I'm Done With Wheat.

[Mateto]

So, these past few days I've been feeling absolutely HORRIBLE! Today, I finally did it and bought me a loaf of Genius bread, and tomorrow I'm stocking up on gluten-free foodstuff.

Though I'm not diagnosed officially yet - I'm just so tired and sick of being tired, and tired of being sick! I am just going to try and see what happens. If I need a biopsy -- I'll start gluten again.

So I have another question. When you first switched to a necessary gluten-free diet, were you paranoid about cross-contamination? I am fortunate to live not far from a gluten-free bakery, and 4 stores with a WIDE variety of gluten-free/free-from foods. But, it is when I am preparing them -- that I am paranoid. Maybe there's flour on the counter I never cleaned off good enough? Maybe the butter is full of wheat crumbs?

Also, how do I cope with withdrawel? Thanks for your answers!

[mamaw]

Ypou could save yourself some heartache by getting tested first....It is really hard to go back to gluten once you see how good it feels without the poison!!!!That would be the hardest thing for me...

Yes, you need to clean counters,cupboards where gluten has been stored,no using jars that had a gluten knife in.. Get new....Check pot & pans , utensils, strainers, toaster, cutting board anything that is porous that can hold a tiny crumb of gluten..any scratched ???If so they need to be replaced...

Accidents do happen ... Do you understand the CC as to avoid it as much as possible...

Its wonderfulyou have so many choices for gluten-free shopping. Most of us don't have that !!!! I'm jealous....

Are you scheduled for a biospy yet? I'm not against adults not getting tested if you can live with the not positive for sure thing!!! Some truly need that dx's to make them want to stay with the gluten-free lifestyle..Others it doesn't matter...if you are close to being dx'd I would hang in there for the dx's...It just makes things easier, on the job, with family members & friends....then again ou may not care about what others think...

You must decide what is best for you...blessings

mamaw

[TeknoLen]

Cross contamination is ALWAYS a risk. Best way I have found to manage the risk is to cook for myself, avoid eating out, and discontinue ALL grains. I now adhere to a strict paleo diet and rarely worry about cc since most paleo foods are low cc risk.

Gluten withdrawal sucks, no way around it, but eventually the good days start to outnumber the bad ones...

Good luck.

[raea2002]

You sound like me! If you need the diagnosis don't stop eating gluten just get all testing done and then immediately start Gluten-Free. That's what I did. I did a lot of yo-yo-ing in the end it wasn't worth it. Just do what your head and heart needs. I say if you know how you feel just do the Gluten-Free.

[lovegrov]

IMO, there's really no reason to quit ALL grains. If you're paranoid about CC of grains, there are types and brands that are safer than others. But you definitely need to get rid of any condiments and such that might have crumbs in them.

Also, there's no certainty that you'll have gluten withdrawal. You might, and you might not. I never did. I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about it.

richard

[sa1937]

I really don't worry about cross contamination in my own kitchen...this is the one place I feel totally safe. I don't buy much in the way of gluten-free processed foods though. I took a lot of precautions that mamaw already mentioned, gave my kitchen a good cleaning and got rid of anything that was not gluten-free.

I did not give up all grains, not that there's anything wrong with paleo if that's the direction someone wants to go. Nor did I suffer from withdrawal that many do experience. And I went gluten-free cold turkey the day of my endoscopy.

[BethM55]

So, these past few days I've been feeling absolutely HORRIBLE! Today, I finally did it and bought me a loaf of Genius bread, and tomorrow I'm stocking up on gluten-free foodstuff.

Though I'm not diagnosed officially yet - I'm just so tired and sick of being tired, and tired of being sick! I am just going to try and see what happens. If I need a biopsy -- I'll start gluten again.

So I have another question. When you first switched to a necessary gluten-free diet, were you paranoid about cross-contamination? I am fortunate to live not far from a gluten-free bakery, and 4 stores with a WIDE variety of gluten-free/free-from foods. But, it is when I am preparing them -- that I am paranoid. Maybe there's flour on the counter I never cleaned off good enough? Maybe the butter is full of wheat crumbs?

Also, how do I cope with withdrawel? Thanks for your answers!

To avoid cross contamination in my kitchen, I never put a utensil or anything that might go in my food or my mouth directly onto a countertop or on the stove. I use a plate, or a sheet of waxed paper, or sometimes a clean dish towel. My kitchen is not 100% gluten free, and this has worked well for me so far. Also, if I am measuring out gluten free flours, or expensive almond flour or something like that, I can recapture whatever I spill, without fear of CC. It's an extra step, but it has worked well for me.

I can't answer your question about gluten withdrawal, as I don't remember much of a problem with it. But that was nearly 3 years ago, and I've slept since then, so I may not be remembering much, either...

Hang in, keep posting here, and remember there are no silly questions. On this site there are sometimes silly answers, but those are usually accompanied by excellent information.