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TransplantBuddies.org Forums » Nutritious Food & Wellness » Gluten Free and Transplant Health « Previous Next »
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Hostess Risé
Board Administrator
Username: Rise

Post Number: 18215
Registered: 05-2003


Posted on Saturday, April 02, 2016 - 09:31 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

As a double lung transplant recipient, I knew in order to do well post-transplant, I would have to adhere to a healthy diet to stay as healthy as possible.


Twenty years later, I am very proud to say that my healthy nutrition practices have worked well for me.

Living life with Cystic Fibrosis was a daily challenge and never knowing which infection could potentially land me into the hospital.
My plan was to eat healthy and exercise. At a young age in Biology class, I felt very drawn to learning about nutrition with the mindset that healthy foods could help keep me living a longer life with CF. I sought out nutritional advice over the years and many nutritionists would tell me to try a gluten-free diet. The problem was that when nutritionists told me about gluten-free diets, they never explained how to set them up, so I never benefited from the information.

Fast forward twenty years later: I received the same advice from an acupuncturist and a chiropractor who both told me to try a gluten-free diet. I felt this could finally be my chance to experience better health and possibly lessen the severity of the Epstein Barr Virus I was battling.

They both did not know one another and this advice was definitely the sign to go full on and never look back by going gluten-free. So for four years now, I have been gluten free. My memory has improved and I do not experience what others call the transplant community calls 'Prograf' brain". My memory seems to be improving even after the four years on a GF diet. Not only has my memory improved as well as my attention span, my gut health has greatly improved. All of my vitamin levels are normal (and in some cases off the charts!) so I also eliminated some of my vitamins.



A gluten-free diet, when followed correctly, improves overall health, reduces inflammation, and improves the mind, kidneys and gut health. There are gluten free pastas and breads but be careful of other harmful ingredients.
A gluten-free diet is easy to follow but don't be fooled by many of the gluten-free meals on the market.



If you read the ingredients and you recognize them as real foods, you've made a good choice. If you read ingredients like tapioca starch, corn, sugar (genetically modified), then you are choosing the wrong product. Most packages that are labeled organic are good but be careful with these too. Read and educate yourself, and be patient as this all takes time. See my references below to learn more about a gluten free diet.




Improving your diet takes time, research and patience. Since you have been through or going through a life changing experience entering transplant land, your body deserves the best it can receive. Is a gluten free diet the best way to go? Only you can decide for yourself. Discuss any change with your dietician or doctor. From what I am been reading and what I have experienced, I believe that all transplant patients will benefit.




If you are having any kidney problems, I suggest you consider going gluten free. See the link I referenced below. Gluten is not healthy for anyone and certainly not good for people like us who are taking immunosuppression drugs. When I told my Pulmonologist that I was going on a gluten-free diet, she was happy. My lungs have been super clear ever since. Not once in four years did my doctors ever hear any noises in my lungs.




A month ago, I was at a dinner engagement when I accidentally ate some gluten. Within five minutes of eating this particular food that was from a soup dish, I started to cough and coughed all night long. About a day later, my itchy cough subsided but I knew it was the gluten. For so many years I was off gluten and then suddenly introducing gluten was a big mistake. They say it take two weeks to get all the gluten out of your body. Now I know how unhealthy gluten is for me. It is really a shame I never started on my gluten free diet many years ago.




On rare occasions I indulge in dairy but if I eat a small amount of organic dairy once every month, I can swing it. while shopping online, I discovered the Wrawp company and decided to buy their Gluten free Wrawp's and their Pizza Crust. What did I have to lose as all of their ingredients are very healthy and organic too. I created my own version of a healthy Pizza with their Pizza Crust as you can see in he photo below.

The next time I am in the mood for a Pizza I will be using the Wrawp Pizza Crust. I must admit the Pizza Crust from the Wrawp company is quite delicious. There is some Buckwheat flour which is gluten free but it adds a unique flavor and texture to their Pizza Crust and was quite delicious. I added some organic cheese with a blend of organic vegetables. I put all the ingredients onto the Pizza Crust and after a few minutes the cheese was melted enough and as you can imagine very delicious. My husband has a Pizza wheel and we sliced the entire Pizza into bite size portions.



The Wrawp company is offering a discount to all our members- visit the http://wrawp.com and use the coupon code WRISE10 for ten percent off on your purchase. To read the Pizza Crust ingredients click on this link http://wrawp.com/pizza-crust/


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Here are some gluten free resources I recommend:


http://wrawp.com


https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/guidelines-for-avoiding-gluten-unsafe-ingredients-for-gluten-sensitivity/

http://www.drperlmutter.com/new-findings-glutens-impact-brain-gut-health-2/


https://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-damages-the-kidneys
CF- dx at 2yrs. 2nd double lung tx-05 JMH
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