Introduction And Questions

[Bryan E]

Hello, I have a few questions concerning gluten free diets.

I was feeling very sick for the past year or so and if I didn't eat every hour my stomach would hurt a lot and I would have an anxiety attack. I started writing down what I was eating and it totaled up to 4,500 calories a day or so. I still never really felt full. A friend of my roommates came over and it came up and she suggested that I might be gluten intolerant (like herself). I cut gluten out of my diet about 5 months ago (or almost all of it, explained later) and feel better than I did, but not even close to all the way better. I haven't been diagnosed but I am considering doing the Enterolab panel A test (so I could also see dairy, soy, and corn).

If I eat gluten I get sick and bloated and can't feel full no matter what I eat for the next 4 days. I feel sick while eating it but then major part kicks in usually 2 days later.

My stomach still hurts and I still have anxiety and I know it is related to my diet. The only problem with cutting gluten completely out of my diet is that I work at an italian pizza place that throws flour all over the place. We have to dust the wine rack every day because it is covered in flour and sometimes I have to roll out pizza dough which sits on piles of flour. I can't really afford to lose my job and I really enjoy working there and am getting a promotion in the next few days. I am pretty sure I know that I have to leave but I really, really don't want to admit it to myself. Can that be why I still feel sick?

I also recently cut out dairy about 5 days ago (which is a shame because eggs and quesadillas with wheat free tortillas was about 60 percent of my diet). I haven't been able to drink milk or eat yogurt for the past year and I just recently made the connection between dairy intolerance and gluten intolerance and decided to stop that.

The only thing I eat now is fruit and that's basically it. I need to find more foods that I can eat. The only problem is I've been doing reading and see that people have problems with corn, soy, yeast, and most things. I just want to feel better and don't know what I should eat. I want to cut out all foods except ones that I know won't give me a problem but I don't know enough of them to sustain me.

I guess I'm just asking for advice and saying hello. I know there is information and questions that I forgot to include so I will be sure to update this thread later. I appreciate any and all help that I get.

Edit: I am also a vegetarian (well I guess vegan now) but I have been considering going back to meat just so that I have something to eat.

[Bryan E]

I have a house that has lots of gluten in it and there is no way to gluten-proof my home. My roommate eats gluten and I won't ask him to not bring 90% of what he eats into our home. Will buying a dedicated gluten-free pot and pan be enough to minimize cross contamination? (Not to mention the whole ingesting flour at work situation)

If it will help I will do it, I just wish this wasn't all so expensive. You can't put a price on good health though.

[mushroom]

Hello Bryan, and welcome.

No.1 - you will never be gluten free so long as you keep working in the pizzeria. As you have discovered flour particles remain airborne for ages and you can't help but breathe them in. Once they make contact with the mucous membranes, that's it. The problem for most gluten intolerants is the gluten we don't know about, not the gluten we do. If you are surrounded by gluten and walking amongst it 8 hours a day you are constantly being contaminated even if you don't eat a crumb of it

No. 2 - living with another gluten eater requires a lot of cooperation on the part of the gluten eater, as far as not sharing pans and utensils, wiping up crumbs and cleaning counters, avoiding cross-contamination from dish cloths and pads. You would need you own shelves in the refrigerator (the top ones so that gluten doesn't fall on them), your own cupboards, your own dedicated counter space, and you would need to insist that he does not toss flour around the kitchen.

As for other foods, it's good you got rid of the dairy for a while - you may be able to tolerate that later when you heal - but not everyone has problems with other foods. You wouldn't believe that by reading my sig. but I am atypical (fortunately for you, unfortunately for me ). The first step is to get the gluten and dairy really out of your life and then if you still have problems you can start working on that and we will help you.

It is often easier to eat fish and chicken at least than try to do the necessary protein combining when working with food sensitivities but this will be an individual decision for you to make. I would personally not resort to eating soy because it messes with your thyroid and other hormones.

Eating gluten free doesn't have to be expensive, especially if you add back in the chicken and fish (a can of tuna won't bite your wallet) because it is best if you eat all whole unprocessed foods, especially to start with - shop the outside of the supermarket, except for some pasta (learn to love Tinkyada or whatever floats your boat) and rice. Stir fries are great and you can make your own gluten free pasta sauces.

Go home and talk to your roommate and figure out how you can make this work. But I do declare, you must get out of the pizzeria

[GFinDC]

You are in kind of a tough situation. I don't think you will really ever feel right while you are working around the flour in the pizza shop. I know I got sick from sitting in a pizza place for an hour or so with some sketch buddies. I didn't eat any of course but just breathing it in did the trick.

