A few weeks ago I posted a preliminary report and promised a follow-up on Day 30 of wheat-free living. Thankfully I made a note in my calendar. Otherwise, I’d have forgotten today is Day 30. I suppose that means this is becoming a lifestyle.
Was I perfectly wheat-free the past month? Um, no. Twice I ordered chicken that was breaded. Twice I got defiant and ate some crackers. On one occasion I ordered soup that, based on my sinus reaction afterward, must have contained flour as a thickening agent. So in 30 days I had a small amount of wheat on five occasions. I felt bad enough after each that now when I look at bread all I can think about is puffy eyelids, watery eyes and nasal congestion. No, thank you.
I have to say I feel pretty great. I breathe easier and I’ve all but stopped taking Nazonex. If I continue to not need it I’ll save $50 per month. Sweet! My jeans fit better in the waist. There’s lots of literature out there about how wheat can cause bloating. The book Wheat Belly is getting some attention. I haven’t read it, but if you have, feel free to tell us about it in the comments section.
I won’t promise I’ll never again have a slice of pizza or two (or three), but it would have to be a rare girl’s night out at my favorite pizzeria. I’m still in weight loss mode, so allergies or no allergies, even the occasional pizza night isn’t part of my routine now.
I was chatting with a friend at a Super Bowl party. She’d read my post about eating wheat-free at Olive Garden and commented that it must be difficult to eat this way when wheat is so prevalent in the American diet. Actually, I won’t call it difficult, just different. The first few weeks required a lot of thought and attention (my chicken and soup orders were the result of not thinking). Thankfully, I’m in a groove now and hopefully that won’t change.
One day at a time.
Perfect!
Whoopi Goldberg determine that "normal" is a setting on the washing machine. The rest is all subjectives.
No we don't live together for now.He adores me as did two other younger men I was involved with before him. They were both very affectionate with me in public.I was the shy and old fashioned one always concerned about PDA public display of 
Thank you for this post…I really don’t know if I will ever be wheat-free, even for two connected days, but I am going to try one day at a time….I have noticed the puffiness of my face and body for some time now. I just take a “water” pill and contribute it to my sodium intake. Never thought of the wheat factor. I have the puffy eyes, but never thought the watery eyes and also the nasal congestion could be a symptom…So, what do you eat instead of the wheat products?
Gramma, you said, “but I am going to try one day at a time….” That’s exactly how I do it! I only have one day at a time. I can do anything for one day and so can you. I simply string together a bunch of 24-hours without my addictive substances (sugar, white flour, etc) and substances that trigger allergic reactions (wheat).
So what do I eat instead of wheat products? I LOVE oatmeal for breakfast. I eat it every day. I add a T-spoon of chocolate protein powder (check labels re:sugar) and a T-spoon of natural peanut butter. Yum! I also continue to eat corn products, at least for now. So for turkey-taco night I have mine with two small corn tortillas. I’m on the search for spelt bread; I’ll have to go to a specialty grocery store to find it. And I love spaghetti squash.
Good luck to you!
I also have greatly admired you as I have followed your weight loss and running. I can’t run, but I do do weight training and aerobic exercise 3 times a week. I lost about 17 pounds before Thanksgiving, but with the holidays and moving I got off the wagon of healthy eating…and walking…and have gone up 3-4 pounds….When I was on my healthy eating plan my pain and swelling seemed to disappear…it is now back….So, I do know what to do. It is all about making good choices…not really giving up eating…Thank you for the encouragement of your posts….;)
You can do it! And thank YOU for the encouragement.
Have you heard of the book “Wheat Bellies” written by a doctor? William somthing?
Yes, I mentioned the book in this post but haven’t read it. Hopefully folks who have read it will comment and tell us about it.
Well, your post got me thinking hard. I was focused on eating more fruits and veggies but found that I ate no bread last week. And I felt great! This week bread entered the scene again and I can feel the difference. I think I’ll get that book and see what it’s about. Thanks for sharing your journey!
at the gluten free store in everett WA i found gluten free bread for diabetics. so i bought a loaf – just in case i ever get an urge to eat a piece of bread — i have some. it takes about 2 weeks for the craving for wheat products to go away.
Susan, isn’t that interesting!? I’m glad you had the awareness to notice how you felt with and without wheat. Check back in after you’ve read the book and let us know what you think. I have quite a few books in my queue so it will be a while before I get to Wheat Belly.
