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sunnybabi1986
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I eat the popcorn at my local theater all the time without any problems...ask to speak to a manager so that you can look at the ingredients in the butter. If there is something in it that raises a red flag, I'm sure they would have no problem with you bringing your own!
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It's really tough at first because everything seems to be off limits, but as time goes on, you'll figure it out and be able to go down the "regular" aisles at the store and buy so many items that are less expensive. Anything made by KRAFT will clearly disclose any gluten in the product, just read the ingredient labels. Kraft makes so many things, it makes it so much easier to eat less expensive foods gluten free. Planters nuts are made by Kraft, Oscar Meyer is made by Kraft, Miracle Whip is made by Kraft, and the list goes on. Just read the labels and they will clearly tell you if there is any wheat/barley/rye.
As far as specific gluten free foods, I order off Amazon, as the price often ends up being 50% less than that of my local grocery stores. If you use subscribe and save, where you receive the items at intervels(you can ALWAYS cancel or change your plan) you save so much more. Here are a few of my favorites on Amazon:
-Ancient Harvest Quinoa Veggie Curls, 8-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)-
Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta, comes to $2.35/box, not too bad for gluten free!
-Pamela's Products Wheat-Free & Gluten-Free Bread Mix, 19-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6)-
I love Udi's bread, but it comes to $6.67/loaf when I order it online. Yikes! This is my second favorite, I love it! Comes to $3.76/loaf, but the loaves are large enough, I freeze half...pretty good deal!
-Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix, 64-Ounce Bags (Pack of 3)-
I use this baking mix for banana bread, pumpkin bread, fried chicken, blueberry muffins, and pretty much everything!!
-The Gluten-Free Pantry Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix, 16-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)-
These are my favorite brownies ever!! They come to $3.13/box with subscribe and save and are totally worth it when you need chocolate.
-Glutino Gluten Free Pretzel, 14.1-Ounce Bags (Pack of 12)-
These pretzels are kind of pricey, but holy cow, they taste IDENTICAL to wheat pretzels! Nobody in my family can tell the difference, they are so good! They're $5.21/bag after subscribe and save.
-Lundberg Garlic Primavera Risotto, 5.5-Ounce Units (Pack of 12)-
-Lundberg Creamy Parmesan Risotto, 5.5-Ounce Units (Pack of 12)-
Lundberg makes the most delicious rice products, these risotto boxed dishes are my favorites, they come up to $2.10/box, super good price!
Hope this helps a bit! I know how panicked I felt at first, until I realized I could buy in bulk. It's a pretty big expense up front to buy everything, but a case of these things on Amazon will last you quite awhile!
Let us know how everything goes!
Janie
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I haven't read Elizabeth's book, but the comments I've seen regarding it are less than complimentary. Elizabeth seems to make it seem as if you should be paranoid 24 hours a day and that's just not true. I've been gluten free for...3 months now, and I'm still figuring this this thing out myself, but what I understand, the true damage to your body occurs when you ingest gluten and your immune system is activated in your small intestine to attack the gluten and to attack your own tissue. I've never had a skin reaction to gluten, so I don't really pay much attention to soaps or shampoos, since I'm very careful not to get them in my mouth, eliminating the chance of ingesting them.
I may be wrong, but I think that a skin reaction to gluten is different from person to person, and if you don't have a skin reaction, you don't need to be overly worried about products that will only come in contact with your skin. You just want to make sure they don't make it into your mouth.
As far as being overwhelmed and feeling as if gluten is everywhere, just take a breath and start with food. I started out with brown rice and veggies and grilled chicken for awhile and have added hundreds of foods in the past few months. Eliminating gluten is not a process that will happen overnight, don't expect it to. Give yourself time and you'll start finding so many ways to adapt and change. I'm amazed at how different things are for me since I began just 3 months ago. I started out feeling like you do, frustrated and confused, but slowly, it all comes together and you'll get more and more confident. Read your labels, call the companies (I call them in the grocery store, standing in the aisles, with the product in my hand!) and keep focusing on what you CAN eat! PM me if you want a list of recipes/foods that I love, it might help.
You can do it!! Pulling for you,
Janie
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I've been taking a probiotic since May and it eliminated my problem with D altogether. However, when I went gluten free in October, I thought I'd wait a bit and see if I could stop taking the probiotic, since I was off gluten. I stopped taking my probiotic 10 weeks after going gluten free and within 48 hours, was having D again, just like before I'd started the probiotic.
For me, my probiotic has been a lifesaver. Apparently my body needs them, and when I stop taking them, I get pretty sick with D. I would suggest trying a probiotic and see what happens. Also look at other foods that may be causing a reaction, like soy or eggs. Good luck!
