My Gluten Free Diet

[scottyg354]

I decided to keep a log of my diet. I will post daily what I eat and describe physical changes if any.

Feel free to direct me if you see something wrong.

Day 1 02-13-11

Breakfast:

Gluten Free Berry Cereal

Silk Soy Milk

Lunch:

Spinach, Shrimp and Tomato Salad with Annie Natural Cowgirl Dressing

Snack:

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dinner:

Gluten Free Spaghetti

Gluten Free Sauce

Al Fresca Garlic and Basil Chicken Sausage

Snack:

Fresh Mozzarella and Cherry Tomato's

Physcial Changes:

None today. Felt pretty good for the past few days, even thought I didn't begin my diet. Felt kind of crappy today, but that might be due to last nights alcohol consumption.

[NancyL]

I'm very, very new to gluten free so I'll be an active watcher on your posts... especially to see if anyone makes corrections or suggestions! I'm glad you're keeping an online diary. I look forward to YOUR future meals! LOL

[scottyg354]

I'm not actually diagnosed but I am pretty sure gluten is my problem

[MsCurious]

I'm not actually diagnosed but I am pretty sure gluten is my problem

Hi Scotty, Hope you, and Nancy and I all figure this out soon! And anyone else who is searching for answers. I'm wondering if you or anyone knows of an online food diary site that isn't public? I already poured out enough info to the world... I'm thinking a private diary would be good for me.. so when I mess up posting, everybody doesn't see it! I'll be watching your progress too! Good Luck to you, Scotty!

[mushroom]

Hi Scotty, Hope you, and Nancy and I all figure this out soon! And anyone else who is searching for answers. I'm wondering if you or anyone knows of an online food diary site that isn't public? I already poured out enough info to the world... I'm thinking a private diary would be good for me.. so when I mess up posting, everybody doesn't see it! I'll be watching your progress too! Good Luck to you, Scotty!

For a couple of years I kept a private online diary of sorts - what I would do is type it up in Wordpad, email it to myself at hotmail, and then store it in a special hotmail folder. That way it was (and still is) always available to me but no one else. Sometimes it would be something I would also share with friends but mostly it was for myself.

[MsCurious]

For a couple of years I kept a private online diary of sorts - what I would do is type it up in Wordpad, email it to myself at hotmail, and then store it in a special hotmail folder. That way it was (and still is) always available to me but no one else. Sometimes it would be something I would also share with friends but mostly it was for myself.

Hi Mushroom,

Nice to meet you! Thanks for the tip, sounds like that would work... I'll give it a try!

[mushroom]

Hi Mushroom,

Nice to meet you! Thanks for the tip, sounds like that would work... I'll give it a try!

It only works with something like hotmail where everything is on their server, not on your hard drive, or you could lose it all with a crash. We had two computer crashes last summer

[NancyL]

Hi Scotty, Hope you, and Nancy and I all figure this out soon! And anyone else who is searching for answers. I'm wondering if you or anyone knows of an online food diary site that isn't public? I already poured out enough info to the world... I'm thinking a private diary would be good for me.. so when I mess up posting, everybody doesn't see it! I'll be watching your progress too! Good Luck to you, Scotty!

You can easily do a WordPress or Blogspot blog and set it to Private (they're free). That way it's online and in a diary like format.

[mushroom]

You can easily do a WordPress or Blogspot blog and set it to Private (they're free). That way it's online and in a diary like format.

Now you're just showing me up as a dinosaur It was ten years ago when I did that. I don't think they even had blogspots then.

[NancyL]

Now you're just showing me up as a dinosaur It was ten years ago when I did that. I don't think they even had blogspots then.

LOL! Sorry! I'm a web designer. I guess you could say it's the one thing that I know a lot about.

[T.H.]

You can easily do a WordPress or Blogspot blog and set it to Private (they're free). That way it's online and in a diary like format.

That is a really great idea.

Heh, if nothing else, sometimes it's a good reminder to eat healthy, when you know there's going to be a record of it down somewhere!

