View Full Version : I am sure we have talked about wheat issues before
But I am trying a wheat free/low wheat diet for a few days. I had a day this week where my stomach got so bloated that my pants hurt terribly and I felt miserable until I could at least get into PJ's. I realized I had loads of wheat products that day (I am trying to loosely track food). I started to look up info since I am fructose intolerant and there is some evidence that we can also have issues with wheat specifically. That does not mean all gluten which makes it easier, but with more and more food items labeled gluten free that helps. Yesterday night I had pad thai with tofu, today my extra healthy scrambled eggs (with spinach, peppers and squash), some vegie sushi for lunch and rice with indian vegetables for dinner. What I noticed is that I have not been starving mid-day, I am tired because this week has been intense but I have not taken a nap despite exercising and doing yard work.
So it may be all in my mind so far, for those who have taken out an offending food, either allergy or intolerance, how quickly did you notice a change? Did the improvement continue to increase for awhile such as feeling a little better at first and then much better in a month?
Well, when I stopped gluten completely I stopped caffeine at the same time, so I went through major withdrawal symptoms and it was hard to judge if I was having any improvement at the same time, as I felt absolutely horrible for a week or two.
But yes, most of my symptoms did go away relatively quickly. The bloating seemed to be right after a meal with gluten, so as long as the meal was gluten free I didn't have the bloating. Also I didn't get the post-lunch tiredness if I didn't include gluten products.
My other symptoms such as constant hunger and/or nausea, acid reflux, shortness of breath, chest pain and lower abdominal pain, chronic sore throat were pretty much all resolved within a month of being completely off gluten. But they definitely at least started to decrease as my gluten intake decreased.
It takes a couple of weeks, and you need to eliminate the food completely. Unfortunately pad thai noodles are still wheat. Also, read labels. You'd be surprised at what they slip wheat into! It really gets easier as you go, and choosing foods becomes second nature. I gradually eliminated wheat, and still have it sometimes, but then I wasn't having health problems, although I sometimes react to it when I have it, especially with egg. The main reason I quit was because several in my family have Celiac and it really was just simpler for fixing meals to just not go there!:)
But for my sister, and my daughter, it took about 2 weeks to really feel good. My sister said she actually felt bad for the first week off gluten, but then she felt so good it was like night and day. She had battled health issues for so long, even had her gall bladder out, before she was diagnosed so the good was really good!
My daughter saw pretty much immediate relief from the bloating and 'gut' issues when she went off, but she was having other problems that took a bit longer to diagnose.
Make it easier for yourself and just eliminate the wheat, but eliminate it altogether. Don't try to eliminate a bunch of stuff all at once. It makes it too difficult to plan meals and you might just give up in frustration. Besides, just eliminating the wheat will tell you if it is truly the wheat, or maybe all gluten, or something else entirely.
Good luck, and let us know how you feel. If you come to a sticking point and can't think of what to eat, post here what you want and I'm sure folks here can help you with ideas.:)
Pad Thai noodles are traditionally made of rice, as far as I know, thus safe. A lot of soy sauces have wheat, though. I use a wheat-free version of tamari.
It took me about 4 times going off and back on wheat to realize that's what caused the chronic congestion I'd had my entire life. I'd say that it's necessary to go at least 2 weeks without an ingredient to see if there's an impact - and then the real test is to eat it again and see if the effect returns.
Also, when I don't eat bread with lunch, I don't get that afternoon slump. I eat a lot of salads, and soups in the winter. I really noticed the impact when I ate more typical lunch foods at my parents' house on a visit last summer. An hour after lunch, all I wanted to do was take a nap. It wasn't even a lot of bread that I was eating, compared to the SAD.
It can be a lot of work and mental energy to eliminate wheat for the first time, and for this reason I personally think it's easier to eliminate all gluten just to do a thorough test. Then when you test foods, do barley first, then rye, then wheat. Skip a few days between introductions, and eat enough of the grains to really test them. Also, it might be worthwhile to test different forms of wheat (spelt or farro, wheat berries, ground wheat/flour).
Thank you everyone, I got some easy food for lunches because that is hard. Often I have a wrap of some type. i am also vegetarian (rather flexible on it) so that limits things. I make my own food and then cook things different for my kids at times, but they also cook a lot of their own food so they can eat what they want.
I am wondering about the afternoon killer tiredness, and coming home to fall asleep without any control over it. I drink too much soda because of the tiredness for sure, When I am tired I MUST sleep, no choices about it. I have very long days during the school year so I would go to my car in the middle of the day and take a nap at times.
Over the summer, once I am done running summer camp especially, I will have more ability to control my food. I came up with 2 easy breakfasts for summer, in the winter I make my eggs a lot, and a couple other meals to fall back on.
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Make it easier for yourself and just eliminate the wheat, but eliminate it altogether. Don't try to eliminate a bunch of stuff all at once. It makes it too difficult to plan meals and you might just give up in frustration. Besides, just eliminating the wheat will tell you if it is truly the wheat, or maybe all gluten, or something else entirely.
