Need To Expand Diet

[SillyBoo]

I have been gluten-free for more than 5 months. I feel pretty good as long as I severely restrict my diet - no dairy, soy, eggs, nightshades, legumes, spicy foods of any kind, or RAW VEGGIES. I eat fruits, cooked veggies, poultry, fish, rice, and occasionally nuts, buckwheat, and corn. That's it.

Now that spring is here, I am craving salads, but I know what the consequences will be if I eat anything raw. Such "indulgences" are followed by several days of lethargy, brain fog, and unhappy guts. I had cheese last week for the 1st time in more than 8 months, during a self-destructive and hungry moment, and am still paying for that.

How long has it taken others to be able to add other foods? My family cringes now everytime they see a baked chicken, since that is one of the few foods I can eat. Any experiences to share? Suggestions?

Thanks!

[Anonymousgurl]

Well, I can't tell you how long it's going to take before you can eat those things again...BUT I just thought perhaps you'd feel a teency bit better if I told you that I feel your pain. LoL. I'm gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, corn free and fatty acid free....which means no oils, nuts or butters I eat pretty much the same thing everyday too. I know how it is....I'm not particularly craving a salad...all I happen to want is a bowl of cereal! Too bad rice milk and almond milk have fatty acids But ANYWAYS...I hope you get some answers and start to be able to introduce things soon!

[SillyBoo]

I'm sorry to hear that your diet is even more restricted than mine! I try to tell myself "it's only food". And really, I'm ok with that. But I can't help wondering if healthy cravings (such as salad) indicate a nutritional need. It's not as though I'm craving things with gluten (pizza, cake, cookies) that I know I don't need. I would think the lack of fatty acids would spur similar responses for you! That must be really challenging...hang in there!

[Jestgar]

How cooked do your veggies have to be? Could you do wilted salads? At least it would be some variety.

[gfpaperdoll]

don't forget about baked sweet potatoes. I also have no idea how long it takes, we are all different.

But I can sympathize with the food allergies, I have had them my whole life, I think the fact that I knew foods made me sick, helped save my life.

I personally would not eat buckwheat... You could be getting cross contaminated from it.

Is your house gluten-free? are you getting any cross contamination at home or at work?

I see you can eat fruits - so have a fruit salad - section an orange & add anything else to it that you have, for a protein you could eat with cold sliced leftover chicken, This makes a good breakfast.

saute an onion and garlic in extra light olive oil & then added cooked rice & a can of tuna or chopped leftover meat, eat with any cooked veggie. OR splurge & throw in a can of crabmeat!!! That was what I lived on when I was really sick.

add a baked sweet potato & I was all set. You can also make yourself some homemade soups & freeze...

Don't gorget to treat yourself to some boiled shrimp!! & a lobster if you are feeling really low

You might could add Lundberg Rice chips - sea salt flavor - I do not get a reaction from them & I also eat Mission Brand White Corn Tortillas - that is about all the "bready" stuff I eat.

I also try to make sure that my food is presented in an attractive way & I use only my best dishes - I got rid of the old stuff...

[SillyBoo]

Thanks for these great suggestions! I must admit that wilted salad has no appeal, but I could certainly make a salad of cooked beets and other cooked veggies, I suppose. And sweet potatoes are wonderful - thanks for the reminder.

I will be very happy to let my family know that I MUST splurge on lobster when I'm getting down! I hadn't even thought of that. Of course, it won't be the same without the melted butter, but I'm sure it will be very tasty.

[lonewolf]

I spent a year eating only fish (salmon, tuna, halibut, cod - no shellfish), rice (rice cakes and rice milk too), sunflower seeds, most vegetables (no nightshades), sweet potatoes and most fruits. I think I ate corn 3-4 times during that year. After a year, I was feeling so much better that I decided to add things back. I started with things like bananas, lentils and potatoes. (Things that were lower on the ELISA test I took.) Over the course of the next year I added back everything except wheat (was told that I didn't need to be gluten free, but still avoided it 99%), dairy, eggs and soy.

I would suggest you give it as long as you can possibly stand, then add one new food a week to make sure you're not reacting. Also, you might want to try making some fermented vegetable salads or try one from your health food store. They are more digestible than plain raw vegetables. You can find recipes by doing a google search. I actually like fermented cabbage with carrots and apples.

[elye]

I don't have a problem with raw veggies, but when my parents come over for supper and I am making a salad, I cook all the chopped veggies that I'm including in it beforehand (carrots, zuchinni) and then add the raw ones (tomato, cucumber, mushroom), as my mom can't handle hard stuff with all her false teeth. And instead of tomato I'll often put in sliced pear or apple, which she can handle raw. Really good!

[SillyBoo]

Thanks for these helpful suggestions. I never thought about fermented salads. Hmmm... And cooked veggies in a salad might be the way to go for now.

It's really good to hear a success story on adding foods back, although I do realize that my timeline may differ.