Your First Time Eating Gluten Free Poducts

[IHateMyStomach]

I'm going grocery shopping this morning and I'm going to buy a handful of gluten free products for the first time. I wasn't diagnosed gluten intolerance, but I'm so sick of food making me sick and it's worth a try. I was wondering if you noticed a huge difference with your symptoms the first gluten free dish you ate, or do you still experience the symptoms until your stomach (villi) heals?

Thanks in advanced, and I hope I posted this in the correct forum.

[Guppy]

I'm going grocery shopping this morning and I'm going to buy a handful of gluten free products for the first time. I wasn't diagnosed gluten intolerance, but I'm so sick of food making me sick and it's worth a try. I was wondering if you noticed a huge difference with your symptoms the first gluten free dish you ate, or do you still experience the symptoms until your stomach (villi) heals?

Thanks in advanced, and I hope I posted this in the correct forum.

I think I started feeling better about a week or so after I stopped eating gluten. Most of the major symptoms went away at that point anyway. I didn't really start to feel "normal" again until about two months had passed though. I would hazard a guess that it is different for each person though. It probably depends on how much damage was done, how faithfully you stick to the gluten free diet, and how quickly your body normally heals itself.

[Skylark]

Hi there. I got some relief from the "IBS" by the end of two weeks on my elimination diet. Like many celiacs I was also initially sensitive to casein and soy. It took a few months for my energy to return, the canker sores to go away, the anemia to resolve, and so forth.

[tarnalberry]

Many people notice a difference within the first week (not all, by any means), but as a gluten reaction lasts for two weeks in the body, expecting big changes after one meal from gluten is expecting too much.

That said, I wouldn't go out and buy specialty gluten free stuff - eat naturally gluten free foods to minimize cross contamination concerns.

[SGWhiskers]

I applaude you for taking charge of your health and looking into gluten inolerance/celiac disease as a cause.

I'm unsure if you are currently eating a gluten filled diet and are planning on substituting in some glutenfree products in the hopes of feeling better or if you have been on a gluten free meat/potatoes/veggies diet and are planning on adding the variety of gluten free cookies and pasta back to your cooking. I'm going to write my response as if it is the former as I suspect.

Be forwarned that gluten is in most of the store bought products most Americans normally eat. It hides under a variety of names and in lots of places. Simply substituting your morning cereal, pasta, and cookies with gluten free versions will not work to make you feel better. In order to do a trial of the gluten free diet, you will need to 1) learn where it hides 2) switch to a meat/potatoes/veggie/fruit based diet 3)replace a few cookware items/utensils (yes, it is stuck in your wooden spoons). Small amounts can stop you from healing and can make you sick.

If you have not been tested for Celiac and would like testing, do it now while you are still eating gluten. Once you go gluten free, the tests will start to read negative even if you have the disease (that is one way we monitor our success with the diet). If you don't care about numbers and tests, then by all means, start the diet as soon as you learn what you need to be truly gluten free. It is well worth the extra effort for 3 months of a trial diet if it helps you feel better.

I didn't have GI symptoms (and I hear those people will see improvement sooner), but it took me 5 weeks until I started noticing changes and 3 months before I didn't contaminate my food in some way almost daily. I was stubborn and didn't believe how strict I would need to be.

Best wishes in your trial diet. On the home page to the right is a list of safe/unsafe foods. General Mills, Kraft, and Unilever will clearly state the grain source of gluten containing products. For example: Modified food starch (wheat) vs. Modified food starch (corn). This makes reading labels at the grocery store so much easier. When you are ready to start the diet, many find that a basic whole foods from scratch diet is the easiest and safest way to start out. Also, many find that lactose is on the no no list for a while (and some permanantly).

good luck. This web site is full of great information. Oh, and when you decide on bread, Udi's is the best!

[aeryn]

My stomach pains disappeared after the first day. I've been gluten free for a month now and the rest of my symptoms are slowly starting to resolve. I have felt so much better since going gluten free though