Gluten-free diet

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I'm just beginning to realize that my AS symptoms get worse after eating certain foods, such as bread and pasta. I read somewhere that those on the Autism Spectrum can't fully digest certain foods, so I'm thinking that a Gluten-free diet may be a good idea (or I'll at least try it out)

The problem is, I go to a small college with a tiny cafeteria and a full meal plan... are there any ways to incorporate not eating wheat into my lifestyle under such conditions?

Also, for those who have tried the Gluten-free, Casein-free diet (or who have had their kids try it), what have the responses been like? Would you recommend it?

i started a thread a while back on this in the Members Forum, at:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt45945.html

There's lots of links, advice, tips, and recipes on it.

Good luck!

Thank you ouinon!

I ended up with a doctor's note to release me from having to participate in the meal plan. I try to be failsafe, but I fail a lot

Still, if you're just going GF or GF/CF - There's often salads at most cafeterias, they should be fine. Most frenchfries likely aren't - even if their ingredients are, they're friend in the same stuff as wheat covered stuff generally. In ours, you can use it for drinks too. Some cafeterias have sushi - check the ingredients, it may not be ok, but often is.

Some places have those rice fry things, but usually fry noodles on the same grill, so if you're very sensitive, watch it. Also check to make sure the sauces and marinades they use on the meat are GF (and cf, if you go that way).

Well, the only issue with a lot of cafeteria food is that I'm allergic to fish as well, so sushi and stir fry are out of the question. Fries are okay, since they're the only stuff that's fried in that specific oil in my cafeteria. I've been sticking to noodle-free soups and a lot of salad (since I'm still eating dairy). Also, a lot of organic smoothies.

Is ketchup okay? I know it has vinegar...

I'm trying to cut back on my gluten intake - not totally, but as much as possible. I'm about to go and bake my first gluten-free cake using ground almond, it looks delicious so I'll let you know how it goes!!

It seems to work best if it's ALL gone. But even reducing it seems to help. However, I gotta admit, slowly tapering off and discovering a really, really nice gluten free bread makes it a hell of a lot easier to be free of it.


Mmm, anyone tried the Rice Pecan bread? I'm not sure what brand it is, but it's carried in most Loblaws/superstores/zehrs locations.

Spectacularly delicious and totally worth the $5-6.

Good luck with the diet!! There are lots of resources out there that will be of help. I don't know if you've heard of celiac disease, but it's a condition where people get sick if they eat gluten and the celiac community has done alot to make it easier to go gluten free.

I myself am trying to go gluten free, but it's really hard since I'm on a tight budget and keep getting in social situations where eating is involved. Right now, I've been eating mostly gluten free breakfasts which consist of eggs with flaxseed and fruit. Yum!

That sounds really good! I've found that sunflower seeds in salad is really good, they seem to make up for the lack of croutons. Rice and rice-based snacks are also a lifesaver. There are little things you can do to make it easier. Anyone else have any other tricks?

Yeah, I don't know how I'm going to do it entirely, but I rarely eat any of the big problem ones anyway (very rarely any bread or pasta, or wheat-based anything). So I figure if I can consciously cut the rest out, then that's a good start.

The cake turned out beautifully by the way - really moist and light and sweet!! Much nicer than my old gluten-filled ones.

Hi. I typed a long message with a link to a new book about going GF, but it got canned because I haven't been a member long enough to post URLs. Ugh. I'm too lazy to retype what I wrote, so I'll just give you the name of the book:

"Gluten Free Success For The College Student"
You can order it at glutenfreesuccess

Also, try talking to the head of the cafeteria of the menu planner/nutritionist. With food allergies being so prevalent these days, they should have some list of foods/meals that are free of the common allergens. Unlike 5-10 years ago, they WILL know what you mean when you say gluten-free!

Two of my kids have been GF or GFCF at one point in their lives. My oldest had allergy-like symptoms and my youngest had autistic symptoms. My ASD child responded well: lost his 'fog' and became a member of the family again. It wasn't his cure, but it did help him heal somehow. He is no longer GFCF but our doc recommended another trial since he did well so long ago (he was 2 at the time).

I don't envy you! It is one thing to learn to go GFCF when you have complete control over cooking and purchasing food. It is another to figure it out with such limited accesss to meals. I hope the school can help you out by providing info on what they serve.

You will need to be 100% GF in order to determine if this diet is for you. Probably a minimum of 4 months to make sure you aren't getting hidden gluten. Many feel better very soon. Some figured this out after being sick for a few weeks and unable to eat... they felt so good while not eating.

Good luck to you. I hope you are enjoying college. I wish I could do my college experience all over again. I was pretty messed up when I went!

Does it get easier with time?

Yes the Gluten Free diet does get easier with time.

I get a lot of benefits from following the Special Carbohydrate Diet.

It is also gluten free and excludes much of the dairy. It has stabilized me greatly emotion-wise and reduced the bowel-pains I always suffered from. I found it also helped reduce my lower back pains. It took me two moths or so to get used to.

When I was doing GF I found some great new snack substitutes. Sesame rice crackers + hummus. Great meal salads (my fav: lettuce, sliced egg, tuna, walnuts, chickpeas, cucumber, and lemon poppyseed dressing has tons of protein and fibre and fills you up more than a sandwich or pita would).

I think I need to go back to GF or semi-GF once I move back home. It seems to aid my mental health...

Post the recipe, please?