gluten problem maybe

[Jeannine]

My Dr told me yesterday he thinks I may a gluten problem and he wants me to try the diet for a month to see if it makes a diffence, then go back to normal diet and see if things worsen, if so he will send me to a specialist.

I have a few cook books as I used to cook for a neighbour that had it,, but basically just how careful should I need to be. I have herad about using 2 toasters to avoid contamination, can't use malt vinegar etc

I bought three breads to do a taste test on. one was a seeded one and one  had a cakelike texture, the first white was cakelike too and awful , the third one was more like regular bread and I could deal with that one.

Any basic help would be appreciated. I make everything pretty much from scratch so am not concerned about packaged foods except basics like pasta and bread.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[Melbourne12]

Presumably your gluten intolerance (if that's what it turns out to be) is a fairly mild one, otherwise the doctor wouldn't have suggested such an experiment.

I suggest making some low gluten rather than gluten-free breads.  Maybe try a soda bread made partly with spelt and/or rye flours, or a yeasted bread made with cornflour.

I find it difficult to believe that anyone could be so allergic to gluten (or any other wheat protein) that cross-contamination in a toaster would be a problem.  And you'd need to be severely allergic for malt vinegar to be a problem!

[Chrispy]

I don't know if gluten can cause anaphylaxis, but that is the only case that would cause such measures such as 2 toasters.

As you did not get rushed to hospital in an ambulance, I think you can rule that out.

The gluten free breads you can buy are both expensive and  not very nice, but making your own is very easy and a lot tastier.

[Digeroo]

I gave up on Wheat about 1985, not a gluten problem but for me it is the wheat germ.  I also do not have fungus either, so no yeast alcohol or vinegar etc.  While my daughter gave it up in 1978 so I am very into wheat/gluten free.   After a while you just get used to it.   The best bit is you can have as many pumpkins squashes and zucchinis as you like.

I gave up on bread altogether.  I cannot even have the gluten free wheat and do not eat yeast.  So no problem with the toaster.  Though occasionally my husband cooks a slice and the smell is really lovely.  I also miss Yorkshire Pudding.   

One problem is the butter knife and not getting crumbs in the butter or jam.  The other problem is labelling because you get used to something and they change the recipe.   Also they have started saying there might be gluten in a large number of things just in case.

Difficult to say about how careful you need to be that can be very individual.   I have a friend who becomes very ill with tiny amounts of gluten.  While my daughter is so allergic to wheat germ that when she used some shampoo containing it she looked as if she had been burned: she had blisters everywhere it had touched.  I do not know how much is in a squeeze of shampoo but I would not expect it to be very much.  While other people seem to be able to cope with the odd mistake.  Personally I aim for zero wheat I cannot even touch it or walk through a field of it without problems.   I even wear plastic gloves to roll pastry.

Eating out can be a bit of a nightmare.   And friends find it difficult to cater for.   

And chips send me mad there is a habit nowadays to put a crispy coating on them so they are not long just potato and cooking oil.   You have to feel them if they are smooth they are ok but if they are rough to the touch they need to be avoided.  I wish they would change the wording and use 'chips' for just fried potatoes and 'fries' for anything else.

A lot of what we eat at home is wheat free.  I rarely eat a readymeal.

Are you ok with Cornflour and rice?  There was a great recipe site call Recipezaar it is now called Recipe.com and you can find loads of gluten free recipes, I do not find it as easy to use as before.

http://www.food.com/recipes/gluten-free

Buckwheat is no relation of wheat so if you like the taste that can be very useful, makes nice pancakes..   

As for starting the gluten again in a month I find that a rather odd concept.  If you are coeliac would be better to test for it before you give it up.  If not if you feel better without the gluten, not sure I would want to bring it back.  Once I had left out wheat it was not coming back.

[Obelixx]

It's easiest just to avoid anything with wheat so give up pasta and cook rice instead.  If you must have noodles, buy Chinese rice or bean based noodles.   You can eat sweetcorn so make corn bread.   

