naiiad

Hey Lischro

Being a vegetarian on a wheat-free diet can sometimes be a challenge. Before I went wheat-free, I was vegan. After my diagnosis, however, I had to cut out all soy products (because most soy gives me a bad reaction) and it was just too hard to get protein without dairy and fish. With fish and dairy I have a well-rounded diet and seem to be doing fine without mammal meats. But if you find that you are having a hard time managing without tofu and meat, you could try incorporation some meat and fish into your diet to see what works for you.

As for your question about what to grill, try paneer, an Indian cheese that very much resembles tofu. It's really tasty and I've never had any problem with it. Most grocery stores where I live sell it, but I'm not sure the same would be true for areas that don't have a high Indian population. You could also find it at ethnic grocery stores and health food stores.

There are also a lot of vegetables that taste great on the grill, like zucchini, eggplant, plantain, peppers etc. Eggplant is my favorite tofu replacement because it has a rich flavor and great texture, especially when cut up into thick slices.

Hope this helped and good luck with your new diet!

I absolutely love buckwheat bread. It has a very unique flavor and the texture holds well. It's even very tasty on its own. Also makes great pancakes!

Although I've never personally had any problem with Buckwheat, I know that most (if not all) of the brands of buckwheat flour I have access to in Canada do not guarantee that they are wheat free. Watch out for labels!

I'm yet to be formally diagnosed, but I've pretty much figured out on my own that I am a caliac.

I've been gluten-free for the past month, and I feel better then ever. Symptoms that were ailing for me for months have disappeared (almost!)

The problem is, earlier today my mom made some baked broccoli. She added some (supposedly gluten-free) potato flower for texture, so I could eat some too. The flour was from Bulk-barn (not the smartest place to buy food from when you have an intolerance) and I'm assuming it was contaminated with wheat. Within 15 minutes I had sores in my mouth, cramps, so I took a nap for a few hours and woke up with excruciating muscle/joint pain, a headache, and the big-D. I'm so frustrated I want to cry. Last week I accidentally ate pre-seasoned chicken that made me really sick for a good 3-4 days, then buckwheat bread (made with the same potato flour!!) that also gave me a reaction. I was so so happy to be feeling better last night... then bam! With two innocent peices of broccoli I feel like poop again.

-> I'm so stressed out, I have so much school work to do, and all I can concentrate on is the pain I'm in. SOO for my question:: From what I've read here, there really is no treatment for when you accidentally ingest wheat. Is this really true? Is there nothing I can do to make myself feel better or to treat my symptoms? I just want to get on with my life without feeling held back every time I accidentally eat something with wheat D:

Thanks skylark ^.^

The instant mouth irritation ARE the canker sores. They start to develop a few minutes after eating wheat, and can last up to two days. I didn't know though that an instant mouth reaction was a symptom of allergy and not caliacs. I ate some pre-seasoned chicken earlier today and developed a bad reaction, including hives... so maybe it is an allergy?

I think I will go to the doctor. I know for sure that this is dietary, but maybe the doctor can help me narrow things down. Thanks!

Most definitely. Within two days of going gluten free, I stopped getting canker sores in my mouth and my hives went away. Within a 4 days - week, all my other symptoms (soreness, bowls problems etc) completely vanished.

From my understanding, this type of immediate relief resulting from a gluten-free diet is normal.

I hope you continue to feel better!!

I use a coffee grinder to grind down flax seed as well. I love the stuff and sprinkle it on everything - salads, soups, dips. Its very healthy!

Sometimes I make really good peanut butter raw gluten-free cookies using flaxseed meal (ground flax seed). I just blend flax seed meal together with peanut butter (or almond butter), dates, a banana and some cinnamon. I like to roll them up into balls and powder with cocoa. I have one of these with my meal for protein... and they taste great!

I like making raw "cookies" out of ground up flax seed meal, nuts, banana, and dates. Blend until its a paste, then roll up into balls. These taste especially good rolled in powdered cocoa and put in the freezer for a few hours.

Sometimes I have one of these for breakfast. They're packed with protein and nutrients and are a great way to start the day. They're great as a treat as well.

My mom makes me buckwheat bread with buckwheat flour. Its actually really good and has a decent consistency for a gluten-free bread. I love its earthy flavor.

You can buy decent tasting gluten-free pizza bread at a health food store. I bought some from Bulk Barn (Canada) and it took literally a few minutes to prepare. I had no trouble flattening it out. Didn't taste bad, especially topped with spinach-avocado pesto and veggies ^.^

Thanks again for the advice

I live in Canada, so health care and testing is all free. It's just a matter of being of tired of going to doctors who haven't been able to help me. I guess next time I see my doctor I'l ask her about it, but right now it isn't necessary.

Now I'm not sure if this has anything to do with my pending caliacs, but I had really bad hair loss that lasted about 4 months. I lost more then half of my hair, my hair was dry, crispy and thin, and my scalp was always itchy, dry, and inflamed. This was really traumatizing, but all my hair grew back to its original thickness and shininess within about 5 months. I know its hard, but try not to worry! I was told by several dermatologists that chances are, with any type of short-term hair loss, it will stop and reverse itself.

