ShayFL

Would be nice to be like Oprah...decide to go gluten-free and your nutritionist makes a plan and the chefs that travel with you do all the research and prepare all of your meals/snacks/drinks. All you do is consume....dang I want that!!

I have cysts on my head.

That foil trick is perfect!!

All of my friends/family are used to me bringing my own food. I have for many years. I went through all sorts of diets over the past 12 years trying to get well. They have been with me through "raw foodism", "vegan", "vegetarian", "whole foods", and now gluten-free, DF, DF. etc. The will joke with me a bit, but I dont mind. Hey Shay, what food are you avoiding this week?

For me it is all about visiting with people I enjoy being around. And honestly I simply do not go if I dont like the people. So it eleminates any worries.

I dont know about my Dad....he died young at 38...self inflicted. But my Mom....always running to the bathroom and she had hashimots and thyroid cancer (both related to Celiac/gluten sensitivity). Some times she didnt make it to the bathroom on time. She knows I have the genes and she knows she gave me at least one of them. So she is very interested in what I am doing with gluten-free, but she makes excuses. I have to travel so much with my job....I have to eat out a lot....blah blah blah. You cannot force anyone. It has to be their decision. So I just inform and let it go.......

My Sister is at least trying to avoid gluten. I know she isnt as anal as me. No one is......LOL But she has noticed less D and her "rash" is clearing up. I told her she should get the "rash" biopsied. She even went to the Dermo. But in the end accepted what he said it was and didnt demand the biopsy. Deep down she knows....but she doesnt want a Dx. But she is trying the diet and getting results. Hopefully she will stick with it!

Yeast aggravate Candida. Some cannot even tolerate fruit sugar.

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I have tested negative for it via blood, saliva and fecal. I am so glad I did. I would hate to try to follow that diet if I did not need to.

good to know there's still lots of options is ostrich meat expensive? how do you cook it?

Ostrich meat MUST be marinaded to taste good. It is pretty bland on it's own. It is ubber lean. I suppose it is a lot pricer than supermaket feed lot beef. I have found that the foods I can eat are more expensive than what most Americans are buying. I literally "work for food". But I am o.k. with it. I gotta work for something.

It is so easy to get into ruts. So I force myself to try a few new dishes a week. Some turn out and some do not. We eat what I fix though. Cannot afford to waste much. No one "complains" but we do state our opinions. My husband will just douse it in tapatio if it isnt that good. And my daughter will use ketchup if it helps. And if we all agree, then a meal is either accepted or rejected. I keep a folder of acceptable meals.

I have discovered that my 12 y.o. daughter will eat squash/zuchinni if I roast it in the oven. She also will eat brussel sprouts for goodness sakes!! Trying new things has improved everyone's eating in my house.

Right now I am eating all meats (chicken, turkey, fish, extra lean beef, ostrich), all veggies except the nightshades, all fruits, gluten-free grains, all nuts & seeds. There is actually A LOT Of foods left to choose from. We just get into ruts with our eating and most people eat the same 10 - 20 foods day in and day out.

I just made pumpkin muffins without eggs. They turned out great! I use my daughter and hubby to know if they are really good. I can eating anything. But when they eat 3 or 4 muffins, I know they arent just being polite. They wouldnt anyway.

And since I am a totally renegade, I am getting an Lame Advertisement on Monday. I plan on eliminating and rotating what I can eat for 3 - 6 months. Ive suffered for 12 years with this crap. Im over it. I am willing to try getting rid of any irritants to my system. Im not married to any food anymore. I eat to live. We have a running joke in our house when I fix something that isnt so flavorful, "It will make a turd." I hope that makes ya'll laugh and not get me kicked out. But it helps to have a sense of humor about it all if you can. Makes life more fun and I believe laughing can heal you.

I would say YES to all of the above.

I have actually lost weight. Weight I could not afford to lose. Down 4 pounds which doesnt sound like much unless you were too thin to begin with. And I lose it mostly in my face and shoulder area first. Everyone comments. And I feel they think I am anorexic or something. I hate it.

But in my case when I cut out all gluten products, I started eating A LOT less CARBS. I was trying to go basically paleo. But I cannot lose anymore weight. So I have been preparing some gluten-free baked goods at home from scratch. Still whole grains. I just need the calories.

I am hoping I can start to play "catch up" soon.

It is one of my biggest complaints. I hate it.

