# Who is gluten free? Casein question



## kdsjen (Apr 25, 2011)

If you have experience going gluten free, can you share? How long did it take for you to notice a difference (if you did). Did your success show up in how you feel, or in labs? Any tips for a newbie? 
Did you go casein free too?

I'm doing a gluten challenge, wonder if I'm doing myself a disservice not eliminating casein at the same time... wonder if I'm just torturing myself, lol.

My labs seems to show steadily increasing antibodies so I'm reading everything I can about autoimmune disease. Eliminating gluten seems like a good first step but I'm realizing what a carb junkie I am in the process. Well, carbs and dairy it seems.


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## northernlite (Oct 28, 2010)

I am a celiac, 11 years gluten free. I had normal thyroid function at the time so I can't related it to that. I noticed improvements within days but I had a lot of digestive issues that it corrected but it was a couple months later when I realized all the little symptoms that I had never attributed to gluten that had gone away (brain fog, cracking in corners of my mouth (B vitamin deficiency caused by the location of the damage in my small instestine), irregular periods, etc).

I am not casein free. Like many celiacs, I was lactose intolerate. As the small intestine heals for most people it becomes less of an issue and that was true for me. I can eat a fair amount of dairy without problems.

Many restaurants have gluten free menus, just ask. Many have gluten free pasta that they will substitute. I have two pizza places that deliver to my home that have gluten free pizza and I have two bakeries within 5 miles of my house that are gluten free. I think I am more fortunate than most GF people! Almost anything you normally cook can be made gluten free and still taste good. Learn to be a label reader. The labeling laws are a lot better now than when I started so it is easier to spot the gluten. Gluten is hidden in the strangest foods so you have to look for it. It is really quite easy when you get used to it and rarely do I find myself in a situation where I can't eat because nothing GF is available.

What do I miss? A good ice cold beer on a hot summer day...some of the GF ones are OK but not like real beer!!


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## McKenna (Jun 23, 2010)

I have been gluten free for a few months. I eliminated gluten to try to lower my antibodies, which they did. I also have had IBS for 20 years and I've only had two minor bouts with it since being gluten free. Once was after taking a bite of fresh bread (yeah, I cheated and couldn't resist!) and once was after possibly ingesting gluten from another source. Interesting...huh? I wonder about Celiac now and my IBS (with no obvious triggers) for 20 years.

Anyway, I was nervous at first b/c I didn't know what to eat. But it's really easy, although it takes time to get used to it.

Northernlight is right, almost anything you can cook can be made GF. And, there are a lot of restaurants where you can view their GF menu online. (Outback Steakhouse is good for GF!) You can also view product ingredients online or email the company and they will usually send you a list of their GF products (with lots of coupons too!)

I don't have any GF bakeries or pizzarias around here (NL, I'm Soooo jealous!) but there are some good products you can get. There are also cake and brownie mixes if you are craving sweets. You can even have pancakes! I like Pamela's baking mix for pancakes and coffee cakes, chebe bread mix makes great pizza crust and Against the Grain baguettes are wonderful for a sub. (I'm not dairy free so I can eat chebe and Against the Grain.) Tinkyada brown rice pasta or Ancient Grain Quinoa pasta are my favs when I need a pasta dish.

I have to say that I started to feel a lot better after I went GF. I don't know if it was eliminating gluten or my thyroid meds finally going in the right direction...or maybe a combo of both?? Or maybe my antibodies finally going down. ??? I don't know...but I do know that I'm in no hurry to add gluten to my diet and I see myself continuing to live GF. I had told myself that I would give it a few months to see if there was an improvement and so far - so good.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

McKenna said:


> I have been gluten free for a few months. I eliminated gluten to try to lower my antibodies, which they did. I also have had IBS for 20 years and I've only had two minor bouts with it since being gluten free. Once was after taking a bite of fresh bread (yeah, I cheated and couldn't resist!) and once was after possibly ingesting gluten from another source. Interesting...huh? I wonder about Celiac now and my IBS (with no obvious triggers) for 20 years.
> 
> Anyway, I was nervous at first b/c I didn't know what to eat. But it's really easy, although it takes time to get used to it.
> 
> ...


I have just started being gluten free, so far it is going fairly well. I have located brown rice pasta in bulk near me so I am going to check that out tomorrow. My daughter made me some great GF brownies. I have been eating lots of fresh veg.. I think it helps.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

kdsjen said:


> If you have experience going gluten free, can you share? How long did it take for you to notice a difference (if you did). Did your success show up in how you feel, or in labs? Any tips for a newbie?
> Did you go casein free too?
> 
> I'm doing a gluten challenge, wonder if I'm doing myself a disservice not eliminating casein at the same time... wonder if I'm just torturing myself, lol.
> ...


It all depends. The only way to be a good scientist would be to omit one at a time for 30 days to see what is working and what is not.

Everyone is different; if I recall correctly, I actually truly noticed a difference at about the 30 day mark.

Let us know how you do with all this!