Janie
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Be patient, you will get results! For me, it took 6-8 weeks to really start feeling better. I thought it would never happen, but eventually, I started getting normal bm's, more energy, the nausea subsided, stomach cramps went away, and I just started feeling better overall. I think the reason I kept feeling sick for so long after going gluten free was because I was still healing, which doesn't happen overnight, and because was still inadvertently glutening myself because I was using nonstick pans. It took me at least 8 weeks just to figure out that there were still foods I was eating that possibly had gluten traces, like lays chips, which are made on the same lines as gluten containing chips. I eat Lays Stax now, since they're made separately.
My point is, there is a steep learning curve to this gluten free thing, and it takes awhile to figure out what's still making you sick, and if those things are removed, you may still be sick for awhile just because you're healing. Give it some time, you will feel better! Let us know how it goes!
Janie
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I think for many of us here, lab results from enterolab simply confirmed what we already knew. I trust Enterolab personally, because I was very symptomatic and sick while on gluten, and as soon as I went off gluten I felt better. Within 2 months, I felt the best I have in years. Enterolab did not tell me I have Celiac, per say, but that I do have a serious problem with gluten, which inside, I really already knew.
As the previous poster said, if you feel better not eating gluten, don't eat it. I know a lot of doctors don't believe what Enterolab does is legit, but I have to definitely believe in what they do, based on personal experience, and the experience of hundreds of other people.
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I didn't start feeling better until after I was gluten free for 6 weeks, when I finally threw out all my nonstick cookware and wooden cutting boards and toaster. I was super frustrated for weeks, wondering when on earth I would start feeling a tiny bit better. However, I kept with it, and 9 weeks later, I am amazed at how much better I'm feeling! It feels like you'll never get there, but hang on, eventually you'll start feeling better! It may takes weeks, but your symptoms will eventually start fading. Good luck!
Janie
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For me, I didn't start feeling better until I replaced my nonstick cookware. For 5 weeks I held onto it, unwilling to let them go because they make my cooking so much easier. But after getting sick over and over and over again, I finally gave them to my sister and got them OUT of the house so I wouldn't be tempted. Voila! As soon as I ditched them, I started feeling better! In the last few weeks since I got rid of them, I've progressed immensely, feeling better everyday and finally getting my energy back. I've had a few gluten episodes, but they were from cross contamination at family's houses, not from my own home. I also got a new toaster and threw out my wooden and plastic cutting boards, as well as any nonstick baking pans, cookie sheets, muffin pans, and my old collander. I really didn't want to let go of everything, but as soon as I did, I realized how much they'd all been making me sick! Hope this helps! Good luck, let us know how it goes!
Janie
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To the original poster...if you went through Enterolabs to have testing done and came back with these results, I would highly suggest blood screening for Celiac Disease, especially since you carry a gene for it. Of course, that means eating the dreaded gluten again for awhile......
Yikes, you couldn't pay me to eat gluten again. I've tried a couple of times, just to see for myself whether or not it truly is the problem, and have become very sick each time I eat gluten or accidentally cross contaminate. There's no way I would go back to eating gluten for a test when I'm finally starting to feel better...for me, gluten brings painful stomach cramping, gas, intense nausea, and debilitating exhaustion. My reactions are enough diagnosis of a gluten problem for me.
Yay for finally starting to get my life back a bit!
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Ummm...we got pregnant on the first try, but it was before I think I started having gluten problems. Actually, I think my pregnancy triggered my problems with gluten. We didn't do any ovulation planning or anything. We just "tried" every other day for the 2 weeks when I thought I might be most fertile and well...now we have a 2 year old little boy!
I hope it's as easy for us the second time...we're planning on trying again next fall when I'm healthy again.
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I got my results back from enterolab a couple of weeks ago and had elevated Anti-gliadin IgA and anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA levels. I carry a celiac gene and a gluten sensitive gene.
I assumed that I had a 50/50 shot of having either a sensitivity or having celiac, since I've had positive results after being gluten free for 6 weeks. However, I was reading a book today about celiac and it said that elevated Anti-gliadin IgA levels indicate a gluten sensitivity while elevated Ttg levels indicate celiac, since it is an auto immune response.
Do I have this straight?:
Anti-gliadin IgA levels measure whether or not your body is creating antibodies against gluten.
Anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA levels measure whether or not your body is creating antibodies against your own tissue, which is an autoimmune response.
Since I had elevated levels of both, this indicates that I have more than a sensitivity, that I actually have celiac disease, and when I eat gluten, my body is creating antibodies to attack the gluten and to attack my own tissue, damaging my intestines.