We don't have a gluten problem but we very rarely eat bread and when we do it's likely to be home made using spelt flour which makes great soda bread too.   Buckwheat pancakes are very tasty too.

Check out this site which gives some info and also recipes - http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/spotlight-gluten-free

[Jeannine]

Thank you all, I really appreciate the help, I am clearly not close to death but having some difficult fairly newish problems that my Dr can't seem to fix..we are going this route because at this point I won't see another specialist..I have been raked over the coals too much over the last few years. My Dr is pretty good with me and knows I won't go...yet... I just have too much on.. daft maybe, but the thought is just too much and Jonathon (my Dr) is really trying to help me . Personally I don't think it will make any difference as I feel it would have shown up before now.

Anyway I did agree to the gluten free thing, so am gearing up to starting it next week or so.

The net is helpful to a point but a bit scaremongery too... the toasters for example and the shampoo.

I am a bit confused about oats, as I see it, they are OK but the net warn against them as they can't be guaranteed safe as the mils process wheat too..

So if I cut out all wheat, rye, barley, forget about the malt in vinegar, the shampoo and the toaster, should that be enough. I always use a fresh knife fro butter anyway and never out the knife in the jam LOL so am OK with that one. I don't buy frozen chips, can  use cornflour for thickening things instead of flour.. I shall miss barley though!!

Oh eck, I really don't need this right now!!

May I come back to you all with specifics if I need to?

XX Jeannine

[goodlife]

There is some suggestion with medical research that if one is become sensitive to gluten, it can cause various physical problem, like joint pain. This totally different thing than being coeliac. I was looking into this stuff in web just other week for my mother....is this what your doctor is thinking of Jeanine?
What I understood from reading various sources..drastic reduction to the point gluten free diet would reduce the inflammation of the joints and within few weeks various aggravated conditions in body should drastically reduce...and suggestion was that just reducing amount of gluten in one's diet would not help as the constant small amounts would 'feed' the inflammation/reaction.
There was also suggestion on one site that using different kinds of 'friendly' bacteria supplements (not the yogurt sort but in strong capsule sources) will help stomach to deal with gluten.
My mother suffers with joint pain on knees without any particular medical reason..well not the usual ones and she has been suggested that gluten might be the reason, particularly as her diet is VERY wheat and rye based.
She is now started to take all the different 'bacteria' to see if it will ease the symptoms with reduction of gluten in her diet...going gluten free is too drastic step for her....for now.

[Jeannine]

No, the joint pain is always there anyway but it is digestive stuff, abdominal cramps, runs, then the opposite and sometimes at the same time, skin rashes and it doesn't matter were they show up, there are always  symmetrical plus a few other bits and bobs...

I am not a big wheat eater by the way, I don't eat cereal, bread maybe tow or three times a week, rarely eat cookies or cakes etc. I do eat pasta though.

XX Jeannine

[Duke Ellington]

I was having awful abdominal cramps with extreme bloating so decided to give up wheat Aug this year. Within a week the cramps stopped! If I have a meal containing wheat now I really do suffer:(. I feel really good without the wheat. I sleep really well and have loads more energy. The sluggishness has gone especially that afternoon slump. There is a really interesting book WHEAT BELLY by William Davis it gives a lot of interesting information.

[Fork]

Sorry to read that you may have an intolerance to gluten and hope that after you had had tests,you dont have coeliac desease.

Even a simple thing like eating a jacket potato in a cafe with cheese can cause problems unless the cafe grate their cheese themselves...the pre packed stuff mostly comes with a dusting of flour to stop it sticking together. Eating chips from the chip shop can be a problem too if the chips are cooked in the same fryer as the battered fish....Unfortunately the list is endless and your lifestyle re food needs to change considerably. You need to pick up and read the ingredients on evrything you want to buy...even soups

Wheat and gluten free pasta is available but along with all the other gluten free products,the taste is somewhat different to what you are used too.