At home you should definitely get a separate cooking pan and make sure your roomie knows not to use it. Also utensils, toaster, condiments should not be shared.

It is best to cook your own meals from whole ingredients. That means buying onions, beans, lettuce, etc and making a meal. Frozen veggies are usually ok but you do need to read ingredients. The bad thing about a vegetarian diet is people often lean on soy for a lot of their protein. Soy is not good for your gut and lots of us have reactions to it. Plus your body need protein to heal. While your gut is damaged and not absorbing nutrients well you are vulnerable to mal-absorption issues. So even a great diet may not work because you can't absorb the nutrients. Celiac gets us in more than one way.

[Bryan E]

Hello Bryan, and welcome.

No.1 - you will never be gluten free so long as you keep working in the pizzeria. As you have discovered flour particles remain airborne for ages and you can't help but breathe them in. Once they make contact with the mucous membranes, that's it. The problem for most gluten intolerants is the gluten we don't know about, not the gluten we do. If you are surrounded by gluten and walking amongst it 8 hours a day you are constantly being contaminated even if you don't eat a crumb of it

I know that is the answer but I really don't want to leave. I guess I will have to. I am getting a promotion and am on track to become a manager and I really, really enjoy working there but I guess I know that I can't keep doing it. I will have to start looking for a new job and secure one before I leave though.

No. 2 - living with another gluten eater requires a lot of cooperation on the part of the gluten eater, as far as not sharing pans and utensils, wiping up crumbs and cleaning counters, avoiding cross-contamination from dish cloths and pads. You would need you own shelves in the refrigerator (the top ones so that gluten doesn't fall on them), your own cupboards, your own dedicated counter space, and you would need to insist that he does not toss flour around the kitchen.

Would a dedicated pot, pan, cookie sheet, sponge, and then keeping the kitchen clean be good? I guess it's certainly a place to start. He doesn't bake but likes to cook, so flour in the kitchen won't be a problem. If I buy a dedicated gluten free pan and wash it with a gluten free sponge it should be good right? Even if there is still gluten in the house?

As for other foods, it's good you got rid of the dairy for a while - you may be able to tolerate that later when you heal - but not everyone has problems with other foods. You wouldn't believe that by reading my sig. but I am atypical (fortunately for you, unfortunately for me ). The first step is to get the gluten and dairy really out of your life and then if you still have problems you can start working on that and we will help you.

Wow, I am sorry to hear about your situation. Good luck to you and thank you so much for being so kind and helpful. I've heard I should be able to reintroduce dairy in about a year or so, that would be nice.

It is often easier to eat fish and chicken at least than try to do the necessary protein combining when working with food sensitivities but this will be an individual decision for you to make. I would personally not resort to eating soy because it messes with your thyroid and other hormones.

I think I am going to try to keep on without meat and put in a lot of effort to eat healthy without it. If I need to add it in later I will reevaluate

Eating gluten free doesn't have to be expensive, especially if you add back in the chicken and fish (a can of tuna won't bite your wallet) because it is best if you eat all whole unprocessed foods, especially to start with - shop the outside of the supermarket, except for some pasta (learn to love Tinkyada or whatever floats your boat) and rice. Stir fries are great and you can make your own gluten free pasta sauces.

Go home and talk to your roommate and figure out how you can make this work. But I do declare, you must get out of the pizzeria

Thank you so, so much for your help and kindness. My replies are in bold. I really appreciate all the time you took to type that up. This is a very welcoming community.

This is my shopping list:

dedicated pot, pan, sponge

hemp seed

fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, grapefruit, tomatoes)

quinoa

rice cakes

peanut butter

nutella?

(salad at work, balsamic vinaigrette, mixed greens, pine nuts, walnuts)

tofu

mushrooms

(gluten free waffle mix?)

Egg substitute

vegetables (broccoli, carrots, green beans, peas, spinach)

beans

rice

corn based/quinoa based pasta

larabars

potatoes

homemade trail mix (peanuts, raisins,?)

veggie burgers (sunshine burgers)

hummus

corn chips (red hot blues)

almond milk

cereal

I've heard these are good but I don't know how to prepare any of them:

kale

millet, buckwheat, lentils

Anything that I should take out or add on?

Once again, I cannot express how thankful I am.

[Bryan E]

You are in kind of a tough situation. I don't think you will really ever feel right while you are working around the flour in the pizza shop. I know I got sick from sitting in a pizza place for an hour or so with some sketch buddies. I didn't eat any of course but just breathing it in did the trick.