I'm still trying to figure this all out...do I have it right? Thanks!!
Janie
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I think you're right..it looks like you DO have a gluten sensitivity, hence the elevated antigliadin levels. However, you don't carry the celiac gene and your Anti-tissue Transglutaminase levels are NOT elevated, meaning you do not have celiac. (as far as I understand!)
Isn't that awful to be lactose intolerant and have a sensitivity to soy? I suspect I have a problem with soy, I'll be getting tested in the next few months hopefully. I'm also lactose intolerant, but I can tolerate a single serving of dairy a day, thankfully!
Hope you feel better soon, now that you know soy is a problem!
Janie
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My 2 year old son, husband, and myself have all had the H1N1 vaccine...we got it a little over a month ago.
I was very concerned about getting the flu itself as I had just gone off gluten a week earlier and was extremely sick. I'd had 2 sinus infections, several colds, and I was catching everything that went around. I had been very ill for months. My immune system was shot to pieces. I am very glad I got the shot, along with my son and husband, because I felt that if I did catch the H1N1 flu, I would likely end up in the hospital.
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Hi Hillary,
I'm sorry you're feeling so awful! Have you had your nutrient levels checked? I felt really bad for a month after going gluten free. I had body aches, joint aches, swelling in my joints, the whole nine yards. Several people on here suggested having my nutrient levels tested and I haven't checked them yet, as I'm strapped a bit financially right now, but I did research Vitamin D deficiency. If you're deficient in Vit D (and a lot of people with gluten sensitivity are, well most people are in general) you can have muscle and joint aches pretty bad. A deficiency can also cause fatigue, muscle weakness and a whole handful of other symptoms. I bought some Vit D pills 2 weeks ago and have been taking them faithfully everyday. WOW, did I see a difference! Within a week I started feeling a bit better and now, 2 weeks later, I haven't had any aches for several days now. I'm getting more energy, too.
I would highly suggest getting your levels checked, and if that's not an option, start taking some Vitamin D everyday. I know the upper limit for Vit D is around 2000 mg/day, but they've shown that taking up to 10000 mg/day is not harmful. Right now I'm taking 2 Caltrate w/D, 1 Vit D pill (2000 mg) and a mulitvitamin. I'm getting roughly 5000 mg/day right now. Talk to your doctor about it! Please let us know how you're doing...hoping you feel better quickly!
Janie
p.s. Get your B12 levels checked too...it sounds like you may have a deficiency there, also
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I've not been "formally diagnosed" but I did do testing through enterolab that indicated elevated IgA levels and that I do have a sensitivity to gluten. I've been off gluten for 6 weeks now and have been glutened a few times. Once because I needed to know if I could eat gluten again, a couple of times on accident.
I start getting nauseous a few hours after I eat gluten. It's not bad, but it gets gradually worse. The bad symptoms don't usually come until the next morning. I wake up with my belly and intestines cramping and I have really bad gas pains in my stomach. I limp around the house, trying to pull myself together and I can't eat because the thought of food makes me want to run to the bathroom. It gets better throughout the day and can usually eat a little bit before bed. The next day I still have some gas and a little nausea. 3 days later I feel normal again.
So my symptoms start subtly a few hours afterward and I get hit the hardest about 12-16 hours later. It takes a few days for the symptoms to go away completely. Hope this helps!
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Right, you should definitely withhold it for the first 6 months. The study I read said to introduce it at 6 months while still breastfeeding - that this is better than withholding it longer. Important to note that this is in the case of preventing sensitivity and allergy. If baby has the celiac gene, it doesn't matter; there is no preventing that.
Ah! Thanks for clarifying! So this only applies to allergies and sensitivities, not celiac itself...that makes sense.
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However, I read several studies that said that introducing gluten while still breastfeeding can actually make it better, so I ordered a genetic test, thinking that would give me a definitive answer and I could go ahead and give gluten if it was negative.
Huh? Introducing gluten can make what better? I'm confused...where did you read this? I'm curious because I just read yesterday that if a baby has a celiac gene and you withhold gluten for the first 6 months, you decrease the chances of the baby developing celiac by five times. There is just too much confusing information out there! I never know what to believe! Agh!
I'd love to know for sure because we'd like to have another baby in the next few years and I'm not sure how to go about this whole gluten thing with a new baby.
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My mom's Thanksgiving on Wednesday went well...I didn't get sick at all, which was wonderful. She was super careful, calling me every few minutes to make sure every item was safe.