[galina]

No, the joint pain is always there anyway but it is digestive stuff, abdominal cramps, runs, then the opposite and sometimes at the same time, skin rashes and it doesn't matter were they show up, there are always  symmetrical plus a few other bits and bobs...

I am not a big wheat eater by the way, I don't eat cereal, bread maybe tow or three times a week, rarely eat cookies or cakes etc. I do eat pasta though.

XX Jeannine

Have you ever heard of the low FODMAP diet? 
http://stanfordhospital.org/digestivehealth/nutrition/DH-Low-FODMAP-Diet-Handout.pdf

Maybe that could help alleviate your symptoms.

[goodlife]

No, the joint pain is always there anyway but it is digestive stuff, abdominal cramps, runs, then the opposite and sometimes at the same time, skin rashes and it doesn't matter were they show up, there are always  symmetrical plus a few other bits and bobs...

I am not a big wheat eater by the way, I don't eat cereal, bread maybe tow or three times a week, rarely eat cookies or cakes etc. I do eat pasta though.

XX Jeannine

Oh, I see..those symptoms are associated with coeliac problems..BUT...one you've managed a month without glutein and go back having some, it will be very clear if that is your problem. So worth of trying.
Just have the first month as a challenge...like white water drafting  ...and then see what to next.. you might find it easier that it sounds..

[Jeannine]

Duke that is interesting I am glad you feel so much better and found out what was wrong..it can be very uncomfortable.

Fork, thank you for the info, actually for me I am hoping it won't be so bad, I rarely eat out and buy almost zero convenience food so pre grated cheese would not be a problem, I gave up on shop made fish and chips ages ago and I don't buy frozen chips either or canned soup, except the Heinz tomato for John which I have shipped over but I don't eat it.  I have already bought gluten free pasta, usually I make my own  but I will try it and then hopefully find a decent  recipe to make it at home.

Pretty much everything in this house is from scratch so am hoping by substituting the regular flour in things and not using barley I should be fine.

Galina the link was interesting,  but as it says to eat wheat  I will have to shelve that one for now..but it is worth looking at if the gluten free month doesn't change anything.

Goodlife, yep I do have the symptoms for sure si we will see what happens.

I have had the runs pretty much since I came off my morphine, it is a side effect but it should have gone away by now. We have been calling it irritable bowel disease since then but the Dr thinks it is more than that.

The problem is these things can overlap. I already have fatigue and pain due to the fibromyalgia,plus pain from arthritis then of course my stress level is off the charts right now so that can be the reason for the IBS, however trying the diet for a month I will do and if Dukes experience was anything to go by I would know after the month was up. If the skin breaks clear up and the tummy pain and such stuff goes away it will tell us something.

I have read a lot over the last few days and feel fairly confident re ingredients and cooking from scratch makes it easier I think, the only obstacle now is getting down and doing it.

XX Jeannine

[Duke Ellington]

In addition .....

the fact you make all your food is a bonus when you go wheat or gluten free. I make most of our meals and find it relatively easy. The difficult part for me is eating out or trying to grab a quick snack while out and about. It's very difficult to pick up a quick take out lunch as every thing is either wheat or pasta based. IF I do find a meat or fish based salad the fish or chicken is usually coated in bread crumbs!!!I didn't eat that much bread but I really miss Ryvitas. The other difficulty even though I do a lot of cooking from scratch was finding out that foods such as soy sauce contain wheat.
Btw... My blood pressure was always high when tested and since dropping the wheat my blood pressure is testing at normal!
Jeannine I am of course three months into this and not an expert but if you would like to chat about wheat free cooking or my experiences PM me.
I have tried to avoid wheat free products cakes biscuits etc as I would prefer to make my own. I have found that cutting out wheat has reduced my craving for carb type foods so by avoiding wheat free replacements I think I am doing the right thing for me. I have bought a few wheat free items:-
Pasta, Soy sauce and Muesli...that's it. Next week I will be making a wheat free Christmas cake and maybe some other savoury treats to freeze because I think a wheat free Christmas is going to be tricky.
duke