Sugar Problems

[ColtonBarnes]

Hello everybody!

 

I have been gluten free for about one and a half months. About a week ago i decided to cut out sugar completely from my diet, since i was still having fatigue, depression, and anxiety. Since i cut sugar out of my diet, I have been feeling MUCH better mood wise and much more energy. However, I have run into a problem: Last night before i went to bed, i ate an apple and 2 mini oranges, and i woke up this morning feeling back to how i felt before i cut sugar out of my diet.

 

So the could natural sugar in fruit have this effect on me? Also, could it be that since my small intestine isnt healed yet from going gluten free, it is unable to digest a lot of natural sugar? Maybe i am allergic to sugar in some way?

 

Im very confused about this because i have been eating fruit all week and have been fine up until this morning.

 

I would really hate to have to give up fruit from my diet.

 

Also, has anyone else experienced a similar situation?

 

Thanks guys.

[Seeking2012]

I experience the same thing you do. I am still trying to figure out what is causing my own fatigue and I suspect a thyroid problem. I believe that the diet cannot completely control our energy levels if there are other things going on in the body. Many things have an effect on energy levels and depression/anxiety, not just diet. That being said, I do notice that I, too, feel much better (overall) when eating a lower carb diet (low sugar and low starch). But even on days when I am low-carbing, I can still experience fatigue, depression and/or anxiety. That is why I suspect that there is a thyroid problem. Do you have any other symptoms besides fatigue and depression and anxiety?

[ColtonBarnes]

Hey, sorry it took me so long to see your reply.

I was smoking an e-cig during this time, and i think that may have been the reason for me feeling how i did. i have stopped doing that since then. But, i still do have days where i am very tired, anxious and depressed... I think it is because i am still recovering from gluten. but those are pretty much my only symptoms until i get glutened, in which case i have so many different, random symptoms that it would take a while for me to list them out. The only symptoms that dont seem to go away are depression, anxiety, fatigue, and ADD symptoms, which i have had my whole life. but im hoping those will reside eventually after not getting glutened for a long period of time.

[FruitEnthusiast]

A month and a half gluten-free isn't very long... the anxiety and depression could definitely last longer than that, it did for me.

 

If you eat only fruit before bed, that's a long time for your blood sugar to drop overnight for me anyway. I don't have serious blood sugar problems, but it will get low if I don't eat often enough, and that will make my mood drop for sure.

[GFinDC]

Hey, sorry it took me so long to see your reply.

I was smoking an e-cig during this time, and i think that may have been the reason for me feeling how i did. i have stopped doing that since then. But, i still do have days where i am very tired, anxious and depressed... I think it is because i am still recovering from gluten. but those are pretty much my only symptoms until i get glutened, in which case i have so many different, random symptoms that it would take a while for me to list them out. The only symptoms that dont seem to go away are depression, anxiety, fatigue, and ADD symptoms, which i have had my whole life. but im hoping those will reside eventually after not getting glutened for a long period of time.

 

Hi Colton,

 

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Sugar reactions could indicate poor blood glucose control.  Which could be an early indicator of diabetes developing.  Sugar and refined carbs are high glycemic index foods.  So they affect your blood glucose levels quickly.  It that is the issue eating some protein along with the carbs and sugar should help.  Protein lowers the glycemic index of the meal as a whole.

 

Have you tried taking probiotics?  They can help stabilize the gut flora.  Most of the serotonin in the body is actually made by gut cells, not the brain.  So gut health may affect mood more than seems obvious.

[NatureChick]

Apples and oranges are both fruits that are high in fructose. Many people are fructose intolerant which means that the small intestine is unable to digest all of the fructose before it hits the large intestine where it can cause symptoms as minor as cramping, all the way up to full-on diarrhea. Not just a sugar thing, but the type of sugar.

I'd recommend doing some research into fructose malabsorption, balancing fructose with glucose and protein in order to avoid problems, and perhaps the glycemic index (though I need to research that last one more myself so I don't know how helpful it will be to this concern).

Another thing to consider is that vitamin deficiencies could be interfering with the ability to digest foods properly. I know it is a problem that exists, but not the extent to which it affects the conversion of specific types of foods (fructose). But if you had to go gluten free, chances were good that you had malabsorption issues of some sort, so adding vitamin- and mineral-deficiency tests to the list of things to have done when you go to the doctor is a good idea anyway. Iron, D, and B12 are pretty common in those who have had malabsorption, and B vitamins in general after going gluten free because breads are often fortified with them and you're no longer eating it.