Making the Sparks Diet Gluten Free

JulieB,
You can look through the recipes on sparkpeople. If users entered them they have the ability to label them as gluten free. However, I think that the best thing that you could do is learn which foods you need to avoid and which hidden ingredients you should look for on labels. I get most of my whole grains from GF oats and brown rice.

As a new member to SparkPeople, I, too, am EXTREMELY disappointed that the Tracker won't suggest or help me plan essentially gluten-free meals. Even a small nod in this direction would be so appreciated. For example, don't suggest menus with wheat pastas, the usual gluten breads and flour-based items. To avoid litigation, put an asterisk on any items that MAY not be recommended for those with gluten sensitivity or celiacs (add please check with your doctor first disclaimer).

Does this group have a gluten-free recipes database for the tracker to use as a resource for those who want it?

Hmmm. I was just wondering this myself and think it is too bad if Sparkpeople do not want to create a gluten free diet plan. I don't feel like I have the time or inclination to type all the substitutions in myself, so I end up not recording my meals. Eating Well seems to feel ok about creating a gluten free diet plan. They have a 7-day gluten free plan on their website, but my problem with that is that it has a ton of red meat, and I try to just eat fish for meat. I'd love to know if people think there is a way we can ask/suggest to Spark that they create a gluten free diet plan.

I think that SP has said that a gluten free diet is too complicated and should be done with a doctor's supervision so they won't touch it. Personally, I have never been a big fan of their meal plans to begin with. It is easy to swap in things like brown rice, potatoes, quinoa, polenta, and gluten free pasta. Never had a problem getting in all of my carbs eating gluten free. It is cheaper if you don't try to sub a gluten free product that is exact, like a bread for a bread in a recipe, and look for things that are naturally gluten free.

I've been wondering how best to go about this myself.
There are so many foods that you can check off of your list of foods to include, meats, dairy, tofu, etc.. why not gluten?

I too have been wondering if there would be a gf option in the nutrition tracker and maybe even an options for not including other allergens. I personally feel like it would be such a great help. I'm not sure if this is a possibility or what must to be done in order to make something like this happen but I would at least try it out. I'm going to see if this question was posted in the larger community at all.

I have become disillusioned by Spark's lack of support for those who need to be gluten free. For years, I carefully followed Spark's dietary recommendations for "healthy" gluten heavy diet plans and I became heavier, weaker, bloated and depressed. Once I broke free and followed my "gut" instincts, I am suddenly feeling great and losing weight. When I started looking for gluten free support on this site, I found a single nutrition article written by Nicole Nichols and Becky Hand titled, "Is Gluten-Free the Way to Be?" They write that "It's impossible to know whether giving up gluten (or wheat) itself may have improved one's health or if those improvements resulted from a combination of factors. For example, a person who adopts a gluten-free diet will suddenly avoid most (if not all) processed foods, fast foods and restaurant foods." This is arrogant, irresponsible and clueless advice!

Edited by: SARAGWYNE at: 12/4/2011 (12:36)

I agree. I am just starting out with this site and I'm strongly wishing for an interactive option from the start. With every meal suggestion could cause a very bad reaction in so many people. I love the concept of sparkpeople, but not bring able to easily remove all listings of wheat and gluten from options to big of a hassle. Isn't there a customer support suggestion box some where?

p.s.

If you need more fiber, add more green leafy vegetables.

Learn to like various greens and use them in recipes. You can even throw raw kale or spinach into a smoothie with frozen berries and hardly taste the green stuff. You have to get creative.

Save the gf grain treats for special occasions.

GF eating takes some getting used to. But if you don't bring the other stuff around, you won't have it on hand to eat. There are some delicious gf products available that your entire family can enjoy.

GF is a permanent change for those with issues. So you can't just go on a GF diet and think, you'll go back to eating other grains without stirring up trouble. You have to reform permanently.

I realize this is controversial (all diets are anyway. Actually, I firmly believe from my reading that the right kind of fat (unprocessed, unhydrogenated, but not necessarily unsaturated)will stablize blood sugar and sustain your appetite satiation longer as well as help balance hormones (see articles on Westonaprice.org). Too many starches and grains of any kind will sabotoge weight loss and well as drive up your cholesterol. There is a lot of misinformation on eating "low fat" out there. It's not just about the calorie count.

Once you get what you eat manually entered it works out ok. It just takes time to get started.

Has anyone come up with a diet for Sparks that is gluten free. It is time consuming and difficult to substitute gluten free for the regular foods as the gluten free may have more calories, less fiber and more fat.