Gluten free? Anybody know anything?

[bookperson]

I agree that there are a lot of gluten-free/fad diet zealots out there, and it's probably in your best interest to just experiment on your own for a couple weeks or a month and see what results you get. Everyone with CF is different and our bodies will react differently to different foods. I tried cutting gluten from my diet twice, for a total period of a couple months and noticed no effect. It was in an attempt to control inflammation and my CFRD. I found that the things I substituted for the gluten products I would normally eat, things like brown rice crackers and gluten free breads, had a worse effect on my body than the regular wheat products. That said, I think I would probably benefit a lot from a paleo-type diet, but am hesitant to make that leap because I have been a vegetarian for what seems like forever, and can't figure out how to be a paleo-vegetarian-CFer and not end up severely underweight. Good luck to you, if you try the diet. But unless it dramatically increases your quality of life, why sacrifice something you love?

 

[Emer76]

How are you keeping weight on with these diets? I understand if you're substituting with packaged glutten free items but those can be unhealthy . And did you take less enzymes when you switched diets? It just seems when I try to clean up my diet I lose weight. I like to weigh 115 (I'm 5'3) but can go to 110 fast when I limit carbs but that seems to help my bloating a lot. Now I'm back to eating whatever again and have terrrible gas and bloating issues but my weight is up to 114. Any ideas? I would like to eat healthy but maintain my weight.

 

[welshwitch]

I don't think you should go GF or Paleo unless there is a proven medical reason you need to do so. If you don't need to be on it, why do it? Also, I would really struggle with my CF if I tried one of those diets.

 

[Kayla]

I have CF and I've been on a gluten free diet for 4 years now. A really great book to read is Grain Brain. And another called Wheat Belly. They talk about what gluten really does to your body. I was having lots of GI issues and wanted to try it. I was tested for celiac but was negative. What I noticed after 2 weeks on the diet I stopped breaking out. I started eating gluten again and started breaking out. Once I stopped my face cleared up. I did this several times. I figure if it's making me break out I'm having some sort of reaction to it that isn't good. Maybe leaky gut type of reaction, not sure. I think it has become a fad in lots of ways. A gluten free diet is not necessarily healthier like a lot of people thing. Many of the snacky foods are high in sugar and starches. Starches are not a healthy carb. I am also vegan. Any dietary change is hard at first. But after a month on of doing it it was easier. And got easier. I use to LOVE bread! oh man, and crackers and pretzels. But now I just don't eat much bread. I use to buy the gluten free substitutes for pizza and crackers and bread. It is pricey though. I started making my own gluten free bread which was time consuming and difficult. You need so many types of flours and starches to mimic how gluten works. I am able to maintain my weight by eating lots of healthy fats (nuts seeds, avocados, coconut oil and coconut milk). Gluten can cause inflammation as well. Wheat today is not the same wheat that people ate thousands of years ago. Those books get into that and how it's hard on our bodies when trying to break that down. I really don't crave bread now and I'm not a big pasta person either. Rice pasta is pretty affordable, especially at Trader Joes. They have a good priced bread there too. So over all, I didn't feel any different, but my skin cleared up, so what else was it doing to my body? I know people who have celiac who weren't having symptoms. One of my coworkers was screened just because his daughter was diagnosed. And he was positive for Celiac, but didn't have any symptoms...yet. So you never really know what may come of what you are putting in your body now. Our bodies are great at healing themselves...but after years of abuse or taking something in that our bodies don't like...then we get disease because the body just can't fight back and repair any more. I can say my lung function has gone up 12% since I became Vegan and started cardio and weights. I also really watch my sugar intake and read labels carefully.

 

[AH11201]

My GI issues, cramps, bloating, etc. are definitely way better now that I'm on a paleo diet than they were when I was eating a conventionally "healthy" diet. I really don't understand the worry about calories...last time I checked, butter was way more caloric than bread. If you lose weight initially, it's probably because your system isn't overflowing with insulin--that's a GOOD thing. Plus, grains (especially in refined forms like flours) are high in anti-nutrients that can prevent your body from properly absorbing the nutrients it needs to function healthfully. Over time that digestive distress can promote malabsorption of anything you eat.