My large family are all Italian. We eat tons of pasta dishes and I can’t imagine going without it. Bread I can live without but how am I supposed to give up pasta?
i haven’t given up pasta — there is all sorts of wonderful gluten free pasta – -made with rice and also with quinoa. i grew in an italian family, so i know about eating pasta every day.
If you have no ill affects from eating wheat, I see know reason why you should give up pasta. Enjoy!
i get very sick from eating wheat pasta of any kind — which is why i gave it up several years ago. but i got tested and i’m not gluten sensitive. what my allergist said — and which i’ve noticed in lots on info on the web these days — is that apparently some people who are not gluten sensitive still can’t eat wheat products because of an allergy to the pesticides that are used on the wheat fields.
so i much prefer to stick to rice or the miracle noodle or quinoa.
A year and a half ago, I discovered I have a gluten intolerance. That means no wheat, barley or rye. I have always loved bread, really good crunchy crust yeasty bread. Well, those days are gone. As 482gr8 mentioned above, I just think of the bubbly, churning, bloated stomach I will experience and it stops me cold.
Now, what to substitute… Lots of gluten-free products around even in ‘main-stream’ super markets. Of course specialty and health food stores will have tons of choices. For me, my favorite substitutions are: Udi’s Bread (from Denver)–there is another brand that looks almost like this, but I find Udi’s the best. A variety of products, but my favorite is the whole grain bread. For pasta my favorite is Quinoa pasta. It’s the brand name as well as the content. Actually this brand has a corn base in addition to the quinoa. I find this to have the same cooking properties as wheat pasta and I think the same taste. The rice pastas I’d tried, seemed to end up looking like risotto when it was served, pretty mushy.
As for crackers, there are lots of choices of rice crackers, not bad. Lots of choices of chips as well. What I learned was that the belly went down initially, and then as I explored some snack options… Well, I had to remind myself that just because there was no gluten, didn’t mean no calories!
Thanks for these tips! I’ve recently switched YMCA locations and my new one is across the street from a Whole Foods Market. I’ll be exploring soon!
Very interesting……i have recently developed the puffy eye, nasal congestion thing and attributed it to thyroid, had the blood tests. no my meds are okay, so now this wheat thing gives me another, less expensive route to try…..Vibrant Nation has become my new, much more interesting Face Book……such good information, much better than “I had a lousy day at work today”, everything is tinged with a “hint of laughter”……even the complaints are uplifting……going on line to find a good “wheat less” plan…..not even going to call it a diet, but a new way of life…..
Please let us know how it goes for you.
I can’t say that I am wheat (gluten) intolerant although what is hard to tolerate is the constant badgering from a close friend who insists that most people are and therefore I should be also. I just naturally don’t eat bread because it is fattening and I do try to watch. I gave up sweets some years back and seldom have those but for the occasional piece of wedding cake. I am learning from my friend that living gluten free is becoming easier every day. Restaurants are starting to add entrees to their menus that are gluten free and you can even find gluten free pizza, believe it or not. What truly amazed me and the thing that keeps me from going totally gluten free is the fact that most every prepackaged food in the grocery store contains gluten. I don’t want to take that kind of time reading labels. I do most of my shopping around the outer walls of the stores anyway. That’s where the meat, dairy and fruits and veggies are. Even some of the dairy contains gluten. Think about this one — If we ate every couple of hours and we ate 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, could we count a carrot as one serving or a celery stalk as one or say a tomato? What if we put all the veggies together in vegetable soup? Do we count that as all 5 servings together? Weird thinking, I know, but when you are eating every couple hours in order to lose a pound or two, you can’t eat much more than a celery stick or a carrot because you would certainly be contributing to your weight otherwise or, at least, be consuming far too much gluten to lose even an ounce. Just think, some day the markets will have a Gluten Free, sugar free, fat free, calorie free section just to satisfy us dieters. Unfortunately, it will be stalked with items that are also taste free. Enjoy while you still can!
one can find gluten free products by doing a simple web search.
taste comes in many forms.
i use herbs and spices to flavour my foods, so I control how my foods taste.
