MET-RX RTD51

[Matt McFaul]

  Hello, I am new to Gluten free thing, but have definitely had a problem with it all of my life.  I am having trouble getting in enough calories.  I like all the gluten free food that I have tried, however most are soups and only around 130 calories.  With that in mind, I ordered several crates of a supplement that I used to use when I was racing superbikes, and climbing.  It's called Met-RX RTD51, and I have posted the label below.  Can anyone see anything wrong with being Celiac and using this supplement?  I definitely have gluten coming in from something that I am eating/drinking, but I can't figure out what.

Thanks for your replies!

[Ennis-TX]

Says right on the label contains wheat........

[Matt McFaul]

Just now, Ennis_TX said:

Says right on the label contains wheat........

omg 😛 Great, I'm an idiot.  That would explain a lot, and over 25 years too 😕  

[Ennis-TX]

I have used meal replacement shakes in the past for years, I recently just started adding pure beef protein isolate and egg white powders in shakes or mixing with gelatin and hot water to set into a pudding with added plain cocoa powder or cinnamon and sweeten with stevia/monk fruit extract, and this is just for a protein supplement after working out.
It is best to get you calories from real foods, I tend to eat mostly eggs, lean meats like turkey/chicken, bacon, with a some beef and salmon at times. I also add in nuts/seeds often when bulking. I have other restrictions in addition to just gluten free. I average 800-1500cal a meal and eat twice a day then fast, and I tend to work out and walk/run more then most humans.

Edited July 16, 2020 by Ennis_TX

[Matt McFaul]

I climbed the Pinnacles National Monument daily for many years, jogged the 12 miles around it, cycled 32 miles a day, all while destroying my joints with gluten.  It took a medication damn near killing me in order for me to wake up and see what is going on.  Now I can look back over my life and everything makes sense.  I can't believe I didn't see"Wheat" on the label, I looked last month before I spent $600 on the stuff too, but the med interaction really messed up my eyes, and head.

[cyclinglady]

I agree with Ennis.  Real food.  I fuel my bike rides with things like juicy homemade burger, steak, fish, poultry, bacon, and lots of fat!  But take it easy until you feel better.  Hard to do, but worth it.  

[Matt McFaul]

1 minute ago, cyclinglady said:

I agree with Ennis.  Real food.  I fuel my bike rides with things like juicy homemade burger, steak, fish, poultry, bacon, and lots of fat!  But take it easy until you feel better.  Hard to do, but worth it.  

That's exactly what works for me.  My ideal diet, which puts me in the best health, is literally the Blood Type O diet, in every way.  The problem is that I am now disabled and since disability denied me until I was outside of having worked 5 or the last 10 years, they won't give me any more then they give someone who has never worked a day in their life.  It's ironic, considering I my injuries are mostly from work.  Now I have just discovered the wheat problem, which shines a new light on all of my problems.  I don't know how doctors haven't put 2 and 2 together, but then they also had me on 7 medications that shouldn't have any two combined, and 3 had a severe interaction warning.  Incompetent all the way around.  I even told them that I am having a problem with wheat, sugar, and lactose...and they didn't even refer me to a test.  I have every symptom, already documented, and for 22 years 😕

I have no idea how I am going to be able to afford this.  I have been able to eliminate almost all inflammation by using 2 of these supplements and a bunch of gluten free soups, over the past month.  However, when you have suffered that much inflammation for so long, and remove it, then you have loose joints, and a loose spine.  Everything is popping when I go for walks lol.  I won't be able to afford to maintain this for more then a month longer though.

[GFinDC]

Hi Matt,

You can avoid buying $$$ gluten-free foods by sticking to meats, fish, nuts, veggies and fruit.  Those are whole foods and are naturally gluten-free.  Until you learn the gluten-free diet it's best to avoid processed foods.  Learning the gluten-free diet can take 6 months or more IMHO.

And missing wheat in small print on a long ingredients list in small print is one of the reasons to avoid processed foods.  You save time at the grocery and don't have to worry about your foods making you sick.  It's a good idea to simplify your diet for a few months until you heal up.  The fewer ingredients on a package label the better for us.  Three ingredients or less is ideal.  Gluten is in wheat, rye and barley, but some of us react to oats also.

You might feel better if you avoid all dairy for a few months also.  Celiac can impair the ability to digest dairy sugar (lactose).  Many weight building supplements contain dairy in one form or another.

Edited July 17, 2020 by GFinDC

[Matt McFaul]

good grief...you just hit today's problem spot on.  I had a reaction to oatmeal.  Slightly breaking out, burned the roof of my mouth, basically wheat makes my mouth raw.  I had googled "instant oatmeal gluten free", and came upon a website that said that all instant oatmeal was gluten free.  So I chowed, even though it has 12 grams of sugar per pack, and instantly felt my head go to poo, along with my mouth.  It gave me stomach issues too, but I'm used to high levels of pain, so I can deal with that.  Then you mention sugar, I ended up in the hospital ;last month after 3 cups of coffee and sugar.  So I quit everything.  I always had lactose problems.  I need full on allergy workup really.  I've been unknowingly doing this to myself for at least 25 years.