:)
Sounds good, I am not making a decision on the diet coke even though I know it is bad for me. I was going to give myself a year after my last major 'quit' to worry about other health or weight issues (I quit smoking last August, I smoked on and off for 2 years after my 2nd daughter started). I didn;t know I was going to go veggie again but I have been for a couple months and overall I feel better because it aligns with my values the best. Sometimes I will make something for the kids with some chicken and just eat it, not too picky. In any case I understand not doing too much at once. When I first quit smoking I gave myself a lot of freedom to get starbucks with the same money I was spending.
Two tips:
1. Whatever you were putting on bread, put on top of raw or cooked greens instead. Just adding those greens will give you a lot of energy.
2. Think about all the things you CAN eat instead of the one you're eliminating.
Pad Thai noodles are traditionally made of rice, as far as I know, thus safe. A lot of soy sauces have wheat, though. I use a wheat-free version of tamari.
Not necessarily. Often things like that will be rice plus wheat, or buckwheat (which isn't wheat actually) plus wheat. Just read the package ingredients. If you are eating out, especially in a restaurant where English may not be the first language, I think it's ok to ask to see their packaging to read the ingredients, if you first explain to them the issue.
If you are making your own, there are some super gluten free pastas on the market now. You aren't limited to rice noodles. One I particularly like is called Heartland, and it's in a blue and yellow packaging. It cooks like pasta, tastes like pasta, and fits nicely into any recipe I want. I usually just find it in the regular pasta isle in my grocery, but yours might have it in the special foods isle. It takes a bit longer to cook, but just a few minutes more really. I like to keep a bag of this on hand, along with a jar of alfredo sauce (most are gluten free, just read the label). With these two plus any leftover meats and/or vegs I might have I can whip up a casserole in no time. Sometimes you just need a good hearty casserole!
If you don't want to do dairy (and some in my family are dairy intolerant...(yeah, my family is a MPITA) I have made a very good bechamel using soy milk and white rice flour (tapioca for the family member who can't do rice!) and butter flavored crisco. Oh and there is a brand of 'cheese', I forget the name, that looks and acts like real cheese, including melting. I believe it's made of soy, but it could be rice, I don't remember. So, there you have a casserole. Not really as complicated as it sounds.
Or, you could cook some rice in coconut milk and use that instead of pasta. Equally good. Rice, cooked in coconut milk/veg stock, black eyed peas, corn, green peas, onions/peppers, and some faux cheese (but not necessary) YUM!
Oh, for breakfast, the Chex cereals are mostly gluten free, for fast I-can't-think-of-anything-to-eat breakfast/late night snack.
I hope this helps. It really will get easier. I know it seems like there isn't anything you can eat right now, but really there is a world of stuff you can eat. My daughter even found something she could eat at Olive Garden!
Thanks! I was looking for asian noodles and the ones at the store were all wheat, bummer. Today I had brown rice, fried up tofu with sesame seeds and a stir fry with squash, carrot and bok choy. I got squeezable ginger too! I need the same thing for garlic. i am very very glad I can cook and I am also very glad that I am okay with dairy! When all else sucks I can have ice cream (it is settling to my stomach, I can have an ice cream bar for breakfast at times).
Over the summer I don't heat up my lunches at camp but I think I have a good menu. A boiled egg on a salad is awesome with some sesame seeds for crunch, I will miss my peanut butter and lettuce sandwich however. And in 2 weeks I could decide that wheat really isn't a problem anyway.
Thank you all for not questioning the veggie thing, I started at 16, then ate meat from about 32 to this year (46) and now am back to veggie. I just found out that my celebrity crush is veggie!!! Mike Ness of Social Distortion
You can often find rice noodles (and bean threads) at places like Safeway, Albertson's, or Kroger (check the Asian food section). They're lots cheaper at your local Asian market, of course.
I make ginger cubes, and you could do the same with garlic. I buy a large quantity of ginger (about the size of my hand) and peel and coarsely chop it. Put it in the blender with water more than covering it, and blend a while. Check consistency, usually have to add more water and blend again to make a fine puree. Pour into ice cube trays (usually makes 2) and freeze. Remove from trays and put in a plastic bag, keep in freezer. This makes it super fast to cook Indian, Thai, Chinese food! Also the ginger paste adds a lot more ginger flavor than the same amount of ginger that is minced. And it's perfect to add to salad dressings, too.
Some more ideas for easy gluten-free, vegetarian meals:
Vietnamese-style summer rolls with rice paper wrappers
Black bean & veggie enchiladas (with corn tortillas)
veggie chili and salad
frittata (loaded with vegetables)
spanakopita made with a crust of sliced potatoes instead of the usual phyllo crust
zucchini stuffed with a mixture of quinoa, bell pepper, onion, carrot, pecans, and minced prunes
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