Gluten Free Ladies

exbrnxgrl

This is a bit late but here in CA we can easily get raw, unpasteurized almonds. Many Middle Eastern stores even sell fresh young almonds in their green pod. They are so young that they are soft. Here is a link to a site that sells unpasteurized almond from CA:

http://www.homegrownalmonds.com/natural-raw-almonds.html

Caryn

exbrnxgrl

Here's a link to a the site of a northern CA farmers market that has a picture of a fresh green almond

http://thesantarosafarmersmarket.com/2012/04/fresh-green-almonds-you-can-bet-you-can-eat-the-whole-thing/

I had never seen one until the parents of one of my students, originally from Iran, brought me some.

I am not gluten free BTW but one of my dd's has Celiac's so I'm always interested in gluten free living.

Kaara

I was on a gluten free diet for months after my breast surgery and felt wonderful...even lost some of that dreaded weight around my middle.  

I'm now experimenting with going off the gluten diet and find that I get intestinal distress more often than before...bloating and gas.  I haven't gained much weight back, but the diet definitely makes me feel better.

dlb823

I thought this chart might interest anyone thinking about eliminating gluten or at least wheat from their diet:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9188/84-signs-you-have-celiac-disease-infographic.html

Kaara

After a month on vacation and experimenting with going off the gluten free diet, I am gladly ready to go back to basics with it.  I gained 8 pounds, most of it belly fat, so I am convinced that it is a diet to follow if you want to keep those pounds off your middle.

I also just read an article in Life Extension that promotes the diet of low starch veggies and protein and a means of starving cancer cells.  I was on that religiously for a year after my dx, so hopefully it had some effect.

akmom

Thanks for the update, Kaara. Do you have Celiac disease, or are you gluten intolerant? I've been diagnosed with Celiac and have been off gluten for over 6 months now, but still have the belly fat, bloating, gas, etc. Now starting to wonder if it's lactose intolerance on top of everything else...

zogo

Today is a big milestone for me.  It is officially *2 years* since I started eating low carb.  Yep, June 20, 2011. I feel so much better and have lost almost 30 lbs.  There is now virtually no situation I get put in  where I can't find something low carb to eat or drink.

Kaara

zogo:  Good for you!  It's very easy to eat low carb, just cut out the flour, sugar, white rice and pasta.  Actually I love brown rice and gluten free pasta so I have no problem.  Most restaurants now have gluten free menus if you ask.

akmom:  To answer your question, no I don't have celiac disease, just decided for health reasons to cut gluten out of my diet.  If you continue to have gas and bloating try eliminating dairy products and go with almond milk as a substitute.  Also, try taking a probiotic daily...it works well.

zogo

Kaara, yes it is somewhat easier to eat out these days. But, you have to be very careful of the "gluten free" items. Dr William Davis says most of them are worse on the glycemic index than the gluten itself would be! I usually order a sandwich or burger w/o the bun and a salad on the side. And I've got a whole bunch of low carb beverages that fill the bill. In fact, now that it feels like summer is actually here, I think I'll pick some mint and make a LC mojito 

Kaara

Love mojito's!  Do you make them with Splenda?  My SO and I just had a huge debate about the obesity issue.  I said that if we are going to define obesity as a disease and pay for treatment, we could start by eliminating the high fructose sugar content in foods that we buy, because it is a high contributor to weight gain.  People eat these foods without realizing that they contain these ingredients.  He doesn't want anyone telling him what he can and cannot eat...yadda...yadda.  Try as I might I couldn't get the point across that his decision making is being compromised by the very fact that this is added to our foods without our consent, and has no nutritonal value whatsoever.  The only benefit is that it extends the shelf life of the food.  He could care less, and I think that is the feeling of many.  

gardengumby

Big business will never willingly remove anything from our foods that will enhance people's decision to buy.  People are addicted to sugar - so businesses put sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) in just about everything.  You have to make a conscious effort to not ingest the stuff.  For business it's all about the bottom line - it has nothing to do with the fact that they are contributing to disease.  Granted, people should take control of what they put in their bodies, but too many people don't really care.  They don't want the government to control what they eat (totally understandable) but they are quite alright with letting big business control what they eat (which makes no sense).  I'm beginning to be of the opinion that business who foster ill health should be held accountable somehow - I just don't know how.....

Ginger48

Akmom- I can't remember where I read it but sometimes people with celiac who did not know it and had been eating gluten have damaged the enzymes needed to digest dairy. I think the damage is temporary and sometimes goes away over time.

akmom

Thanks Ginger, I have heard the same. Will be seeing a gastroenterologist in a couple of weeks and expect he will advise going off dairy for a while. I'll try anything at this point!

dlb823

I don't know if anyone has posted this sort of information here yet, but I was surprised recently to learn some of the hidden sources of gluten.  Of course, unless you're a true celiac, the amount of gluten in some mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, imitation crab, etc., may not bother you.  But now that I know I'm highly wheat intolerant, I'm sure some of these have been the culprit in the IBS flares that have greatly improved with eliminating wheat from my diet.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7731/11-hidden-sources-of-gluten.html

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-10248/10-unexpected-places-gluten-lurks.html 

http://ultimateglutenfree.com/sources-hidden-gluten-non-food-products/         

dlb823

One more article worth sharing:   http://www.glutenfreeschool.com/2013/05/20/ultimate-guide-to-understanding-gluten-free-labeling/

zogo

A new study shows a ketogenic diet kills cancer cells! Another reason to go low carb. http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/one-healthy-day-at-a-time/entry/ketogenic-diet-effective-against-metastatic-cancer

wintersocks

Hello Ladies,

Popping in from the UK, I am a diagnosed Coeliac (15yrs). Get very ill if I get the stuff.

Still have gas/bloating/cramps/dihorrea/constipation - and my weight has gone up.

I'm after dairy as the culprit.

Ginger48 - You are quite right about the enzyme in lactose intolerance. Sometimes it is never fully recovered.

Ginger48

Yes, I think dairy is my culprit too. Having a very hard time cutting it out during "ice cream season"!

gardengumby

time for sorbet!!!!

I almost never drink coffee anymore 'cuz I don't like it without milk - pretty much an ice tea only lady now.  What I really miss is cheese!!