The hardest thing is cutting out dairy for me. Gluten, no prob. Sugar, fine. Dairy? Ugh. That requires lots of substitutes and none are good.

For coffee, I assume you’ve tried all the oat milk creamers?

I haven’t tried oat milk yet so will try this week. The best so far have been nutpods (plain I hate flavored creamers).

Anonymous wrote:Np here. I’m starting an elimination diet in January (too hard over holidays) on the advice of my doctor. No soy, corn, chocolate, alcohol, gluten or dairy. I can have sugar if it doesn’t have those ingredients but I’m prob going to cut it out anyway.. the hardest for me will be dairy (coffee with half n half every morning). I’m going to do a lot of veggies protein and rice based things and maybe get a soy sauce substitute . Anyone have any good non dairy creamer recs? I’m fine with almond milk in smoothies but I haven’t found a good sub for half n half in coffee.

The hardest thing is cutting out dairy for me. Gluten, no prob. Sugar, fine. Dairy? Ugh. That requires lots of substitutes and none are good.

For coffee, I assume you’ve tried all the oat milk creamers?

Np here. I’m starting an elimination diet in January (too hard over holidays) on the advice of my doctor. No soy, corn, chocolate, alcohol, gluten or dairy. I can have sugar if it doesn’t have those ingredients but I’m prob going to cut it out anyway.. the hardest for me will be dairy (coffee with half n half every morning). I’m going to do a lot of veggies protein and rice based things and maybe get a soy sauce substitute . Anyone have any good non dairy creamer recs? I’m fine with almond milk in smoothies but I haven’t found a good sub for half n half in coffee.

Sounds not sustainable.

To lose weight and keep it off, small, slow, changes are what lead to greater success.

So, I have given up all these things, but I'm not sure I could do all three at one time. Like, when I gave up alcohol, I switched my nightly glass of wine with a small glass of a sparkling blood orange from trader joes. Next (a couple of years later) I went gluten free and I did that by letting myself eat whatever I wanted, including gluten free cookies, thai food, etc. I think doing all three at once would be so hard to sustain.

I thought of this because my favorite trick for giving things up is replacing them with something that satisfies the craving and can replace the ritual (like when I replaced wine with juice). Maybe you can find replacements for all three at once.

Anonymous wrote:I recommend that you don’t substitute processed “gluten free” products for things like bread and pasta. That was a huge mistake on my part when my Dr had me on an elimination diet. I felt absolutely horrid from so much processed crap — much worse than I felt with gluten!

Switched to whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, and then also found I could tolerate farro (apparently it has a different gluten structure than regular wheat used in breads and pastas) very easily. Farro obviously isn’t for celiacs or others with similar issues, but for me it works and is very satisfying.

I was having some horrible health issues and I tried going gluten free. I intentionally did eat a lot of gluten free processed products so that I would know that it was gluten and not just processed foods, and it was the gluten. Which is nice because I love all those gluten substitute things.

I think you just need to be realistic about your expectations. I would just aim for a calorie goal and cleaner eating, which will inherently eliminate a good chunk of what you are trying to eliminate.

The number one thing is to increase your protein and water.
Also plan to rest/sleep more, as many of us use sugar to push away tiredness. Set yourself a bed time or build in time for naps.

As far as substitutes: I went on a low/no sugar diet for a while and the program recommended Lilly's extremely dark chocolate (85% cocoa, sweetened with Stevia). I found that it hit the spot for cravings. Now that I'm "back on sugar" it doesn't taste sweet to me.
When you do have sugar, pair with a protein and fat: e.g., Lillys chocolate with nuts or cheese.

I don't really drink but for a while I enjoyed Seedlip herbal mixer with ginger ale or soda water. There are lots of these "mocktail" products now, especially since so many people do dry January.

Before you cut out gluten, why don't you try limiting yourself to only whole grains (farro is a good idea) and a couple slices a day of "real" bread -- either homemade, or store-bought with a very short ingredient list. I know a couple people who can't tolerate commercial wheat products but they can eat bread made at home with organic wheat. If crackers bother you it could be the preservatives and oils.