At home you should definitely get a separate cooking pan and make sure your roomie knows not to use it. Also utensils, toaster, condiments should not be shared.

It is best to cook your own meals from whole ingredients. That means buying onions, beans, lettuce, etc and making a meal. Frozen veggies are usually ok but you do need to read ingredients. The bad thing about a vegetarian diet is people often lean on soy for a lot of their protein. Soy is not good for your gut and lots of us have reactions to it. Plus your body need protein to heal. While your gut is damaged and not absorbing nutrients well you are vulnerable to mal-absorption issues. So even a great diet may not work because you can't absorb the nutrients. Celiac gets us in more than one way.

Yeah, I know that I should leave, but it is hard. I don't use a toaster, don't own a microwave so those won't be a problem. I will keep an eye out for condiments (the only one I use is hot sauce and that doesn't touch any food).

I don't like buying frozen vegetables so that won't be a problem. I absolutely love hemp seed so I should pick up more of that (I buy 3 pound bags) and that has a lot of protein.

So I should avoid tofu? (that is soy correct?)

I am going to have to start learning different meals that I can prepare, I have never been much of a cook. I should buy a gluten free cookbook or something. I also found a website that caters to vegetarian celiacs and will try to find some recipes there.

Is the Entero testing worth getting done?

[Bryan E]

I also have terrible neck and back pain that I have heard could be a result of eating gluten so I would be ecstatic if those went away.

I also can't handle coffee anymore, which I have heard is a pretty common thing amongst us.

Edit: Sorry for the triple post, I can't find a way to edit my posts while they are awaiting moderator approval.

I just get too excited and forget to say things.

[Marilyn R]

I've heard these are good but I don't know how to prepare any of them:

kale, millet, buckwheat, lentils.

Hi Byran, and good luck. Kale and spinach are delicious when you saute roughly chopped garlic in olive oil, (start over if you burn the garlic) add just washed greens over medium high heat, stir fry and add s&p.

I wouldn't do tofu, but that could just be me (not because I don't like tofu, it's because I can't do soy. And I'd really scrutinize the ingredients of the veggie burgers.

Google Egyptian Red Lentil Soup for a really fabulous lentil recipe. There are some really good curried split pea soups that are vegan too. If you are dead set on being vegan, I'd highly suggest that you get a 5 lb. stainless steel pressure cooker and a cookbook authored by Lorna Sass "Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure".

[Bryan E]

I've heard these are good but I don't know how to prepare any of them:

kale, millet, buckwheat, lentils.

Hi Byran, and good luck. Kale and spinach are delicious when you saute roughly chopped garlic in olive oil, (start over if you burn the garlic) add just washed greens over medium high heat, stir fry and add s&p.

I wouldn't do tofu, but that could just be me (not because I don't like tofu, it's because I can't do soy. And I'd really scrutinize the ingredients of the veggie burgers.

Google Egyptian Red Lentil Soup for a really fabulous lentil recipe. There are some really good curried split pea soups that are vegan too. If you are dead set on being vegan, I'd highly suggest that you get a 5 lb. stainless steel pressure cooker and a cookbook authored by Lorna Sass "Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure".

Wow, that kale sounds really good. I will shy away from tofu, it sounds like a lot of people are recommending against it.

That Egyptian Red Lentil Soup sounds absolutely delicious. I kind of want to go to the store and make some now, I'm hungry.

I added the Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure to my list but I'm not sure if a pressure cooker is in my budget now, I will check it out however.

Thank you very much again. What a great thing, to share helpful information like this. It's always very refreshing to see positive human interaction.

[sb2178]

Buckwheat comes in different forms. Read the package's instructions for how much water to use.

Flour-- easy to makes pancakes, muffins, bread, etc.

cream of -- basically porrige, cook it like oatmeal

Groats/kasha-- cut up pieces that you can toast and cook like rice

Whole buckwheat-- boil follow the package's instructions

I like it a lot. It substitutes for other grains, so use it where you might use rice or bulgur (cracked wheat). The flavor is pretty strong, and it goes well with any of the following (but not all at the same time!):

cinnamon

ginger

pickles

dill

thyme

onion

garlic

[Harpgirl]

I'm new to all this too, but I was wondering, couldn't you wear a mask over your face at the pizzaria, like an OR doc? Is that not enough? I'd actually like to know because baking is a hobbie of mine and even though I couldn't eat it, I still would like to bake with regular flour for my family and for potlucks.

[Bryan E]

I'm new to all this too, but I was wondering, couldn't you wear a mask over your face at the pizzaria, like an OR doc? Is that not enough? I'd actually like to know because baking is a hobbie of mine and even though I couldn't eat it, I still would like to bake with regular flour for my family and for potlucks.

