Yep, I’m joining camp gluten-free. I’m hoping my slacker thyroid will thank me for it.
I was diagnosed hypothyroid shortly after Thing 2 was born in 2005 (before I took on distance running of any kind). Since then, I’ve been mostly happy on the medication (when I take it…because I detest taking meds).
Remember last year’s vitamin D fiasco? Yeah I have the old thyroid to thank for that. Apparently when the thyroid isn’t working, vitamin D isn’t absorbed too well either. Fast forward to now: Despite the meds, my thyroid is once again on the low end of normal. Rather than up the dosage, I’m going to tweak my diet to see if there’s something there that can be done first.
I’m not a bread eater anyway and now that running is on the back burner, there’s no need for a big fat bagel. I may be naive, but I think I can do this. I know gluten hides in weird places. We’ll see how it goes.
Any tips for gluten-free?
And because gluten-free on it’s own just isn’t enough-haha! I’m also joining MizFit and going processed-free for thirty days. In theory this should be easy since I eat fairly well and cook daily. Right? But some of my favorite gluten-free goodies are gasp! processed:
Like my quinoa/black bean tortilla chips. SO good with pineapple salsa or hummus.
…and my beloved Think Thin bar….
…I suppose a simple almond robed in dark chocolate is processed as well. Sigh. Is my Saturday Kombucha a no go too?? Gosh I hope not.
The rest of my challenges lie in the mindless eating department: i.e.: Halloween candy, a handful of chips, left behind grilled cheese crusts.
Are you gluten free? Processed food free? Wanna join me? Any advice?
Last call for the Puma Giveaway–it’s over tonight!
Good for you for trying something new towards a healthier you! When I first went gluten-free I found it easier to stay with whole foods – which should work well with your unprocessed challenge right now too.
Freggies, lean meats, canned fish in water, low-fat or fat free dairy, raw nuts for snacks, chunky natural PB and almond butter (you can make your own if you need) on apple slices.
I use almond flour and coconut flour and milled gluten-free flax seed to make pancakes, cookies, wraps etc.
Keep it simple till you get the hang of it and you will be fine!
Marcia, I don’t know if you remember when my endocrinologist said to do the same thing for my thyroid but it was a mess. Turns out that soy, which is in many of the gluten free products, is counteractive for hypothyroid/Hashimotos. Not only that but many of those gluten free foods are higher in calories. Take for instance a cup of rice vs a cup of whole grain noodles. Huge calorie difference. It also, and I have no idea how, made my thyroid plummet. I gained 20lbs in a month and a half and am still attempting to recover from the affects. My meds have been drastically raised to try and counter affect whatever that diet (which I did for 3 and a half months) had on my body. The first month I felt so much better, much less allergies and fatigue, and then it hit like a bomb. A massive thyroid killing bomb and I can only hope I’ll get my body and health back from it.
I hope for you that your experience is different. I just know my personal story. I’m sure there are many out there who have had good luck. I hope you’re one of them. Xo
I think going gluten free is harder when you are younger (snort) and not getting what you normally were from it. As an adult I think missing bread would be harder for me. I think you have very good discipline with food. And it’s easy to find replacements for things now as compared to a few years ago when we first tried to go GF with Avery.
Udi’s bread, Irish oats and oatmeal (they don’t grow wheat in Ireland so it’s not cross contaminated), I’m grieving my favorite cereal which another company bought and killed (why would you buy a company and then discontinue the product?) Nutty Rice – they kept Nutty Flax but I don’t like it as well, and I have a great recipe for carrot cake if you’re interested. Beware french fries – many places wheatify them to make them crunchier, and even when they don’t if you’re a purist you have to ask if they’re fried in oil that also fries breaded stuff. There was a time I had to be purist but now I have increased tolerance in moderation. Good Luck! My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon.
I do not have an allergy to gliaden, so I do not follow a gluten free diet – but I do take Vitamin D sublingually (my Crohn’s affects my ability to absorb D). If you’re not allergic to the protein in wheat, barley and rye (sometimes oat), it’s not necessary to follow a gluten free diet. It’s expensive and a lot of gluten free products are not enriched with vitamins. If you do have a gluten allergy, and have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, Vitamin D levels are often low ’cause the intestines (affected by gliadin) will have trouble absorbing this vitamin.
Oh man!! Best of luck going gluten free!! That would be so hard for me!! I do love some brands that are glutenfree though such as Udis and glutino! Check them out! <3 spa
Good for you! Hope it helps. I have so many food sensitivities, I know I would feel better if I eliminated some things, but I haven’t been brave enough to do it. I will be excited to hear how it goes:)
I hope the new eating plan helps! I am sooo bad at mindless eating. It’s really gotten me lately, but I am trying to reign it in.
