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How Do You Start gluten-free

Gutbomb

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Gutbomb Rookie
Gutbomb
Posted

You just stop eating gluten right...I know. But then you have your cross contamination, people talking about make up and shampoo. It is so daunting. How did you start?

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Katsby Apprentice
Katsby
Posted

I replaced my toothbrush and made sure my toothpaste was safe, checked my lotions, etc. I made sure I had at least 1 saucepan and 1 skillet to start with that were purely for gluten free. I have my own plastic spoons and my own bread/baking pans and cutting board. I never owned a toaster so I didn't have to replace that, but you may have to. Just don't let it overwhelm you.

Gutbomb Rookie
Gutbomb
Posted
  • Author

WHy do make up and lotions matterif you don't digest them?

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Keep everything simple. Meat, seafood, potatoes, rice, fresh veggies and fruit. Stay away from processed food for a while and limit your seasonings to salt and pepper. Later, you will be able to add addition things when you learn more about what to look for in ingredients.

Scratched pots and pans should be replaced and a shared toaster won't work (gluten crumbs and such). The reason behind this is that gluten can hide everywhere and it would not be wise to risk cross contamination with your cookware. Other cookware can be cleaned well. New wooded spoons and cutting board would be a wise choice.

Some shampoos, lipsticks and lotions can contain gluten. Gluten needs to be ingested to cause a reaction, but so can lotions on your hands or face and lipstick. Some people with DH can react to topical gluten.

There is a lot to learn, but it does get easier.

purple Community Regular
purple
Posted

Don't eat out until you learn all the safe places and items you can eat, pack food/snacks, make a trip to the dollar store, wash your hands before eating every time, study...study...study, make notes, take notes to the store, look for labeled gluten-free items until you learn what the labels actually say, when in doubt-don't eat it, look at the foods you can eat rather than the foods you can't eat, freeze mini meals and entrees for emergencies, don't go for junk food b/c there is no nutrition, think of it has a healthy way to eat b/c before, you were getting sick and who knows where that road was taking your body???

Gutbomb Rookie
Gutbomb
Posted
  • Author

How soon before I know that it is working? How soon before anxiety lessens or is gone?

Beth in NC Contributor
Beth in NC
Posted

Amanda, I'm not quite two weeks into my new diet and I can already tell a difference in how I feel. I will say that the first few days after diagnosis I was a panic attack waiting to happen! My anxiety level was sky high and it wasn't because my meds weren't working. I was grieving the loss of how I loved to eat, of the easy lifestyle that was soon to get much more difficult. If you are diligent, you may see results pretty quickly. I could feel my energy level rising after only a few days, my chronic constipation no longer required massive amounts of supplements to "get going" and my pain lessened. It didn't go away, but it lessened. Some things I wasn't even aware had improved until I got glutened a week later. Areas were hurting that I didn't realize had stopped!

It's all worth it. Really, it is.

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Gutbomb Rookie
Gutbomb
Posted
  • Author

So I think I am totally gluten free today. I am sure I am not but hey. Almost had a freak out on the coffee stand girl when she used a spatula to scoop the splenda foam off my Kona. Thought I couldn't go wrong with a cup of kona with 4 splenda.

Anyhoo...LOL

Beth in NC Contributor
Beth in NC
Posted

I can't remember if this was suggested or not, but keep a food diary, right down to the brand name. I'm also keeping a journal that briefly states my symptoms, or lack of them, each day as well. It will help you pinpoint problem areas.

Gutbomb Rookie
Gutbomb
Posted
  • Author
I can't remember if this was suggested or not, but keep a food diary, right down to the brand name. I'm also keeping a journal that briefly states my symptoms, or lack of them, each day as well. It will help you pinpoint problem areas.

I keep track of everything on a diet website called sparkpeople.com. It is meant to keep track of calories, fat and carbs but it works for this as well. They also have a few gluten free groups there to talk with. I can also print out my journals if I need to take them with me anywhere.

Called my doctor and I won't have the test results for like a week so I probably won't know until Monday or so. I don't know why the tech told me the next day.

frec Contributor
frec
Posted

I noticed you are from Oregon? You probably have access to Whole Foods, New Seasons, or Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's has my favorite rice bread, especially good for toast. If you are also off dairy they have the best non-dairy prices and lots of choices. They have gluten free frozen waffles and pancakes too. Whole Foods and New Seasons are wonderful but pricier.

If you are in the Portland area, Corbett's Fish House is gluten free.

Definitely carry snacks with you. I think the hardest part of being gluten free is getting hungry away from home. Finding a quick something can be difficult and fast food is pretty much impossible.

Once things settle down as far as shopping and digestion, consider taking some sort of calcium/magnesium supplement, preferably with vitamin D3. Celiacs are at high risk for osteoporosis.

I was really surprised how many things improved when I went on this diet. Some of them were problems I had no idea had been caused by gluten.

Gutbomb Rookie
Gutbomb
Posted
  • Author

I already take a buttload of vitamins. Luckily they are all gluten free. I take a good multi, vitamin d with calcium, and omega 3.

I am in Southern Oregon and have no whole foods or trader joes. We have a local place called Food 4 less and they have a huge health foods section. We also have a Fred Myers, Safeway, Albertson, Super Walmart and Winco.

Nothing new today. I am still really tired. Doctor refilled my hycosamine so I have that for emergencies. I hate taking it because it really dries me out, literally.

gfpaperdoll Rookie
gfpaperdoll
Posted

unless you have diabetes - I would ditch the splenda & use honey instead.

spenda is totally not good for anyone. When you get your diet adjusted & do not eat the things that you are intolerant to - you will lose weight. Please do not be using the artificial sweetners - I do not care what any company says etc. so, if someone wants to say that it is proven safe, go ahead. it is MY opnion that it is not.

lindajeaninsc Newbie
lindajeaninsc
Posted

Nothing new today. I am still really tired. Doctor refilled my hycosamine so I have that for emergencies. I hate taking it because it really dries me out, literally.

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    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
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