Not to say anything about the effectiveness of wearing a surgical mask, I wouldn't be able to do that at work. Our kitchen is out front in front of customers.

I think the mask would stop you from directly ingesting any gluten. I also imagine there would be contamination on your counters and cooking wear. If you don't mind that, I feel like it would work, but do your own diligence. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination.

[Strawberry-Jam]

I just wanted to add that EGGS ARE NOT DAIRY.

So... you can eat them even if you cut out dairy. Eggs come from chickens. Chickens don't even lactate. So... idk. Unless you specifically react to eggs, they should be fine for you, and a good source of protein. Also, I would recommend fish too, if you don't want to eat other kinds of meat.

[GFinDC]

Hey Bryan,

peanut butter - get a soy free version, usually organic or natural labels.

(salad at work, balsamic vinaigrette, mixed greens, pine nuts, walnuts) -

Check out salad dressings recipes online. There are some on this site and they aren't hard to make. I'd be leery of the balsamic vinegar best to check the brand before buying.

tofu - soy yuck!

mushrooms - good for you

veggie burgers (sunshine burgers) - may have soy, I didn't check

Avocadoes are good and have protein. You can make guacamole very easily.

Trader Joe's has brown rice wraps. People also use large leaf lettuce for wraps.

Quinoa - is good but make sure you rinse it very well before cooking. It has a coating on the seeds that can make people sick.

People seem to like Tinkyada pasta a lot.

Pamela's peanut butter cookies are not bad!

Don't forget onions.

Chex has some gluten-free cereals now.

Look for gluten-free tags in the grocery too. Some stores use a green tag for their gluten-free items. And check the freezer section for gluten-free frozen breads.

[sa1937]

To add to what GFinDC said, Ancient Harvest quinoa doesn't need to be prerinsed.

[mamabear272]

Don't forget onions.

What about onions??? Are they good or bad?

[Marilyn R]

I added the Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure to my list but I'm not sure if a pressure cooker is in my budget now, I will check it out however.

Bryan, don't put that book on your list unless you get a pressure cooker. And since you're financially pinched, ask for one for a Christmas or birthday present.

In the meantime, go with your original idea of a pan or two (check thrift stores for stainless steal ones the you can scrub up with soapp and water and make good as new). Lentils cook very quickly. Purchase a new non-stick pan. Visit the library and check out the cookbook section. You can make copies for a dime. Or you can visit a bunch of websites.

About the onions, if you're still reading, onions are great, as are all root vegetables, in mho.

[GFinDC]

What about onions??? Are they good or bad?

Onions are yummy! There are some people who have digestion problems with them though. If they don't agree with you then you shouldn't eat them.

[sb2178]

Same thing with tofu. If you don't have GI issues with it, it's fine. Buy organic, though, so you get non-GMO. The best way to determine if you have problems with a food is to eliminate it, eat the same "safe" things until you feel fine, and then add it back to your diet in a pure form for three days. Typically, reactions show up within 3 days for most people.

Try to avoid the weird processed forms of soy though-- stick to the traditional foods like tofu, natto, etc. Like all foods, eat it in moderation.

Pure form = item + water + (maybe) salt

[viviendoparajesus]

the nice thing about the tests is when the symptoms do not seem to connect to the foods then you can know what to avoid. that is what happened to me i was clueless my favorite and staple foods were making me sick. i had casein and gluten tested. i am curious about soy and corn intolerance. i am allergic to soy. i was negative for cross reactivity to corn (cyrex labs has a cross reactivity test).

i would think your job could make it challenging for you especially if you are super sensitive. it would seem like since it is in the air it could get on you and you could lick your lips or get it on your hands and wind up ingesting it. i do not know if it would be so severe. if you could find another job it would be a good idea but if you have to work there maybe you can find some ways to minimize exposure. they say about cross contamination and the role of small amounts of gluten.

i was unclear of it eggs make you sick or you are just deciding to avoid them.

you did not mention vegetables there are lots of vegetables to eat. i think what you eat depends on where you are in your healing process. also it depends on what works for you because while we have similarities there are also differences.

i eat fruit, veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, squash, zucchini, onions, peas, meat (chicken, turkey, some grass fed beef, some buffalo, some regular beef), fish (salmon, cod), beans (lima, green beans, kidney, pinto, black), nuts (almonds mostly, some cashews, walnuts), seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), olive oil, sauerkraut, sea salt. i like this diet, but i think it is best to find what makes you feel best.