I recently read the Wheat Belly book and have been following most of its guidelines. I started in January and have lost 11 pounds already. Not a ton of weight but the difference is totally in the way I feel. Not nearly as bloated and gastric issues have virtually disappeared. How extreme you want to be with this way of eating is an individual choice. I would caution you though, gluten free does not mean wheat free. I have been amazed at just how many products use wheat – tomato soup for heaven’s sakes! You really have to watch. Also, just want to say that after less than 2 weeks of not eating wheat products, all cravings for this type of food disappears. Really.
I have been trying to live gluten-free for the past 8 months. It is hard at first but once you become aware of all of the hidden places where wheat & gluten lurk, you will be amazed at how easy your choices can be. Gluten free pasta is wonderful..pricey but worth it! There are Gluten free tomato soups..Bread comes gluten free. Gluten sensitivity can rear its head in many disguises. My daughter and I have reactions with our skin… acne.. and no matter how many dermatologist appointments we have made over the past few years..even with medications the breakouts never stopped. By process of elimination of carbs one year, my skin cleared up! Started researching. I used to even break out from vitamins and medicines. Turns out even some vitamin and aspirin brands contain gluten! You would be amazed where this sneaky protein turns up! There are many sites and books you can read on the subject. Pretzels versus potato chips.. only Potato chips are gluten free! Potato starch is a good thickener to use in replacement of flour when thickening soups or stews.
And gluten is the protein found in the seed of grasses. Rye is a grass. Barley is a grass. Corn is a grass. Wheat is a grass. Each one of those seeds has a different gluten protein in the seed. Wheat is the biggest culprit because the percentage of gluten protein in its seed is the highest.. I could go on and on!..
Good Luck!
I have been using a lupin flour that does wonders for my digestive system and is gluten free. lopino.com is the website where you can order it and gives you all the facts and information on the benefits of this wonderful nutritious food.
fantastic!!! keep up the good work. i’ve been working on being gluten-free for this last month, so i admire you so much for keeping up with this.
annie!
Love seeing this! Ive been gluten-wheat free for over a year now. I missed bread really badly for a lot longer than 2 weeks!! and i slip up a lot.. but I lose the brain-fog and forgetfulness and all the associated frustration- AND the stuffy-nose allergy -type symptoms too. Just came home tonight from dinner– gluten-free pizza in our tiny town of sequim, wa! Really really good. This will be a once in a while thing, because like other posters here, i tend to do better with fewer carbos and more veggies and lean meats. but it was a real treat! I have noticed that: you do have to really take the time to read the labels; that there are a lot of restaurants beginning to be aware of the market for gluten-free meals; and that there is a plethora of good information about gluten free products on the internet. The extra work of reading labels is sooo worth it to me to have my brain back! now to get the sugar out of my addictive repertoire… lol
always encouraging to hear success! keep up the good work!
– btw, even our local Applebees has an allergens list; if you ask they will let you see it, and it lists their gluten-free foods. Its rather a big help, as my hubby loves that place! I think its practically fast food, but they do have lovely salads!
-Carolyne
Lots of great responses here. I appreciate the tips and support.
Hi there! For several reasons, I took a personal challenge to go gluten-free for a while. It’s been eight weeks (today actually). I don’t think I’ll ever go back to “normal.” I am therefore very thankful to find this information in my inbox
I did experience about four days of withdrawal. Not fun, but I survived the stomach cramping and it has not returned.
I’m wondering if anyone else is combining GF with the Blood Type (D’Adamo) lifestyle as well? I am A+ and find that GF if a natural fit for me in this regard. Food choices have become a little more difficult but there’s a lot of good GF product available now. My favorite little book so far is The Gluten-free Vegan by Susan O’Brien – the tofu chili is great!
I’ve since learned that if you have already gone Gluten-Free that you have to go back to a normal diet if you really want to be tested for gluten sensitivity. True? I will never know, cuz I’m never going back!
Thanks again for opening up the dialogue on GF.
–Susan
I’ve been wheat free for over 15 years. My problems with wheat started before the whole wheat/gluten thing was public knowledge. I don’t test allergic or have celiacs, I simply cannot eat it. I went through some really awful medical tests trying to figure out why I was bloated, having headaches, no energy, and sad all the time. The better your insurance, the nastier the test. It was a friend of mine discussing her sons allergy to wheat that triggered my own ‘ah ha’ moment. He had the same problems as I did when he ate wheat! After going wheat free for a few days, I ate a sandwich and my systems magically re appeared.
