Thinking Ahead To Healing, Please Can You Advise

[Meg123]

Hi

I'm not really diagnosed yet, I'm still waiting on the biopsy, but I've had positive bloods, and the Gi, say's if it's not celiac then I need to get off all gluten anyway as I'm obviously Gluten Intolerant.

Anyway, my husband and I are thinking ahead to what I'm going to eat. He's asked me to put together some lists. There are a few things I'm anxious about, as I've never done it as strictly as is really required.

I'm reading a lot in here that people are saying, best to avoid the processed gluten free substitutes, and go for natural whole foods. I'm reading, veges and meat. I'm also seeing no soy, no milk.... I have also read a few times, no eggs? Starting to get a bit anxious and sad....

I'm just wondering if anyone can please give me some ideal breakfast ideas. Whenever I've been gluten free in the past I've always had gluten free cereal with soy milk or normal milk. The other big thing for me is that I've recently been diagnosed with Insulin Resistence, so I'm aiming for low low sugar / low low glycemic index foods.

So has anyone got any suggestions of what would be a good healing, gluten free, low GI meal for breakfast? Thank you very much.

[ravenwoodglass]

Have you been doing a gluten challenge? If so and your bloodwork that told you that your were insulin resistant was taken during the challenge that may have been because of the challenge. Being sick can raise the blood sugar. It may normalize again after you have been gluten free for a while. Do go light on the gluten free goodies for a bit though just in case and try to get protein when you eat any carbs as that will keep blood sugar levels from spiking.

If you tolerated a bit of milk in your cereal when you were gluten free previously then go ahead and keep having it. Not everyone needs to avoid dairy but you may have trouble digesting lactose so hard cheeses and yogurt may be tolerated better than stuff like ice cream or a glass of milk.

There are some great books available on the GI of foods. I was diagnosed with diabetes (falsely) when I had a severe glutening early on and went to my doctor for help. I picked one up then and found it very helpful. You may want to get one at the libary in case on your next checkup you BS levels have resolved. Make sure they do an A1C on you and don't just base off one high fasting blood sugar like they did with me. The doctor was pushing meds hard on me but when I got a copy of my blood work and saw the A1C was well within normal ranges I refused the meds. All my bloodwork has been fine since and for a year I did multiple daily readings with my meter to see how I reacted to certain foods. The only time my BS was off was when I was glutened. This may not be the case for you but figured it should be mentioned. Hopefully your BS will be normalized at your next appointment.

If eggs don't bother you then eat eggs. While some of us have many different intolerances some of us don't. I don't tolerate soy at all but am fine with eggs and dairy, for example.

Concentrate on being gluten free first and keep a food and symptom diary. That can help us pinpoint problems with other foods. If you continue to have issues looking over that diary can help as at times intolerances can take a day or two to cause a reaction.

I hope your feeling better soon.

[sb2178]

Unconventional breakfasts are also fine. Leftovers, soup, salad, baked beans, eggs, homemade gluten-free cornbread... Whatever you're willing to eat.

I like cream of buckwheat, usually with berries and nuts, maybe some sort of non-dairy dairy. (Dairy, it seems does not go down too well.) Cream of rice, nut butters on rice cakes, quesadillas, rice pudding, etc also all work.

[Lisa]

After a few weeks, you can try dairy. Not all of us have issues with dairy. There are many cold cereals that are readily available....all chex cereals are gluten free.

Eggs, Hormel Corned Beef, bacon, cream of rice, fresh fruit, yogurt, gluten free pancake mix, Van's frozen waffles....and some gluten free bagels and muffins are really not too bad.

There are some great recipes for breakfast casseroles and coffee cakes here.

My morning ritual is toasted Van's Waffles, with melted peanut butter and orange marmalade.

Introduce one item at at time and if all goes well...continue on.

Hope this helps.

[mushroom]

If you really want to avoid milk there are plenty of other milks available to have with cereal - almond, hemp, rice (best avoid Rice Dream though because of possible barley contamination), coconut. Don't forget rice is fine, and a little bit of Tinkyada pasta wouldn't hurt and would add variety. Watch out for sauces, marinades and dressings because most of these have (one or both) gluten and soy. You can easily make your own pasta sauce from canned tomatoes (or fresh if you have them).

[mushroom]

By the way, there's no need to wait for your results, since the plan is to go gluten free anyway. You can start today Or maybe you're not quite ready? You should at least get started on deglutenizing, getting new toaster and colander, etc.

[Judy3]

Hi

I'm not really diagnosed yet, I'm still waiting on the biopsy, but I've had positive bloods, and the Gi, say's if it's not celiac then I need to get off all gluten anyway as I'm obviously Gluten Intolerant.

Anyway, my husband and I are thinking ahead to what I'm going to eat. He's asked me to put together some lists. There are a few things I'm anxious about, as I've never done it as strictly as is really required.

I'm reading a lot in here that people are saying, best to avoid the processed gluten free substitutes, and go for natural whole foods. I'm reading, veges and meat. I'm also seeing no soy, no milk.... I have also read a few times, no eggs? Starting to get a bit anxious and sad....

I'm just wondering if anyone can please give me some ideal breakfast ideas. Whenever I've been gluten free in the past I've always had gluten free cereal with soy milk or normal milk. The other big thing for me is that I've recently been diagnosed with Insulin Resistence, so I'm aiming for low low sugar / low low glycemic index foods.