An osteopathic doctor tested me against foods that were causing migraines and cystic acne.

Initially skeptical, I took a pin prick blood test and learned that I needed to avoid:

soy, gluten, cola, turmeric, pork, fish and whey.

Interesting: since childhood, had anaphylactic reaction to all fish and had always avoided.

It’s been nearly a decade and I’ve never felt better and never eaten better. I’ve followed it scrupulously. I will note that once you clean up your diet and eliminate entire categories, even a small amount “I’ll take a bite” can give me a migraine. Notably, alcohol - I’ve tried wine seltzers. Nope.

Anonymous wrote:I recommend that you don’t substitute processed “gluten free” products for things like bread and pasta. That was a huge mistake on my part when my Dr had me on an elimination diet. I felt absolutely horrid from so much processed crap — much worse than I felt with gluten!

Switched to whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, and then also found I could tolerate farro (apparently it has a different gluten structure than regular wheat used in breads and pastas) very easily. Farro obviously isn’t for celiacs or others with similar issues, but for me it works and is very satisfying.

This. gluten-free food has a lot of fillers/gums/extras that mess with my system. Sugar substitutes aren't good for your health either.

alcohol-free "not booze"... maybe? Athletic brew co makes a not-beer that's really satisfying in the summer w/o being high-calorie, and there are some interesting not-liquors that I keep on hand for when friends/family are having cocktails.

Instead of substitutes, plan ahead for alternatives (e.g. for sandwiches, try lettuce wraps).

I recommend that you don’t substitute processed “gluten free” products for things like bread and pasta. That was a huge mistake on my part when my Dr had me on an elimination diet. I felt absolutely horrid from so much processed crap — much worse than I felt with gluten!

Switched to whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, and then also found I could tolerate farro (apparently it has a different gluten structure than regular wheat used in breads and pastas) very easily. Farro obviously isn’t for celiacs or others with similar issues, but for me it works and is very satisfying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are trying to figure out if you have a gluten sensitivity you should focus on eliminating just that for a few weeks. If you quit a bunch of stuff at once you won't know if you have a sensitivity.

Otherwise, there's no reason to cut gluten. Unless you really mean you want to cut bread/carbs, which can definitely help for weight loss. Cutting gluten is not the same as cutting carbs. My DD who can't eat gluten eats a lot of rice.

I just mean gluten (bread, pasta, crackers): I’ve noticed when I eat that stuff I burp a lot. Alcohol I’m giving up because it’s just gotten out of hand for me and makes me feel like crap (and look like crap). I already don’t eat a lot of sweets but thought I’d create a firm line of no added sugar/artificial sugar - although I will continue to have honey in my morning tea.

I cannot imagine any correlation to eating gluten and burping. Giving up gluten in this scenario is silly and even risky; you are missing out on many important vitamins/ minerals. Alcohol by all means; sugar just limit. There is no need to go insane on this, OP.

Anonymous wrote:If you are trying to figure out if you have a gluten sensitivity you should focus on eliminating just that for a few weeks. If you quit a bunch of stuff at once you won't know if you have a sensitivity.

Otherwise, there's no reason to cut gluten. Unless you really mean you want to cut bread/carbs, which can definitely help for weight loss. Cutting gluten is not the same as cutting carbs. My DD who can't eat gluten eats a lot of rice.

I just mean gluten (bread, pasta, crackers): I’ve noticed when I eat that stuff I burp a lot. Alcohol I’m giving up because it’s just gotten out of hand for me and makes me feel like crap (and look like crap). I already don’t eat a lot of sweets but thought I’d create a firm line of no added sugar/artificial sugar - although I will continue to have honey in my morning tea.

If you are trying to figure out if you have a gluten sensitivity you should focus on eliminating just that for a few weeks. If you quit a bunch of stuff at once you won't know if you have a sensitivity.

Otherwise, there's no reason to cut gluten. Unless you really mean you want to cut bread/carbs, which can definitely help for weight loss. Cutting gluten is not the same as cutting carbs. My DD who can't eat gluten eats a lot of rice.

Is there anything I should prepare for or know? (Cravings, substitutes, etc) TIA