For years, I would get a look when I would request a diet friendly place to eat since there were no immediate and life threatening reactions to my eating gluten. And what was worse was the detox. The wanting to eat wheat. It was like being an alcoholic. I was sure I could control it by just eating one little bite. Now after having finally resolved myself to my new life style, I can easily do without gluten laden products thanks to the many gluten free alternatives, I can even eat pasta and sandwiches again. Betty Crockers main stream brownies are actually better than regular brownies. I have to hide them from my family!
For those of you who are considering this diet or lifestyle really, here are a few tips: Like any diet, do it because it gives you a benefit not to please others in your life. Read, read, read. Then read some more. Knowledge is truly power in this case. Read every label every time you buy it. They change and they don’t tell you they have changed. You will have to give up things you don’t realize have wheat in them, like dark colas and soy sauce. Yep, your fav diet coke has wheat in it. But there are wheat free soy sauces. Again, read the labels. Know this as well; not all gluten free products are worth your money. Sometimes its better to eat the box than the product! Gluten Free Pantry is good, so is Dimere Betty Crocker Gluten Free, and DeBoles. My favorite gluten free pastas is anything with quinoa.
This diet is still a lot of work. If your on the fence about going gluten free, do a test. Do this work for 3-5 day. Try not to eat anything with gluten in it. Then have your favorite gluten laden meal and in about 30 minutes take an honest assessment of how you feel and whether or not you have already made a mad dash to the bathroom. If you are bloated, have a head ache or are light headed, have a dry cough, super amounts of saliva, acid reflux, or the back door trots, guess what? You should see your doc about gluten and how its negatively effecting your life.
Good luck to those of you setting out on this path of self lite-enment. Its worth it and you will feel so much better.
Jana, Great information, thanks. Am on day 3, my digestive system seems to be eliminating it’s self, bloated stomach is “going down”…..went shopping yesterday, actually found gluten and wheat free pasta….bags under the eyes have gotten me to this point….never had a problem until I lost my gall bladder, right kidney and ovaries about a year ago……seems my whole system has changed…..realized that I am not “wiped out” in the early afternoon, have not taken a “nap” all week.
Good for you B J! Isn’t not being tired grand! That is the one thing that still gets me when I accidentally get hold of even a bit of gluten, it makes me so tired for days afterwards. The negative effects really make you watch out for wheat and all its buddies. Don’t be shy to ask for gluten free menus when you go out to eat. Most places have one now. Even pasta laden places like Olive Garden and their gluten free pasta is actually very good. I have even found a local pizza place that has an amazing gluten free pizza crust that you can load up with any of the topings that you can have. In my neck of the woods, its Z Pizza. Love the Tuscan version!
Keep looking around and the world opens up for you and eating ‘normal’ food.
Hi Janna,
Thanks so much for your enlightening post. I am presently working with hormonal drs as I am allergic to wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, milk, etc. I simply should only eat protein, veggies and fruit–but am having a VERY HARD time!!!!
I am almost 52 and am not overweight…just would like to deflab around my tummy and back around 10-15 pounds. I am working with a Newtopia coach and taking vits/supps and am having a hard time so I purchased this TGI device (Transformational Guided Imagery) via New Reality http://www.newrealitycanada.com/what-is-tgi/ so that I can handle stress better. My life is topsy-turvy now as my husband and I are rearing three teenage boys (18, 15&15), remodeling kitchen and attempting to eat WF/GF, etc. Arghh….
I am thanksful to hear that others are so successful; however, the initial attempt is soooo hard.
Kindest regards,
Carina
Going gluten free when a family was a tough one for me. I was the only one who couldn’t have all those great treats. I stopped baking, one of my favorite hobbies, for a long time, until i resolved my own issues with wheat. Its a bit of a mental challenge. I have to admit I still miss hot donuts from Krispi Kream! With gluten allergies becoming so main stream, its easier to bring your kitchen and your digestive system on board with the program. Once you get your body detoxed, and that takes a while, you can make, bake, and cook anything for your family and just be fine with what you have to eat. Its like any other allergy. Keep up the good work and you will feel so much better.
I’m grateful for all of the success stories and information you all are providing. Thank you!