Recovery period meal ideas?

[tygerlily]

Hi all! I’ve been advised to try a gluten-free diet until my endoscopy procedure in August. I’m less than a week in right now and I have been noticing some improvements, but I think I should cut down on the processed foods. I also think I should cut out dairy for the time being as it’s giving me similar symptoms to being glutened. What are some simple, whole-food meals I can eat while my body is in this recovery period? Does anybody have some staples in their meal-plannings worth sharing, or is there a website I can go to for ideas? 

 

Also, while I’m on the topic of cooking, I share a kitchen with my parents who are not gluten-free. How can I avoid cross-contamination while cooking in the kitchen? I’ve already bought my own dishes and utensils and have my own sponge, but what I’m still worried about are pots and pans and other utensils we still share. Like, are stainless steel things okay to be shared as long as they’re washed? If I wash a clean shared utensil with my sponge to make sure it’s clean enough for me to use, is my sponge now contaminated with gluten? Is it better to just put everything in the dishwasher so I can be sure they’re clean?

[knitty kitty]

@tygerlily,

Hello!  Glad to hear you're trying a gluten free diet!

I found the Autoimmune Protocol Diet to be very helpful in healing and calming those GI symptoms.

Look for the book The Paleo Approach by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne (Celiac herself) and her cookbooks.

The AIP diet cuts out dairy and processed gluten free facsimile foods, and other foods that can possibly cause GI distress like nuts, seeds, and legumes (beans) and nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers).  That leaves basically meat and veggies.

When first starting the AIP diet, I ate smaller meals more frequently because I got hungry frequently, but got filled up fast.  I made a stew in a crock pot and enjoyed small portions throughout the day.  

Really simple meals.  Fry a ground (grass fed) beef burger or lamb chop or a slice of liver and steam some broccoli and carrots.  A meatloaf or roasted Cornish hen (or chicken) with roasted veggies is easy to pop in the oven.  

Don't share things with scratchable surfaces like nonstick coated pans and silicon or plastic utensils.  

Get rid of the sponges.  Not only do they harbor bacteria, but they can't be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.  Instead use cloths that can be washed in hot water.  Your parents can have one cloth, but you use two.  If you're not sure if a pan is clean, use one of your cloths to rewash it.  Use your second cloth (designated Gluten Free) to wash it again.  It's easy to embroider initials or a flower in a corner of a cloth so you tell which is which.  Or use a Sharpie.  Or use different coloured cloths for each of the three uses.  Keep the cloths in separate soap dishes while they are in use.

I re-read your first post about your symptoms.  Constipation can be a symptom of Thiamine Vitamin B 1 deficiency and/or magnesium deficiency.  

Celiac Disease affects the absorption of nutrients, so getting checked for vitamin and mineral deficiencies is part of proper follow up care for us.  

The Erythrocyte Transketalase test is a more accurate test for Thiamine deficiency than a blood test.  Vitamin levels in the blood don't accurately measure how much of the nutrient is being stored and used inside the cells.  Blood levels can reflect how much of that vitamin you ate in your diet during the previous day or two.  You can have deficiency symptoms before the deficiency shows as lower levels in the blood.  Have all testing done before starting supplementation.  Talk to your doctor before starting as well.  (Doctors aren't very educated about vitamins, so good luck....)

Be sure to get your Vitamin D level up to 80 nMol/L to 100 nMol/L.  At that level, Vitamin D acts as a hormone and will help your periods become regular.  Thiamine can help with PMDD.

The Effects of Vitamin B1 on Ameliorating the Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4825494/

And...

Vitamin or mineral supplements for premenstrual syndrome

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6491313/

Keep a food/mood/poo'd journal so you can pinpoint problematic foods quickly.  It's handy to show your doctor, too.

I wish you much success on your journey.  Keep us posted on your progress!

[Scott Adams]

Welcome! We do have an extensive recipe section here:

https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/gluten-free-recipes/

and this article might be useful:

 

[imdoodah331]

Hi!  Starting a gfd can be overwhelming!  Advice I took from my doctor was to focus first on what I can eat vs what I can't eat.  A weekly meal plan can be helpful.  You begin with a list of your current favorite meals that you would eat in a typical week:  breakfast,lunch, dinner, snacks.  Then, review that list to identify possible sources of gluten/dairy since you are considering eliminating both, and highlight those.  Then you look for alternative ways to prepare those minus the gluten and dairy or made with safe alternatives.  For example if spaghetti is one of your meals, many store brand sauces are not gluten free and also contain dairy, along with traditional pasta.  Buy gluten-free pasta and read labels for pasta sauce, or consider making some from scratch.  This site has a good reference for store bought foods that are safe.  Try to avoid buying a lot of "new to you foods" just because they are gluten-free/DF.  For example, if you've never eaten Quinoa or Tofu, don't go buy a bunch just because it's gluten free - you may not like them.  Also, try to focus on whole, real foods:  meat, vegetables, fruits, and safe bread/grains that are naturally gluten-free/DF and start building your meals with those.  As for separate cooking spaces, cookware, etc. it seems everyone has different levels of sensitivity to cross-contamination and I don't know how super sensitive people do it when they have to live with others in the family who do not follow  this diet.  Thankfully, I don't seem to be super sensitive and my husband has been willing to eat mostly gluten-free/DF along with me.  His occasional "real bread" or snack cakes don't seem to be a problem for me.  Best wishes on your journey!