlets, veggies and salmon, almond butter, trail mix (until I quit fruit), fruit (obviously, ditto last parenthetical phrase).

If it doesn't work for me, I'll add back quinoa and millet, but I'm going to keep trying it for a while and see if it continues to work.

I thought I wouldn't poop, but I have been - in fact, my C is gone and now that I quit fruit, my bloat is gone too.

Anyway, I've rambled...but that is my experience thus far with grain-free.

I definitely plan to do the cultured veggies - I'm going to start a batch tonight, and probably buy some at the store for while they are fermenting. I'm glad others have posted on it.

[emcmaster]

Bully4You, your energy is probably very low because you are getting only trace amounts of carbs. Can you have potatoes? You might get bored with them, but they'll give you more energy.

Also, I'm sure you're eating less calories due to your restricted diet. That too will make your energy levels go down.

(Please note that I'm not criticizing your diet in any shape or form - I am on a very restricted diet as well and I know from personal experience how truly awful the bloating can be. Just wanted to share my two cents about why you have no energy)

[Green12]

Well, it's been about 15 days with no grains of any kind. At first it was hard, but it's gotten much easier. My digestion got better, though it didn't work itself out entirely (until I quit fruit and sugar a few days ago)...it was better, but I was still bloated. I do think I started to lose fat, since my biceps looked bigger even though they aren't, so I figured it was less fat to hide them.

My new symptoms, not sure if they are from grain restriction or not, are backache, leg muscle aches, leg cramps, and leg fatigue. I can't walk up a hill right now to save my life. I'm pretty low on physical energy. (This is mostly after quitting sugar/fruit, but probably started quitting grains). It's highly probable that I'm dehydrated, especially as I'm eating more protein that I did for the past 15 years as a near-vegan.

I felt like absolute C R A P when I took all grains, fruit, and starchy veggies out of my diet. I did this for 3 years, I only ate meats/eggs, fats, and low carb vegetables. My bowels stopped completely, I lost so much weight I literally was wasting away, I was moody and irritable, I had terrible headaches, my body ached, I had no energy. I felt like walking death.

Eating this way pulls all of the water out of your body, so dehydration is very common.

These were my experiences anyway.

[BRUMI1968]

Thanks, both of you. I can tell I'm dehydrated, so I need to address that. I am trying to eat 80% veggies and 20% protein, but I find my snacks tend to be protein, since I don't usually have my stove and my olive oil and my shallot handy with me, and I find most raw veggies that aren't salad to be detestible.

I'll definitely drink more water. I also think I'll keep a diet diary with calories/carbs/fats counted - it takes time, but I can't go on being so tired physically. When I was on Paleo diet, I felt on top of the world (except for the bloat) and now I'm sluggish, but the bloat is gone. Maybe tomorrow I'll try to eat an apple for breakfast, and see if the bloat comes back.

I'll do more research. I CAN add spaghetti squash and winter squash, and in another week or so I can add back carrots and sweet potatoes I think. I'm really just trying to hold out until I think some yeasties are dead, in case that is what it was.

Is there a test for candida?

[eKatherine]

Thanks, both of you. I can tell I'm dehydrated, so I need to address that. I am trying to eat 80% veggies and 20% protein, but I find my snacks tend to be protein, since I don't usually have my stove and my olive oil and my shallot handy with me, and I find most raw veggies that aren't salad to be detestible.

I'll definitely drink more water. I also think I'll keep a diet diary with calories/carbs/fats counted - it takes time, but I can't go on being so tired physically. When I was on Paleo diet, I felt on top of the world (except for the bloat) and now I'm sluggish, but the bloat is gone. Maybe tomorrow I'll try to eat an apple for breakfast, and see if the bloat comes back.

I'll do more research. I CAN add spaghetti squash and winter squash, and in another week or so I can add back carrots and sweet potatoes I think. I'm really just trying to hold out until I think some yeasties are dead, in case that is what it was.

Is there a test for candida?

Is there some reason you've eliminated fat from your diet? Fat can be as effective an energy source as carbohydrates, and contrary to popular notions, is less likely to be stored, as it is slow-digesting and doesn't hit the bloodstream all at once..