[ravenwoodglass]

I decided to keep a log of my diet. I will post daily what I eat and describe physical changes if any.

Feel free to direct me if you see something wrong.

Day 1 02-13-11

Breakfast:

Gluten Free Berry Cereal

Silk Soy Milk

Lunch:

Spinach, Shrimp and Tomato Salad with Annie Natural Cowgirl Dressing

Snack:

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dinner:

Gluten Free Spaghetti

Gluten Free Sauce

Al Fresca Garlic and Basil Chicken Sausage

Snack:

Fresh Mozzarella and Cherry Tomato's

Physcial Changes:

None today. Felt pretty good for the past few days, even thought I didn't begin my diet. Felt kind of crappy today, but that might be due to last nights alcohol consumption.

If you can stay away from the alcohol for now that would be a good thing as it is tough on the stomach.

One thing you may want to do at first is to avoid soy and dairy. You may have a hard time digesting dairy till you heal a bit and many of us are also intolerant of soy. Add them in one at a time once you are feeling better.

You have a lot of processed food there, I know it's hard but if you can go with more whole foods it will help you heal faster and if you give us the company that makes the processed item we can be of more help. With cereals make sure you are watching out for barley malt, it is in most cereals. Chex makes a few gluten free cereals so go with those at first to avoid cross contamination issues.

[scottyg354]

If you can stay away from the alcohol for now that would be a good thing as it is tough on the stomach.

One thing you may want to do at first is to avoid soy and dairy. You may have a hard time digesting dairy till you heal a bit and many of us are also intolerant of soy. Add them in one at a time once you are feeling better.

You have a lot of processed food there, I know it's hard but if you can go with more whole foods it will help you heal faster and if you give us the company that makes the processed item we can be of more help. With cereals make sure you are watching out for barley malt, it is in most cereals. Chex makes a few gluten free cereals so go with those at first to avoid cross contamination issues.

I actually have a Wegman's fairly close to me, and they have a Gluten free section. All the cereal's pasta's and cookies I listed here are from that section. I will list the brands when I return home later.

PS: Like I said I am self diagnosed. Out of curiousity, how long until you start to feel a difference?

[ravenwoodglass]

I actually have a Wegman's fairly close to me, and they have a Gluten free section. All the cereal's pasta's and cookies I listed here are from that section. I will list the brands when I return home later.

PS: Like I said I am self diagnosed. Out of curiousity, how long until you start to feel a difference?

I don't think I could live anyplace that didn't have a Wegmans LOL.

In my own case there are some things I can eat from the Natures Marketplace section and many that I can't as I am also intolerant to soy and a lot of the gluten-free stuff has soy in it. That may not be the case for you as many of us do tolerate soy just fine. I actually eat more of the processed stuff from the regular aisles, like the pasta sauce or nuts etc. The main things I buy from the specialty section are bread (UDI's has been on sale a lot lately for $3.59 a loaf) and crackers (glutino) and the very rare cheesecake when I am feeling rich and want a special treat. If I am craving a deep dish pizza the Gluten Free Pantry brand french bread mix makes a great crust but I usually get Kinnickinnick crusts from a different store as Wegmans doesn't carry them.

I saw great relief from the day and night D within a week or two and never have had another migraine since the day I went gluten free...unless glutened. My arthritis took a couple of months to go into remission and it took about six months for the ataxia to resolve. My depression lifted in about a month, unless I get glutened and then it returns full force but only for about 24 hours. I still had periods where I would think I was glutened with stomach pain but C instead of D, until I figured out that I was also intolerant to soy.

Wegmans has a rice milk that is pretty good and you may want to switch to that for a bit and then when you are feeling better try the soy milk again, just in case your body doesn't like soy.

[scottyg354]

I don't think I could live anyplace that didn't have a Wegmans LOL.

