I have been gluten free for a year and a half now. First of all doing it by myself which meant cutting out all breads etc. Then after seeing dietitian and being told to eat more carbohydrate using prescription foods etc. My weight has gone up dramatically! and I was always overweight anyway.
I have now gone back to more protein and feel much better already. Question:- Am I going to do more damage to myself by eating more protein ( and Fruit and Vegs) rather like the Hay Diet?
Hi Kathleen, In my opinion by enjoying naturally gluten free meat fruit and vegetables is a far healthier diet than one based on gluten free prescription/supermarket carbohydrates. And as an example codex wheat starch is so processed that it is inert and has no nutritional value except for the additives with which it is fortified. And if you look at potato flour this is very highly processed instant mash. So they are what they are and do what they do and can play an important role for some.
But if you want a nutritious diet, then fresh food is better and what is really important is to eat a balanced diet.
A really good carbohydrate is quinoa which's very nutritious as it is one if the few foods that contain all 23 vital amino acids that our bodies need. So it is highly nutritious.
That's what I think about this.
Thank you Jerry,
I looked in internet and found words that told me that it was dangerous to eat high protein/ low carb diet due to this causing liver and kidney failure.
I will look out for Quinoa - thank you or your help.
The irony with the scare tactics surrounding a high protein/low carbohydrate diet is that from an evolutionary perspective such a diet enabled us to develop a large brain and become modern humans. It's probably only 'bad' for you if you already have a susceptibility to kidney problems. [And it's probably the extra 'fat' in some of those diets that puts pressure on say, a fatty liver.]
From the planet's perspective it might be totally unsustainable for the Earth's 7 billion inhabitants to have a that diet today. I think I'm lucky to have the choice.
Hi Jerry, Finally got round to trying quinoa. I put cucumber, carrot, onion,mint,parsley, salt and pepper in it and served it with ham salad. I did not put vinegar in it because that has barley in it. Neither my husband or I liked this at all. After a night in the fridge some of it was eaten inside a roll of ham which was not too bad. The rest of it was eaten with lamb steaks which was very successful. My husband refused to try the last tow meals! Did I read somewhere that quinoa can be added to stews?
Hi Kathleen
I agree with Jerry. There is no problem in giving prescribed breads and supermarket products a wide birth. Their ingredients are not always natural. If you need extra carbs you can turn to sweet potato, carrots, parsnips and plantain, butternut squash. You don't need bread, pasta etc.
I feel better when I don't eat potatoes, g/f bread, rice, g/f pasta as I have GI problems, maybe a leaky gut.
This is the diet I try to follow.
thepaleomom.com/the-paleo-a...
Kiki
Thank you Kiki
Thank goodness I have a husband who will enjoy looking for these unusual things for me!
The only thing I have to travel for is plantain. I go to my nearest cities Asian Supernarkets and get 3 for £1. This is what I do with them but you can use them to make crackers, tacos, etc
agirlworthsaving.net/2014/0...
I get all my recipes from an app called Pinterest.
Thank you Kiki
Hi Kikideelill, Well we have now tried all your suggestions. Plantain was the first and I served it with chicken, I liked it but my husband said he wanted custard on it! Sweet potato I thought was tasteless. Carrots we eat all the time so not new to us. Parsnips we know well but avoid on the advice of WeightWatchers, and butternut squash I thought was OK but again not my husband! I have eaten a lot less GF bread and more eggs, cold meat and cheese. Thanks for your help.
Sweet potato is lovely boiled until cooked but still firm, mash then add fried onions. Make into patties and fry. Delicious. You can add bacon too.
I agree with Jerry and Kiki, I never eat the ready made gluten free foods. Like you, I find that too many carbohydrates make me put on weight, so I stick to mostly veg and protein too. I've been doing this for at least 10 years with no health problems.
Protein in your diet may only be a concern for you if you already have kidney problems. Perhaps have a look at Low Carb diets, many recommend eating moderate protein and including natural fats with your meals.
Thank you Penel That is what I wanted to hear!
I have appt to see stomach chap in Sept and I know I have to eat Gluten again for biopsy. I know it's early days but so far over three weeks feel so much better.
What do you actually get on prescription. I am seriously thinking of just cutting out Gluten and bugger the prescriptions . I should think protein in the form of chicken should not be a problem. Having problems keeping weight off . Lost Two and half stone with WW. Need to lose more but concentrating on both a bit tricky.
corsal, Nowadays you don;t have to go own the biopsy route to be diagnosed as coeliac. The blood test will do if it shows high. Another cost cutting exercise.
That's a very interesting piece of information, Kathleen. Is it a new diagnostic guideline generally or is it a specific health area? And do you know what level is considered to be high? I'm very interested to hear. Hilary
Sorry I don't know if it is general all over the country. I was due to have biopsy etc but cancelled it and then when I next saw the gastroenterologist he said that he was happy to give the diagnosis and so the next step was to see the dietitian. Without going to check on my numbers I believe the coeliac number was 63. But after a year of gluten free in went down to 4. It was after that that I read that the biopsies were being stopped as a cost cutting exercise.
Thanks, that's interesting to know. It always seemed wrong to me to do invasive procedures (with possible serious side effects) to confirm what was already known, when it did not affect the 'treatment' in any way. If someone has high antibodies and feels loads better off gluten, why on earth should they be told to make themselves extremely ill by eating gluten prior to an invasive test just to satisfy a doctor's intellectual curiosity about the level of damage?
Don't eat fried chicken unless you make it yourself and add corn flakes instead of the traditional way of making the meal. Corn flakes are easier on the non-gluten eater. Real fried chicken can hurt/cause cramps for those who have a gluten issue. I never eat fried chicken outside of my house anymore unless I know that the places I go can do it with corn flakes for this main reason.
Wimbledon is over now and the winner is well known for his gluten intolerance (not coeliac disease). I remembered this article and the one in Men's health from a couple of years ago. It might help give you a insight into how someone like him manages to keep at optimum performance on a GF diet:
What alternative foods are there to eat other than cereal if your wheat intolerant?
NHS help for gluten free foods
Would you eat in a Certified \"Food Allergy Awareness\" Food service establishment
Food with high fat/oil content
Foods causing insomnia 
