Going Gluten-free: Anyone else notice a positive result?

[1MoreChance]

I gave up gluten a few months ago. Mainly becasue of chronic pain and inflamation, fatigue and depression (history of) and anxiety (more chronic). Also PMS is usually pretty bad each month.

 

I read that a lot of people, without necessarilly havinf Celiac disease, have fatigue as a result of being gluten intolerant. That gluten is very hard to digest and creates inflamation in the body.

 

So far I am still tired, but the one striking thing is how my digestion has improved. I no longer feel heavy and extra tired after meals.

[Pappers]

Absolutely! I've been gluten free for 5 years now. I don't have celiac disease but definitely a wheat / gluten intolerance. I react badly to any small ingestion of gluten, so I stay off it all the time.

 

My decision to try it was: my mother did for another reason and she said she felt better. Since the intolerance runs in families, I thought perhaps I had it too. second, I basically slept through high school. Very foggy and tired alllllll the time. In fact, I didn't realize how 'tired' I was until I got off the gluten and all of a sudden it was like waking up. Third, I was getting so many mouth ulcers (canker sores) inside my mouth ; I had always had them routinely as a child, but the older I got the worse they became. I remember not being able to eat much for weeks due to the pain and tried everything in the book to get rid of them. Still have scars on the inside of my cheeks from big ones. Anyway, mouth ulcers / canker sores (NOT cold sores) are associated with vitamin deficiency - which happens when you are not absorbing nutrients properly (which occurs when you have a reaction to gluten - the small intestine villi don't absorb and instead flatten down). And finally, I had always had random stomach upsets over years - I thought this was normal - but in fact, it isn't!

 

Anyway, groups of people like Northern Europeans (like me), and I believe some Indian populations too are more likely to be gluten intolerant.

 

So, all of this adds up and have been GF for 5 years now and would never go back, impossible.

 

Many good altnerative breads and foods exist - just have to do a lot of trial and error. My latest discovery are Chebe frozen buns; cook in the oven and they are amazing.

 

good luck with the gluten free - you will hate to have it sometimes (especially when you are looking for a quick lunch in town), but the great new lease on life outweighs the inconvenience

[Duckie198100]

Hmm, this sounds interesting. I don't digest any kind of wheat/bread product well at all. I'll have to look into this.

[dragon lady]

I've been tested for celiac disease and I don't have it, but I definitely feel better when I avoid gluten. My belly has a tendency to bloat very easily. It's usually perfectly flat when I wake up in the morning, then the second I eat any kind of bread or pasta I have a gut.

 

I haven't gone without gluten for long enough to feel any major benefits, but I intend to give it a try at some point.

[sidehop]

I may need to look into this only because we cut out dairy almost completely (just some for coffee and occasional cheese is about it) and noticed a significant difference in the way my sinus symptoms that I blamed on allergies went away.

[arwen]

I don't have this experience with gluten (in fact I pretty much live on full wheat bread, pasta and muesli!), but I do have a similar experience with lactose.

 

I thought I should just mention because you haven't been diagnosed with something that is related to gluten per se, and feeling bloated could be related to dairy (with the exception of hard cheese and yoghurt, because of fermentation that involves bacteria that produce lactase, the enzyme that is needed for digesting lactose, which lactose intolerant people miss/lack).

 

For me it was a bit trial and error: my bf suggested to try to avoid lactose for a while, and I am now almost diary free for a year and never felt better, bloating-wise.

[cat_lady]

This sounds like me in college. My sophomore and senior year was completely foggy - I think I spent most of it asleep or in a daze. I had a suspicion it was from eating too much wheat (which I absolutely LOOOVEEE) so I switched to whole wheat bread and pasta and have felt much better.

 

But for the past year I"ve been feeling very tired - and as someone else mentioned I feel really bloated - the difference between my tummy full and hungry is huge.

 

But how do you avoid gluten? What do you do for bread? Pasta? Rice? Where do you get your carbs?

[cat_lady]

I don't have this experience with gluten (in fact I pretty much live on full wheat bread, pasta and muesli!), but I do have a similar experience with lactose.

 

I thought I should just mention because you haven't been diagnosed with something that is related to gluten per se, and feeling bloated could be related to dairy (with the exception of hard cheese and yoghurt, because of fermentation that involves bacteria that produce lactase, the enzyme that is needed for digesting lactose, which lactose intolerant people miss/lack).

 

For me it was a bit trial and error: my bf suggested to try to avoid lactose for a while, and I am now almost diary free for a year and never felt better, bloating-wise.

 

My mom was lactose intolerant when she was pregnant with me.

 

In highschool I had acne - not pimples - but I had a real problem with whiteheads/blackheads all over my face and around the eyes. So I randomly decided to give up lactose for a couple of months and I still remember - I've never felt more relaxed and lighter and energetic - not too mention that 80% of my face cleared up without any change in my skin care routine.

 

And I've heard the opposite - that hard cheese is really bad for you and softer cheese (like cottage cheese) is a much healthier alternative.

[1MoreChance]

Hi everyone,

 

thanks for your posts!

 

Gluten intolerance is said to cause fatigue in even the least suspected cases... and i read that it took quite a while (months? years?) to start to feel better. IF that is what is causing my fatigue...

 

I heard one of the signs is lactose intolerance, which I know I have. But I thought one of the main reasons to give up dairy is in fact to stop eating casein (another large protein molecule that causes problems).

