Wheat free diet and info for the in denial.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

For ages there has always been 'something' wrong that I can't put my finger on to do with my digestion and general sluggishness.

Now at 20 weeks pregnant it is in the extreme and my mw has suggested I cut out wheat for a month and see if things improve.

I don't even really know what wheat is, let alone what it is in. Would cutting out things like bread and pasta etc help even if I am unwittingly eating it in other ways that I don't know about?

Can anyone give me any clues as to how to go about it?

Many tia

you don't know what wheat is? seriously?

You really need to cut out gluten not simply wheat.

Gluten is in most cereals including rye and barley.

if you google wheat free diets or coeliac disease then loads of info comes up.

yes, give up bread , pasta, cakes, biscuits and also ready made sauces, gravy, ready meals that use wheat as a thickener. it's a case of reading the labels!

I agree if you're going to do it, you might as well cut out all gluten for a period of time. So that's all bread, biscuits, pasta, cakes, most cereal (although some supermarket own brand rice crispies are OK), most sausages (as they have breadcrumbs in), a lot of sauces, most gravy and most ready meals.

Read all the food labels on everything - gluten creeps into a lot of things - licorice, lots of sweets, most crisps, a lot of chocolate...

I was going to say wine's OK but you're pregnant, so no joy there either - sorry...

why only wheat, not gluten?

you know you're asking in the wrong place, don't you - there are loads of us on SN that can give you hints wrt gluten free!

how much stuff do you cook from scratch?

whatis your diet like at the moment? (as in, what is a typical daily menu)

it is entirely possible to eat well, and healthily while avoiding gluten/wheat, with some reasonably simple changes.

some products are hard to find decent replacements for, thoguh - bread being one of them. I have had some success with making it myself, but not always got the time.

anyway, shout if you need hints.

You can still eat oats- no gluten in them- so that means you can have porridge and oat cakes.

there is gluten in oats - a slightly different gluten, but it is there.

some people on gf diets can tolerate it, some can't - trial and error.

Yes I'd avoid oats if you want to be strictly gluten-free for the moment.

Thanks everyone.

Typical diet:

No breakfast
Toast with marmite around 11
No lunch
Egg Mayo sandwich with apple around 3
Banana/scone/flapjack around 6
Some meat mixed in tomato sauce with veg acc with rice/past/potatoes or fish with veg and rice/past/potatoes at 8.
Glass of wine/beer/milk

ok, so it is bread and snacks (scone/flapjack etc) that wil mainly need replacing?

bread is tricky (are you a bread fiend? or just find it convenient?)

all the meat/fish/potatoes/rice stuff is ok (assuming sauces are either made from tomatoes/veg or are gf. some shop bought sauces - curries etc - are not gf, so need to check labels.)

what about something like a substantial salad (tuna, avocado, egg - whatever really) instead of egg mayo sandwich?

or spanish tortilla - eggs, potatoes, cheese, whatever veg you fancy?

Right, so you need to get rid of:

Toast - I have Doves Farm gluten-free cornflakes every morning - can you replace with this?

Sandwich - I have a yoghurt/ham salad/leftovers for lunch with fruit.

Scone/flapjack - you'd have to find or make a gluten-free alternative. Lots available in the shops - none as nice as the real deal...!

Pasta - replace with rice/potatoes. Check any sauces you buy, not make.

Beer - replace with more wine

Oats the Ceoliac Society says that there is no gluten in oats- ther e is another protein. (Giardin?)

They say that even most people with coeliac disease can have 50 grams of oats daily- that is 3 oat cakes.

People who are very sensitive can't- but you would have to be coeliac to not to be able to tolerate oats IMO>

Pasta there are lots of wheat free pastas in supermarkets mostly made with a mix of corn and rice.

Ditto breads.

I have been wheat free for about 15 years. i can tolerate some but not a lot at every meal, so tend to avoid it for 90% of the time.

Typical meals

Breakfast
1 boiled egg/oat cales or gluten free toast.

Lunch
Home made soup often with lentils
Salads
Hummous and veggies.

Dinner
Any kind of meat, fish, with lots of veggies etc.
Rice, potatoes, gluten free pasta etc etc.

I tend not to eat cakes etc but if I need something then I make flapjacks with oats and dried fruit- raisins, or apricots chopped up.

OP sorry to make this point but if all you have until 3pm is a bit of toast it is no wonder you are tired and not feeling right! Your body has been starved of food since 8-ish (?) the night before.

Can you try eating when you first wake up - breakfast- and then again at lunchtime? Your blood sugar will be really low on the way you curently eat.

The problem I find is 'grab and go' style food for work etc.

I've 'solved' this by making an extra portion of dinner and taking it in a lunch box to work the next day. Also learn how to make a good salad and pastryless quiche aka cold ommelette :)

Try grazing through the day on fruit and nuts if you can't face a breakfast. Although i'm up at 6 i don't tend to have breakfast until i'm at my desk at work and this tends to be a yoghurt or fruit.