I am in the process of cutting out all legumes. I have neuro symptoms and am following the MS recovery diet even though I do not have MS. Anything that can heal my nerves sounds good to me. Anyway, the diet cuts out gluten, dairy, legumes, eggs and yeast. I am already gluten-free and DF. So now I am cutting the rest.

In my research I discovered that virtually ALL of the cinnamon sold in the US is actually Cassia which is a LEGUME. And Licorice is a legume. I didnt know this. So I have ordered some "real cinnamon" because I do love the taste.

Here is a list of legumes. It is not all inclusive because it doesnt list every bean/pea. But it points out some that you might not be aware of:

Legume:Acacia; Acacia Gum; Alfalfa; Arabic; Black-eyed pea; Carob; Carob (St. John's Bread); Cassia; Chick Pea; Field Pea; Green Bean; Green Pea; Guar gum; Jack bean; Karaya Gum; Kidney bean; Lentil; Licorice; Lima bean; Locust Bean Gum; Mungo Bean; Navy Bean; Peanut; Peanut oil; Pinto Bean; Soybean; Soybean oil/flour/lecithin; Split Pea; String Bean; Talca Gum; Tamarind; Tonka bean; Tragancanth Gum; Urd Flour.

Some that surprised me: Acacia, Guar Gum, Cinnamon and Licorice.

I bought real cinnamon here:

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But it is a little cheaper here and you can buy smaller quantaties:

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It is tough. I took my own food to my in laws for mother's day. I took some walnut pate and my own salad dressing to go with my salad. My MIL made roasted chicken fruit and salad because she knew I could eat those. She was very careful that nothing gluten got in them. She asked a lot of questions beforehand. Very nice. BUT she baked some fresh bread for everyone else to eat. So I said let's put the bread way off to he side so It doesnt get near my food. I plated up first to be safe. Then what do I see, she gets out triskets crackers and a knife and puts the walnut pate on the little crackers dipping the knife back into the pate the whole time. So I didnt eat anymore and let them have the rest. And FIL has a hunk of bread in his mouth hovering over the salad. I am thinking....crumbs!! So I did not get seconds. It is a hassle.

I wouldt live with her if I could at all avoid it. Just asking for trouble and it isnt their fault.

Read the package even if it says "Gluten Free" on the front. I have bought two items with big red letters exclaiming gluten free with this warning on the back "processed in a facility that also processes wheat". One was some almond/rice crackers and another was lentil pasta. You MUST read.

I even read EVERYTHING if it says "gluten free". Ive been burned twice. "Gluten Free" on the front in big letters, but in small print on the back "processed in a facility that also processes wheat".

Hope you feel better soon.

Thyroid Test - TSH, Free T3, Free T4 and all antibodies

Ferritin & Iron tests

B12 and MMA

Vit D

Im on Armour, Vit D, B12 and I eat a ton of iron rich foods trying to avoid the supplements. I just retested Tues. and waiting for the results to see where I am with all of it. 6 weeks into the diet. No change yet.

Meline....what test did you take? Lame Advertisement

A lot of Celiacs react to Dairy. Some can eventually add it back in. If you are certain that you did not get cross contaminated, then I would suspect Dairy. Iron pills can totally screw with your digestive tract. I took "Gentle Iron" by Solgar and it didnt bother me.

It is always good to be cautious, but wheat grass/straw does not contain gluten in and of itself. Yes, some kernels will get mixed in. But even if they do, they will be so widely dispersed over tons of raw material to make the paper. It would be well below 20 ppm. Well below. Personally, I am not going to worry about paper. I might if I had a small child who was extremely sensitive. But I am not going to be eating any paper. And with the minute amount that will be in that paper, contact should not be a problem either.

You probably pick up more gluten walking around a mall touching things. People eat those pretzels, ice cream cones, sandwiches, etc. and do not wash their hands. Then they touch everything. I dont worry about that either BTW. I wash my hands A LOT. And I have trained myself to never touch myself above the neck unless my hands have just been washed.

And please ask your Doctor to test you for Thyroid antibodies (all of them). If you have Hashimoto's, then a few kelp tabs will not get you well and in fact can make you worse.

It is true. Everyone wants a "normal" life! I want one!!!!

But everyone wants to love/be loved as well. And let's face it, real love, is harder to find than a gluten-free meal. I would stay with my DH regardless of his limitations. We love each other in a very profound way that goes beyond convenience. Once that kind of love is found, then there will be no more worries or questions. It does happen.

Dating is tough though! Tougher than getting dx after you are married. So I do feel for those in that position. I suppose one could seek out dating sites and others with food issues.

