Do You Cheat?

[kschauer]

Since my diagnosis I have not knowingly eaten anything containing gluten.

Lately I have been dreaming about pizza and donuts and pasta and bread and I'm going out of my mind. My mouth literally waters when I think about a bite of pizza.

My husband said to me yesterday, if I were you, I'd probably cheat all the time. I wonder if people do.

[ravenwoodglass]

NEVER I get sick enough from just a microgram of CC and my gluten challenge that my GI ordered almost killed me. No way, no how, not for all the money in the world.

[Ursa Major]

You know, there is gluten-free pizza, donuts and pasta that are really good. It is harder to find good bread, but the selection gets better all the time.

You can buy frozen gluten-free pizza crust, or make your own. Kinnikinnik makes very nice donuts, and rice pasta is just as good as regular pasta. There are many brands, and you have to try them to know which one you prefer.

So, no need to go nuts thinking about those things, go ahead and indulge! Just make sure it is gluten-free, it won't pay to cheat.

[sickchick]

TWO words for ya Sweetheart...

HELL NO

[YoloGx]

Since my diagnosis I have not knowingly eaten anything containing gluten.

Lately I have been dreaming about pizza and donuts and pasta and bread and I'm going out of my mind. My mouth literally waters when I think about a bite of pizza.

My husband said to me yesterday, if I were you, I'd probably cheat all the time. I wonder if people do.

Some people do cheat. However most suffer as a result. For me certainly its not worth the ill health that inevitably ensues not to mention D, achey eyes, migraines, body aches, depression, mental confusion etc. For others they get a skin condition like my mother (DH). If you cheat a lot (whether you react in an obvious way or not) it sets you up for getting a variety of degenerative diseases like glaucoma, cancer or heart or kidney disease or some other auto immune disease like RA or lupus etc.

There are by the way gluten free alternatives. If you can eat cheese, make your own pizza. Plenty of recipes on line. Or get prepackaged mix for the dough. Ditto with cookies, cakes and breads. One alters one's tastebuds and comes up with new things to enjoy. For myself I avoid sugar as well as gluten due to candida overgrowth, but find baking "sweets" using stevia and a little applesauce or crushed banana is a great alternative.

[MELINE]

Never

[ShayFL]

I honestly dont miss all of that stuff. I am lucky.

I dont cheat.

[Katsby]

I miss it, but I don't cheat. Mainly because I don't want to deal with the physical ramifications of eating (like getting sick to my stomach). That's totally not worth it lol. I am sure it would be more tempting for someone with gluten intolerance who doesn't show any outward symptoms really. I do think about gluten foods sometimes, though. I don't think I can go within 50 feet of Panera Bread anymore. Though I wouldn't cheat, I would feel depressed.

[Jestgar]

Never. Not worth it.

[psawyer]

Never. Not worth it.

What she said!

[Gluten-Free Guy]

The worst thing you can do is cheat and occasionally ingest gluten, even a trace. I don't remember where I found this paragraph, but it clearly explains why you should never, never, never cheat: "The gluten-free diet must be carefully and continuously followed. When untreated, the disease can cause life-threatening complications. A delayed diagnosis or non-compliance with the diet places the patient at risk for developing associated conditions such as infertility, miscarriage, osteoporosis, fractures, certain types of intestinal cancer, lymphoma, or other autoimmune disorders. Continued consumption of gluten increases the chance of gastrointestinal cancer by a factor or 40 to 100 times that of the normal population." You must get on a 100% gluten-free diet and remain on it for the rest of your life.

Eating out is probably the riskiest thing a celiac can do. Restaurants, delis at food markets, homes of family and friends, school cafeterias, snack days at work, etc., are all good sources of gluten. You have to ask a lot of questions and even try to read product labels, if they're available. There's a joke that illustrates the point: At a dinner party, do you know how to tell who the celiac is? It's the person in the kitchen digging through the trash to read labels.