In my own case there are some things I can eat from the Natures Marketplace section and many that I can't as I am also intolerant to soy and a lot of the gluten-free stuff has soy in it. That may not be the case for you as many of us do tolerate soy just fine. I actually eat more of the processed stuff from the regular aisles, like the pasta sauce or nuts etc. The main things I buy from the specialty section are bread (UDI's has been on sale a lot lately for $3.59 a loaf) and crackers (glutino) and the very rare cheesecake when I am feeling rich and want a special treat. If I am craving a deep dish pizza the Gluten Free Pantry brand french bread mix makes a great crust but I usually get Kinnickinnick crusts from a different store as Wegmans doesn't carry them.

I saw great relief from the day and night D within a week or two and never have had another migraine since the day I went gluten free...unless glutened. My arthritis took a couple of months to go into remission and it took about six months for the ataxia to resolve. My depression lifted in about a month, unless I get glutened and then it returns full force but only for about 24 hours. I still had periods where I would think I was glutened with stomach pain but C instead of D, until I figured out that I was also intolerant to soy.

Wegmans has a rice milk that is pretty good and you may want to switch to that for a bit and then when you are feeling better try the soy milk again, just in case your body doesn't like soy.

The thing that really blew my mind was. From the time I was 19 I would always have morning D. Then probably withing the past 2 years, I started getting C with flat stools, occasionally normal ones. I never was constipated in my life. Like I said i was scope from top and bottom when I was 20 and all they found was GERD and a Hiatal Hernia. I just have so many other odd symptoms, the two I want to disappear besides the GI issues are my brain fog and I get skin boils that drive me nuts. Also recently my lips have been dried out.

[ravenwoodglass]

The thing that really blew my mind was. From the time I was 19 I would always have morning D. Then probably withing the past 2 years, I started getting C with flat stools, occasionally normal ones. I never was constipated in my life. Like I said i was scope from top and bottom when I was 20 and all they found was GERD and a Hiatal Hernia. I just have so many other odd symptoms, the two I want to disappear besides the GI issues are my brain fog and I get skin boils that drive me nuts. Also recently my lips have been dried out.

I think the 'pencil stools' can be due to the inflammation swelling the intestines. I get that when glutened or soyed. My DD's only GI problem was GERD and that did resolve when she went on the diet so hopefully it will get better soon for you also. Hopefully the brain fog and skin issues will resolve fairly quickly for you. Do take the sublingual B12 as that can help the brain fog go away faster. My skin lesions started to improve within a couple of weeks, I have DH that was misdiagnosed as a whole bunch of other stuff, but the least bit of gluten would flare them back up for a couple of years. Now if I get glutened I only get a couple little spots. Since your having skin issues do be sure to avoid gluten in your topical products like lotions, shampoos etc. A bit of olive oil applied to your lips might help with the dryness. Pure cocoa butter might be another option. For me conventional products for chapped lips only makes them worse. Also try not to lick them too much as that doesn't help any either.

[scottyg354]

I think the 'pencil stools' can be due to the inflammation swelling the intestines. I get that when glutened or soyed. My DD's only GI problem was GERD and that did resolve when she went on the diet so hopefully it will get better soon for you also. Hopefully the brain fog and skin issues will resolve fairly quickly for you. Do take the sublingual B12 as that can help the brain fog go away faster. My skin lesions started to improve within a couple of weeks, I have DH that was misdiagnosed as a whole bunch of other stuff, but the least bit of gluten would flare them back up for a couple of years. Now if I get glutened I only get a couple little spots. Since your having skin issues do be sure to avoid gluten in your topical products like lotions, shampoos etc. A bit of olive oil applied to your lips might help with the dryness. Pure cocoa butter might be another option. For me conventional products for chapped lips only makes them worse. Also try not to lick them too much as that doesn't help any either.

I not really going to refer to them as pencil stools as they are wide, but seem to be soft, i would say more loose maybe for by the exit LOL. I do get some normal ones too. Who knows. I can also remember in my teens that my left side tonsil was continously swelled. I mean it never went down, was huge for like 2 years, until I finally go them taken out. Just putting stuff together piece by piece. It really sucks not knowing what is up with your body.

[NancyL]

None today. Felt pretty good for the past few days, even thought I didn't begin my diet. Felt kind of crappy today, but that might be due to last nights alcohol consumption.

