Is Vital Wheat Gluten the same as eating bread?

[Niki King 9]

I am three months post op, in an effort to eat less meat I bought some Field Roast patties. I just read the label and realize they are made from Vital Wheat Gluten. I'm not supposed to eat bread products and I assume it's the wheat or gluten in it that's not good for the Sleeved tummy. Would eating these be the same as eating a bread product?

[RickM 1,752]

If you have Celiac or other gluten intolerance it would be an issue. I've never heard of bread, wheat or gluten being incompatible with the sleeve - lots of people and some surgeons are into the low carb thing which generally means avoiding bread products, but nothing inherent with the VSG. I make sandwiches on occasion when i need a roadfood meal and did at times when losing for energy management purposes, and it has never been an issue.

In short, if its an ingredient of a veggie or meat substitute patty, I don't see any problem with it.

[Berry78 4,261]

Gluten is the Protein portion of wheat. Some people are sensitive to gluten (as in celiac's disease). But that's another issue.

It isn't really the gluten we are usually concerned about.. it's either the carbs and/or the Gummy texture that is undesirable postop.

[Niki King 9]

I saw "no bread, no rice, no potatoes" in my surgeon's handbook but there was never an explanation for why. So I just assumed it meant every "kind" of bread product.

[Berry78 4,261]

That's a bid against carbohydrate-heavy foods. (They tend to provide calories without much nutrition.. and that can get in the way of meeting goals and/or weight loss).

[Berry78 4,261]

I'm 8 months out and am not yet at goal. By time I meet my Protein goals and get some non-starchy veggies in, there is only room (calorically) for a single serving of fruit, grains, or potatoes. Any more than that and the weight loss slows to a crawl.

Your gluten patties aren't a starch, they count as protein.

(I have personal reservations about eating concentrated gluten, but don't let my unfounded concerns change what you are doing).

[summerset 5,265]

11 hours ago, Niki King said:

I saw "no bread, no rice, no potatoes" in my surgeon's handbook but there was never an explanation for why.

Pasta. They forgot the pasta. (and all the other grains)

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Seriously now: if you can stomach the Vital Wheat Gluten you can eat it. If it doesn't agree with your body for some reason, don't eat it.

[fruitandveggies 456]

Field Roast is sooo good! Yeah, like the others said, it's very high in Protein as it's taken nearly all the carbohydrate out of the wheat.

I'm personally fine with bread, the thing I have an issue with is high fat, high protein foods. So while I loved Field Roast before surgery, now they make me really queasy and sometimes vomit. My NUT has asked me to eat less protein to try to reduce this (I'm becoming food averse, but that's a different story). So yeah, long story short, the burgers should be fine from your surgeon's view.

[summerset 5,265]

2 hours ago, fruitandveggies said:

the thing I have an issue with is high fat, high Protein foods.

I have a Problem with that as well. I can eat these foods when combined with something like rice or bread etc. - I seem to feel best on foods that have relatively balanced macros.

[Niki King 9]

Thanks everyone! This all makes sense.

[Niki King 9]

6 hours ago, summerset said:

Pasta. They forgot the pasta. (and all the other grains)

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Seriously now: if you can stomach the Vital Wheat Gluten you can eat it. If it doesn't agree with your body for some reason, don't eat it.

LOL, yeah that's in there too but it's got its own paragraph.

[Monali 6]

Will have surgery on January 23 -I eat fish a few times a mos. What about beyond meat burgers? Was told to bring my own veggie broth to hosp. What did u eat weeks two three after surgery?

[fruitandveggies 456]

I was told not to eat anything heavy like a burger for 7 weeks after surgery. I ate a lot of baby food, applesauce, tofu scramble, mashed potatoes, etc. You could probably get away with a mashed up veggie burger around week 4-5, but the Beyond burgers are really dense. I'd go with one of the actual vegetable burgers, not the trying-to-taste-like-beef burgers, Gardein has one that's really good, I also like the Foodie's brand burgers. Really yummy, but also can be nice and soft.

Oh, and good luck tomorrow, @Monali!!

Edited January 22, 2018 by fruitandveggies