Cross contamination is also a concern. Utensils, pots and pans, cooking surfaces, etc., may harbor crumbs or other traces of gluten. For example, you need a separate toaster that is dedicated only to gluten-free. If you dip a knife into peanut butter or jelly and spread it on bread, the knife is contaminated and must not be placed back into the jar. A fork used to stir wheat-based spaghetti must not be placed in a pot containing gluten-free spaghetti (by the way, Tinkyada brand rice pastas are the closest in flavor and texture to wheat-based pastas).

Glutino brand frozen pizzas are very good, esp if you add your own toppings. I don't know where you live, but in the Kansas City area, there are at least three restaurants that make gluten-free pizza. Kinnikinnick makes the best bread, bagels, English muffins, hamburger and hotdog buns (all in the freezer section). They are enhanced if you toast them before adding toppings or meat. After you have cooked meat in a skillet, toast the bread or bun in the skillet--it soaks up the grease flavoring. Kinnikinnick Bread and Bun mix makes very good dinner rolls, etc.

On Amazon, you can order "Gluten-Free Baking Classics" by Annalise Roberts--she has the best recipes I've found for pizza dough, cakes, etc. Her lemon cake is so good my non-celiac granddaughter requests it for her birthday. If you don't tell, no one will know it's gluten-free.

[SacGFGirl]

Since my diagnosis I have not knowingly eaten anything containing gluten.

Lately I have been dreaming about pizza and donuts and pasta and bread and I'm going out of my mind. My mouth literally waters when I think about a bite of pizza.

My husband said to me yesterday, if I were you, I'd probably cheat all the time. I wonder if people do.

I would never cheat on purpose. Why cause yourself pain? If you're still having that craving about gluten free pizza I've got the recipe for you! Have you heard of Tom Sawyer's Flour....it's amazing and they have a gluten-free pizza crust recipe on their website. It completely satisfied my craving and I fooled my non gluten-free friends! The thing I always crave is cheese its, and I've tried making a gluten-free version but it's just not the same.

[pele]

Heck, no. I am so happy to be gluten-free. If I am accidentally glutened, even a trace, I experience insomnia. The prospect of losing half a night's sleep is plenty of incentive to be very, very careful.

[GlutenGalAZ]

I cheated in the beginning. I had a hard time giving up gluten. I had stomach issues all my life as a child, teen and adult. I had no idea what was causing it. The dr's would tell me things to try/avoid but nothing helped. Since childhood I would eat stuff not understanding why I felt sick afterwards and would be curled up in bed pretty much crying from the pain and having to run to the bathroom.

When I went on the gluten free diet it was during my works busy season and I had a hard time figuring foods out and dealing with it and I was working from 8am to anywhere from 6pm-10pm (in-laws business)....I tried to stay away from gluten but when you have no time to cook ahead, that day or figure out what you can eat it was hard. I would eat gluten one day and not for a couple of days (would eat salads, safe things).

What made matters worse was one of the gluten free books I have mentioned you can treat yourself once in a while so I would be gluten free all week or two weeks then on Friday I would get pizza and "treat" myself ha big mistake there.

One day though it hit me that I had to stop doing what I was doing and now that I knew what the problem was after all the years of feeling like crap, I had to change. I have been completely gluten free for 5 months. I have NOT cheated in 5 months and do not plan on cheating ever again. I feel so much better. I know what I was doing was wrong and terrible for myself.

My question to everyone is -- Not counting "now" do you cheat.. BUT thinking back to the beginning did you cheat?

I can say "no I do not cheat now" but if you were to ask me did I cheat in the beginning I would say "yes".

Did you cheat in the beginning while you were trying to be gluten free and learning about it etc (I am not meaning by accident but on purpose)??

[YoloGx]

[quote name='GlutenGalAZ' date='Jul 7 2008, cheat?

I can say "no I do not cheat now" but if you were to ask me did I cheat in the beginning I would say "yes".

Did you cheat in the beginning while you were trying to be gluten free and learning about it etc (I am not meaning by accident but on purpose)??