 

[cyclinglady]

But really, real food does not have to cost more.  Purchasing processed gluten-free soups can be expensive.  Any processed food can be expensive.  You do not need lots of protein if you are not trying extreme sports.  
 

You will need to learn to cook.  Start with rice and beans.  Eat eggs, fresh veggies or frozen ones.  Look for fatty meat on sale.  I just bought a name- brand chicken for $3.50 and chopped it up myself.  Grilled the chicken and saved the cooked bones and uncooked back (tossed a bag into the freezer) to be made later into bone broth (crockpot or pot).  At that price, I bought several and loaded my freezer.  I can cook a whole chicken.  Make  soup (rice, celery, dill and carrots) with the dark and broth, save the white for chicken a la king or chicken enchiladas.  So many choices and two or three meals for my family.  You just need a crockpot.  
 

If nightshades are not a problem eat potatoes.  Or eat sweet potatoes or squash.   Try watching a few YouTube videos with homesteaders, those with huge families, etc. and learn to cook cheaply while still maintaining good nutrition.  
 

Think Little House on the Praire.  
 

Another helpful tip is to do small 12 hour fasts.  This gives your GI tract a break.  I think Ennis does this too.  
 

keep a food journal.  It can help you indentify mild allergies and intolerances to foods.  Allergy testing  is 50-50 at best, so save your cash.  

[Matt McFaul]

Thanks, I'm learning a lot, just today alone.  My main problem with cooking, is that I live in a place where I don't really have access to the sink.  Slobs in the house always have the sink full, and because of extreme sports, my back and hips can't handle standing at a counter, or that slight lean forward that you have to make in order to clean.  Everything for me is a catch 22.  I will probably just buy a Forman grill and go back to meat, but I'm an animal communicator or sorts, and I really don't like the idea of eating animals, at all.  I know that when I was eating meat though, I was at my healthiest and had the least inflammation.

https://www.directactioneverywhere.com/

[GFinDC]

Hi Matt,

Oats are a problem for me too.  Sugar is good to avoid at first until your gut flora stabilizes in a healthy mix.  When our guts are irritated, damaged, and inflamed they tend to not have the best bacteria thriving.  So sugar may not get digested and instead feed swarms of bacteria that explode in numbers and cause IBS like symptoms.  Think gas, pain and stink along with diarrhea.  By the way, IMHO it is not uncommon to make mistakes at the beginning of the gluten-free diet.  Or at least it wasn't uncommon for me!   It's all a learning process and such loads of fun!

You might want to try some fiber like psyllium, husks once in awhile.  Other things to stock up on are Pepto Bismol for pain and soothing the gut, plus milk of magnesia for constipation.  Peppermint tea is good for getting gas out of the stomach.  Which can be very good at times when it causes pain.

Often enuff we are low on vitamin D, some B vitamins and some minerals when diagnosed.  So check with your doc on vitamin and mineral levels.  I can tell you low vitamin D can make you feel like unpleasant stuff for sure.  Selenium,, copper, boron and iodine should not be overlooked also.

I hope you can return some of the powder for credit or sell it to some unsuspecting, low-life gluten eater.   Kidding, they aren't all bad! 

Gratuitous extra smiley just to be extra irritating here. .

Welcome to the forum!

[Matt McFaul]

On 7/16/2020 at 10:01 PM, GFinDC said:

Thanks, sorry it took so long for me to see your response, I am not getting the notifications for some reason 😕  I too am having problems with sugar, tea, lactose, alcohol, and caffeine as well.  In June i drank two cups of starbucks black coffee with sugar, and ended up int he hospital.  My glucose levels are perfect though.  I do suffer all of the typical deficiencies that everyone else here suffers from.  I just had my first IGA test a few days ago, and it came back negative, but they didn't have me eating wheat prior to the test.  I had already gone at least 2 months without intentionally eating wheat, though I do believe that there was cross  contamination in a few of the things that I ate.  maybe not enough to set the test off?  I am going to make a whole new post about that.  I just drank some bolthouse green food, not knowing that they had put wheat in it...why the heck do they put wheat in things that are supposed to be good for you?

 

[GFinDC]

On 8/6/2020 at 3:39 PM, Matt McFaul said:

 

Hi Matt,

They do put wheat and barley in many, many foods.  Oats are not as common in foods but getting a little more so these days.  Oat milk is getting popular for instance.

Reading labels for a celiac is very important, and can be time consuming and difficult with older eyes. Don't ask how I know!   That's why it can be helpful to avoid buying processed foods.  Things like apples, oranges, nanners, a head of lettuce or a slab of beef seldom have gluten added.  Taking a conservative / simple approach to what you eat for 6 months can help get your healing processing rolling.  Being sick and not knowing what food caused it is a bummer.  With a whole foods diet the problems are much easier to identify.

Meats are good IMHO as our bodies do need protein to heal.  Veggies and fruits and nuts are helpful and eggs, avocados and peas have a good amount of protein too.  A simple diet is a key tool to use for healing.

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