[RiceGuy]

Wow, I can relate to the muscle aches and weakness. But for me I think it's worse while I eat rice. However, I think the reason is something other than the energy from carbs. I'm thinking the rice is either contaminated (since this is a fairly recent development), or the gut is just tired of dealing with it. I also cut out potatoes at the same time just to make sure I didn't go downhill too far. I will try adding potatoes back in once things stablize a bit. Then maybe I'll try millet, or some other type of rice instead.

I was using prunes to add more fiber, and get the sluggish gut moving. At first it worked pretty well, but the longer I did that, the less the effect. I'm not even bothering with them now, as they don't seem to do anything even if I eat like 2 dozen a day. The main difference is with that many I have to drink like a fish and still they don't have the desired effect. Cutting the rice seems to have helped though.

As for ridding the body of the yeasties, I did that with Caprylic acid. Worked wonders, though that was long before I found out about the gluten. I've been reading about Stevia, which seems like the perfect way to have a sweetener without any effect on the body. Though I don't generally ever want anything sweetened, for those looking to replace fruit or sugar, especially when you want to fight the yeasty beasties, Stevia looks like the perfect thing. Actually I think it should replace sugar in just about everything everybody eats. I honestly see no downside to the stuff. All natural, been in use for centuries, and well tested all over the world. One has to wonder why the FDA still pretends like it's some horrable thing, to the point of trying to prevent its sale in the USA. They even post warnings on their site about it. While sugar and the artificial sweeteners all have well documented side effects. This is a big story waiting to hit the fan!

[BRUMI1968]

Is there some reason you've eliminated fat from your diet? Fat can be as effective an energy source as carbohydrates, and contrary to popular notions, is less likely to be stored, as it is slow-digesting and doesn't hit the bloodstream all at once..

I think you're mixing two of us together - I am not shy about fats at all, in fact, add olive oil to virtually every thing I eat. I also eat avocados quite frequently. The gal who has cut out most fats is doing so because her digestive tract can't handle it right now.

I did some research and it looks like this type of fatigue/muscle weakness is common when doing the no yeast thing - it is called the die-off phase or something, and having weakness is normal. However, I am going to keep track of my calories and stuff today, make sure I've got a good balance of acid/alkaline - expansive/contractive, protein/carbs, etc.

I thought of another one while reading a tip for recipes elsewhere on the site:

NO MARGARINE.

Transfats = evil. (The true axis of evil: transfats - corn-fed beef and cooked milk - and processed grains)

Raw butter is best, and then for cooking coconut oil (sesame oil too?)

noncooked: pumpkin oil, olive oil (virgin of course)

[marciab]

Hi there ,

What a good idea for a thread. I thought I would add my 2 cents

I am hypoglyemic and I am just learning when to eat what. Eating meats 3 times a day is helping. Especially in the morning. I can function so much better with a little BUFFALO in my tummy

I eat a wide variety of "clean" foods including carbs, fruits, veggies, proteins and fats.

I eat whole grains like millet, buckwheat, organic brown rice, quinoa and amaranth. I limit processed grains to once every 3 days or so because they upset my glucose levels.

I normally eat 3 fruits a day. At this point I am eating apples, berries and watermelon.

I eat most veggies. Raw if possible, less cooked for some, but potatoes have got to be done. Chard, kale and spinach are a good replacement for lettuce and have more nutrients.

For protein I eat nuts, meats, beans (mostly sprouted mung), and the occasional egg. I eat hormone free meats. BTW, I had to add meats because my iron was too low. I challenged my doctors and told them that my vegan diet was good enough, but they were right. I was wrong.

I love raw nuts. All of them. I had problems with walnuts and brazil nuts at first, but that

has subsided. I eat about 4 oz everyday. They are very nutritous and easy to carry with you. Your local health food store is a good source. The prepacked ones are not fresh. BLEH !!!

I can't handle oils / fats in supplement form, but I can eat them. Supplements actually put welts on my face. I add flax, borage, EVOO and grapeseed oil to my grains, so that is probably why they haven't bothered me. These are rich in omegas and help with the constipation.

Dairy is OUT, including yogurt or raw goat cheese. I tried and I just can't digest them. But I can drink plain Kefir, which is high in probiotics.

I grow my own sprouts. They are convenient and full of nutrients. Brocolli, alfafa and mung mostly.