 

I cannot tolerate milk (I drink soy milk, even in my latte in the morning), and ice cream is difficult to digest (though I basically am addicted to it).

 

I had some blod tests done recently and I am low in iron. I wonder if that has anything to do with malabbsorbtion. I'm hoping the gluten free diet will work, and I'm also taking a multi with iron right now. the multi I take is by Quest, all the minuerals all HPV chelate, it's a great formula and not too expensive.

 

for the person who asked for bread and pasta alternatives, I use corn pasta and brown rice pasta, they are delicious and don't sit like a rock in your stomach! I eat corn tortillas and rice cakes. Not the greatest bread alternatives, but oh well. you can get / make gluten free bread.

[journeynow]

I've avoided gluten for years and it has made a huge difference with my joints. When I slip up and have a bit, the next day I have joint pain from rheumatoid arthritis. If I keep it up the whole swelling, pain, inflammation cycle takes hold. I have been able to manage RA with diet, for the most part.

[pinkelephant]

wow.. i want to try this. i'm always tired. how do you find the motivation to stay on it... lol i'm practically a gluten addict.

[1MoreChance]

Pinkelephant,

 

one thing I actually LIKE is the fact that going gluten-free will keep you away from all those empty calorie, rafined carbs that humans eat all the time on the go. Also, once you notice how improved your digestion is, you may never WANT to eat gluten. I eat brown rice pasta and corn pasta and juts the thought of how slimy and glue-like the texture of whole wheat pasta was, i don't want to go back.

 

Journeynow,

 

Did you also give up casein? if so did that make a difference?

[journeynow]

 

Journeynow,

 

Did you also give up casein? if so did that make a difference?

 

I did for awhile, but put it back in my diet without any adverse affects. I also gave up alcohol and nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, etc.) for a bit, but now find I am fine with a small bit of alcohol occasionally, and occasional nightshades.

 

 

pinkelephant,

I've focused on other foods: smoothies, oatmeal with fruit, rice dishes, huge salads and stir fried vegetables. I really craved english muffins for a while, until I discovered mochi (for the chewy, buttery, slightly sweet taste of e-muffs). The biggest helper has been Ezekiel bread. It is made from whole grains, yet it does not use flour. I don't much like rice or corn pasta, so just use rice (Jasmine or whole wheat) or corn, or polenta, with pasta sauce.

[cat_lady]

I did for awhile, but put it back in my diet without any adverse affects. I also gave up alcohol and nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, etc.) for a bit, but now find I am fine with a small bit of alcohol occasionally, and occasional nightshades.

 

 

pinkelephant,

I've focused on other foods: smoothies, oatmeal with fruit, rice dishes, huge salads and stir fried vegetables. I really craved english muffins for a while, until I discovered mochi (for the chewy, buttery, slightly sweet taste of e-muffs). The biggest helper has been Ezekiel bread. It is made from whole grains, yet it does not use flour. I don't much like rice or corn pasta, so just use rice (Jasmine or whole wheat) or corn, or polenta, with pasta sauce.

 

Doesn't rice have gluten in it?

[journeynow]

I don't know for sure, maybe someone else can answer that. I know rice doesn't give me problems (and it is one of the first solid foods to feed babies). Specifically, I am on a wheat-free diet.

[1MoreChance]

when it's whole grain rice, it's not called "whole wheat rice", it's called brown rice. Rice doesn't have gluten in it. Neither do corn, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, and others.

 

the grains that DO have gluten in them are: wheat, spelt, kamut, oats, barley and rye.

[journeynow]

oops, I meant "brown rice". Don't know how the whole wheat slipped in! Sorry!

 

Thanks 1MoreChance for catching that and clarifying the gluten grains.

[COtuner]

I gave up gluten a few months ago. Mainly becasue of chronic pain and inflamation, fatigue and depression (history of) and anxiety (more chronic). Also PMS is usually pretty bad each month.

 

I read that a lot of people, without necessarilly havinf Celiac disease, have fatigue as a result of being gluten intolerant. That gluten is very hard to digest and creates inflamation in the body.

 

So far I am still tired, but the one striking thing is how my digestion has improved. I no longer feel heavy and extra tired after meals.

 

I am nearly gluten free (by choice) and yes, I've noticed significant improvement in digestion and intestinal balance.

[1MoreChance]

oops, I meant "brown rice". Don't know how the whole wheat slipped in! Sorry!

 

Thanks 1MoreChance for catching that and clarifying the gluten grains.

 

you're welcome! about the oats, I think for people with Celiac disease there is some controversy as to whether they can eat them in small quantities, and they have to be certified gluten free. I think the problem is that they are processed at the same plants as wheats are, so they are contaminated.

 

oh and another grain that contains gluten is triticale. of course couscous, and bulgar, are wheat.

[MetallicAguy]

I had some blod tests done recently and I am low in iron. I wonder if that has anything to do with malabbsorbtion. I'm hoping the gluten free diet will work, and I'm also taking a multi with iron right now. the multi I take is by Quest, all the minuerals all HPV chelate, it's a great formula and not too expensive.

Actually, I believe the malabsorption culprit is soy. I read somewhere long ago when I was reading about becoming vegetarian that soy is loaded with phytic acid; phytic acid is a chelator that binds Iron, Zinc, Magnesium and Calcium. Because of this and another fact about soy, I dropped it out of my diet last month.

 

I've never tried it personally, but you could try putting rice milk or another dairy alternative in your coffee.