Help! Not Sure What To Do About Diet

[yogismith]

I was diagnosed in Janurary with Celiacs....I am still in the denial/angry stage. I need advise about foods to eat. I have been gaining weight pretty steadly...I am scared that I am going to keep gaining weight. I get bloated really easily. I have heard that when you are first diagnosed with celiacs that you should not eat lactose for a couple months to let your instestine heal (this is hard cause I LOVE cheese). I am 21 and living on a college students budget, so I don't like buying gluten-free grains because they can be really pricey for me. everytime i see regular pasta or cake, etc I get huge cravings. I am just so upset with myself for allowing myself to gain so much weight...any suggestions or ideas would be gratefully appreciated.

[lucia]

It sounds like you may not have a lot of support with this. These are the kinds of things that you should be able to talk to your doctor about. It would also help to see a good nutritionist/dietician. I know this won't always be possible, since so many health professionals remain ignorant about celiac, but it may be worth looking into finding someone who you can trust. If it's possible in your area, I'd also suggest looking for a celiac support group to meet other people who are dealing with these issues too.

When I was first diagnosed, I thought that it'd be an easy process to recover - all I had to do was give up gluten. I had no idea how difficult it would be 1) abstaining from gluten in a gluten-filled world, and 2) dealing with secondary health issues that result from eating gluten for so many years. It's not easy! But when you commit to your recovery, you will feel better. That includes giving up lactose for awhile. It won't be forever, but that you are experiencing bloating means that your body can't process it right now (celiacs lose the enzyme for digesting lactose, but with recovery they get it back).

Do you know why you're gaining weight? It could be that your body is finally able to absorb the nutrients from food that it needs to be healthy. While it may be surprising and even shocking to see yourself gain a lot of weight suddenly, it may be what your body needs. Our Hollywood-obsessed culture doesn't exactly encourage a healthy weight especially in women so it's hard to know what's normal. On the other hand, newly-diagnosed celiacs will sometimes gain weight unnecessarily, because they are start eating too many gluten-free, replacement items which have a lot more calories than regular foods. Celiacs also sometimes have issues with their thyroid which cause them to gain weight quickly.

There are a lot of options for your new diet besides gluten-replacement foods. You need to make sure your body is getting the carbohydrates it needs, but there are a lot of options for carbs. Foods that satisfy these needs include: potatos, corn, and grains such as rice, quinoa, millet, and amaranth. Americans tend to choose wheat-based items for their carbs, which means you'll likely need to get used to eating different foods than before. Also, be careful you're not overloading on carbs, which is also common in the American diet. You need carbs, but not usually in the proportions of a typical American diet. Make sure you are getting plenty of fresh veggies and fruits.

If you are eating well-balanced meals without too many gluten-replacement items and you are not underweight but you are still gaining weight rapidly, then you'll want to see a doctor to get tested for thyroid issues.

Best of luck to you. I've found a lot of info and support on this board, and I hope you can too.

[kayo]

Look for an Asian market near you. They often have Ramen type noodle soup packs made with rice noodles. They also have lots of rice noodles and rice crackers which are often much cheaper than at a regular super market.

[scarlett77]

I agree with PP...you can get Ramen type soups with rice noodles that are gluten free and very inexpensive. Rice is cheap and easy to make into a meal. I personally love mexican rice and it is cheap to make. Pair it with some black beans and some corn tortillas and you've got a very filling meal. gluten-free pasta can be a bit pricey, but if you are feeding just yourself 1 bag of Tinkyada should last you AT LEAST 2-3 meals (so that only equates to about less than $2 per meal). Toss pasta with garlic, olive oil, and some parmasean cheese. There are commercial sauces that are gluten free or you can make your own from some ground beef, can of tomato sauce, garlic, onion, and italian seasoning. The beauty of making your own sauce is that it freezes really well too. Betty Crocker makes gluten-free cake mixes (sometimes they go on sale!!)so there's no need to give up cake. It is very easy to make chocolate chip cookies too with Pamela's pancake mix. I know Pamela's is a bit pricey, but for a large bag at $17 you can make a lot with it (cookies, biscuits, pancakes, bread, pizza crust, muffins,etc...heck i even use it to bread chicken). So the per meal cost is not too bad. I've heard Domato is a bit cheaper so you might look at that.

I know what you mean about your feelings about the food. I went gluten-free because my son has Celiac and it was tough and I did go through a period where all I wanted was cookies, fried foods, and candy. I even went as far as to figure out how to make all these unhealthy foods gluten-free. But 2 things helped me get past it: 1) the realization that I CAN still have and make a lot of things that I love to eat...the gluten-free versions are sometimes just as good if not better. And 2) reading blogs of other Celiacs and celiac moms (my favorite is Open Original Shared Link). That blog helped me to really SEE food and really appreciate all the things out there that are yummy and naturally gluten free. I don't think I've truly appreciated food until going gluten-free.

I wish you the best and hope you feel better (and eat your beloved cheese) soon!

[Skylark]

Go for lots of fruits and veggies, rice, and beans. They're cheap and don't have so many calories. Peanut butter is filling too. I like it with celery, rice cakes, or on apple slices. I also used to eat a lot of eggs in college because they were cheap and easy to cook. Also, you only need to avoid dairy or lactose if they bother you. If cheese doesn't give you any trouble it's OK to eat (though it has a lot of calories). If you can find the Betty Crocker Gluten Free mixes, they aren't too expensive. Might help with the cravings but not the weight.

[T.H.]

This site might be of some use in finding foods to eat that work for you: Open Original Shared Link

It's a gluten free blog by another college student who has to live on a budget. He has recipes and food ideas that would hopefully be something you could afford/have time to make.

There's another site that might be of some use, too: Open Original Shared Link

Lots of recipes for the shoestring budget. She's not gluten free, but she has recipes from usually simple ingredients, so many of them ARE gluten free, from things in season, and affordable!

[Tina B]

Look for an Asian market near you. They often have Ramen type noodle soup packs made with rice noodles. They also have lots of rice noodles and rice crackers which are often much cheaper than at a regular super market.

You don't really need to go to an Asian market if it is hard to find. Most major grocery chains have these things in the international food aisle. I have bought rice crackers and rice noodles there. Also, don't buy corn and rice flour in the health food stores. It is much more expensive there. I keep a bag of Goya fine white corn flour or rice flour around for coating meats for stews etc. 1/3 the cost of buying it somewhere like Wholefoods.