When Will Food Taste Good Again?

[cdford]

When will food smell and taste good again? I accidentally got into some gluten in August and still have no desire to eat. I can handle homemade hot chocolate or chocolate milk, but nothing else seems good. My system is back working again, but I just don't want any food. What happened to those good old days when I craved broccoli or greens???

[celiac3270]

It takes awhile...I didn't like food for the first few months. First, I hadn't found many good gluten-free foods to begin with. Second, I had a sort of aversion to food (not anorexia or anything--just that i wasn't hungry) because I knew that when I ate and my stomach didn't digest, I'd eventually get stomach pains, vomiting, etc.

I'd been this way for a long time. I still feel rather I-don't-care-ish about what food I eat. Maybe it's due to symptoms that come when I eat a lot...I think a lot of it is that with all the temporary restrictions I'm enforcing: no acid (tomato sauce, ketchup, oranges, grapefruit, etc.), not a lot of fat (since the doc. said it's hard to diget), which is tough since I want to eat fat and i should gain weight anyway....etc.

My situation probably isn't the same as yours because I want certain things. I have constant and nearly uncontrollable cravings for sweets, in particular chocolate and also, but less intensely, for softdrinks. I think it's easy to get dejected, though, when there's so much you want to eat, but can't (even if only temporarily). I think after awhile it's to the point where you don't care really what you eat at all. I went many months eating kinda on autopilot....I also noticed that I wasn't very hungry ever--appetite increasing lately. Don't know if this is any help--I just saw something in common between your story and me a couple months ago.

[cdford]

I have always eaten pretty healthy, so craving chocolate milk and fried potatoes is a new one for me. Those two things are the only things that look good or smell right. At least I am not gaining back any weight!

[Guest PastorDave]

I am really curious where this notion that gluten free tastes bad? I can understand when you feel sick and don't want to eat, but I have heard people say that gluten-free is a bland diet. I am careful what spices I use, I have the advantage of being near an Amish bulk food store where they grow the spices so I know they are gluten-free, but I use the spices to make a normally "bland" meal (such as rice and pork chops) terrific! Experiment with what you liked before as well. I loved donughts, and my wife has made some gluten-free ones for me. What a treat to have them, even though it won't be every day (way too much work) I enjoy the treat. It makes me appreciate it more.

I don't know if this helps, but I do know that living gluten-free is 90% attitude. If you don't let it get you down, even when you have a really bad reaction, then you can get back on your feet faster.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I started to find the gluten-free food good after about a month or 2. . .when I did swimming we used to form good swimming habits by doing them everyday and after like 21 days of doing it it would be natural. . .I applied the same thing to the food. . .eating the new stuff (honeymustard, bread, sauce, and such) that I knew I'd be eating most of regularly and soon enough I started to like it and crave it rather than the old gluten food.

I didn't want food at first either but you just have to do it and eat it. . .then it all comes together. . .

[kactuskandee]

cdford,

I'm going to take a wild guess here that your body may be craving certain nutrients you're not getting...like more calcium and Vit D (in the milk) and the magnesium in the chocolate, or even the gut-tolerable form of Vit C in potatoes. Then too the added amino acids in the milk you may need especially if you're under any stress. Unfortunately chocolate can create migraines in Fibro folks..Maybe you can try beefing up your vitamin/mineral intakes and see what happens. You may just find yourself wanting the greens and broccoli again.

Just my 2 cents worth....Oh and BTW, if you check any thyroid boards you're not suppose to eat the broccoli anyway....infact not any cruciferous veggies unless over cooked.

Kandee

[celiac3270]

That's definitely true. I got a chart from Jessica's Yahoo Support Group that says which nutrients you're lacking if you have certain cravings...really helpful...I think I posted it up here awhile ago, but I don't remember where--

[cdford]

I had not thought about the vitamin issue with the odd cravings. That may be why the orange juice jug keeps getting empty as well. I'll start back onto my injections of b vitamins and magnesium. Man, those mag sulfate shots are no fun.

It is not that I find the gluten-free foods untasty. I have been an excellent cook for much of my life and have transitioned to the gluten-free diet by adjusting spice usage, etc. My family enjoys the foods I cook (I am not one to cook multiple meals...it is tough enough to finish one from a wheelchair or walker). I just don't want anything. Even when I think I am hungry I look at the pantry or in the fridge and nothing strikes my interest. Most of us have experienced that but it is usually when we really don't need to eat anyway.

I must admit that I miss those days of begging my best friend next door for that last bag of broccoli when I had gone through all of mine. It used to be the family joke when I would be steaming veggies at 2 a.m. At least I was a good role model for dietary habits!

Anybody have any suggestions for a reasonably priced vitamin regimen? I used Shaklee for years but they are not gluten-free and most contain soy. My budget is really tight on a disability income.

[jknnej]

I don't know if this is the type of vitamins you're looking for, but TwinLab is sold at Safeway and they have a B complex and a multi daily vitamin. They're about $15 for 60 day supply.

[cdford]

Thanks for the info. I am on B complex, B-12, folic acid, and magnesium sulfate in injection form. While I hate having to give myself shots, they really work. I understand from someone in my church that caltrate 600 is gluten-free, but I have not tried them. I will check on the brand you suggested for a multi-vitamin. I think Perrigo labs' vitamins are gluten-free also but I have not verified with them. I know they have a gluten-free lab for their otc meds (sold in Kroger, Target, and Walmart). We look for the little rounded rectangle with a comma thing hanging off the right side that is their logo since we know there cannot be gluten in them.

[tom]

I was gluten-free 10 mos b4 going casein-free also. It was only then that i began to enjoy eating again. Previously, no matter how good the food was - even a fav food - eating was just a chore and 2 bites in i was ready to be done.