So Confused!

[Zeddess]

Hi all =)

So I've recently diagnosed myself as having an intolerance to gluten; I randomly came across an article the other day and as I was reading the symptoms a sweep of realization came over me, I always wondered why I got horrible stomach aches after eating anything wheaty and processed like burgers, pizza, pasta, etc. I just thought that's maybe how everybody reacted to food like that! I'm quite tall and have been the same weight of about 115lbs since I was about 16 (I'm 22 now) and all my diet has consisted of since then has been awful processed take-out foods, along with the undesirable after-effects. I've been completely off gluten for about 5 days and really do notice a huge difference like no more stomach pains which is great, but I'm finding it really overwhelming as there is just so much to consider and take in when going gluten free and the whole idea is just so daunting to me. Is there any such thing as only being mildly intolerant, and if so would it mean that I don't have to be as strict? Is it just wheat, barley and rye I should try and avoid - are oats, rice, soy, maize and corn safe? Do most sauces have gluten additives and thickeners in them?

Anyway I'm sure I'll come up with more questions but I think that will do for now! Thank you so much for any tips and advice =)

[tarnalberry]

It is very difficult at first. But it's creating a new habit, and that's hard. Don't let the task deter you!

Wheat, barley, and rye are out. Oats are questionable - you have to figure out for yourself. But everything else is fine. Packaged products are tricky, but there's a whole host of whole foods that are naturally gluten free.

[lpjourney]

Welcome

I think one of the main things you might need to do is get tested and truly diagnosed, unfortunately to have an accurate test would reguire eating gluten. Start with you primary physician or ask them to recommend someone who specializes in celiac.

Although the beginning can be overwhelming, but once the reality and acceptance settle in, you just learn how to adjust. The more you research and educate yourself the more you you'll become comfortable. For me, the thing that keeps me on track is preventing the ongoing damage to the small intestines - thereby preventing the possibility of lymphatic cancer.

The book - Gluten Free Shopping Guide is a big help to make shopping easier. If you like to cook, then there are many recipes through out various sites that you can learn from and experiment with. There are alot of people out there who have learned what works and what doesn't and gladly share the info.

[Takala]

Hi all =)

So I've recently diagnosed myself as having an intolerance to gluten; I randomly came across an article the other day and as I was reading the symptoms a sweep of realization came over me, I always wondered why I got horrible stomach aches after eating anything wheaty and processed like burgers, pizza, pasta, etc. I just thought that's maybe how everybody reacted to food like that! I'm quite tall and have been the same weight of about 115lbs since I was about 16 (I'm 22 now) and all my diet has consisted of since then has been awful processed take-out foods, along with the undesirable after-effects. I've been completely off gluten for about 5 days and really do notice a huge difference like no more stomach pains which is great, but I'm finding it really overwhelming as there is just so much to consider and take in when going gluten free and the whole idea is just so daunting to me. Is there any such thing as only being mildly intolerant, and if so would it mean that I don't have to be as strict? Is it just wheat, barley and rye I should try and avoid - are oats, rice, soy, maize and corn safe? Do most sauces have gluten additives and thickeners in them?

Anyway I'm sure I'll come up with more questions but I think that will do for now! Thank you so much for any tips and advice =)

_________________

If it is an actual gluten intolerance you are dealing with, no, there's no such thing as being "mildly intolerant." The wheat, rye, and barley products would still be causing the auto immune reaction, no matter how small the quantity, up to a few crumbs- some people are extra sensitive and react strongly to even much less than that.

But there is a difference between the physical reaction you may be feeling, or not, as it is said that most celiac/gluten intolerance is latent, or unknown, to the person who has it, and the digestion problem occuring as the result.

This auto immune reaction damages the lining of the gut (small intestine) and that impedes normal absorption of nutrients. Over time, this leads to many other physical problems or secondary auto immune diseases.

You can ask a doctor to run a celiac panel blood test on you, in order to obtain medical confirmation if you need that to motivate you, but the testing is still not foolproof. I had to self diagnose because every doctor I had during the acute phase insisted I could not have a food problem and thought my claims that my arthritis was caused by it absurd, and they were he((bent on insisting I was a head case or had MS, because I had so many neuro symptoms and nerve damage (much of the neuro stuff eventually got better after about 4 years off of grain.). I have never had a positive blood test. My brain and spine looked like crap, tho. If you do this you also need to be eating gluten before the test.

Oats, if consumed, need to be special gluten free oats that have not been grown in wheat fields and stored in wheat bins and cross contaminated in wheat handling processing facilities.

Soy gives a lot of us problems. Corn, some of us but not others. Dairy lactose also bothers some people.

Rice is usually okay for most. Rice pasta is very good once you get the hang of it.

Most sauces that are commercially manufactured, that contain thickening starches, unless it specifies gluten free on the label, ARE contaminated. There are a few brands of things that are okay. Heinz ketchup is one. Tabasco is another. This green salsa I've been eating that is made in Mexico is okay, so far, it has no thickeners. San- J wheat free Tamari soy sauce is okay. Classico spagetti sauces are okay, but read the label.

It may seem overwhelming at first unless you are into cooking by pleasure or necessity. If you are already a meat and potatoes and eggs and salads sort of person it's not difficult at all. If you're into fast junk food....

I don't react the same way as most people to eating small amounts of obvious gluten but I am highly motivated to stay off because the secondary conditions I have really flare up.

[Zeddess]

Wow, thanks so much you guys, that's really helpful. As you can imagine I've been doing non-stop googling the last few days and have read a few things similar to what you've all said, but to have it confirmed or reiterated helps make it easier to learn. Is there a huge difference between being gluten intolerant and being celiac?

