Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Organic - Oh My!

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   Zenith of Emotionposted 13 years ago

   So, moving out of the house this coming fall is a big task at hand for me, and it will effect a lot of aspects of my life. One of which is my diet. I'm a celiac and I am lactose-intolerant. I have GERD, and am allergic to mold (mushrooms, hard cheese), not to mention my family's tendencies toward diabetes and high cholesterol (soft cheese). I'm also starting college in the fall and will be living in an apartment with some roommates, but funding myself solely. And I'm anemic. I'd like to be able to go completely vegan, gluten-free, and organic, but I have to consider budget as well.
   
   Also - I'm about 100lbs overweight, classified as Moderately Obese, but not Morbidly yet. I used to be Morbidly obese (150lbs heavier than your healthy weight zone), but I lost that a couple years ago during a brain surgery and recuperation period. I weight 250, and my weight should be between 130 and 150lbs. I'm asthmatic, so heavy working out isn't a possible for me, but my immune system is awful, and I really need to lose the weight and start eating right...
   
   Any advice?

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      Denseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No advice but just want to say that you seemed to be suffering from a lot of things. -_-
      I don't remember seeing anyone with so many afflictions listed. -_-
      Be strong.

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         Zenith of Emotionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Ha ha - and that's not even half of them. >.< I was born with tons of allergies, a brain defect, food allergies, vitamin deficiencies, developed depression, anxiety, ADD, etc etc etc. The list goes on. But at least I can say I have a decent amount of life experience, even if I am only eighteen.
         
         Thanks for the comment.

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            Denseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            AFAIK just by being a celiac, will discount a lot of processed food from your diet; seeing that your list is long and out of curiosity - exactly what do you eat? Or what can you eat?
            I am starting to think that someone has taken over your account and having some fun with it.

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   Whitney05posted 13 years ago

   You're vegan and 100 pounds overweight? That is not very common from my understanding...
   
   Sorry I don't have much advice other than exercise regularly and watch what you eat.

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      Zenith of Emotionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      No, no. I want to become vegan. XD
      
      Alright, thanks for trying, at least!

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   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   have you been to your doctor recently. what is his advice?
   your doc should be willing to help advise you as to what kind of diet you should be eating. I would check with him first.
   also there is another hubber here who may be able to help.  her screen name is dr.cherie. she also has some informative hubs.
   
   good luck. you want some clear answers before you start college where your lifestyle will change once again.  you can do it.

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      Zenith of Emotionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My doctor rarely touches on the topic of diet, even when I bring it up, he prefers to recommend vitamins and medicines that can help with my health issues, rather than helping me to achieve a more healthy lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, he's a good guy... but he's also incredibly stubborn and set in his practice. I don't think he enjoys feeling like a nutritionist...
      
      Thanks - I'll have to check them out.
      
      Thanks again. I'm  hoping college will present a decent opportunity to change my diet and routines for the better. ^-^

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         rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         good nutrition is the foundation for a healthy diet, a healthy body. shame on your doctor for not advising you better, but he's not the only one. he's helping himself and the pharmaceutical companies get/stay rich.
         
         good luck to you.

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   torimariposted 13 years ago

   Though I commend vegans, as a vegetarian, I'd REALLY be cautious and educate yourself before coming one.
   
   Yes, pounds will melt off but if you don't eat right, which is totally easy to do as a vegan and can really mess you up.
   
   My two vegan friends who have been so for 1-2 years did not do their homework and one now suffers from anemia, gets sick when she eats certain things (fruit, nuts!!).
   
   I'd go with a strict vegetarian diet (if you aren't already), and plenty of exercise.
   
   My vegetarian diet consists of no straight milk (I drink Almond Milk and eat things cooked with milk), fruits and veggies, nuts, eggs (sometimes only the whites to cut fat), portioned pasta and breads, greek yogurt and the OCCASIONAL cheese. Cheese, for me is the killer.
   
   I cook a lot and cut down eating out. I'm trying to eat more raw to. No matter how healthy you think you are when you eat out, you probably eat a higher caloric intake you would than at home.
   
   Good luck.

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      Home Girlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Zenith, I almost cried reading about all your health afflictions. And you are so young, it's a shame! Can you live with your parents(parent) instead living separately? it's less stress and somebody can, may be, cook for you healthy meals, so you have more time to study and rest? That's what I do to my younger son. Forget the organic and hang the doctors, they still do not know anything about diets. Find some good nutritionist who can help you to work out menues and portions. Some things you eat are definitely not good for you, and your body responds to that. No processed sugar, nor saturated fat, no milk,cheese, sweet yogurt! Change your diet immediately and stick to it no matter what! Eat at least 5 times a day but very little portions and no food after 6pm. May be an apple or another fruit you like better. Experiment a little, find what works best for YOU in terms of losing weight. if you eat  right, you'll feel more energy and less hungry. NO DINNERS OUT!  You do not know what might be hidden in your meal. Eat less meat more fish products. With your weight it might be dangerous to become vegetarian right away, don't push yourself too hard, but do something as soon as p.
      Life is much more than french fries and ice-cream, you can still be happy without it. I am. But don't starve yourself, the more you starve - the more you'll gain unhealthy weight, because you'll substitute food with nibbling and your body will react to that with more sickness and what not, and extra weight for sure. You can do it. And raw food is a good advice - less toxins in your body. Go for changes, girl, you'll see the difference right away.

