WWoTE (Wise Women of TE)

[bentforlife]

I'll second the question about beans, legumes and even peas. Those might not cause as much reaction since they are high in fiber as well. There is also a grass called Spelt. It is an old Egyptian grass they used instead of wheat. If you google it you'll find several sites. One makes bread, pasta, etc from the spelt. It may be worth a try. I have a teacher at my school who is allergic to wheat but can eat this. It's pricey but she says it's worth it.

Donna

Try this site. www.purityfoods.com

[CorsairMac]

Yes I can eat legumes but only 1/2 a serving size coz it seems to cause problems also: either the sleepies and/or acid reflux. and Nut - your friends diet and mine are the same.

I did find a sports nutritionist (thanks for the suggestion SK) who said while veggies are a complex carbs, it wasn't enough to support my activity level. He recommended I try gluten-free grains like:
Amaranth, Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat and Rice.
So this morning for breakfast I had some rice. I"m in the waiting stage right now to see if I get any reaction from it.

As for fruit, I have to be careful with that also. The higher the sugar content of the fruit - like dates - the worse the reaction.

[LBTC]

wow, corsair! this is wicked stuff you have to deal with!! I see others have asked about beans and legumes, and quinoa....I haven't seen mention of kamut yet. No, I have no idea what it is but my gluten intolerant friends cook with it.

Is there anything in the cocoa family that could help with the carbs? I've found a number of chocolate bars that are gluten and dairy free, good hardy dark chocolate, mostly made of chocolate liquor (not alcohol)...

just grasping, here...

I can't imagine a riding life without potatoes! or enjoyable eating without chickpeas! humous anyone?

good luck!!

~T~

[nuthatch]

Ah, humus, the food of the gods!!! Well, the garlic gods anyway. Corsair, buckwheat is mighty good eatin' - hope you can work it into your diet. Why, give us a chance and we'll come up with a Cavewoman Cookbook for you! Once you've got all the right stuff figured out, give us a list and we'll come up with the recipes. You never know what strange culinary "dark alleys" we grew up eating in!!

[CorsairMac]

I switched over to gluten-free grains last Thurs and have had no problems since. LBTC: according to my whole grains guide Kamut isn't gluten-free so I'm staying away from it. It says Spelt can be tolerated except by highly-sensitive individuals so with my track record I'm staying away from that one too. Right now I"m eating all types of rice, buckwheat (which was so stimulating I was up all night - might be a good breakfast food! ) millet, and quinoa. I even found Rice Tortillas so I can have tortillas for lunch. I'm going to try making some Moose Goo tomorrow using Teff Flour, agave honey and sunflower seed butter and see how that works out.

Thanks everyone for your advice, help, support and just overall being there.

[SadieKate]

Cool! Very good news!

[oroight]

CorsairMac sorry to hear about you dietry woes,,you can't eat corn either canyou?
spelt(dinkel or german wheat) is not gluten free.Becareful to check label for g/f ingrediants in your tortilla etc .Sounds like you have sensible and variable diet,that include lots o fiber while you chase up your carbs.Basmati is a good low gi rice. Steamed rice with yoghurt,sultanas and sprinkle of G/f museli isa good start to the day... My friend whom lives in states brought back some g/f quinoa to aust and made a yummy american indian dish.Amaranth and quinoa both amazing foods from the americas.
p.s You may want to think about getting tested now if your going g/f from now on ,as, if you want to get tested later you may have to go on an unpleasant gluten challenge (and all the good work gets ruined) and you suffer too. good luck

[pkq]

I've heard that eating protein first then carbs helps prevent the sugar drop, i.e., sleepies. Supposedly the protein slows the absorption of the carbs and their breakdown to glucose. If you haven't tried it, it might be worth a try.

[CorsairMac]

I've heard that eating protein first then carbs helps prevent the sugar drop, i.e., sleepies. Supposedly the protein slows the absorption of the carbs and their breakdown to glucose. If you haven't tried it, it might be worth a try.

I had never heard that but switching to gluten-free foods has made a HUGE difference in my life! I had even forgotten about this thread since I've been doing so much better. For my cenutry Sat I just took some rice cakes with PB and rode all 109 miles just fine. I've actually gone the Other way now: I don't get hungry between meals anymore and I'm wide awake at 10-11-12 at night!! wheeeeeeeeee I have so much energy (guess I need to go out and ride!)
There were other issues besides just the sleepies - stomache issues that lead me to believe I may be in the same group as tlks friend, the sypmtoms aren't acute enough to scream "celiac" even though that may be what it is.

[DirtDiva]

Well, I'm glad to hear you're doing a whole lot better in the food and energy department - I was just wondering about it the other day. If you ever want to get tested for Coeliacs you will have to go back on the gluten for a bit.

[bouncybouncy]

a good periodical to look into...lots of ideas, recipes, tips, and stories

http://livingwithout.com/

[RedCanny]

I had never heard that but switching to gluten-free foods has made a HUGE difference in my life! ....

CMac, it's great to hear that this is working for you. I have a few friends who do have Celiac's disease, and it's a pretty serious health issue for them. Before Jenny was diagnosed, she pretty much metabolized NOTHING that she ate. Couldn't keep weight on, at all. On a gluten-free diet she does quite well.

It doesn't sound like your gluten problem is so severe, but it does certainly affect your well-being. Have you ever read about the blood-type diet? Heck, you may even be following it, unknowingly. Here's the website:
http://www.dadamo.com/
...but the book, Eat Right for Your Type by Peter D'Adamo, is far better reading. I'm pretty sure that, per this diet, for most blood types, wheat gluten ranks as a non-beneficial nutrient, or as an even harmful "nutrient".

I had a massage therapist recommend that I try it (something about my joints just not loosening up the way they should, over several months?) a few years ago. I tried it for 2 weeks, lost a few pounds and generally felt a bit more alert than before, perhaps even a bit more limber. Aside from cutting corn, wheat, oats, and a few dairy items from my diet, it wasn't too hard of a diet to try. I started taking a mineral supplement, to get the calcium I wasn't getting in milk, but aside from that, I was pretty sure that I was still getting my needed nutrients.

Meanwhile I sent the book to my dad the cardiologist, who found huge gaps in D'Adamo's research & so advised me to toss the diet as bunk (thus we witness the western vs. non-western medicine battlefield). I'm a doctor's kid, one not schooled in medicine or nutrition, and didn't see a huge benefit, so I dropped it. [And, well, beer is hard to totally give up]. However, I continue to take the multi-mineral supplement, which really does seem to help my muscles relax and recover.

Honestly, though, even if the research is hinky, D'Adamo's argument that each of us needs a slightly (or largely) different set of nutrients, seems quite sound, and worth a shot. Western medicine needs to play nicer with nutrition. I may give the diet another shot, just to see what happens. These joints aren't getting any younger...

Anyway... just my few-cents worth on a gluten-free diet. Good luck!

[wabisabi]

I also have a type of celiac disease, called microscopic colitis, and avoid gluten, which is hard, it is in so many things, one needs to read labels carefully. I also can't do most grains, even potatoes. There are a number of gluten free products out there--pancake mix, even brownie mix , although they often contain other grains, so important to read the label. I was a vegan for many years, but now can't eat soy or grains, so it is pretty much veggies, fruit and meats. Coincidentially, this is the kind of "hunter-gatherer" diet that the eat for your blood type folks recommend for my O blood type. I also found the whole premise of it pretty questionable, but this is how I do best eating. Generally, people with this need to be careful about many of the things in cycling supplements--bars, drinks. Sometimes I just decide to use them and take the consequences for a day or so.