However, my in-laws' Thanksgiving last night didn't go as well...they assured me that their dishes were gluten free, despite my protests that gluten is in so many things, hidden. I ate Mashed potatoes, turkey, ham, corn, and a homemade gluten free banana creme pie, and ended up glutened anyway. I was up half of last night sick and I'll be recovering for the next couple days now.
I know they mean well and they really did try, but it's hard to explain that gluten is in so many things you don't think of. Maybe his grandma didn't realize that some pudding mixes have gluten and accidentally used a mix for the pie. Maybe his dad threw some sour cream into the potatoes because there wasn't any gluten listed, even though it may have been listed as modified food starch. There are just too many variables. Next year I'm offering to bring 3 dishes so I don't have to worry about this.
My Thanksgiving was half and half. One good one, one not so good one!
Janie
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Before I figured out I had a gluten sensitivity, my main symptoms were nausea, stomach pain, intestinal pain, bloating, fatigue, body aches and gas. However, these symptoms weren't severe (except the fatigue) and I really just learned to live with it for years, not knowing what was going on.
However, since going gluten free, my symptoms of being glutened have drastically changed. I no longer have the nausea, stomach pain, intestinal pain, gas, or bloating UNLESS I've been glutened, and it's much more severe than it was before. My only guess is that my immune system is strengthening and I'm having more intense reactions to gluten than before.
For example, I got glutened last night at my in-laws' Thanksgiving dinner
At midnight last night I started getting nauseous. Not uncommon for getting glutened, and I immediately knew I'd eaten something wrong. The nausea subsided and I went to sleep.
At 6 am I woke up with intense nausea, stomach cramping, intestinal cramping, bloating, and burning in my stomach. I thought I had a stomach bug, as I've never gotten this sick from gluten. This really felt different, like when I've had the stomach flu. However, I noticed that when I accidentally burped, my stomach felt better, and this was a huge indication to me that it was gluten, not a bug. I always feel better after I burp when I've been glutened bc of the gas build up in my stomach.
So I breathed though the nausea and pain for a couple of hours until I could finally go back to sleep. Now my stomach is sore and I feel like I've been punched in the gut. My abdomen is still bloated and I know for sure I've been glutened, but it's never been this bad. My symptoms are definitely changing since I've been gluten free, I suppose, because like I mentioned, my immune system is getting stronger and my reactions to gluten are stronger....I'll definitely have to start being more careful now!!
Janie
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Thanks Janie...I was gluten free for over one month when I sent in the test to enterolab...and am now 2 months gluten free...and I am feeling better...
I wish I knew more about what my gene test means...
Does it mean I have 2 Celiac Genes?
It sounds like it. You may want to give them a call to clarify...I'm pretty sure I saw a number to contact them on their website.
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That's pretty interesting! Your IgA levels are on the low side, but you have severe malabsorption. Perhaps you are IgA deficient?
That's a pretty high quantative fat score. Are you having your nutrient levels checked? No wonder you've been so sick!
You've had positive results on your gluten free diet, haven't you? Let us know how things go!
Janie
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My tests from Enterolab indicated I am having a reaction to gluten. I carry a gene for Celiac and a gene for gluten sensitivity. So I have one or the other.
My question is, what is the BIG difference between Celiac and gluten sensitivity? Is one more severe than the other? I thought that a gluten sensitivity indicated that you are having a reaction to gluten, but there is no intestinal damage, and that a person with Celiac has intestinal damage. Am I confused?
If I have vitamin/nutrient testing done and have multiple deficiencies, does this indicate Celiac or could it just be a gluten sensitivity?
Thank you so much!!
Janie
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I'm looking to buy the Zojirushi mini bread maker that makes 1 lb loaves rather than 2 lbs. Does anyone know if the mini works as well as the regular with gluten free mixes? I know several of you have said you have the regular Zojirushi and love it, but I want to make sure the mini will make my gluten free bread just as well. Thanks!
Janie
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I love Spike Seasoning!! My husband is low sodium, so we use the salt free version and it's SO good! I put it in almost everything...
I Want To Stop Losing Weight!
in Related Issues & Disorders
Posted
I feel your pain. I was underweight before I went gluten free and now it's getting out of control. I won't post my current weight, as I'm afraid I may cause heart attacks in you all, but I will say I weight significantly less than many women with eating disorders. It's scary. I've always had a very high metabolism and haven't ever weighed very much, but now that I'm not eating out anymore, my weight is going downhill. McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell were the things that actually kept my weight under control. I don't know what to do, really. I eat a lot of nuts, like cashews, almonds, etc. I'm trying, but this diet is just too HEALTHY!![;)](//www.celiac.com/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png)
*crossing my fingers and hoping that someone here knows the answer!*