I can have milk and yoghurt and cheese etc and be fine, so hopefully I'll be lucky enough to avoid any sort of dairy lactose intolerance developing, but judging from the Chinese food I devoured for lunch I'm beginning to think soy doesn't agree with me too well! I'm not really home all that often so not a big fan of cooking which is definitely making it a little more difficult, although I do enjoy it once I get into it. So I'm thinking I'll just keep with the gluten-free diet for another month or so, see how I feel, and when I'm ready to go see the doc for a celiac blood test I'll start with the gluten again, that way I can also see if I have a significant reaction to it after being off it for a while.

[puddleglum]

judging from the Chinese food I devoured for lunch I'm beginning to think soy doesn't agree with me too well!

It is possible that you are sensitive to soy, however, keep in mind that soy sauce (a big ingredient in Chinese food) contains wheat and many Chinese dishes are thickened with flour bases. So, it could be soy, but it is probably still wheat, too.

[GFinDC]

I can have milk and yoghurt and cheese etc and be fine, so hopefully I'll be lucky enough to avoid any sort of dairy lactose intolerance developing, but judging from the Chinese food I devoured for lunch I'm beginning to think soy doesn't agree with me too well!

If you had soy sauce that came with the Chinese food it probably had gluten in it. Soy is not so good for people, so not a bad idea to avoid it, IMHO.

[Zeddess]

It is possible that you are sensitive to soy, however, keep in mind that soy sauce (a big ingredient in Chinese food) contains wheat and many Chinese dishes are thickened with flour bases. So, it could be soy, but it is probably still wheat, too.

Aww, crap. You are so right! Here I was thinking rice and veggies with a tiny bit of sauce would be easy on my stomach. This is definitely going to be harder than I thought...! How on earth do you all manage with the ubiquitous presence of gluten??

[shirleyujest]

Zeddess, mainly just sending you a cyber-hug! And saying I understand the feeling. It is overwhelming. I thought I was pretty thorough and then tonight I posted elsewhere, DUH! Have to toss the toaster. It didn't even occur to me for some reason, so been toasting my rice bread and gluten-free waffles. Then going, "why does my stomach hurt and kindof blow up like a balloon?" Duh!

My way of cooking has always leaned toward pretty healthy, one-dish chop and drop things like veggie-laden pasta sauce (now I pour it over rice). Just sautee onion, garlic and whatever meat, then pour in tomato sauce or if it's soup, the broth that comes in a carton. Mix up the veggies, mix up the seasoning. Then I have a great indoor grill (OMG I have to find a way to scrub that!) and I toss on meat and veggies. That has gone down well so maybe there was never any glutteny thing on it.

As many others say, the more whole foods the better, because once you open a packaged-processed something, the unknown creeps in. So I'm doing whole foods and supplementing with things that have "gluten-free" printed plainly on the package, like from Trader Joe's or a health food store. Got some okay bread, cookies, and gluten-free 'wraps' to sub for bread for sandwiches.

Then salads are a whole easy thing, with all the bagged lettuce it's easy, put whatever veggies you like on it and check the dressing.

Also I've been eating a ton of fruit -- have done in the past cuz I love it -- and like every day maybe 3-4 cups of fruit -- watermelon and berries are faves. And every other day or so, a candy bar or pop some popcorn, tonight instead of butter I used my favorite olive oil, and it was good. Other snacks are nuts, bagged carrots, chips & salsa.

To help me learn what foods are okay, I've been using the search function on this site -- what a great site it is! So easy to find things. In that way I've been able to find virtually every food listed as safe or not -- often with links embedded like to the makers' web sites. Nutella, safe! Woohoo! Three Musketeers, okay! Tostitos gluten-free, hooray!

So there's plenty of research around. You sound like you're doing great, googling provides a wealth of info.

[Zeddess]

Shirley, thank you! That is so kind =) You sound like you have it sussed!

I'm really trying my best, a couple of the more spendy take-out burger and pizza joints here have gluten-free options which is awesome, and luckily my Mum is a great cook and very understanding so we're going to try and cook some gluten-free meals together. I bought a loaf of wheat-free bread the other day made from rice and rye to see what it did, and YES I got that awful stomach blowing up like a balloon feeling too. It's amazing how amplified the symptoms of gluten intolerance are when you've been off of it for even just 5 days!

Thankfully I've always loved fruit too so I went and bought a whole bunch the other day and I'm intending to make some gluten-free spaghetti bolognese for dinner tomorrow night - pasta sauce is really vague though - sometimes it just says thickener, or maize thickener - is this ok?

Omg I am so glad to hear that Nutella is safe! Yum.

[shirleyujest]

OMG gluten-free spaghetti bolognese... what time is dinner?

Did a search on pasta sauce and someone did all this work compiling a list... not sure where you live, but probably some of these are available to you: Visit My Website

Now I'm waiting on someone to make gluten-free crusty french bread. *tap tap tap*

[Zeddess]

Yeah, it's funny how gluten-free things pop out at you once you start noticing them! I didn't think supermarkets were all that into gluten-free versions of things but I had a quick look at the pasta section just in case and found San Remo do gluten-free spaghetti which I've never seen before. I literally squealed in the aisle!

I'm from New Zealand, and although I recognize a few of those brands I'll probably just have to do a bit of trial and error of my own. But I'll be visiting some family in the States in a couple of weeks so lists like that one are really handy - you guys have so much more variety and options!!