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## northernlite (Oct 28, 2010)

McKenna - your response to the GF diet sounds like you have Celiac Disease. It is good that you have gone GF. The biggest issue with untreated CD is cancer of the small intestine. Your small intestine will now heal itself (the villi will regrow) and your chance of getting cancer of the small intestine returns to normal. There is really no reason to go through the testing for CD because you have proven to yourself that GF is a positive step for you.


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## McKenna (Jun 23, 2010)

I've always wondered about my IBS since I never could find a trigger. I was fine with dairy and other foods. My "standby" for when my IBS went crazy was always dry cereal, crackers or toast because I thought it would calm my stomach down and because I never knew what caused it.

I do have to say that although I felt better after going GF, my first week without gluten was rough. Not that I craved it, but my stomach seemed to rebell. I had a lot of stomach pain, headaches, bloating, feeling depressed...it was weird. I read on a celiac support thread about people having the same reaction when eliminating gluten.

Tonight I picked up a pack of frozen GF English Muffins. We'll see how they taste tomorrow!


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## MalibuDeb (Apr 1, 2011)

Has anyone with Hashi's gone GF and not been on any MEDICATION for their Hashi's and felt better?

I'm doing a test here...lol

I'm curious to see if you just go GF what happens as I am not on any med. but the dr. said I have Hashi's.


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## hochelaga (Jul 10, 2011)

MalibuDeb... meds or no meds, I think you actually should go gluten-free - it's often recommended for Hashi's.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

McKenna said:


> I have been gluten free for a few months. I eliminated gluten to try to lower my antibodies, which they did. I also have had IBS for 20 years and I've only had two minor bouts with it since being gluten free. Once was after taking a bite of fresh bread (yeah, I cheated and couldn't resist!) and once was after possibly ingesting gluten from another source. Interesting...huh? I wonder about Celiac now and my IBS (with no obvious triggers) for 20 years.
> 
> Anyway, I was nervous at first b/c I didn't know what to eat. But it's really easy, although it takes time to get used to it.
> 
> ...


Isn't that great? And guess what; it will only get better. I am so so happy for you!


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## Lovelizz (Jul 6, 2011)

I am not only gluten free now but grain free as well. This is because I have a lot of weight to lose...I read Dr. Joseph Mercola's book "the no grain diet" and it has me totally convinced that grain free is the way to go...it focuses on healthy fats and is similar to Atkins, yet safer because you eat enough carbs to not go into ketosis. I am eating TONS of fresh veggies right now compared to before...I feel good, at least food-wise. Not hungry all the time, and I feel like my food addictions have faded.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

We've been trying to work gluten-free products into our meals and snacks. Lately, we've been eating more fish, lean meat, and fresh fruits & veggies. Also trying to avoid large amounts of carbs/sugars, along with eating more oatmeal, whole grains, whole wheat bread versus white breads, etc. Substituting rice or tortillas wherever possible, reduced-fat cheese versus regular, etc. Added in Carlson's liquid Fish Oil, too.

Wouldn't you know, we fell off the wagon for the last week or so. Things have been busy and hectic and our eating habits changed briefly. Our bodies have noticed quickly, and especially mine with Hashi's. All of a sudden the tiredness has returned with a vengeance, weakness, very dry skin, and what not. There is definitely a correlation of some sort here!

Everyone is right, there are a lot more gluten-free products out there versus even a year or two ago. There must be a lot of other folks in a similar boat!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

bigfoot said:


> We've been trying to work gluten-free products into our meals and snacks. Lately, we've been eating more fish, lean meat, and fresh veggies. Also trying to avoid large amounts of carbs/sugars, along with eating more oatmeal, whole grain bread or whole wheat bread, etc. Added in Carlson's liquid Fish Oil, too.
> 
> Wouldn't you know, we fell off the wagon for the last week or so. Things have been busy and hectic and our eating habits changed briefly. Our bodies have noticed quickly, and especially mine with Hashi's. All of a sudden the tiredness has returned with a vengeance, weakness, very dry skin, and what not. There is definitely a correlation of some sort here!
> 
> Everyone is right, there are a lot more gluten-free products out there versus even a year or two ago. There must be a lot of other folks in a similar boat!


That is the best test in the world. Falling off the wagon! Glad you are taking the Carlson's. Excellent product.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Thanks for the recommendation, and yes it is! We did the math one day, and a bottle will easily last a little over a month for two people. Trying to take fish oil capsules and get the same dosage as the daily liquid all of a sudden looked pretty expensive! You'd wind up buying three or four bottles of pills to keep up.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

bigfoot said:


> Thanks for the recommendation, and yes it is! We did the math one day, and a bottle will easily last a little over a month for two people. Trying to take fish oil capsules and get the same dosage as the daily liquid all of a sudden looked pretty expensive! You'd wind up buying three or four bottles of pills to keep up.


You might not be old enough to have experienced having to take a spoonful of Cod Liver Oil every morning when we were children. Ug and ugh! But we did it.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Can't say I remember that, but I'm sure my parents do! Go figure, people knew it was good for their health before it was trendy and embraced by docs and the media.


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## MalibuDeb (Apr 1, 2011)

Thanks, I'm going to try to go gluten free.

I LOVE carbs, it is going to be extrememly difficult for me.

In 30 days I'll let y'all know whats happened!

Thanks much!:hugs:


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