Two Questions From A Newbie

[snowcoveredheart]

hi all,

so first off...what the hell do you eat for breakfast? I have to be dairy free as well and am struggling to think past 'a banana'... any ideas?

secondly... my sleep patterns always been a bit funky - i have suffered hidous insomnia in the past (as in days and days) but i figure after a few days of this new regium and everything getting settled i would sleep eaiser and better - but i find the oppoiste is happening.. I cant get to sleep, and when i do theres so much rolling roun my head its setting off the lucid dreaming and im half awake all night! is this normal? is this even linked? im yawning my head of an its only half five! (although ironically i feel like i have energy)

on a positive note, i do feel better inside, and now my blood sugar levels have stopped jumping about i do feel more energized and more importanly quite balanced! hazzah!

[Phyllis28]

I found it was necessary to toss out the idea of a standard meal when I went gluten free. Once you do this anything that is gluten free and dairy free can be eaten at any meal. I am out of gluten free cereal as of this morning. Tomorrow morning I will have a micorwaved baked potato. One of my favorite breakfasts is peanut butter and jelly on rice cakes. Scrambles eggs with a side of rice is a dinner favorite.

[Guhlia]

Kinnikinnick.com has AMAZING gluten free/casein free New York Style Bagels. They're great with peanut butter or jam. I think there's also a dairy free cream cheese around, but I don't know the name or where you might find such a thing. They also have cinnamon buns (Gluten-free Casein-free) and absolutely amazing breads. What about dippy eggs with some gluten free toast? Pancakes are easy to make Gluten-free Casein-free and I think most syrups are Gluten-free Casein-free. Muffins could easily be made Gluten-free Casein-free. Kinnikinnick also has muffins and donuts that are Gluten-free Casein-free. Actually, most of their stuff is casein free and ALL is gluten free. In my opinion, they have the best baked goods.

What about having diner leftovers for breakfast? I do that sometimes. Here are some other ideas...

Ham and eggs

Potato, egg, green pepper, and onion fried together YUM

dippy eggs with toast

scrambled eggs w/ bacon and toast

pancakes

waffles

muffins

cereal w/ banana and rice or soy milk

peanut butter toast with raisins

bagel w/ egg and bacon (very easy to make)

hashbrowns and eggs (throw the hashbrowns in the oven while you get showered)

homemade fruit salad

tortilla with egg and salsa

I hope that helps. A lot of times with gluten free eating it helps to think outside the box. I've learned that I really like leftovers for breakfast. It's fast, tasty, and it fills me up all morning.

[UNCHeel]

I found it was necessary to toss out the idea of a standard meal when I went gluten free. Once you do this anything that is gluten free and dairy free can be eaten at any meal. I am out of gluten free cereal as of this morning. Tomorrow morning I will have a micorwaved baked potato. One of my favorite breakfasts is peanut butter and jelly on rice cakes. Scrambles eggs with a side of rice is a dinner favorite.

Phyllis-we must be sisters from another mother...have enaten PB&J's since I was literally 2 yrs old and learned by 3 to get up in the middle of the night and make them myself.

[kabowman]

I make my own sausage each weekend, freeze it, then hubby heats it up with the eggs he makes me each morning.

Vance's has a non-dairy milk that doesn't bother me but I also try not to overdo it and use it very often so I don't eat cereal anymore.

I have always had sleep problems, mostly related to stress, however, I am not having heatflashes, at night they are the worst--I had a surgery last year that freaked my hormoes out and am hoping they will un-freak out soon, so I take an Advil PM every night. Sometimes, two. I know it isn't the best but it helps with the shoulder and wrist pain when they are flaring up too.

[StrongerToday]

I almost always have nut butter (peanut, cashew or almond) on toast in the morning. Dinner is frequently "breakfast for dinner" at my house.

The food dilema gets much easier as time goes by... and I'm glad you're feeling better already!

[UNCHeel]

Phyllis-we must be sisters from another mother...have enaten PB&J's since I was literally 2 yrs old and learned by 3 to get up in the middle of the night and make them myself.

May I ask what you allr ecommend for vitamins? I

've heard the liquid ones are good?

[UNCHeel]

Sorry about the bad spelling....must have gotten gluten on my fingers.

[Lisa]

I use Oil of Olay Vits. They list gluten free on the container. I always like to support that.

[hathor]

My usual breakfasts (I also avoid some other foods as well; if I can find variety for breakfast, so can you ) --

gluten-free cold cereal (Mesa Sunrise is my favorite) with almond milk

GT hot cereal (I've got Bob's Red Mill & a chocolate quinoa one)

-- either of these I throw in fresh, thawed, or dried fruit, nuts, and/or ground flax seed, depending on what I'm hungry for that day

gluten-free toast with hummus, peanut or almond butter

Corn cakes with the same

-- with the nut butters, I may put some fruit on top

I liked Van's gluten-free frozen waffles, but now I have to avoid soy so that's out. The soy thing also ended my short infatuation with some gluten-free bagels that were quite nice (well, they also had yeast which I'm supposed to avoid too ...)

I have mixes for gluten-free banana bread and pumpkin bread. I haven't gotten around to trying them yet. Same with my gluten-free pancake mix.

I have tried Glutano breakfast bars. OK, but not my favorite. But I wasn't a breakfast bar sort of person to begin with. I've also tried out a variety of gluten-free fruit, nut, seed, etc. bars -- some I really like, others are a little strange or I think they have too much refined sugar in them to have regularly.