[samantha79]

There is no amount of money that could make me want to cheat and consume gluten.. I have had 2 accidental cross contaminations ( thanks to family members) that were absolutely horrible . So if that is the reaction i get from a bread crumb in a spread, there is no way i would deliberately eat gluten.....

[WhimsiKay]

I have enough problems with the accidental glutenings that there is nothing that makes me want to cheat. Seriously. I feel bad enough to want to take a handful of Vicodin and call it a day. I can't imagine willingly putting myself through it for a few minutes' pleasure.

[munkee41182]

I was gluten-free for 2 years, then I slowly started to cheat, didn't feel anything. No pains...no D...nada. But after 2-3 years of being off of the gluten-free diet, I noticed even though I was working out a lot and losing weight but I looked pregnant. I was also having the "gluten brain farts" and studdered so much, more often than not. I've been gluten-free for about 2 weeks and my pregnant belly is going away and my "brain farts" and studdering are less apparent. If I had a cross contamination, I probably wouldn't feel anything...but I can't go down the street to the pizza place and have a slice of pizza anymore. Definately not worth it anymore now that I'm feeling and looking better (well except for this stupid sumburn - but i digress).

[cruelshoes]

I gave up gluten the day of my diagnosis and have never looked back (3 years next month). I never want to return to feeling like that again. No gluten cookie or slice of pizza is worth it, especially since I can make something as good or better myself. I don't really miss the food all that much, but occasionally get bummed out that I have to do so much planning now about what and where to eat.

[WhimsiKay]

I gave up gluten the day of my diagnosis and have never looked back (3 years next month). I never want to return to feeling like that again. No gluten cookie or slice of pizza is worth it, especially since I can make something as good or better myself. I don't really miss the food all that much, but occasionally get bummed out that I have to do so much planning now about what and where to eat.

That's what gets me -- the planning. I have to continually reassure my friends that it's okay they don't have anything gluten-free for me, and that I can bring my own, but it definitely gets hard to work around. It just gets easier to stay at home, which is bonkers on my social life. ^^;

[kbtoyssni]

Umm, no. I do not cheat. I like my current life of being able to get out of bed and do whatever I want. No amount of gluten could possibly taste good enough for me to give that up.

[torontosue]

Nope, only been gluten-free for 2 months, but oh what a change in those 2 months. I didnt realize how bad I really felt til I started to feel good, if that makes any sense.

I didn't realize I had the brain fog and the exhaustion. I just thought I was tired from work and looking after 2 teenage boys! The D was bad and I sure do NOT miss that. But nope, while I do miss some foods on occassion, there is nothing worth going back to the way I was before.

[blueeyedmanda]

Nope, even thought it is tempting.....even after a few years I still have the temptations, heck I am human. I do have lots of good gluten free alternatives which I enjoy.

Besides overall, I would not want to deal with the whole GI symptoms that come with cheating, those are never fun and it would render me to staying home and spending my day near the bathroom.

[kschauer]

I am currently living in Chile, so the good subsitutes are a little harder to come by. I do buy flours and things online and have my mother ship them down here. I just get so frustrated at the change in everyday life. So much planning ahead, so much preparation for everything I can eat, never being able to pick up a pizza or eat anything a party. I do want to cheat, but the thought of increasing my risk of cancer is too much for me.

And although I know I feel so much better than I did, I still don't feel great. I still cannot concentrate to save my life. I recently had my bloodwork done and everything is in the normal ranges, including iron, and no accidental glutening showed up. But I'm falling asleep at my desk, I feel anxious and I have no energy. I don't want to do anything. If I'm going to feel like crap anyway, I'd love to eat BREAD!!

I'm not going to, but some days I would love to.

[msmini14]

I cheated once when I first went gluten-free because my stomach was alreay messed up from antibiotics. So anyway, I will not EVER cheat again, at least on purpose. Never ever again, it is so not worth it. Now if I crave something I just make it. I went and bought all sorts of flours, everything I need to bake. Freeze stuff so I can have it later etc.