I also added sulfite free organic dried fruits. Another easy food to carry. And the figs are full of nutrients.

I drink water purified by reverse osmosis. Target has their own brand which is pretty good. Distilled is always a good choice but those gallon jugs are hard to carry ...

At some point I drank aloe vera juice and I didn't notice any effect, but you never know. My doctor had me eating papaya, mango and pineapple when I first went on this diet. They are rich with digestive enzymes and really helped get over the hump.

I am in the process of adding tomatoes, pepper, garlic and other foods back into my diet. My stomach has healed quite a bit evidently.

I can eat hot hot peppers now too ... I hope this wasn't too long.... Marcia

[RiceGuy]

BTW, I had to add meats because my iron was too low. I challenged my doctors and told them that my vegan diet was good enough, but they were right. I was wrong.

Well, as you know doctors aren't well informed about nutrients, unless they specialize in it, from what I've been reading. I stopped listening to doctors long ago, since they only made things worse.

As for iron, many of the foods you mentioned have it in various amounts, like spinach, brown rice, etc. You just need enough vitamin C to help the body absorb it. You might want to read this:

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And here is some other good info:

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Glad your gut is doing so well too! Maybe someday I'll be able to say the same.

[CarlaB]

I tried to eat mostly vegetarian/almost vegan, I still used butter and occassionally ate meat -- holidays, at other people's houses, etc. I found, too, that I needed to add meat back into my diet. I've read all the stuff on being vegan and substituting sources of iron, etc. but it just wasn't working. In theory, it sounds great. I don't know if it was just getting older, if it was because I started lifting weights, or if I just depleted too many nutrients eating that way for several years, but I felt better after I added meat, fish, and eggs back into my diet. Even my skin looks better.

[eKatherine]

I think you're mixing two of us together - I am not shy about fats at all, in fact, add olive oil to virtually every thing I eat. I also eat avocados quite frequently. The gal who has cut out most fats is doing so because her digestive tract can't handle it right now.

NO MARGARINE.

Transfats = evil. (The true axis of evil: transfats - corn-fed beef and cooked milk - and processed grains)

Raw butter is best, and then for cooking coconut oil (sesame oil too?)

noncooked: pumpkin oil, olive oil (virgin of course)

In the post I quoted, you said that you were eating 80% vegetables and 20% protein. I added that up to 100% and concluded that there was 0% fat in your diet.

Margarine is not a food, but a product of a chemical factory.

[BRUMI1968]

I'm experimenting with adding back meat too. So far, just chicken. But I do look forward to a nice grass-fed hamburger patty w/i the month...have to work my way up to it. then I'll try buffalo. I am thawing a buffalo steak for my hubby right now. No doctor said to do it or not do it; I am just seeing if it changes how I feel. Plus, once I quit grains and beans, my choices of protein sources diminshed.

[RiceGuy]

For me, I noticed I felt worse when I had meat. It even made my skin smell icky for days too. Didn't matter if it was red meat or poultry, though turkey had given less problems. I also would get dark around my eyes, and of course the gut didn't seem to like it either. When I think protein, I think peanuts, beans, spinach, etc.

To each his/her own obviously. I guess the particulars of the gut make each food go through differently from person to person. Lifestyle would make a difference too of course. I don't/can't work out, and the damage from gluten has got me far less active these days. So maybe I need less now, and easily overwhelm the gut with stuff? Can it be that easy to overdose on certain nutrients because of the leaky gut? Actually, in the case of leaky gut, I understand it's the undigested particles that get into the blood stream, which are essentially toxic. Now that makes some sense to me.

[Nancym]

I think a "paleo" type of diet is very healthy. Basically it is fruits, veggies, meat and fish. Sometimes nuts are used but only in moderation. I know my gut is happiest when I stick to a diet like this. All grains seem to give me trouble if I eat them too often. I think the only reason we've been pushed so hard to eat them is because they're relatively cheap to produce. Nutrionally there isn't anything in them you can't get, sometimes much easier, from other sources.

I find meat very healthy. I think getting adequate protein with all essential amino acids in sufficient quantity is key to keeping your muscles intact into advancing years. And I think fat was unfairly blamed for a lot of things that just aren't true (upon further study). But since I don't eat dairy products much any more, I don't really have a lot of excess fat in my diet anyway.