Narrow food choices

[tamin8]

Note: I have bolded the most important snippets so you can read the post faster if on a hurry.

Hello. So far, I've found by direct experimentation that I'm intolerant to wheat, corn, and dairy.

However, recently I have suddenly begun reacting to something; later figured it was rice. The reaction is similar but not identical to that of gluten, and it's less severe, but definitely not a fun time. I'm almost sure it's not an issue of cross-contamination, since the symptoms are different. This wouldn't have been a big deal if rice weren't my staple food. It's (alongside potatoes) my main source of carbs. I have a fast metabolism, so I need to eat a lot of calories to maintain my weight; I can't rely on fat because it's very difficult to digest for me, I can barely have small amounts. High-fiber foods don't agree with me either: it causes bloating, excessive gas and general discomfort when consumed in large amounts (so I can't simply gobble up fruits and vegetables and hope it's enough). Most if not all gluten free products I can get my hands on use either corn or rice, or both.

In short, if I were to eliminate rice, potatoes would be the only major carb source left; which I would have to eat three meals a day. I don't think I can manage that and in my view, it's the fastest way to develop a sensitivity to them as well at that point. Also, my digestive system does not like bananas for some reason.

I don't live in much of a developed country, so things like sweet potatoes and chestnuts are not reliably available/affordable, and others like cassava root, taro root, acorn squash, butternut squash, winter squash, yam, parnsips, etc. are almost nonexistent.

I could try my luck with the only widely available grain I have yet to experiment with: oats. But I am leaning to believe I have a problem with all grains, and even if I don't react to oats, I will have trouble finding some that are certified gluten free because the regular ones have an elevated risk of cross-contamination due to crop rotation, sharing machines with wheat, etc.

Please help me get my diet together... I don't want to start losing weight. I've gone through that once, can't afford to do it again.

Will I have any luck trying a different brand/type of rice? I've been having long grain white rice for about a year now because it tastes better than the short grain one. We have a gigantic bag (I'm talking 20kg) of it at home, so even switching brand now would be a problem.

[cyclinglady]

If you have issues with rice, I do not think switching brands will help.  I assume you are washing and finishing your rice several times and inspecting it for trace amounts of other grains.  
 

First let’s address cross contamination with gluten.  Celiacs can normally and safely consume rice.  However, cross contamination with gluten has been found to be a problem in some countries.  I think India recently tested a variety grains and found that many were contaminated with gluten.  Google it.  
 

Some people can have an allergy or intolerance to rice, which is separate from Celiac disease.  

Do you consume meat, fish, poultry or eggs?  

I am not sure where you fall.  While is it is great that you are treating yourself with a good diet, not knowing the source of your illness is a problem. 

[tamin8]

16 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

I assume you are washing and finishing your rice several times and inspecting it for trace amounts of other grains.  

Yes, the rice is washed and does not appear to contain any fragments of other grains.

18 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

First let’s address cross contamination with gluten.  Celiacs can normally and safely consume rice.  However, cross contamination with gluten has been found to be a problem in some countries.  I think India recently tested a variety grains and found that many were contaminated with gluten.  Google it.  

I will do some research on the topic, though as I said, I believe it not to be cross contamination.

20 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

Some people can have an allergy or intolerance to rice, which is separate from Celiac disease.  

Indeed. I don't have symptoms of an allergy, so I assume it's an intolerance. Saying it's separate from celiac is a bold statement, because it appears to me there is a big association between having the disease and developing other food intolerances.

23 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

Do you consume meat, fish, poultry or eggs?

Yes, I do. I rarely have fish but meat, chicken and eggs are things I have on a consistent basis.

I will do my best to figure out the source of the problem. Thank you for your reply.

[cyclinglady]

Celiacs can  safely consuming uncontaminated rice. It does not trigger the autoimmune response that can cause small intestinal damage.   With that damage, however, it is common to have other food intolerances.  But you could have Crohn’s, Ulcerative colitis, tropical Sprue, SIBO or any other illness that can cause food intolerances too.  
 

Do you have celiac disease?  If yes, know you can have more than one autoimmune disorder.  
 

I hope you can figure it out.  Not to be able to digest fats, is as troubling and not being able to consume rice.  Has your gallbladder or pancreas been checked?  

[tamin8]

2 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

Celiacs can  safely consuming uncontaminated rice. It does not trigger the autoimmune response that can cause small intestinal damage.   With that damage, however, it is common to have other food intolerances.  But you could have Crohn’s, Ulcerative colitis, tropical Sprue, SIBO or any other illness that can cause food intolerances too.  
 

Do you have celiac disease?  If yes, know you can have more than one autoimmune disorder.  
 

I hope you can figure it out.  Not to be able to digest fats, is as troubling and not being able to consume rice.  Has your gallbladder or pancreas been checked?  

Celiac is my best estimation, as I'm self-diagnosed.

It's not that I'm unable to digest fats, it's just hard on the gut. I've had this when I first went gluten free and it slowly faded away over the months. Before this recent unexpected reaction I was eating as much fat as I wanted with no problems, so I think it has to do with the reaction.

[Kate333]

Hi Tamin8,

I use "Minute Rice" (both brown and white, widely available in the USA where I live) because it is clearly labeled "CERTIFIED Gluten Free" which means (I think?...feel free to chime in here Cycling Lady) it has undergone a higher safety standard of review than packaged products only labeled "gluten-free"  or worse "labeled gluten-free" with a commonly seen disclaimer (in very small print, of course): "processed in a facility with other crops".  I avoid those items altogether to avoid even remote G exposure.