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         Zenith of Emotionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Actually, living at home would be more stress. I've been there for an extra year already due to my brain surgery and my father and I have this problem where we can't be in the same room as one another for more than five minutes without an argument starting, or simply him snarling at me about something I've done. He used to be abusive physically/sexually, but that stopped when I started fighting back. Fighting off a teenage female who's overweight, but strong, is just a wee bit difficult.
         
         For me, organic is something that's actually more of a necessity, since it's the chemicals we put on and in our food that makes gluten so dangerous to me. Without the chemicals in my diet, even if I eat gluten, the reactions aren't nearly as severe, and while cutting out gluten makes me feel better significantly, organics do even moreso.
         
         Don't get me wrong about my weight - I actually eat really healthily pretty much all the time, with a few exceptions here and there. I try to make sure I get my needed 1,500 calories a day and spread them out already. If I snack, it's on a veggie or a fruit. And I rarely eat out, or if I do - I look up the information beforehand and tend to make educated choices, while having them pack up half of it before it even gets to my plate. All the food I bring into the house for myself is as healthy a product as I can find (while still retaining a decent taste of some sort) and I garden in large whiskey barrels on my back porch (we aren't allowed to put a garden in the back; live in a townhouse). I drink a lot of water, skim/lactose-free/vitamin-fortified milk since that's the cheapest lactose-free milk my parents will buy - admittedly, an increase in sugar intake, but decent overall. Another thing I should have probably mentioned is that I'm Scandinavian/Germanic/Native American. Even though my hips are 57 inches around, if you poke in toward the side, you hit bone in under a centimeter. I'm large-chested as well (to the point of back problems if I'm not careful - a reason I want to cut meat out of my diet...  my family has done personal experiments and found that when consuming meat, our chests tend to grow larger and faster, while when we don't, they don't - we're thinking it's probably the growth hormones in the meat). I mean, if it wasn't treated with anything and was grass-grazed meat, I'd eat it, but otherwise... it's a bit too dangerous for me.
         
         I eat raw vegetables pretty much as my only vegetables, with steamed vegetables every now and then. I don't cook with salt, I cook with garlic. I use cinnamon when I can. I eat whole grain rice and steel cut oats. I eat flax seeds. Generally speaking, everything I eat is already about as healthy as I can be without being vegetarian or vegan. I had gone vegetarian earlier in my high school years, but after about a year my grandparents had a picnic and wouldn't stop fussing until I had some meat. I vomited after that, and when that happened, my parents dictated that I couldn't stay vegetarian.
         
         (Still have more to write, but I have to leave the computer at the moment)

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   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   It does sound like you are trying to eat the best you can, not the typical 18 year old diet. if you're serious about losing weight, you will have to exercise at least 3x a week. you mention you can't do heavy work-outs, but you can walk for 15-20 minutes a day and build that time up as you can. working out with light weights can help you build more strength and burn some calories. check out the exercise and fitness, nutrution topics here at HP. you'll find a lot of informative hubs.
   
   you can build your immune system with antioxidants, drinking freshly squeezed lemon juice with some water added, adequate protein, getting enough sleep, staying away from smoke, and what you're already doing, staying away from sugar, eating lots of fruits and veggies, zinc? that can help. lots of water and exercise.
   
   you might want to write your posts into hubs! let them make some money for you if you're signed up for adsense.
   
   hope this helps.

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   Maddie Ruudposted 13 years ago

   I have a six-week constant headache that doctors thought might be a result of certain foods, so I had to cut out all wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, tomatoes, caffeine, and chocolate for a while (before they decided it was not diet... though they still haven't figured out what it is).  That almost covers vegan and gluten-free, so I'll share some tips.
   
   I ate lots of lean meat and fruits and vegetables.  Instead of meat, you'll want to do beans (which I hate) and tofu (which I couldn't eat because of the soy).  For grains, I ate brown rice, corn tortillas, and quinoa (which is a complete protein all by itself,  and very filling).  You can make quinoa in the rice cooker with vegetable broth, and it's delicious.  Just make a big batch of rice or quinoa all at once, and then reheat portions of it throughout the week to go with your meals.
   
   The trick (both for budget and weight loss) will be to make sure you get enough protein, and fill up with tasty veggies.  As I said, quinoa is a complete protein by itself, and rice and beans together make a complete protein, so those should be staples.  There are so many great ways to cook veggies.  I like to roast broccolini or asparagus in the oven at about 400 degrees for ten minutes, just tossed in olive oil and lemon pepper and salt.  You can stir-fry with tofu, and serve over rice.  You can steam them.  You'll find your favorite ways...
   
   Also, snack often.  Nuts are great for that.  They've got protein and healthy fats, are satisfying to crunch, and are great at taking the edge off hunger.  Also, fresh and dried fruits.  Gauge your hunger level on a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being ravenous, 7 being stuffed).  Never let yourself get below a 3.  The hungrier you are, the more likely you are to overindulge later, so keep hunger in check and eat frequently, in moderation.  (I have a hub on how to curb cravings.  Just go to my profile, and type "curb cravings" in the search box under my picture.)
   
   It will be hard at first, but over time you'll just get into the habit.  I found after only a week that I was already getting quite comfortable with my restrictions, as extensive as they were.  I quickly figured out how to shop and cook so that I didn't go hungry or feel deprived.  I'm sure it'll work the same for you.
   
   Good luck!

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      Zenith of Emotionposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Wonderful advice/comment - thanks.
      
      Yeah, with Asparagus, my only problem is that it's related to grass. And I have a grass allergy. It's why I have a wheat allergy. TT_TT
      
      But thanks a lot for the advice.

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