Did you alcohol consumption include beer? I'm sure you know WAY more about gluten diets than I do but I remember my friend who is gluten free saying he couldn't drink beer so that stuck out to me.

[scottyg354]

Did you alcohol consumption include beer? I'm sure you know WAY more about gluten diets than I do but I remember my friend who is gluten free saying he couldn't drink beer so that stuck out to me.

Yes, I have been suspecting gluten for a few months now. Just never tried the diet. My doc agreed with me on my last visit that it is worth a shot. So yesterday was my first day on the diet. I decided that I would gluten the hell out of myself before I started just in case. I did drink beer on Saturday. One thing about that was, that when I started feeling sick I noticed that when I would go out a drink to many beer the hangovers were 3x's as intense as they were previously. And they would last long like days and it wouldn't take anywhere near as much to give me a hangover. The beer thing is going to be a bummer as I am a beer geek (love micros and crafts). But i guess there is always scotch.

[ravenwoodglass]

Yes, I have been suspecting gluten for a few months now. Just never tried the diet. My doc agreed with me on my last visit that it is worth a shot. So yesterday was my first day on the diet. I decided that I would gluten the hell out of myself before I started just in case. I did drink beer on Saturday. One thing about that was, that when I started feeling sick I noticed that when I would go out a drink to many beer the hangovers were 3x's as intense as they were previously. And they would last long like days and it wouldn't take anywhere near as much to give me a hangover. The beer thing is going to be a bummer as I am a beer geek (love micros and crafts). But i guess there is always scotch.

There are gluten free beers out there. New Grist and Redbridge. There are some of us who do react to distilled gluten grains so for hard liquor at first go with potato vodka, tequila or gin for example. That said when you first start the diet it might not be a bad idea to avoid alcohol for a couple of weeks.

[GFinDC]

Or rum or wine.

I agree you should try ditching the soy and dairy for a few months then add them back in one at time, a month apart.

Time to recover is an individual thing, and varies lot. some people feel better within a few days, but others take months or years.

[scottyg354]

Or rum or wine.

I agree you should try ditching the soy and dairy for a few months then add them back in one at time, a month apart.

Time to recover is an individual thing, and varies lot. some people feel better within a few days, but others take months or years.

Giving up beer is going to be tough, considering I'm a single 26 year old male. I think I might be able to explain my dry lips though, I have been using keihl's lip balm, i just read the ingridients and it contains wheat germ.

[scottyg354]

02-14-11

Breakfast:

Gluten Free Greek Yogurt with Honey

Banana

Snack:

Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar

Lunch:

Leftover Gluten Free Pasta

1 al fresca sausage link

Snack:

Cashew Cookie Larabar

Dinner:

3 Grill Chicken Thighs Seasoned with Poultry Magic (Gluten free)

Quinoa seasoned with Sea Salt

Spinach, Tomato and Walnut Salad w/ Annies Bas. Vinegarette

Physical Changes:

No positive. I couldn't stop burping this morning and i felt like there was a ball in my throat. I'm thinking this might be due to the mozzarella last night and yogurt in the morning. Planning on cutting out dairy for a while.

[ravenwoodglass]

Giving up beer is going to be tough, considering I'm a single 26 year old male. I think I might be able to explain my dry lips though, I have been using keihl's lip balm, i just read the ingridients and it contains wheat germ.

It may be tough but you won't heal until you do. Try the gluten free beers, you might find you like them.

As to your other new post giving up the dairy is a good idea and I think you will notice a difference when you do. You can add it back in a bit later when you have been feeling better for awhile. You may also still be reacting to the beer you drank a couple days ago as it can take a bit of time for reactions to resolve.

[scottyg354]

It may be tough but you won't heal until you do. Try the gluten free beers, you might find you like them.

As to your other new post giving up the dairy is a good idea and I think you will notice a difference when you do. You can add it back in a bit later when you have been feeling better for awhile. You may also still be reacting to the beer you drank a couple days ago as it can take a bit of time for reactions to resolve.

Is almond milk a decent substitute for regualr milk?