Newly Gluten Free- Should I Colon Cleanse First?

[acaligal]

I was diagnosed last year with Celiac but just wasn't able to make the lifestyle change at that time. Now I'm ready to be dedicated and live completely gluten free but not quite sure where to start.

My first question- did anyone else do any kind of detox/cleansing before switching? I thought maybe it would be better for a fresh start to do a good colon cleanse. Anyone have experience with that?

Also- Anything gluten free seems to be sooo expensive. Any suggestions for quick, easy, and cheap breakfast and snack ideas? I go to class early every morning so I'm used to having some instant oatmeal or a luna bar.

Last- Is it normal to feel completely dehydrated all the time? I drink tons of water but I never feel hydrated unless I take electrolyte pills also.

Thanks so much for all the advice!

[luvs2eat]

Don't know what your celiac symptoms are, but a colon cleanse would have been wasted money for me, as everything I ate was shooting straight thru me! I've never understood the whole colon cleanse craze... if one eats a normal diet, won't fiber in the form of veggies, fruts, etc... do what the colon cleanse does?

A great on-the-go breakfast is mixing up nuts and seeds... several kinds like almonds, sunflower seeds, etc. ... with dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, and blueberries and putting about a 1/3 cup portion into zip lock baggies. Before being gluten free, I used to smash a banana in-between toaster waffles and take it into the car on my way to work. Now I make my own waffles and freeze them and do the same thing. There are several good cereals that we can eat... Rice and Corn Chex and some of their flavored ones too. But I have to stay away from cereal as I have a big problem w/ portion control! The box says there are maybe 10 servings in a box, but I think there's only about 3... haha.

Be careful of instant oatmeal. I didn't eat oatmeal till I'd been gluten free for years and now I only eat it occasionally... and only Bob's Red Mill's certified gluten free oats.

Good luck!

[newgfcali]

Also- Anything gluten free seems to be sooo expensive. Any suggestions for quick, easy, and cheap breakfast and snack ideas? I go to class early every morning so I'm used to having some instant oatmeal or a luna bar.

If you google "gluten free breakfast bar diy" you'll get a whole list of recipes for bars you can make yourself, always cheaper than store-bought, plus you'll KNOW it's totally gluten free. I like cereal so usually have some organic corn flakes with rice milk which is really quick, but not especially cheap. (Hey - I'm worth it!)

Last- Is it normal to feel completely dehydrated all the time? I drink tons of water but I never feel hydrated unless I take electrolyte pills also.

Maybe try a little Gatorade? It's gluten & lactose free, too. No, I don't work for them.

[Brien]

When I started going gluten free I noticed there was hardly anything that cost less than 5 bucks per item.

[RiceGuy]

Mineral deficiencies, including electrolytes, are common. I also felt dehydrated all the time, and couldn't drink enough. Then I started taking potassium, and it resolved in about two weeks. I still take the potassium, along with a few other things. Supplements are very important for many of us.

[bluebonnet]

i noticed i was crazy thirsty all the time no matter how much water i drank! its starting to even out now. (its been just about 2 months for me). i can't deal with eggs all the time but for on the go i like to make a peanut butter (all natural of course) and sliced banana rice cake sandwich. not bad for a quickie since you get a fruit and protein and its portable!

as for the colon cleanse ... i am wondering if that would help too. give your intestines a running start so to speak. i had a mix of D & C so my ct scan showed thickening of the mucousal lining. wondering if a cleanse would get it back to the way its suppose to be?? hopefully more people will respond with their experiences. good luck!

[ravenwoodglass]

IMHO doing a colon cleanse with an already compromised intestine is not only ill advised but could be dangerous. Many of us will have a 'leaky gut' which can allow stuff that is not supposed to cross into our systems from our intestine to do so. Colon cleanses can also be very harsh on the sytem. I would simply get on the diet and go with whole unprocessed foods to begin with.

[lynnelise]

I watched a program on how colon cleansing is 100% unnecessary and potential dangerous because it disrupts the balance of bacteria in your intestines. Since being celiac you are already compromised I would think the risk would be even worse for you. I agree with the previous post just eat whole, unprocessed foods and start healing! For breakfast I like yogurt with berries and a rice cake with peanut butter. Kind bars and Larabars are both gluten free on the go options as well.

[sandsurfgirl]

With the high powered colonics you can also die from edema because you large intestine absorbs water. People have absorbed too much water and made their hearts and brains swell and died. Don't do it.

The gluten free diet IS your detox diet and be prepared because you might go through withdrawals. Most of us do and for me it was pretty bad for nearly 6 weeks.

Eat a simple diet and don't eat gluten free stuff for awhile until you heal. Most of us find we can't digest dairy and soy for awhile either.

Dehydration is HUGE for people with autoimmune disorders according to my doctor. Because of so much trouble with D, I had major electrolyte imbalances and I was dizzy dizzy dizzy. I had to use Gatorade because all of the natural electrolyte replacements I tried made me very very sick. For a few weeks I started my day with a big glass of half water and half Gatorade. Then I would just add like a half cup of it to my water the rest of the day. Drink lots of water and keep sipping all day long. It can take a couple of weeks to heal the electrolyte imbalance.