I have attempted to do this in a very hit and miss way many times but after reading so much info on gluten in relation to thyroid function have decided to embark on a six month experiment to see how it goes.
I have now been gluten free for a month and have seen marked improvement re: my lymphoedema which I had in both arms and legs. The improvement means I know longer need to wear compression garments and the carpel tunnel syndrome has vanished.
I can totally recommend fresh cream meringues and free from tiger rolls (both from Tesco)
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GosportNancy
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Beware of hidden gluten Read what is on the label - wheat has a hundred different names when the food industry is trying to hide a cheap thickening ingredient.
I've was mostly Vegan for 9-10 years, which just made me feel worse, due to soya consumption. Gluten free seems the way forward, but I know it will be hard!
I went totally GF last September. I joined Coeliac UK and got their 'bible' - basically an enormous list of foods and ingredients that are GF. Like Marz says, you have to read the list of ingredients on the packet - I couldn't believe that M&S actually have wheat in one of their packets of unsalted nuts - so you have to read everything on every label.
I cook from scratch which makes it easier. At the same time as I went GF I also gave up snacking and fizzy drinks - even diet ones. We eat out quite a lot and there are lots of places now that cater for GF diets.
I went GF to try and reduce my thyroid and any other antibodies, I have several auroimmune conditions, and my thyroid antibodies have come down steadily since I started so I'm really pleased I have done it.
I have to say I would love a huge thick slice of really good solid wholemeal bread with lots of butter and some Bonne Maman raspberry conserve on top - or a nice fluffy fruit scone from my local garden centre but it is not worth doing that, I no longer eat grain based foods anyway - even the so called 'good grains' and not even GF ones because they spike my blood sugar. If you miss bread the best one I found (before I discovered it spiked my blood) was Schar, they do a white loaf and a sort of brown / grain one and they taste more like normal bread than any of the others I have tried which vary from being not very nice to just horrible, the Schar bread isn't cheap but it tastes like real bread.
I eat few gluten free products now, it's the occasional thing I have out, that's the issue. Gluten free bread substitutes are disgusting, & I dislike spelt pasta, so I'll be living without those. I eat clean food, so I don't need to check labels for additives, & already use oats or buckwheat for cooking, rather than wheat flour.
Have you tried the new soar dough gluten free bread from m&s. Prices for their bread have been reduced. This is delicious. Especially toasted , lovely and crispy and soft on the inside.
The only hunting around you'll need to do is for gluten free substitutes and they are widely available now. All fruit, vegetables, salad foods, dairy produce, eggs and rice are all gluten free as are all fresh meats and fish.
My favourite staples are cheesy mash or baked spuds with baked beans...also gluten free pasta with Chicken Tonight creamy mushroom sauce and some chopped up chicken I found in the fridge (breakfast this morning)
My other half nipped out to lunch with his 2 daughters to Morrison's recently and brought me home some yummy chocolate orange wafers
Great to hear that going GF is paying off GosportNancy. Know what you mean about meringues.
I don't eat them often because I'm trying to keep my blood sugar level down even though a bit if meringue and cream doesn't seem to cause a spike but a meringue is a good standby if you want to join cake eating friends. Haven't tried the Tiger rolls.
Tescos are actually amazing for GF food. I especially noticed how much they had available at Christmas last year. GF food tends to be expensive but at least there you get a good selection, they also produce lots of foods that aren't labelled GF but that don't have gluten in them, so I look at the labels in absolutely everything - I've heard that Sainsbury's, Mortisons and and Asda offer a good selection but my nearest stores are Tesco or Waitrose and I find Waitrose really poor - or the ones near me are.
Have a look on the HU Glutenfree Guerillas site, it's good too.
My Hashimotos really responded when I went totally grain free (it's not just the gluten that's the problem) and dairy free. I also cut sugar and alcohol. No more swelling, inflammation, migraines or insomnia.
Oh, yay! Never heard of free from Tiger rolls - thanks (but not from my hips!) What I've noticed is not too much from not eating wheat, but the most agonising pain in my joints when I slip.
