Doing the GFCF thing...

[alexis_the_tiny]

After my doctor told me I might have IBS a couple of months back, I've noticed the symptoms - bloating, constipation, stomach cramps, turning up more regularly. I've decided it might be worth taking a note or two from Dr. Google and giving the GFCF diet a whirl before I go back and demand for tests for gluten sensitivity since I already know I'm sensitive to casein. So far, its going like he**. I hate the diet, majority of what I eat is wheat and switching over to rice and potatoes for carbs is killing me. I'm hungry ALL the time but after a few days of cold turkeying from gluten, if I so much as eat a slice of bread I get whopped with a migraine. Casein-free isn't so bad because I love nut milk and I've done it before as a teenager. But no bread or pasta is making me murderous. The scarier part is, I have noticed that I'm more regular and there's less bloating as long as I don't touch anything with gluten in it. How does anyone survive on this diet? And does the perpetual hunger EVER go away??

[OakLeaf]

When I was (1) racing and (2) sticking closely to my diet, which wasn't low carb by design but was by default, I was perpetually hungry. I forget if you race? There are a couple of threads here about low carb cycling, including a few racers.

But gluten free doesn't have to be low carb if you don't want it to be. Basically it just means less processed foods, and that's always a good thing! If you do get a hankering for pasta, Tinkyada rice pasta has the best texture of anything I've tried.

[GLC1968]

I've recently given up all grains and I don't find that I'm hungry at all. Are you getting enough good fat in your diet? Can you eat legumes because they can be very filling. I'm not even eating rice or oats or legumes and it's been fine. Tons of veggies, the occasional potato, fruit, some nuts, meat and raw dairy. So far, so good!

I would make sure you are 1) getting enough good fat, 2) getting enough protein (are you vegetarian?) and 3) timing your intake correctly for your activity.

Good luck!

PS - I don't have IBS, but I'm WAY more regular and feel significantly better now that I've eliminated grains (and it's only been 2 weeks).

[Caddy]

How long have you been on the diet? It takes at least 2 weeks for most people to switch to a radically different food composition.

I was fairly murderous for a while when I stopped eating processed food.

[Chile Pepper]

I avoid wheat as much as I can. I find that I am sensitive to wheat, but other grains don't bother me as much. I mostly serve rice with dinner, but I do vary that a bit--and I still sometimes serve pasta and so forth to my kids and DH. Mostly, though, I aim for a low-carb diet that includes a lot of fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, and some form of animal protein with dinner (just one serving, though--I don't replace the carbs with protein). For between-meal snacks, I like carrot sticks and palm hearts if I just want to eat, or nuts/peanut butter if I'm really hungry (or sometimes a hard-boiled egg).

It does take a couple of weeks to break the wheat "addiction." If you stick with it, you should find that you don't crave the wheat as much. Good luck. It really can make a huge difference in how you feel.

[KnottedYet]

You cannot be tested for celiac disease or gluten intolerance AFTER switching to a GF diet.

[crazycanuck]

Mee too.. I'll send you some food links on facebook

[KnottedYet]

Recipes from the "Paleo diet" meet gfcf needs, too.

Really, there's more food out there that IS gfcf than ISN'T.

Move the focus to unprocessed foods and suddenly you are faced with a cornucopia! Fruits, veges, meats, beans, rice... yum!

I've been gf for about 10 years. It's easier than you think once you look outside the (Kraft Dinner) box.

Alexis: of course you are hungry right now. Eat lots! Your body has been starving as it couldn't absorb nutrients through your damaged intestines. Suddenly the irritant is gone and they function again, so your body is like the starving man let into the banquet - stuffing in all the food it can get! It will slow down. Don't focus on what you can't eat, focus on what you can eat. Corn tortillas. Udi's gf baked goods. Cravings Place and Pamela's baking mixes. And an entire universe of food in its whole and nearly natural state.

[OakLeaf]

It's probably best for me that so many GF processed foods are based on corn .... which I react to worse than I do wheat. Try avoiding corn and corn byproducts some time.

[KnottedYet]

Tonight's dinner: Gluten free, Casein free, and Corn free

Pork chops (cooked in olive oil, salt, pepper
Mashed potatoes (olive oil, salt, pepper, soymilk)
Arugula salad (nothing but fresh arugula)

Drink: Hard cider

Dessert: fresh figs and coconut sorbet

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ETA: S'Knot and I are both full and neither of us feels deprived. Plus I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow at work!

[alexis_the_tiny]

You cannot be tested for celiac disease or gluten intolerance AFTER switching to a GF diet.

Yep, definitely, but Celiac disease isn't very common here and no one else in my family has it so I'm not worrying abt it. My idea is to eliminate gluten and casein from my diet for a few months then reintroduce it and see what happens. This way, I have a basis for asking my doctor to test for food sensitivities. I don't know why but my doctor here was quite resistant to the idea of food sensitivities, I had to burst out into hives before he would even breathe the words 'dairy intolerance'.

I've been on this for almost a week now. The trouble is that wheat-based foods are so safe texture and taste wise, so picky eater that I am, I tend to gravitate towards them. I just had no idea how huge a crutch it's become. Its time to start expanding my range of 'safe' foods now.