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Hello, everyone. I am glad to find this list. I don't know if I am
celiac or not, but I am allergic to wheat, rye, and possibly barley.
I am also Type II diabetic.
A little history...
I have had intestinal problems for about 24 years (mostly diarrhea
but also gas, cramping, etc.), and the symptoms have gotten worse and
worse. I went to many doctors who all said I had Irritable Bowel
Syndrome, but they had no real tests and nothing they had could help
me. I did go to a gastrointestinal specialist a few years ago and he
wanted to do a sigmoidoscopy, but I postponed that and really didn't
want to do it.
I also have had allergies, since about 1989 (had none before that I
know of), and they have also gotten worse. Mostly they are nasal
allergies (to grass and trees), but I also tested as being allergic
to wheat and rye. The first time I was tested, they said it was a
slight allergy, but then a few years ago they said it was a "severe
allergy". The only other food I tested positive for was avocado,
which I don't like anyway.
I asked both the GI doctor and the allergy doctor if allergies could
be causing my IBS problems, and one said "probably not" and the other
said "no". I got a new allergy doctor a few years ago and he did
suggest I stay away from wheat and milk for a week or so to see if
either of them caused my problems. I did, and I still had the
problems. I think now that I was probably just not very careful about
eating things that had wheat in them, like soy. I went back to the
allergy doctor this year and he suggested it again, so I avoided
wheat and rye again for a week, being very cateful this time, and I
had NO problems whatsoever. Then I went on the net and found out how
many foods have wheat in them, which was a big shocker, of course!!
I've been "borderline" diabetic for a few years (been about 50-60
lbs. overweight since my 30's and I am 43 now). In November the
doctor told me that was my blood sugar was high and suggested I go to
the diabetes clinic that is associated with the hospital here. She
never actually used the word "diabetic" or suggested any urgency, so
I put it off for a little while because we were traveling a lot at
that point. When I finally went ot the clinic, I was told that my
blood sugar was 6.4 % and that I am diabetic. The dietician there
put me on a diet but wasn't very good about explaining a few things
so I was kind of confused. But the clinic has these 5 classes you
take that tell you all about managing your diet and your blood sugar,
weight loss, exercise, etc. so they've been very helpful. I only have
one more to go.
So far I only lost 10 lbs. but I am hoping to lose more. The wheat
allergy kind of threw me off for a while because it's been really
hard to adjust my eating habits. I always loved sandwiches quite a
bit and that helped me in my diet because I could eat turkey
sandwiches and lose weight. I really am not a big fan of vegetables
or of cooking. I am a good cook, but I hate the mess and clean up. We
have no kids and my husband eats his own stuff, so it's a lot of work
just for me. Before this I ate a lot of sandwiches, burgers, Lean
Pockets and Lean Cuisine. My husband, btw, lost 60 lbs. about a
decade ago and keeps it off with a strict diet and exercising like a
demon. He doesn't eat very healthy, though, in my opinion (not many
vegys or fruits, too many carbs). But he won't listen to me...
I always had a really bad sweet tooth, too, so it's been hard. Oh,
by the way, I don't take any medication for my diabetes, just control
it with diet. I had my 6 months test and it went down to 6.2% I take
my blood sugar three days per week as directed by the diabetes
center, before every meal, two hours after, and at bedtime.
I think I am allergic to barley as well as wheat and rye. I tried
eating Rice Chex, Corn Chex, and Crispix, and got sick from eating
them. I think it is the malted barley they use. I also seem to get
sick from maltodextrin, which is in a lot of stuff. I tried some
wheat-free cereals but didn't like them. I tried Corn Pops...they
don't make me sick, but they are not terribly healthy, either. Any
suggestions for a good cereal substite would be really welcome.
I live in Tuscaloosa, AL which has about 85,000 people. It is the
south, so everyone eats large portions of fried foods. We have ONE-
count 'em-ONE health food store and the regular stores are not that
great. I tried the one type of wheat free bread there and it was
pretty awful. I have found some good wheat-free (and not high carb,
fat or calories, either) chocolate chip cookies. I have not made my
own bread yet but I did buy a gluten-free cookbook and some
alternative flours so I will probably try them.
I am originally from San Diego and we visit there a few times a year.
We were there in May and I found some good almond bread I like there
at Trader Joe's, but it costs a lot to ship it here. BTW I seem to
be able to tolerate spelt bread just fine. Actually as far as being
allergic to wheat, I can tolerate a "little" of the stuff. Like, one
slice of bread and I am ok. Two and I get very sick. Weird, huh?
The allergy doctor had suggested originally that I try reintroducing
wheat a little bit of a time into my diet to see if I can tolerate it
(in case I just had too much wheat and it sort of poisoned my
system), but that doesn't seem to work at all. Looks like I'm wheat
intolerant for life.
So what do you all do when you really crave sandwiches or cake (if
you do)?
How do you work out your wheat-free and diabetic diets?
I will be reading the archives of posts...looking forward to it! I am
also on a Yahoo group, Living Wheat and Gluten Free.
Nice to meet you all! I promise not to be SO gabby in the future :)
Suzanne Lanoue
http://suzann.com
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