In the meantime, there are things you can do to keep your hair and scalp healthy. I soaked my head and scalp with virgin olive oil every few days. This keeps your hair and scalp healthy and hydrated. I also washed my hair with very sensitive shampoo that I made myself mixing 1 part sage tea and 1 part baby shampoo. Don't use any hair damaging hair products or a blow dryer/straightner.

Again,stay positive! I'm sure your hair will grow up.

Hope this helps! Good luck.

I don't know if I want to go through the stress again of going to doctor to have them roll their eyes at me when I want answers and closure to what I've been experiencing. I know that being gluten-free has cured the yeast infection, the stomach pains, the joint cramps, and the painful canker sores. I'm just going to stick with this because its been working for me. Thanks!

Thanks for the reply wheat chef ^.^

I went to 100 different doctors, dermatologists, ENT specialist, some of whom didn't really say much, and others who suspected autoiumme, but got me tested for EVERYTHING (immune system function, lupus, MS, vitamin and mineral deficiencies etc but never caliacs) and said I was 100% fine. After all that stress of not getting any closure to what was happening to me, I attributed all my problems to anxiety/my previous bad diet/not drinking enough water LOL

Right now I'm not sure if my current (self-diagnosed) wheat intolerance is attributed to my previous diet and will go away once my body adjusts, or my bad diet triggered the more serious effects of an already pre-existing underlying caliacs. Either way, I don't want to go through the stress of

Your symptoms do sound like celiac. Now for the really bad news, if you want a doctor derived diagnosis you need to get back on gluten. Even with a 3 month period on gluten you may still have a false negative on testing. One option is to go with Enterolab, they can test for the antibodies in the stool, however most doctors do not accept their testing as they have not, to my knowledge, had their research peer reviewed.

That said if you know that gluten is an issue you don't need a doctors permission to eat gluten free. You found a good place for info and support whether you decide to do a challenge or just live with 'self diagnosis'.

Woah! There's no way I'm going back on gluten, not for a day, not for three months!!

Since whatever I'm experiencing right now seems to definitely be a dietary issue, I'm just going to stick with being gluten/wheat free. Wheat-free, I feel better then I have in months... and I can eat and love food without getting excruciating painful cramps afterwards.

I'll talk to my doctor regardless, but this seems like something I can manage on my own.

Thanks for your advice!

When I was trying to find a diagnosis for my abdominal pain problems (among other things) I was told that I had gallstones. At this time, I attributed my pain and cramping to the gallstones, but after a month now of being gluten-free, the pain's finally gone, gallstones or not.

If you are gluten free but are still experiencing pain, talk to your doctor about the options available to you. I know that the best way to deal with gallstones without surgery is being on a low-fat diet, but if that doesnt help, you might want to consider getting them removed to avoid future problems.

Hello everyone,

Let me start off by saying that I haven't been diagnosed with caliacs or a gluten intolerance or a wheat allergy. I've been experiencing symptoms for a few months but haven't gotten around to going to the doctor.

I'm 20 years old. I'm not sure if this is relevant or not, but for about two years I was on a very unhealthy lettuce-and-water diet. I pretty much didn't get any carb or protein.

Now its last summer that I started to develop problems. I went through a period of major stress, literally half of my hair fell out (which was seriously traumatizing!!) and I started eating normally again. It was at this point that I started to develop really bad canker sores (I'd have 2-4 in my mouth at a time), a chronic yeast infection that would keep on coming back no matter how many times i treated it (argh so grosss!?!?!), chronic diarrhea, itchy skin and general aches and pains. All this was really freaking me out, especially the fact that I was 20 and going bald, and ever doctor I went to just rolled their eyes, told me not to stress, and advised that I drink lots of water for the canker sores.

Then I realized that all these symptoms where linked to my diet. I usually only ate dark pumpernickel bread, and I noticed that when I ate white bread the canker sores would get much worse. When I cut bread out all together for a few days, all the symptoms got better. So I did some research online and found out about gluten intolerance and caliacs. I stopped eating gluten/wheat and within two days the canker sores where gone. Within four days the yeast infection that Id had for months totally cleared up as well.

I've been (almost!) wheat free for about a month now and I feel so much better. But I find that when I accidentally eat wheat (like when my mom accidentally sprinkled white flour on top of my buckwheat bread) my mouth becomes instantly irritated, i get diarrhea and within a day I start getting nasty symptoms... down there. I'm so sensitive to it that I've stopped eating packaged food all together, because a lot of times they have traces of wheat that irritate my mouth the minute it touches my tongue.

SOO for my question. Ive been doing some research online, and it's not really clear whether my symptoms indicate a gluten intolerance, a wheat allergy, or caliacs or some other problem?

I want to know mostly out of curiosity, but also so I can know how to properly take care of myself. What do my symptoms sound like?