Gluten free?

[rac88]

Hi I am looking to go gluten free since I have high thyroid antibodies, is this easy to do? Gluten is a big part of my diet. Thanks

[Peanut31]

Hi rac88

It's been just over 2 weeks since I started Gluten free due to Hashimoto's as per the advice on this forum to try gluten free.

I did it due to awful tummy cramps and being really bloated. It's has helped me so much, as I realised my diet was very heavily gluten based.

I still have bread, but, gluten free breakfast gluten free cornflakes or fruit.

I haven't found it difficult at all. Most supermarkets have a Free From section and also if you have time to look on the ingredients they are other things you can still have within the normal food shop range.

It's mainly bread, cakes, biscuits, some sauces, gravy etc that you have to be careful with and also chocolate bars.

Crisps I have seabrook or Pom bears, the bread I buy from Asda is Schar (ciabatta rolls).

it's also helped me maintain my weight, if there's nothing on the menu gluten free when I go out, I choose steak, no sauce with vegetables or salad, but there is lots of places that cater Gluten free.

I've also downloaded the app from CoeliacUK where you can scan the barcode whilst out grocery shopping and it shows a sad or smiley face if suitable for you to eat.

I've noticed that some of the gluten free food is higher in calories and have a higher sugar content, but,you just have to be careful with your choices.

Unfortunately, I've found the gluten free items are dearer.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[humanbean]

It can be a shock to the system. And sadly, many commercially produced substitutes for gluten-containing products don't taste that great. For example a lot of gluten-free bread tastes rather horrible.

Some people find that toasting gluten-free bread can help the taste issue. But to be honest, the best thing I've found is that I do better if I avoid grains as much as possible, rather than substituting with commercial gluten-free stuff. But this is a personal choice.

I used to eat breakfast cereal for breakfast. Now I eat bacon and eggs, or I'll eat scrambled eggs or poached eggs on gluten-free toast.

I eat avocados, full-fat natural yoghurt with fresh fruit, liver, meat, cheese, fish of all kinds, vegetables.

What you might find helpful is looking at low carb diets. I'm not using the word "diet" to imply anything low calorie or low fat.

lowcarbprogram.com/

dietdoctor.com/

realmealrevolution.com/

A word of warning...

Going gluten-free can cause withdrawal affects in many people. You can feel tired, bad-tempered, you can get headaches, feel like you've got flu, you might get constipated or get diarrhoea. It doesn't mean something has gone terribly wrong. It's just your body complaining about not getting a fix it has got used to getting daily, possibly several times a day. It should ease off after 1 - 2 weeks. Once it has eased off you can suddenly feel very much better. I got my first noticeable benefits about 5 days after giving up gluten.

[JadeJay]

I don't have any health conditions but I was experiencing some symptoms of IBS and had migraines a couple of years ago so I went gluten free and also dairy free. I also cut out all processed foods and soya. It can be hard at first but now it's easy and i enjoy food so much more than I ever did. I have no more IBS symptoms or migraines, I don't get that intense tiredness and fuzzy head I used to get which I know was from gluten. I cannot describe how amazing I feel and I look younger too! I don't eat any gluten free products, it's still junk and often has more sugar in it. I make everything myself. I eat mostly vegetables and lentils making easy curries and stir fries. I eat good quality meat a few times a week and fish once a week. I eat lots of good quality eggs. I make my own bone broth. I cook only with coconut oil and goose fat and use cold pressed olive oil raw on salads. For snacks I eat raw veg, mostly carrots, raw nuts,seeds and nut butters and fruit. I make my own flat bread using gram flour and flax seeds, chia seeds, water and coconut oil and frying lightly. I only drink organic decaf tea with almond milk in. I drink cashew milk and sometimes have almond milk yoghurts. Make sure nut milks have no other ingredients in. For sweet treats I make cakes using gluten free plain white flour and ground almonds half and half, coconut oil, and sweeten with either bananas, vanilla, date syrup or coconut sugar, you don't need much once you stop eating food high in sugar everything tastes sweet! The only grains I eat are rice and quinoa occasionally. I use lots of spices and herbs, garlic and sea salt for cooking, I use tumeric every day. As well as this I have magnesium chloride flakes in the bath and use diatomacaeous earth as a detox every so often. I also drink only bottled water no tap water. I made the changes gradually over a year cutting out one thing at a time and then if I had it again I could see and feel the difference, this was enough to make me do it completely. I would recommend joining the Arnica Uk support Facebook group as they have so much knowledge on there and many are doing the same thing.

[sja11]

Some people find it easy, I’ve found it harder than giving up smoking. When I smell fresh bread I want it so much I could cry. (I haven’t found a good bread alternative) But even if I have two days off gluten then cave in for a day, it still seems to really help. The more processed the gluten is the less it seems to effect me. Eg. Really rubbish white bread causes me less pain than lovely grainy brown bread.

It makes my thyroxine more effective and I’ve stopped getting stomach cramps (they made me feel as though I was hungry all the time) my joints don’t hurt any more, I have more energy and I’ve lost weight. I also seem to have less brain fog. All in all well worth it. Now I just need to develop more will power.

[ffranny in reply to sja11]

wow, good to hear your experience, more motivation to cut it out. I am hashi’s with thesame issues you describe here.

[ffranny]

what about using spelt flout to make your own bread? I am asking because I am hashis and am reducing gluten gradually, aiming to cut it out eventually. I would be ok if I could make my own gluten free bread I think!

My addiction is cups of tea, anyone suggesting that goes will plunge me into the doldrums!