Maybe limiting grains, especially those with gluten, won't have much of a noticeable effect on you. But I don't get the attitude of "Why give up something you love?" unless a test tells you that you definitely have celiac or a strong gluten sensitivity. With so many CF patients who've seen great results, what is there to lose if you try it for a month or so?

To welshwitch: I think you should think about which marker of health is more important. Personally, I think losing a few pounds--a situation you can probably remedy by sneaking in lots of high-calorie, healthy fats--is less important than being free of digestive distress. You don't need to limit carbs, just cut out the irritating carbs (i.e. grains and sugars). You can eat sweet potatoes, squash, fruit, root veggies, tubers, potatoes, possibly white rice if you can handle it...going paleo or primal or grain free absolutely doesn't have to mean going low-carb.

 

[bookperson]

I don't mean to de-rail this thread, but I don't understand how to maintain weight on this type of diet (paleo or low-carb). I have tried to eat a diet with very limited carbs that was high in protein and "good" fats from olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, tofu, nuts, etc, but the pounds fall off. It doesn't matter how much fat I eat, it's the carbs that make me gain weight, for better or worse. I've read statistics that suggest that fatter (even obese) CFers have a lower mortality rate than skinnier ones, so I don't want to lose a bunch of weight. I would really like to try this type of diet, but has anyone honestly been able to maintain a good weight this way? Did you lose weight when you started but re-gain it later?

 

[welshwitch]

I LOVE the idea of reducing inflammation -- definitely with you on that. Maybe I'll check out some of the books you recommended. Thanks.

 

[AH11201]

I don't mean to de-rail this thread, but I don't understand how to maintain weight on this type of diet (paleo or low-carb). I have tried to eat a diet with very limited carbs that was high in protein and "good" fats from olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, tofu, nuts, etc, but the pounds fall off. It doesn't matter how much fat I eat, it's the carbs that make me gain weight, for better or worse. I've read statistics that suggest that fatter (even obese) CFers have a lower mortality rate than skinnier ones, so I don't want to lose a bunch of weight. I would really like to try this type of diet, but has anyone honestly been able to maintain a good weight this way? Did you lose weight when you started but re-gain it later?

You can definitely eat high-carb, but just not refined carbs. At first, you could try just taking out gluten and all processed / refined grain products, e.g. gluten-free snack products and breads. I don't think everyone must cut out all grains, but it's a matter of experimenting and figuring out how your body responds to different foods. For the most part, focus on vegetable sources of carbs. Take a look at this: http://www.balancedbites.com/PDFs/BOOK_EXTRAS/PracticalPaleo_GuidetoPaleoCarbs.pdf.

 

[bookperson]

You can definitely eat high-carb, but just not refined carbs. At first, you could try just taking out gluten and all processed / refined grain products, e.g. gluten-free snack products and breads. I don't think everyone must cut out all grains, but it's a matter of experimenting and figuring out how your body responds to different foods. For the most part, focus on vegetable sources of carbs. Take a look at this: http://www.balancedbites.com/PDFs/BOOK_EXTRAS/PracticalPaleo_GuidetoPaleoCarbs.pdf.

Thank you! I think I am ready to give this a try. I try to eat healthfully, but I guess pretzels aren't so great for me, are they? Time for a diet makeover!

 

[Melissa75]

My dog, who will yank my arm out of its socket to dart into the bushes and gobble up a muffin wrapper, won't eat a pretzel that has been dropped on the floor. I happen to like them dipped in peanut butter or hummus, but I think it says something that pig-dog won't eat them. He also sniffed and rejected a Dorito once. Again, this is a creature who comes running from another floor of the house if I tear the perforation on a cheese stick.

 

[Arlok]

In this Era where everything almost contain Gluten i mean most of the foods and that is the major reason behind gaining of fat,I do not really know the recipes but yeah a lot of stuff is available in the market that is Gluten Free.So yeah taking that can actually keep you in staying away from unnecessary fats and calories which can make you get your goal.