After I had my first baby I had a sluggish thyroid, nothing that showed up on tests, but my doc thought it was still a little hypo. With no meds to take (which I would have been bummed about anyway) I made dietary changes. There are many vegetables, like the cruciferous family, that are considered goitrogens and should be reduced in the diet (maybe you already know this?) so I looked up and limited those foods http://www.womentowomen.com/hypothyroidism/goitrogenicfoods-thyroidhealth.aspx
More recently I’ve gone 80% grain free, not gluten free, but cut all grains from my diet the majority of the time (I’ll never completely give them up, gotta have my treats!) and upped my protein intake. Those two changes alone have made a HUGE difference for me in my weight and overall feeling of wellbeing. I know eating is so different for everyone in terms of what works, but is really helped me 🙂
I think I can consider myself fortunate that I seem to be among the few that can tolerate gluten! That said, there certainly seem to be lots of options out there these days. Hope it works for you!
I have been gluten free for several months now so if you have any questions let me know! I have not found the diet all that difficult, especially when we are at home. There is a misconception that gluten free products are higher in calories and fat, and a recent study showed that breaks, noodles, cookies, etc. that are gluten free are almost identical, if not slightly less “bad” than the non gluten free products. Just remember that gluten free or not, a treat is a treat. Since rice, corn, potato and many other carbs are fine, there are plenty of options for getting those carbs in. Good luck! I hope it works and if you have any questions feel free to email me. 🙂
One tip I forgot – you have to read, read, read, labels all the time, even when you think you know something is gluten free or not. And do some reading on common “culprits” that have gluten that you wouldn’t think of (like soy sauce). There are some good apps for your phone that help in restaurants or shopping. I have only had one time where I accidentally ate something with gluten and I was in misery for about 24 hours. If you truly are sensitive to it or have Celiac’s, once you are off of it it takes very little to cause a reaction.
Good luck! Can’t wait to see how it works for you. I know a lot of very successful runners who’ve seen huge body changes (for the good) by eliminating gluten.
I haven’t gone gluten free, but the past couple of weeks I’ve been avoiding bread and sugar. Which is hard, especially since I broke down and bought some seasonal peppermint mocha coffee creamer!
I’ve been doing a Paleo challenge with some friends, so I’m not only gluten-free, but grain and largely dairy-free. Being that limited on what you can eat has also cut way down on the amount of processed food that I eat (though I’ve always cooked a good portion of our meals from scratch). If you’d suggested it to me before, I’d have said you were crazy. As it turns out, it hasn’t been all that bad, despite having to weather all the goodies at our Halloween party, piles of Halloween candy, and my youngest son’s birthday.
I really haven’t noticed any difference in how I feel (though I wasn’t doing this because of any sensitivities), but I’m still eating plenty and I’ve lost 6-7 lbs in the last couple weeks without much exercise and with no watching calories or any of that.
Gluten is hard to digest for a lot of people who don’t have Celiac or a wheat allergy/sensitivity.
You do want to be sure you don’t replace it with nutritionally deficient foods. Try quinoa; it’s pretty tasty. You could even try Ezekiel bread. It’s made with soaked grains which can be easier to digest. Lots of options out there. Good luck!
Good for you trying something different! I seriously cannot imagine what I would be like without bread in my life…it wouldn’t be pretty for anyone around me!
Good luck with the changes I really hope it helps!
I have been gluten free for almost 4 years and it gets easier all the time with new products. The key is to look for naturally GF and it is much cheaper and healthier! I also avoid a lot of processed foods so much of my diet is fruit, veggies, beans/lentils/nuts, quinoa is great. When the urge hits Udi’s bread is great 🙂 I experiment and post a lot of GF recipes on my blog.
Hi!
I’m not gluten free- but I AM prego over 40~ 😉 Thanks so much for the thanks and reaching out! ;-0
I was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance early in October. I always knew I had some sort of digestive issue, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
Making the switch was pretty painless for me – I switched out my pasta for rice, and if you’re craving snacks there are a lot of amazing gluten free products out there that taste “normal”
All that aside eating gluten free is easiest when you stick to the basics – protein, fruit, veggies – it’s all good and better for you than processed food anyway.
Best wishes to you on your journey, I hope this step helps with your thyroid woahs.
I’ve considered it too, just because it’s such a healthy, clean way to eat. I generally try to avoid carbs / sugars anyway, but man, it’s hard:) Best of luck to you!
Thanks for reading my blog and leaving your kind comment!
Good luck on your new eating plan!
Good luck, I’m a huge carb lover, so I don’t think I could. I hope it works out!
As a person who has had thyroid issues since I was 15 (AHHH 24 years)I feel your pain. I will be following your journey closely with GF. I am not sure if tofu is in GF but please PLEASE be careful if you eat soy it is very bad for people like us. I ended up having to have my second round of radioactive iodine from it 2 years ago.
Good luck going gluten free! I don’t really have any tips for you, but I hope that it works well for you!