Must check it out but I'm also on LCHF - I've just reversed my T2 diabetes with a LCHF diet so I get my carbs from sources other than grains. Unfortunately I only need to look at grain based foods to spike my blood. I could probably manage the odd stone every now and again though
I suffer from colitis and I have found going gluten free has helped a lot. You have to check out everything you eat, found out paracetamol has maize syrup in it which is not good for me, as corn is one of the things I cannot eat. Marks and Spencer have a good range of Gluten free foods.
Hi Elwins, just wondered how you found out you had a maize/corn problem? Did you have a test? I have Crohn's and Hashimotos just started going GF. Wondering if mine might be corn related, and trying to digest all the info (sorry about the pun!) x
I found out by paying to see a food therapist who did allergy testing for me, wheat, corn, soya came up as things to avoid. But maize syrup is often used as a filler in tablets, but going wheat free has certainly helped my colitis, it is hard to start with but well worth it if it helps, best of luck in sorting things out
Thank you I am going to find one and get tested. Are you able to tolerate your levo because of your allergy? I am currently on levo and trying desperately hard to bring the antibodies down with the GF early days yet but all the info in here and the help is a god send.
I've recently started my gluten free journey and find shopping every 3 days so I can plan what we are eating and buy fresh is really helpful if not time consuming. I'm sure it will get easier. Have the whole family on the same foods as I don't think it will last if I keep making separate meals. Have had no complaints at all..yet! I have found Nosh cookbook invaluable. Would love to swap recipes if anyone is interested😀
i went gluten free on 29th July i had some gluten free products from ASDA for my Grandson we dont like their bread but the gf bread from Lidil i love i was never a big bread eater i am now eating more so it made me wonder was my body telling me something!!!! i am still craving sugar ++ so was trying to suck on butterscotch sweets to kill craving now discovered they contain soya writing was that small i didn't see it but so far so good
I have been gf since january and my antibodies still high and fluctuate every month :(. Been dairy free also for around a month now. I have hashis and high cortisol probs
I'd keep going for a bit longer if I were you. Might be worth double checking everything you buy too, just to be sure that nothing you don't want to be eating hasn't 'sneaked in'.
I very rarely eat grain based products because it raises my blood sugar so that might also be a factor that is helping lower my antibodies.
"Antibodies are such a pain aren't they!".....yeah....I picked up every bug in town last year and had viral symptoms constantly for the best part of the year and my heart wasn't at all happy being attacked by my immune system doing what it does each time. My immune system has always been on the blink ...I had rubella several times (and when I was pregnant) despite having the vaccine as a child
No fun being someone that antibodies love is it. I often wonder why some people (me included) seem to get so many autoimmune conditions while other people don't seem to get them at all and yet I was always a very healthy child. Very annoying really.
Isabel's free from range has a good range of foods that are natural and tasty. Can order online. Also found that Genius brand bread is better than most though still best toasted. Yet to find a good gf wrap.
When I switched from wheat to spelt my total cholesterol was 244, triglycerides 148 and I was taking 110 mcg of levothyroxin. My a1c was 5.8 and my TSH was .01. My Dr changed my levothyroxin to 100 mcg. I eliminated the wheat because of the a1c.
In three months my cholesterol was 219, my triglycerides were 113 my TSH was still .018 and my a1c was 5.7. My Dr switched me to 88 mcg levothyroxin.
Three months later my cholesterol was 206, triglycerides 115 , TSH .07. Did not measure my a1c. My Dr switched me to 75 mcg levothyroxin. This is the lowest cholesterol level of my adult life.
I gave up spelt and gluten entirely after this last test to see if for the first time ever I can get my cholesterol below 200. I have never taken cholesterol medicine. I am 72 and I will never eat wheat again.
Hi I was diagnosed as a celiac 3yrs ago but was also diagnosed with lymphedema yesterday after under going a double mastectomy for breast cancer 😕 being gluten free has not helped in my case but I'm glad it is working for you, as relief from any source is a great thing and gf food has become more widely available in the last year xx
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Read what is on the label - wheat has a hundred different names when the food industry is trying to hide a cheap thickening ingredient.
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