Sometimes I will just grab leftovers or microwave a potato & top with salsa or fatfree bean dip.

[UNCHeel]

Thanks so much for all the advice on Vits and breakfast...that has been a challenge. I'm very lucky to live within a few minutes of a Whole Foods. Would seriously be in trouble without it.

[Guhlia]

Thanks so much for all the advice on Vits and breakfast...that has been a challenge. I'm very lucky to live within a few minutes of a Whole Foods. Would seriously be in trouble without it.

If you have a Walmart near you, you might be able to save some money by shopping there. Their Great Value brand is very good compared to other generics AND they label gluten free on items!!! I buy most things GV brand if I can. Plus, I haven't gotten glutened once by GV.

[Susanna]

Breakfast ideas:

I hardboil about a dozen eggs at a time, and just always have them in the fridge for a quick, no fuss breakfast (or anytime snack). a couple of hard boiled eggs, and some sliced tomatoes--yum

Almond butter spread on gluten-free bread or rice cakes, and with raisins sprinkled on top is tasty.

Beef jerky and a piece of fruit (but read labels--some beef jerky has soy sauce (not OK)

Leftovers from last night.

gluten-free cereal (fruity pebbles, puffins, and lots of others at the health food store) with almond milk

gluten-free waffles made into a sandwich with peanut butter and honey (way yummy)

Handful of trail mix and a piece of fruit.

About the sleeping problem--don't know if that's diet-related, but your getting more stable on the diet can only help that problem.

good luck!

Susanna

[Jestgar]

I hardboil about a dozen eggs at a time, and just always have them in the fridge for a quick, no fuss breakfast (or anytime snack). a couple of hard boiled eggs, and some sliced tomatoes--yum

This is a brilliant idea. I finally did this and it's so nice to have a quick source of protein you know you don't have to cook.

[miles2go]

Ditto with the hard-boiled eggs and when I'm feeling a little chefy, I make them into deviled eggs. There is something sublime about the combination of eggs and tomatoes.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned...I really like soup and congee for breakfast. Something about the warmth and subtle flavors that's just a little bit more than your usual bowl of porridge.

As for the sleep problems, I've had all sorts of things happen to me after going gluten-free, from sleep to peripheral neuropathy, to my eyes, etc., but it could just be that I'm getting old, so it's kind of hard to tell.

[tarnalberry]

so first off...what the hell do you eat for breakfast? I have to be dairy free as well and am struggling to think past 'a banana'... any ideas?

secondly... my sleep patterns always been a bit funky - i have suffered hidous insomnia in the past (as in days and days) but i figure after a few days of this new regium and everything getting settled i would sleep eaiser and better - but i find the oppoiste is happening.. I cant get to sleep, and when i do theres so much rolling roun my head its setting off the lucid dreaming and im half awake all night! is this normal? is this even linked? im yawning my head of an its only half five! (although ironically i feel like i have energy)

breakfast really is just a time of day you eat food, not a kind of food to eat. there's no limit on what it should be. some things I might have:

• leftovers from the night before
  
• muffins I made a previous day
  
• pancakes I made on the weekend and froze (heated in the microwave)
  
• rice cakes with peanut butter
  
• scrambled eggs (in a corn tortilla or on rice cakes or on brown rice)
  
• gluten free cereal with rice milk or soy milk
  
• a fruit smoothie with protein powder and coconut milk
  
• an apple with nut butter (small breakfast)
  
• pretty much anything else that comes to mind
  

as for sleeping, I didn't find that going gluten free made much difference, other than I did a bit less napping during the day (but there were other contributors to that as well). a few things I find *very* helpful:

• start turning down the lights an hour or two before going to bed to get your body adjusted
  
• have a set routine - that does not include the TV or loud noises - starting 20-30 minutes (at least) before bed, again to remind your body that it's supposed to go to sleep
  
• don't do anything in your bed other than sleep (and sex), with the exception of something like reading, if it will help make you sleepy
  
• if you find that you're just wide awake for a long time in bed, get up and do something, don't stay in bed
  
• try to get regular exercise in the day (aerobic), but no less than two hours before bedtime - it will help you sleep better
  
• things like camomille tea can help as a part of that last portion of the bedtime routine
  
• not getting out of my routing - it takes nearly two weeks to get back into it!
  

[miles2go]

[[*]if you find that you're just wide awake for a long time in bed, get up and do something, don't stay in bed

Tarnal,

I'm with you on all of the above suggestions, except for this one. I've found mixed results with meself ranging from okay, I'm just going to "sleep" behind the closed eyes to getting the lights on and reading something for a while and then finding that I can go to sleep. Either way, I seem to feel relatively refreshed in the morning.

Margaret

[miles2go]

P.S.

It is pouring snow, sleet and freezing rain here in Maine today, so I'm self-dx crotchedy. I'm heading to cook a corned-animal.

Happy St. Patty's Day everybody.

Margaret

[tarnalberry]

[[*]if you find that you're just wide awake for a long time in bed, get up and do something, don't stay in bed

Tarnal,

I'm with you on all of the above suggestions, except for this one. I've found mixed results with meself ranging from okay, I'm just going to "sleep" behind the closed eyes to getting the lights on and reading something for a while and then finding that I can go to sleep. Either way, I seem to feel relatively refreshed in the morning.

Margaret

lol I should have qualified - for me, this is the "ok, i've been unable to shut up my brain, even trying meditation, for two hours. duh, try something different now, self!" item.