Bragg's, anyone?

[KnottedYet]

Throw away the diet books.

Seriously.

Buy cookbooks instead.

Go to the library and check out every Moosewood cookbook you can find (especially the later ones which are lighter on the cheese). Also any Alice Waters cookbooks, and any cookbooks from Greens restaurant. Mollie Katzen's "Sunlight Cafe" is another good one.

Pack your own lunches, and only eat lunch out once every couple weeks.

Drink water when you are thirsty. Eat fruit or raw veges (good ol' carrot sticks and pickled olives are handy and easy to pack) when you need a snack.

Cut down on the sweetners and extra salt. (appetite stimulants) If you want a piece of chocolate, have a square of extra dark. Very satisfying and you won't be left craving more.

And get the blood test for celiac disease. (infertility, weight problems, pre-diabetic, endocrine issues

[Trek420]

Another great cookbook:

http://www.greensrestaurant.com/disp...?catid=7&pid=4

[arielmoon]

Throw away the diet books.

Seriously.

Buy cookbooks instead.

Go to the library and check out every Moosewood cookbook you can find (especially the later ones which are lighter on the cheese). Also any Alice Waters cookbooks, and any cookbooks from Greens restaurant. Mollie Katzen's "Sunlight Cafe" is another good one.

Pack your own lunches, and only eat lunch out once every couple weeks.

Drink water when you are thirsty. Eat fruit or raw veges (good ol' carrot sticks and pickled olives are handy and easy to pack) when you need a snack.

Cut down on the sweetners and extra salt. (appetite stimulants) If you want a piece of chocolate, have a square of extra dark. Very satisfying and you won't be left craving more.

And get the blood test for celiac disease. (infertility, weight problems, pre-diabetic, endocrine issues

This is the best advice I have seen in a long time!! This is exactly how I eat except that I am also vegan. The only other thing I would add is to avoid processed foods.

[Groundhog]

And get the blood test for celiac disease. (infertility, weight problems, pre-diabetic, endocrine issues

Knot, you are my hero!

Roxy, I haven't kicked my weight issues (yet!) but I cannot believe how much healthier I am since I was diagnosed with celiac and started eating gluten free.

And I frequent a celiac message board with tons of women who had infertility issues, PCOS, prediabetes, etc., and who are now much healthier.

Of course, not everyone will have celiac who has the symptoms that Knot lists above, but since celiac disease is so underdiagnosed, I like to help get the word out. Of the 100 people who have celiac, only THREE know that they have it.

Best of luck to you.

[channlluv]

Okay, I just pulled out a cookbook that a very fit marathoner/mud runner friend recommended to me a few months ago that I bought, but haven't used yet. It's from the Earthbound Farms people: Food to Live By. I'll try some of these recipes this next week and see how they go.

I looked at a site about celiac disease and the only weight problem they mention was losing it. I do have some of the other symptoms, but not that one. Can you have celiac and be 100 lbs overweight?

Roxy

[KnottedYet]

"I looked at a site about celiac disease and the only weight problem they mention was losing it. I do have some of the other symptoms, but not that one. Can you have celiac and be 100 lbs overweight?"

Yup.

Your body can't absorb the nutrients it needs while it is being ripped up by the whole gluten-thang. So it keeps telling you it is hungry, and you eat and eat and eat. Desperately trying to get minerals and vitamins, your body only manages to absorb a ton of calories and it's still starving!

A lot of folks with celiac will lose excess weight very quickly once they get the ALL the gluten out of their menus. Their intestine heals, and suddenly (within a couple weeks) they can absorb nutrients again. They aren't starving for trace elements any more, so they aren't as hungry. Some are still very difficult to absorb (vit D and vit B12 especially) but some over-the-counter supplements take care of that. (sometimes in massive doses, but that depends on what your doctor recommends)

[badger]

it's interesting you mention celiac disease and how so few people know they have it. I was at a party tonight and one of the women there was just diagnosed this February with celiac. How she went on for a few years without realizing she had it, and once she knows she feels SO much better.

One interesting thing she mentioned regarding celiac is how if one is predisposed but don't show symptoms, one of the triggers can be surgery. She had surgery on her ankle to repair a torn achilles tendon 4 years ago and she said that's when she started having problems.

Anyways, this is neither here nor there regarding ACV, which I also use as part of my simple salad dressing: my current oil (rice bran oil), ACV, and a sprinkle of raspberry balsalmic vinegar. Sometimes I'll also throw in a bit of Bubbie's Horseradish (OMG, so good!!)

[channlluv]

I also just ordered the Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam.

I looked at one of the Moosewood books. It seems pretty similar to the one I already have - Food to Live By - so I'm going to hold off on that for a bit.

I wish these books came with shopping lists.

I think I may try gluten-free just to see how it is. I found another thread about gluten free substitutes and it seems there are a lot of options out there for a sandwich lover.

I've got a follow-up appointment with my endocrinologist in September. I'll ask him to run the celiac blood test since he's already running a full panel of hormone tests.

Thank you for all the support and the wealth of information.

Roxy

[KnottedYet]

You must NOT change your diet before the blood test!!!!

If you stop eating gluten or decrease your usual gluten, you will have a negative test no matter if you have celiac or not.

The blood test ONLY picks up antibodies to gluten. You must be eating gluten for several weeks before and during the test in order for the antibodies to be produced. Some doctors recommend 6 slices of bread a day for 6 weeks before the test.

If you change your diet before the blood antibody test, then your only option is the DNA test, which is not covered by insurance and is a couple thousand dollars.

Please talk to your endocrinologist before you go eliminating any foods.

Plus, if you truly do a gluten-elimination diet, you must have guidance from a nutritionist for it to be effective. Gluten shows up in some bizarre places.

Please, do all the other things for a healthier pattern of eating that folks have suggested. All those great cookbooks, all those lovely fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

But don't mess with restrictive diets of any sort without a doctor's or nutritionist's guidance.

[Trek420]

Lots of good books out there of course and others here will chime in with faves I'm sure. Mollie Katzen, world class chef and the author of the Moosewood books is one of the handful of foodies credited with changing the way America eats (towards food that's made from food).

She's just come out with a book geared towards new cooks. I can't wait to read it:

http://www.molliekatzen.com/get_cooking_promo.php