Going gluten-free is not easy--simply because wheat, rye and barley products are used as thickeners and extenders in so many processed foods, and they are often well hidden in the ingredient list (modified food starch? malt flavoring?).

The best thing to do is to try to eat as UNprocessed a diet as possible. Fruits and vegetables, plain meats if you want them, eggs, if you tolerate those, dairy if you can handle that (although many people with gluten sensitivity also have caesin--dairy protein--sensitivity as well).

I miss bagels, pizza, cake . . .but there are some gluten-free varieties out there. These are often available at places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, and a little cheaper than at the specialty health food stores. One of the problems with gluten-free baked goods is that they are considerably more expensive. But some good choices can be found, and I urge you to post to the gluten board here, and read the Useful Websites section on it--there are many food/recipe/product suggestions/links.

Any doctor who says gluten is NECESSARY for human nutrition loses my respect immediately. There is NO one single food that humans must have--there are always other sources of calories, vitamins, minerals. Water is essential, but beyond that, there are many choices.

More and more evidence is accumulating that gluten can allow autoimmune reactions to be triggered by influencing the action of zonulin, which is a substance that mediates cellular spacing. Too much zonulin, and the spaces between intestinal cells becomes too large, allowing not so-friendly molecules to pass into the system and trigger reactions. (People forget that the real first line of immunoprotection in the body is the gut.)