So has anyone got any suggestions of what would be a good healing, gluten free, low GI meal for breakfast? Thank you very much.

I have been gluten free for 7 months now and I don't have any issues with soy, dairy or eggs so everyone doesn't get that. My breakfast of choice lately is Chobani yogurt with a handful of cashews in it (the only nuts I can eat besides peanuts). I have been Diabetic for 9 years and probably before that but I was sick of doctors so I didn't go. I was on medication and still not seeing the results we (me and my doc) wanted and then when I went gluten free, boom!! Diabetic numbers are non existent!! I have had only one A1C since I went gluten free but it was considerably lower than it was with the gluten.. so the others are right your blood sugar may normalize with the gluten free diet. I'm off all my meds now "BIG GRIN" Once you get used to it, it's pretty simple at home. Eating out can be tricky but I always go for a big salad if I am in doubt with no croutons of course!! I've tried all kinds of breads and just can't stomach them but you might enjoy them it's all a matter of taste. One thing I did recently with a loaf of gluten free cheddar and garlic bread (from a gluten free bakery) was cut it up and made croutons... it's good that way!! So now when I go out and I know I'm going to eat, I bring a baggie with some croutons along just in case I have a salad... LOL Learning little tricks as I go here. Good Luck with your new adventure. Word of advice... don't think of it as something bad ("oh I have to give up this and that") Think of it with a sense of adventure and discover all the things you CAN eat and maybe never would have tried in the past.

[Meg123]

Have you been doing a gluten challenge? If so and your bloodwork that told you that your were insulin resistant was taken during the challenge that may have been because of the challenge. Being sick can raise the blood sugar. It may normalize again after you have been gluten free for a while. Do go light on the gluten free goodies for a bit though just in case and try to get protein when you eat any carbs as that will keep blood sugar levels from spiking.

If you tolerated a bit of milk in your cereal when you were gluten free previously then go ahead and keep having it. Not everyone needs to avoid dairy but you may have trouble digesting lactose so hard cheeses and yogurt may be tolerated better than stuff like ice cream or a glass of milk.

There are some great books available on the GI of foods. I was diagnosed with diabetes (falsely) when I had a severe glutening early on and went to my doctor for help. I picked one up then and found it very helpful. You may want to get one at the libary in case on your next checkup you BS levels have resolved. Make sure they do an A1C on you and don't just base off one high fasting blood sugar like they did with me. The doctor was pushing meds hard on me but when I got a copy of my blood work and saw the A1C was well within normal ranges I refused the meds. All my bloodwork has been fine since and for a year I did multiple daily readings with my meter to see how I reacted to certain foods. The only time my BS was off was when I was glutened. This may not be the case for you but figured it should be mentioned. Hopefully your BS will be normalized at your next appointment.

If eggs don't bother you then eat eggs. While some of us have many different intolerances some of us don't. I don't tolerate soy at all but am fine with eggs and dairy, for example.

Concentrate on being gluten free first and keep a food and symptom diary. That can help us pinpoint problems with other foods. If you continue to have issues looking over that diary can help as at times intolerances can take a day or two to cause a reaction.

I hope your feeling better soon.

Thank you.

The insulin resistance was diagnosed when I was gluten light, but not gluten free and not doing the challenge. they didnt' find it with blood sugar levels, it was found doing a fasting insulin level test.

It seems over time my liver is doing a great job converting every thing to fat but my body is insulin resistant, so everything I'm eating is turning to fat, but I'm weak. So I think BS is spiking etc, but my fasting blood glucose was ok.

Thanks for all the advice. Comforting to know that maybe when I'm off the gluten, even the insulin resistance might sort itself out. The Gi and the GP both say they are sure I'll be type 2 diabetic at some point

What is an A1C please?

[Judy3]

Thank you.

The insulin resistance was diagnosed when I was gluten light, but not gluten free and not doing the challenge. they didnt' find it with blood sugar levels, it was found doing a fasting insulin level test.

It seems over time my liver is doing a great job converting every thing to fat but my body is insulin resistant, so everything I'm eating is turning to fat, but I'm weak. So I think BS is spiking etc, but my fasting blood glucose was ok.

Thanks for all the advice. Comforting to know that maybe when I'm off the gluten, even the insulin resistance might sort itself out. The Gi and the GP both say they are sure I'll be type 2 diabetic at some point

What is an A1C please?

A1C is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months. It is a great test that is actually more important that a fasting blood sugar. You want the number to be less than 7.0 if you are diabetic and a non diabetic can be as low as 5.0 maybe lower. I have been Diabetic for years and my last one was 6.4 and that was 3 months gluten free!!

[ravenwoodglass]

What is an A1C please?

An A1C is a test that shows an average of your blood sugar levels over a three month period. They want that number to be under 6.

Did the doctor give you a script for a meter and testing strips? I found one very helpful. I tested when I awoke, right before I ate and 1, 2, and 3 hours after eating. It was very helpful in showing me what foods raised my BS levels the most so I could eat less of them. I don't know if this might be something you doctor would think would be useful for you.

Hopefully your BS levels will be under control once you are on the diet for a bit.

[Kim69]

Am afraid I won't be much help here! I have issues with mornings - this morning I went against the advice of all the professionals in my 'team' and had no breakfast (I can't stomach anything). I feel better than I have for ages! And am looking forward to lunch. Don't take my experience as typical LOL.