Going gluten free... is it worth it?

Hi,

After months of thinking "am I or aren't I"? about allergies to wheat/gluten, I'm starting to think I must be as:-

a) every time I eat bread, literally 20mins later I severely bloat, have terrible gas (and sometimes diorreha (I can't spell, sorry!)

b) My stomach aches for the rest of the day after eating anything including wheat/gluten

c) I ate half a pack of Super Noodles for lunch about an hour and a half ago and I feel so full I feel like I'm gonna burst!

Can anyone with wheat/gluten allergies tell me if this is any of the symptoms they had, and also if they think cutting out wheat/gluten for a week or so will be beneficial to me?

Thanks in advance!

xo

I had major gastro issues a couple years ago and my doc thought I might have celiac.  The symptoms can vary - some people have none.  But diarrhea would be a very common symptom.  Frequent tooth decay, unexplained weight loss, iron or vitamin deficiencies, gas, bloating, blood in stool, etc. are other symptoms.

It'll take more than a week to really tell whether wheat/gluten is the issue.  Plan on 4-6 weeks of being gluten free to really tell if you have celiac disease (it takes that long for the intestines to heal).  If you're just gluten intolerant but don't have celiac, you may be able to tell a difference earlier.  And there are people who just have a wheat allergy but are okay with other gluten containing grains.

If you're going to go gluten free, there are plenty of gluten free products out there that are pretty good.  They're expensive and can be hard to find (local health food stores or big supermarkets probably have them) but they help ease the transition.  There are frozen gluten free breads (good for grilled sandwiches or toast, but not as regular bread), pastas (very good), crackers, etc. that are very tasty.  There are also cookies, cereals, snack bars, and other products available.

Make sure to steer clear of anything that lists malt, barley malt extract or soy sauce in the ingredient list.  These all contain gluten.  Some people lump oats in with the barley, rye and wheat that are typically included in the gluten list.  That's because most oats are processed on equipment that also processed other grains and there's some transference.  You can purchase gluten free oats that are processed in their own facility. 

I'd say it's definitely worth it.  My five weeks of being gluten free were eye opening for me.  It turns out I didn't have celiac, but I did start eating much healthier because the process of reading labels on everything made me realize just how much crap I was eating.  I also discovered that my acne clears up when I don't eat gluten, so I am apparently somewhat sensitive to it.  I still choose gluten free crackers over regular crackers and use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. 

I was placed on a gluten free diet by a doctor, and she said you need to go completely GF for at least two months for you to see all over the benefits. And if you accidentally eat some gluten, you have to start the count all over again.

For people with gluten sensitivity and / or celiac disease, it is 100% worth going gluten free. You are not getting any nutrition from products with gluten in them; a lot of folks who have gluten sensitivity and don't realise it until later in life have bone and other health problems because they were malnourished throughout their childhood (your body isn't absorbing the nutrients in whole grains.)

Feed your tummy good food! GF is hard at first, but nowadays with Whole Foods and similar stores you can find bread and pasta products without gluten. Also, you can still eat corn, quinoa, rice, potatoes and beans, so you can still eat a starch with your meals.

I did it for about 6 mo. It did help but was hard to find stuff when I was doing it. I noticed that they have glutten free cereal in the grocery and a whole section now. As mel said in the last post if you have something with glutten your starting over. It has to do with your intestines healing. If you have a glutten allergy and we continue to eat in we are doing more damage. There is a blood test that is available. I ended up with uclertive colitic it's like celiac but don't drop the weight . Had to take steroids for a while , not great for the diet. Take care and hope you figure it out. 

I've been gluten-free about 3 years.  It was a little hard at first, but once you get over the intial shock it becomes second nature.  I had some of the symptoms you describe, plus terrible migraines, and they all cleared up when I stopped eating gluten.

One of the main advantages is that you can't be tempted by convenience food.  You have to be a bit more deliberate about what you put in your mouth, and in the long run that will be the best thing that you can do for yourself.