No wheat or Dairy

[LBTC]

Hey, ACG!

Welcome to the gluten-free, dairy-free club! heh. Actually, there are a few of us on here who are in the same dietary boat, to various extents.

When I started this a year ago, it was painful - so difficult to make food, to choose food, to eat out in restaurants, etc. It has gotten a LOT easier! And now that I actually feel good, the diet doesn't seem so bad. In fact, I don't really miss bread at all, and there are lots of good options out there made from rice and lots of other grains.

As for energy bars: LARA bars, all the way! Lots of great flavours and none of the stuff you're supposed to avoid! There are a couple of other kinds, but they don't taste nearly as good: Maya, Simply 10 and I think Rebar would all be suitable. And elite electrolyte drops in water, not gatorade...

You can do this, and you might even like it (once you start feeling fabulous and you don't miss things so much).

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Mr. SR500]

I would get a second opinion before going on the recommendation of a Chiropracter. There are tests that can be done to tell you what may give you problems. I don't have anything against Chiropracters, but they often tend to broaden their scope without proper training.

I've be gluten free for about 20 years. I'm lucky as I can "cheat" a fair bit, but have done the whole spectrum from dapsone to steroid shots.

Some of the low-card bars might be ok, otherwise rice krispies and fruit snacks seems to work.

[Dogmama]

Why does this chiro want you wheat & dairy free? Did he run tests to determine if you are lactose or gluten intolerant?

[Xrayted]

Why does this chiro want you wheat & dairy free? Did he run tests to determine if you are lactose or gluten intolerant?

What she sed. Is there some reason? I'm not sure I understand where he's coming from. I love going to the chiro and have had many good results but, if they told me that without benefit of some tests, I'd have to tell them they are talking out their azz. That's way outside the scope of their practice unless they are also a naturopath or other specialty. Ask more questions and talk to your family practice doctor. Get tested.

As far as the suggestions, they are all good ones to avoid gluten and lactose while keeping you energized. Good luck.

[OakLeaf]

Really, a challenge diet is more accurate and more comprehensive than testing anyhow (not to mention it's free). Give it a try. Stay clean of wheat and dairy for at least four days. (To be more accurate, you'd have to eliminate all common allergens - corn and yeast are the other two really difficult ones, then there's also eggs, soy, chocolate, strawberries, peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish - but wheat and dairy is a start.)

Then reintroduce wheat. Eat your accustomed amount of wheat for two days and record your symptoms. If you start getting symptoms, eliminate wheat again for four days. Then reintroduce dairy and do the same. If you find that you felt better without them, there's your answer. The key is to stay clean for at least four days before you start the challenge.

The other thing is that people with run of the mill allergies can usually tolerate trace amounts of the offending substance, unlike people with anaphylactoid allergies and/or celiac. You may be able to simply eliminate products that list wheat or dairy as an ingredient, not worry about whether they're contaminated in processing.

PS have you ever tried any sea vegetables? Ever eaten maki sushi? Miso soup with wakame? Hijiki is popular these days in a lot of restaurants too. You've probably eaten them without knowing it

--Oak, sneaking off to gnaw on a plain sheet of nori, one of my guilty pleasures

[ACG]

Thanks for the replies. He is also into homeopathy. He is under the belief that we don't really need dairy, we get enough calcium thru other foods and that dairy/wheat make us get food allergies. I've had a nutritionist tell me this too. Actually a lot of people I know do this. I miss my yogurt and my tortillas and now my luna bars.

[tulip]

some people are sensitive to wheat and dairy, no doubt.

But remember that eating is also about pleasure, good whole food, and culture. I'd hate to miss out on all that. There's a thread (or two) here somewhere about Michael Pollan and getting healthy by eating real food, including meat, wheat, and dairy (if you don't have problems with them, of course). I don't buy the argument that dairy is bad across the board; same for wheat. But there are folks who just can't tolerate them.

Seaweed is great by the way. I like the kind that they sell in Japanese restaurants as seaweed salad. It's a great way to get trace minerals. It's delicious, and makes me feel clean!

[Jolt]

some people are sensitive to wheat and dairy, no doubt.

But remember that eating is also about pleasure, good whole food, and culture. I'd hate to miss out on all that. There's a thread (or two) here somewhere about Michael Pollan and getting healthy by eating real food, including meat, wheat, and dairy (if you don't have problems with them, of course). I don't buy the argument that dairy is bad across the board; same for wheat. But there are folks who just can't tolerate them.

What she said.

[Bron]

some people are sensitive to wheat and dairy, no doubt.

But remember that eating is also about pleasure, good whole food, and culture. I'd hate to miss out on all that. .

What she said!
Why remove loads of nice things from your diet if you aren't allergic/intolerant to them and replace them with the product of a chemical factory?

How about taking some real food with you when you ride? Last time I checked, bananas and raisins were wheat and dairy-free. You could also make sandwiches (with rye-bread?) or flapjacks.

[Grog]

Thanks for the replies. He is also into homeopathy. He is under the belief that we don't really need dairy, we get enough calcium thru other foods and that dairy/wheat make us get food allergies. I've had a nutritionist tell me this too. Actually a lot of people I know do this. I miss my yogurt and my tortillas and now my luna bars.

As a woman you need about 1200 mg of calcium a day.

A glass of milk is roughly 250-300 mg. A cup of broccoli is about 70 mg. There are better substitute sources, such as beans and soy products (which have their own problems that I worry about), but they are not so well integrated to the average North American diet. You can't just stop eating dairy and hope for the best.

I'm always wary of "experts" who have definite opinions on things and say stuff like "don't do this AT ALL", "don't eat ANY of this" or "eat ONLY that". A good diet is a balanced and varied one... and as the others mentioned it should also be one we enjoy enough to keep it going.

[Dogmama]

...and is the 70 mg cup of brocolli as easily assimilated as the milk? There are so many things to consider, like combining foods to enhance calcium absorption & what foods might block same.

I don't mess with 'dem bones. I want to be riding when I'm old & wrinkled & not have to worry about falling off & breaking a hip.

[OakLeaf]

As a woman you need about 1200 mg of calcium a day....I'm always wary of "experts" who have definite opinions on things ...

I'm also wary of experts funded by the dairy industry who tell me I "need" vastly more of a particular nutrient than my ancestors ever got.

Now, whether the nutritionists are correct - that the excess phosphorus and protein in an animal-based diet creates an artificial need for balancing calcium - I don't know. But I take it ALL with a grain of salt. (Including the recommendations for salt for athletes and nonathletes )