In budget news, I have to up my grocery expenses for the next couple of weeks. Trying a gluten free diet to narrow down some issues. Two things: 1. GF bread products are EXPENSIVE! 2. GF bread is also tasteless and gross.
if you think you might have celiac disease it can be allot less expensive and time consuming to just do the blood test for it. it runs about $100 and will give a definitive answer (and most insurances cover it). one of the issues with trying to figure it out via an elimination diet is that to truly eliminate it takes allot more than just looking at foods-there's beauty products (lipsticks, lip balms), prescription meds and otc meds/supplements among the many things we routinely use that contain gluten. lots of things we put in our bodies that we never think of having gluten do so it can take allot of time, effort and money. most people WILL initially feel better b/c they tend to cut way back on foods if they see any indicator of gluten so it's almost like the initial 'going on a diet' effect but as they start finding substitutes they either feel the same as they did before or worse b/c they may end up with nutritional and fiber deficiencies.
dh had a doctor who was insistant he had celiac and pushed to try elimination. dh was adamant he did'nt (grew up vegetarian with a HIGH gluten diet and never had issues) so we insisted on the test instead. in less than 48 hours we had the results and avoided buying a bunch of overpriced/nasty (to us) tasting foods.