PCOS Linked to Gluten Allergy - Page 4

cjshanks · 10-01-2009, 09:42 AM

RunnerDuck this is true. You can't continue to eat carb snacks and expect to loose the weight since the other problem with most of us overweight PCOS women is insulin resistance. So following the glycemic load diet has been very important for my well being. That combined with the gluten free diet has been great for me. Not all of us will benefit from gluten free but we can all benenfir from the glycemic load, carb after carb is not good for loosing and maintaning weight.

danasmiles26 · 11-03-2009, 05:27 PM

Where can i find gluten free products? and where can i get information about the gluten-free diet?

kapuakea · 11-03-2009, 05:29 PM

You should be able to find gluten free products at health stores.
My neighborhood Whole Foods has a large selection

danasmiles26 · 11-03-2009, 05:32 PM

thanks

lutu · 11-04-2009, 03:32 PM

I haven't gone gluten-free, but wheat-free. Already before I was diagnosed with pcos, I avoided wheat. It made me so bloated I looked like I was 5 months pregnant (and sadly I wasn't)! I don't have celiacs. After being diagnosed with pcos, I've been reading a lot about pcos and diet. 3 months ago I went sugar-free and 2 weeks ago dairy-free. I do eat other carbs like (brown)rice, (steel cut)oat, and rye.

In my case wheat made me absolutely sick, but taking it off my diet didn't cure my pcos symptoms. Cutting off sugar & dairy have improved my skin a lot. And even though I'm skeptical I can get the results I want - periods & pregnancy - by just eating right, I wouldn't go back to "normal" diet because I feel so much better now! I've never had problems with weight, but cutting off sugar has made me slightly slimmer. This diet has also made me much more energetic. So, in my opinion, you don't loose anything by listening to your body and trying to cut out the foods that don't make you feel good.

pradolimon · 11-11-2009, 03:23 AM

The awareness for celiac disease in the US is increasing, but it is still very far behind the awareness levels in Europe. I've heard that in Italy, most children are routinely tested for celiac before beginning school. In the US, a diagnosis for celiac still takes years. Hopefully this new awareness will help some people out. I know that I had a reduction of about 90% of my symptoms within a month of going gluten-free at my diagnosis four years ago.

As a celiac I'm thrilled that awareness has increased - I understand that a lot of people are eating gluten free or gluten light as a way to cut out processed foods, but for celiacs and gluten intolerant folks (which is 1 in 100) it is awesome to be able to have more choices when dining out and at the supermarket. It used to be that we could only choose from a few cereals in the organic section since nearly every mainstream cereal has barley malt in it. I was so excited when they reformulated the rice chex! (they didn't just slap a gluten-free label on the box - they changed the recipe to remove the barley malt) Now I can buy a regular cereal at a regular price. I don't eat if often, but it's a great quick breakfast.

I feel so much better dining in a restaurant that has a gluten-free menu and/or actually understands the specifics of food preparation for celiacs. Cross contamination is a huge issue and is still a risk anywhere except dedicated gluten-free facilities, but I like being able to go out on occasion and order a pizza like a normal human being at the few restaurants around that have gluten-free offerings.

But you don't need to buy specialty gluten-free foods to follow the diet - so many things are naturally gluten free, like brown rice, millet, quinoa, potatoes, veggies, corn, beans, fruit, yogurt, etc.

If anyone is interested in learning more about celiac or the gluten free diet, I recommend visiting celiac.com - there's a wealth of information there about the gluten-free diet, restaurants, cooking, and more.

Also - sometimes the intestinal damage caused by celiac/gluten intolerance can cause other food intolerances, especially dairy. If you find you're still having issues after removing gluten from the diet (and have ruled out hidden sources of gluten in foods or because of cross-contamination - it only takes a crumb!) check out the specific carbohydrate diet - it is much more restrictive than going gluten-free, but really helps for some people, at least in the beginning.