Those of you with coeliac or gluten intolerance

[Anthilda]

What foods are you eating?
I feel I'm gaining weight. I'm snacking on gluten free biscuits at any chance. Other than that I am having potatoes with beans or eggs with beans or gluten free cornflakes.
I made gf soup a couple of weeks ago and I've had some tuna jacket potato but I feel restricted. I dont know if it's me not being creative enough and too exhausted to knock up anything fancy.
Are you finding it difficult to eat healthy due to isolation or lack of food options etc.
Please tell me how you are managing isolation with this condition.

Has anyone suggested you take extra vitamins OP? You won't have been absorbing nutrients properly for a while, so you need to get things back in balance while your gut heals. Definitely take iron - something like Floradix is easiest on the tummy. Probably vitamin D as well, especially since we're all cooped up right now. And if you can find some live plain yoghurt that will help - and may help with the heartburn eventually too.

Re bread, I've been making lots of this lately - www.instagram.com/p/B94fgjVHlok/?igshid=1562yjf3h3qsx. Gluten free oats, and I'm down to plain flour right now rather than bread flour but it still works. I make a half quantity and it tastes so much better than shop bought.

Otherwise, just be kind to yourself.

Oh, and random snack cravings - rice cakes and jam seems to fill the gap, and I tell myself pectin is a prebiotic

I used to eat meat,fish, veg. Thai or indian curries cooked from scratch.
Omelettes, salads, vegetables with various things on the side, coleslaw, potato salad

This can all easily be GF. And low carb too if you want. Just skip the potatoe salad and add a delicious LCHF option.

Use cauliflower rice for the curries.
Rice noodles are GF
Bare naked noodles ( Konjak ) are GF and LC
Make your own stock or use Gf cubes

I am not intentionally being melodramatic @IONA.
I have struggled with disordered eating throughout my life

I felt in control on low carb. By that I mean that I was eating healthy enough not to be feeling those negative psycological feelings again, I was happy and healthy.

I lost weight, I had more energy, mood lifted etc. But then I did have the odd thing: grains/cake/nan bread on weekend with curry (which I didnt see as a big deal because I was eating healthy the rest of the time). Then i started to get symptoms more noticeable after being low carb and the doctor said introduce gluten back into diet. So i had stuff I've not had for years, that i used to binge on. I basically binged again.
I put weight back on but i thought this is the last I'll have so its fine, I'll be gluten free and low carb soon. Back to normal.

But I'm not. I'm confused. I'm back to eating biscuits and picking up gf alternatives when ideally I'd like to just eat fresh.

I'm sorry if I dont sound like I'm being clear and im sorry if you feel this is melodramatic.
I was relying on getting some guidance from a nutritionist and now I just feel confused.
However, having spoken to a lot of people tonight I feel like I dont need to panic or replace things. Just eat normal food in moderation and no need for sugar packed replacements

I wanted suggestions because being overwhelmed I just thought ah stuff it, I'll not have anything, just a few biscuits instead. And more potatoes.

I do take the vitamins you have mentioned @DameFanny. Thanks

Ah your last post is very helpful Op and fills in a lot of gaps.

So your current feelings of distress and anxiety are not just about being GF, they are about all your Past history of food and what it means.

I suspect you have issues about food being good/ bad or healthy / unhealthy, is that right? So now the Gf is a whole new layer of “good / bad”.

Which is why you have This feeling that certain foods are forbidden now and you can never eat them again. It’s all very black and white.

And yet you are feeling a bit out of control .

Am I understanding correctly ?

I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings with my use of the word melodramatic. I guess was trying to understand why you had such extreme feelings. But now it makes more sense.

Please look at OA. It sounds like you and I are very similar when It comes to food

Please be reassured that LCHF and Gf can work very well together. If that worked well for you, you can still do it. You can still have Gf cake or Gf naan bread occasionally.

But you need the high fat bit to not be hungry , it’s not just LC. Lots of info and threads here on MN.

But that won’t address the emotional issues you have - Please listen to springydaff.

I easily buy completely uncontaminated ones from supermarkets, in the free from aisle. But yes I think some people can't tolerate them at all. I've never seen any normal ones with 10% wheat bran in them though!

I think many people who are diagnosed with Celiac disease also struggle with corn and oats, even gluten free ones.

Take yourself back to when you were feeling wonderful and eating low carb. This will have been largely sugar free without corn and oats as well. I also suspect that the additional substances added to gluten free alternatives taste the same as traditional options and have the same texture are slightly problematic for some. (Guar gum, xantum gum, syrups, dextrose, all sugar derivatives).

We have complicated dietary requirements and have a functional medical doctor where we live and he has suggested it is best for us to avoid most grains (we eat rice), limited nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines, peppers), no sugar (and limited fruit), no yeasts or fermented foods, we also avoid dairy, beef, lamb and any beans, peas, chick peas etc. It is really tough but I feel better on it. I will be back on it today as I have been gaining weight, feeling the emotional side effects and feeling very tired.

So, if I were you... I would keep it simple. Quinoa cooked in coconut milk with berries for breakfast or eggs, avocado, chicken. Then for lunch, I have soup with seed crackers (ground seeds mixed with butternut squash and then baked.) And for dinner, rice, sweet potato, rocket and salmon.

It's almost the same every day but I do feel better. Less pain, calmer mind and more energy.

I find the Sainsbury’s GF flours are fine to substitute. My Yorkshire puds are sometimes not perfect but that is my technique I think. Cakes and most else are good. It I am not a baker so rarely bake. Waffles tend to be a little denser but that is ok with me.

I avoid any GF pasta that looks more orange than pale yellow. I find the higher the corn the less I like the pastas. Tesco and Sainsbury’s GF pastas are fine for me. Just don’t overcook them.

Even the frozen GF puff pastry is ok. So it is not light and fluffy like others but it is so much better than nothing.

Good luck. I don’t ‘miss’ much now except croissants while I am in France. That I miss. We are lucky to live here where there is a great range of GF alternatives.

OP, it's quite common that when diagnosed as coeliac and going gluten free for the first time that you develop a lactose intolerance. It's normally temporary but dd had this for about 4 months.

I can remember thinking that she was getting glutened and couldn't understand why and then remembered her consultant saying this - then it clicked it was always after milk/cheese.

Try cutting lactose out for a bit and see if you feel better.

Have a look at the recipe hub of Coeliac UK's website - there are over 1000s gf recipes on there including 10 store cupboard ones
www.coeliac.org.uk/information-and-support/your-gluten-free-hub/home-of-gluten-free-recipes/
May be worth a quick look for inspiration?

Garlic bread is my biggest genuine loss having to avoid gluten. Gf just isn't the same I'm afraid. I'm only wheat intolerant so I don't have to be absolutely as strict. If it turns out you aren't coeliac and just intolerant try spelt flour. It's a great alternative to wheat flour

@Turniptracker : Spelt flour is wheat... just an older form but it is wheat. Great if you can tolerate it but it is not gluten free and the proteins are very similar to conventional wheat.

I haven't read the full thread but wanted to pop by and leave some ideas as I know how daunting it can be when you are first diagnosed. A lot of meals are naturally gluten free or can be with some adjustments: roast dinners, omelettes (baked frittata), risotto, stir fry, bolognese (could use gluten free pasta or courgetti), currys, jacket potatoes, baked fish (salad, green veg, new potatoes).

I have yet to find something that I want to eat and can't recreate a gluten free version (either homemade or shop bought). Granted they don't always taste the same but you get used to it