I usually make sauces from scratch-ish. Never make own stock though so sometimes the additions aren't pure. Scones/flap jack etc are often homemade but often shop bought too.

Rarely if never have ready meals but get takeaway about once a week and a cafe visit once at weekend.

I can see pasta would be okay to replace as had wheat free once by accident and didn't notice difference.

Sandwiches and toast are about convenience and lifetime longevity. I sometimes have hummus with veg sticks if veg hasn't gone mouldy.

the problem with oats is mostly a cross-contamination one, due to manufacture and bagging.

but I have yet ot find anyone on a gf diet who can tolerate them. they are definitely out for my dd (not coeliac, but all gluten and derivatives are a problem, right down to ridiculous sensitivity levels).

agree that food more evenly spread out might make for a happier, more comfortable digestive system. but then I can't talk, a when not pregnant I often woudl not eat before lunch time at the earliest...

I (and dd1) think gf pasta is rank. I mostly substitute for rice, occasioanlly for potatoes. but then I can never cook it right - always far too soggy, imo.

things liek falafel might work for you? I think some shop bought ones are gf (can't rememeber if I don't buy because of gluten or dairy)

also you could look out for corn based tortillas to use to make wraps with. sometimes chapatis too, as they should be made with gram flour, but you might have to go to a health food shop to find ones not also made with wheat.

cafe visit - what type? nandos si good for dietary exclusion families - very helpful staff, and a big book of what contains what. always happy to look stuff up.

I went gluten free during my second pregnancy, and tbh, hardly worry about it now.

Everything is labled now, so it's just a question of checking the allergy advice on packed food.

I use a lot more potatoes (jacket pots for lunch instead of sandwiched), and if I really crave bread or toast, then some of the wheatfree bread is fine.

I use Dove Farm flour for baking, sauces etc and I can make a mean Yorkshire pudding too.

Just keep an eye on the packets - even lemonade sometimes have wheat in them.

The reason I don't eat early and put it off until later is because I feel so awfully bloated and sluggish after food as well as ravenous. I can't explain it but one mouthful of toast at 8am feels like I've just eaten a 3 course meal but at the same time it makes me both starving and sick and slow, so very slow I don't have the energy to get the kids ready for school, so I put it off until the chores are done. Then it is safe to eat and I actually feel normal hungry iyswim.

I've never been able to tolerate breakfast. Everything tastes like cardboard at that time.

Cafe stuff: smoked salmon & cream cheese bagel, jacket with cheese and beans, toasted sandwich, English breakfast, apple pie etc. No routine.

TBH it sounds as if your digestive system needs a good kick! if it was ticking over efficiently then you would be hungry in the morning.
If you feel sluggish after food it is quite possible that you have an intolerances.

Can you eat yoghurt for breakfast?

Going without breakfast is, honestly, the worst thing anyone can do, nutritionally. Your body has been starved for 15 hours or more and blood sugar levels are zero. They never catch up properly no matter how much you eat later in the day.

I am the opposite. I have to get up to eat or I feel sick. If I don't eat within 30 mins of getting up then I feel empty and sick.

I cannot imagine waiting until lunchtime! I'd feel i was dying.

I was advised to give up wheat a year ago, and for me it is wheat and not gluten that is the problem. Some people can handle the gluten in oats and spelt as it is weaker and easier for the gut to break down.

The best bread I have found is the Warburtons wheat free brown. Although I now rarely eat wf bread as it can be quite dry and crumbly, I do like it toasted. Tesco free from pizza bases, and pitta are ok. I am yet to find corn tortillas without wheat anywhere.

For cereal Oatibix work for me, and a spelt muesli from one of those posh companies but I can't remember the brand at the moment.

Costa do gf brownies and some clustery type things that are nice for treats.
M&S sausages tend to have less, or no wheat in them. Or waitrose stock a gf tiffin that is just amazing.

Doves farm gf pasta is one of the best.

I personally find I can handle the amount of wheat hidden in things if I make a good effort to stay off the obvious ones.

Good luck

Starlight - that is how I felt. Why don't you try fruit, yoghurt, and maybe wheatfree porridge for breakfast?

I used to have porridge for breakfast and felt fine, but then felt bloated after lunch (a sandwich). As soon as I switched to gluten free, I was completely fine.

In my case, I think it is hereditary, as my sister and brother are the same. My dad had endless problems, which we think were also the sane thing, my grandma hardly ate for 40 years because "eating made her ill".

Do you ever get sore throats or mouth ulcers?

Carluccios have a gf menu too. I Didn't know about Nandos so thank you!

Umm, advising a pregnant woman to go on a more restrictive diet than her midwife suggested?

The midwife might have suggested she go wheat free at first to determine it it is wheat or just gluten that is doing it AND/OR so that she doesn't restrict more than she needs to when pregnant.

tardis IMO opinion having been wheat/gluten free for almost 20 years, most people do not know the difference between wheat and gluten free. it may have been said by the MW without her really thinking.

And in practise, the OP would only be making very small additional changes by cutting out everything with gluten.