We have found in our circle of friends that food issues are SO COMMON. We are having a dinner party this weekend. And on the invite, it states clearly "If you have any dietary requirements, please inform us so that we can prepare a meal that everyone can enjoy." We do this because:

Katie is a vegetarian

Mike is deathly allergic to chicken

Tamara is Kosher

Matt is allergic to nuts

This is our dinner party. Everyone has some issue. It is no big deal. We are making pot roast with roasted veggies separate from the meat. Plus some beans for Katie. Chips/salsa/guac for appetizers. The important thing is friendship. That is why we are getting together. To laugh and enjoy ourselves. The food is just there.

I hope you have an epi pen handy at ALL times!

An older post, but wanted to comment.

When I met my husband, I was instantly physically attracted to him. Tall alpha male. Just what I like! But I also knew that those types always ended in disaster for the long term.

But my guy had a gentle side too that unfolded as we dated. He had 2 Great Danes when I met him. One he had gotten as a pup and the other a rescue. When he told me all he had to go through to nurse Sophie (the rescue) back to health, I somehow knew he was the one for me. Sophie had been starved, abused and left for dead on the humane society parking lot in the middle of the night. She weighed only 70 lbs when she should have been twice that size. She didnt trust anyone. Bill had to spend weeks with her, on her terms to earn her trust and he had to feed her special home prepared foods for many months. Clean up her persistent diarreah. He was so tender with her and his eyes teared up when he told me about caring for her.

Well my Harley riding, trucking driving man's man has been right by my side 100% through all of my problems (both physical and mental). He cooks, cleans, runs errands and whatever I need when I am too sick to do it. He has rescued me when I have had sever bouts of vertigo in public places. Dropping everything to come get me and take me home. My hero.

If you have someone like this in your life, do not take them for granted. If not, you can hold on to hope that people like this are out there. Never give up!

Those burning candles really get me!!

I do not know when I became so chemically sensitive. My parents were "country people" and they never wore cologne/perfume. They still dont. So I was not exposed to a lot in my home. I got an allergic rash to GAIN detergent when I was young, so my Mom switched to the Dreft or whatever it was that didnt have all the chemicals back then. We used ivory soap.

I know after my pregnancy 12 years ago, I did become more sensitive. My nose can smell chemicals a mile away. Things no one else smells. Or I smell it and then 200 feet later they smell it. It is amazing (and not in a good way).

We just had our kitchen/bath remodeled and one day they guys sprayed a small patch on the wall with aerosol texture medium. I was in my studio on the other side of the house and smelled it. When I get whiffs of stuff like that my brain yells inside my head "RUN!!! RUN!!!! RUN!!!!". So I ran outside and took a big breath. Ran back in and started opening all of the windows and doors in my house. It took a good 2 hours for me to be able to go back in. Even with everything open. I could not go back in. We are talking a 12x12 inch patch sprayed.

Then the adhesive for the new countertops were the same. I will never remodel again!!

Hazelnut butter is yummy if you can find it.

Yes, peanuts have a mold that carries an aflatoxin. It can disrupt nerve impulses and since I am mainly neuro symptoms, I avoid them.

A TSH of 3 = Hypothyroid

There are new lab guidelines in place:

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And MANY experts think the upper end of normal should be "2".

My TSH was 2.8 and I was hypothyroid. I am on Armour. It greatly increased my energy levels and I sleep like a happy babe. I went on this a year ago. I have only been gluten-free for 6 weeks. So I am hopeful that I have found the last piece to this puzzle. But the Armour helped me tremendously. I am on 2.5 grains (150 mgs).

You need your FREE T3 and FREE T4 checked along with your TSH. Your FREE T4 should be in the upper third and your FREE T3 should be in the upper fourth (with some people needing it a little higher than the top of the range).

You also need your Ferritin checked to see if low iron is a problem for you. I would be willing to bet a million bucks your Ferritin is sub-par. Low B12, Ferritin and Hypothyroid seem to be a manage trois.

I agree that eating sticky/sweet and carby foods do this to your teeth. I rarely eat sweets including raisins/dried fruits (before gluten-free and now) and I just dont get plaque build up. There isnt much for the hygienist to do at the Dentist. My gums receded a bit on the front lower mainly. I dont have gingivitis. My gums dont bleed. So the recession was a puzzle to me. Then I learned I was brushing too "hard". They showed me how to brush right (and I got a softer toothbrush) and some of the gums have grown back.