You mention:  Please help me get my diet together... I don't want to start losing weight. I've gone through that once, can't afford to do it again.

What a coincidence!! I also have lost weight/some muscle mass, even on what I assume is a gluten-free/safe diet for the past 6 months!!  Not to pry, but could you pls. share some details about your weight loss triggers?/how long it lasted?/how you regained it?  Did doctors give you "explanation" or assurance that you would regain it after celiac disease treatment? 

In my case, I am only recently diagnosed with "likely" celiac disease (blood test a bit elevated but biopsy normal) and "probable IBS".  I'm really concerned because, from my perspective, I am trying..doing EVERYTHING in my power possible to stabilize my weight..yet it seems no matter what I eat/don't eat...I still have issues. So frustrating/scary!  And I admit it definitely has made me (perhaps too) paranoid about, frustrated with, eating which I used to enjoy so much!

Kate

 

 

 

[Posterboy]

Tamin8,

If your Rice is is  not fortified or enriched....you might have developed a Thiamine deficiency...

Try Parboiling your rice....it helps make it a more nutritious rice.

Here is a nice overview from Cornell Edu that explains why this is so...

http://thiamine.dnr.cornell.edu/Thiamine_causes.html

quoting...

"Further, given the labile and hydrophilic nature of thiamine, much of this essential vitamin that remains can be lost during food manufacturing and cooking. Thus, thiamine, in its less hygroscopic mononitrate form, is often added to enrich flour, white rice, and beer to compensate for losses. As an alternative, by parboiling, or partially cooking, rice while it is still in its hull, the enzymes are inactivated and some of the thiamine in the aleurone layer is forced into the endosperm. This improves both the nutritional value of rice as well as its shelf life."

Parboiling Rice also lowers the Arsenic level(s) in Rice....so this a win, win, win...

Less Arsenic, more Thiamine, longer shelf life (Rice will last longer)

https://phys.org/news/2019-04-parboiling-method-inorganic-arsenic-rice.html

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/parboiled-rice

In the meantime try finding a good B-complex.  If that is not available you can add Brewers' yeast or Nutritional yeast to your regimen.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/217133-what-vitamins-are-in-brewers-yeast/

I hope this is helpful but it is not medial advise.

Posterboy,

[tamin8]

I deeply apologize for the late reply.

On 7/6/2020 at 12:30 AM, Kate333 said:

Hi Tamin8,

I use "Minute Rice" (both brown and white, widely available in the USA where I live) because it is clearly labeled "CERTIFIED Gluten Free" which means (I think?...feel free to chime in here Cycling Lady) it has undergone a higher safety standard of review than packaged products only labeled "gluten-free"  or worse "labeled gluten-free" with a commonly seen disclaimer (in very small print, of course): "processed in a facility with other crops".  I avoid those items altogether to avoid even remote G exposure.

It may not be exactly misleading, if the "other crops" are also gluten free. But I agree with your decision, better not take the risk. Especially if you're like me and react to corn which is technically free of gluten (at least the one found in wheat).

 

On 7/6/2020 at 12:30 AM, Kate333 said:

You mention:  Please help me get my diet together... I don't want to start losing weight. I've gone through that once, can't afford to do it again.

What a coincidence!! I also have lost weight/some muscle mass, even on what I assume is a gluten-free/safe diet for the past 6 months!!  Not to pry, but could you pls. share some details about your weight loss triggers?/how long it lasted?/how you regained it?  Did doctors give you "explanation" or assurance that you would regain it after celiac disease treatment? 

I was very slowly losing weight when I was still sick and eating gluten. But as soon as I went gluten free, the weight loss accelerated significantly. Most likely due to the fact that I was barely eating, my gut was not in a very good state and I felt like I was spiraling into insanity. It lasted around 1-2 months. One day, and this may seem bizarre, I realized that drinking more water helps my digestion A LOT and makes me feel MUCH better; so I started to drink as much as I can. That was when things took off and I started regaining weight. I don't know why this happens to be the case. But even to this day, I almost cannot go without drinking 2 litres of water a day, sometimes more. And yes, I was told that as soon as I would go gluten free I would start regaining weight, which clearly wasn't true.

 

On 7/6/2020 at 12:30 AM, Kate333 said:

In my case, I am only recently diagnosed with "likely" celiac disease (blood test a bit elevated but biopsy normal) and "probable IBS".  I'm really concerned because, from my perspective, I am trying..doing EVERYTHING in my power possible to stabilize my weight..yet it seems no matter what I eat/don't eat...I still have issues. So frustrating/scary!  And I admit it definitely has made me (perhaps too) paranoid about, frustrated with, eating which I used to enjoy so much!

I know exactly what you mean. It's such a struggle to persistently think you are being damaged by something unknowingly, and when you do all you can to eliminate issues only to fall short. Stay strong.

@Posterboy: Will explore this. Thank you.

[GFinDC]

Hi Tamin8,

I had to give up rice for a few years after going gluten-free.  It made me sick every time I ate it.  Now I can eat it again though.

Two liters of water is not a lot of water to drink each day.  It is not even an adequate amount to drink.  This lack of water could be a cause of some health issues.  Your stomach needs water to make stomach acid to digest foods.  I hope the info below helps.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256#:~:text=The National Academies of Sciences,fluids a day for women

Health benefits of water

Water is your body's principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Your body depends on water to survive.

Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, water:

Gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements

Keeps your temperature normal

Lubricates and cushions joints

Protects sensitive tissues

Lack of water can lead to dehydration — a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

How much water do you need?

Every day you lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by consuming beverages and foods that contain water.

So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:

About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids for men

About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women