Recovering, but still low energy. Tips?

[celiacinrecovery]

I was diagnosed in my late 30s, and it took a while for me to sort things out. I've been feeling much better the past two years, and have gotten my persistent DH under control in the past half year. So, that part is great.

However, I still lack energy. I used to be active, but even if I force myself to exercise these days I'm easily exhausted. I feel SO much better than when I was still getting glutened -- its night and day! -- but I want to have more energy to get things done.

I've seen a nutritionist and various doctors. I have a lot of food issues - dairy makes me break out in DH, as do pretty much all processed foods (despite being certified gluten free). So, no peanut butter, no yogurt, no Lara bars, etc. I tried a certified gluten-free weight gainer, but broke out in DH. I've had bad reactions to almond milk the last couple times I've tried it. It would appear that I'm one of those people that is supersensitive to even small amounts of gluten in products that qualify as gluten-free.

I eat a lot of meat and potatoes. Lots of vegetables really (carrots, greens etc), and some fruit like oranges and bananas. I have eggs for breakfast. I drink a lot of water and some tea. 

I take some supplements. A daily multivitamin, calcium, vitamin D drops, and magnesium. I take fish oil daily.

I could use more calories in my diet, but am having difficulty figuring out how to fit them in.

So, besides increasing my calories, I was wondering if there are some telltale nutritional deficiencies I should/can address, whether through supplementation or whole foods. I've looked at lists of the most common nutrients that celiacs tend to lack and feel like I am addressing most of them, but perhaps I'm not hitting the proper levels. I don't know ... I'm kinda new to this.

Would appreciate any insights into how I can overcome the lack of energy.

[trents]

I would add a B complex to your supplements.

[Scott Adams]

I drink green tea...and coffee, then more tea...you get the idea! 😉

Another supplement that did help me with this (or at least counter the effects of too much caffeine!) is DHEA, but you should read up about it first. 

[Corinne D.]

For calories, you can up your fat intake - choose fattier cuts of meat. Also, olive oil, coconut oil, coconut milk and avocadoes are healthy and high calorie.

[celiacinrecovery]

4 hours ago, Corinne D. said:

For calories, you can up your fat intake - choose fattier cuts of meat. Also, olive oil, coconut oil, coconut milk and avocadoes are healthy and high calorie.

Is coconut milk ever cross-contaminated? I find myself eyeing it at the grocery store but none of the brands have any gluten free certification and I can't seem to find any info about them online.

 

[Corinne D.]

When I was still able to have coconut milk, I would choose one with only coconut and water as ingredients and make sure there was no mention of gluten traces. Being very sensitive to all sorts of things, I would never buy one with additives like carrageenan or guar gum. None of the products I chose were certified gluten-free and I never had problems with those.

I am not sure what brands are available where you live. I'm in France and the brands I could find here were either Grace, Ayam or Thai Kitchen. Not all versions of these brands, however, have no additives so I'd make sure and check the ingredients.

[celiacinrecovery]

1 hour ago, Corinne D. said:

When I was still able to have coconut milk, I would choose one with only coconut and water as ingredients and make sure there was no mention of gluten traces. Being very sensitive to all sorts of things, I would never buy one with additives like carrageenan or guar gum. None of the products I chose were certified gluten-free and I never had problems with those.

I am not sure what brands are available where you live. I'm in France and the brands I could find here were either Grace, Ayam or Thai Kitchen. Not all versions of these brands, however, have no additives so I'd make sure and check the ingredients.

You mention you're not able to have coconut milk anymore. Does this have anything to do with celiac? (Not trying to pry...just curious as I'm seriously considering incorporating some of this into my own diet.)

[Corinne D.]

I suppose it has to do with how celiac specifically manifests in my body. If you browse this forum, you will notice that a lot of us have intolerances to various other foods apart from gluten - of course, not everyone has the same or as many intolerances as others. However, this it by no means a rule - there are certainly celiacs who can have all the foods in the world except for gluten. I see no reason why anyone should abstain from any food if they can have it with no issues.

[AlwaysLearning]

You might try going supplement free for a while. Most supplements are not bioidentical to the nutrients we get from our food and can have side effects. Like vitamin D supplements can be tough on your kidneys, for example. And I wouldn't supplement anything unless you've actually tested as having a deficiency.

[DJFL77I]

5 hours ago, AlwaysLearning said:

And I wouldn't supplement anything unless you've actually tested as having a deficiency.

I had my D tested and its normal level..  also all of my other vit / minerals are normal level..

yet my Dr still said to take a multi vitamin as well as Vitamin D and B12...    but im not

[Scott Adams]

There may be other reasons to take vitamin D right now, and that is covid-19. Studies have shown that those with higher vitamin D blood levels have less severe symptoms when they get covid-19. That said, it is a vitamin that can build up in your system and be toxic at too high levels.

[ch88]

On 12/3/2020 at 7:56 AM, celiacinrecovery said:

You mention you're not able to have coconut milk anymore. Does this have anything to do with celiac? (Not trying to pry...just curious as I'm seriously considering incorporating some of this into my own diet.)

Yes coconut milk is gluten free and safe for Celiacs. 

[Brett92]

On 12/3/2020 at 5:35 AM, celiacinrecovery said:

However, I still lack energy. I used to be active, but even if I force myself to exercise these days I'm easily exhausted. 

I can relate to this part alot. Out of curiosity are you exhausted during exercise or is it after? And is it an out of breath exhaustion or a tired (need to sleep) exhaustion?

Im still trying to determine whether celiac is to blame 100% for my fatigue. I will say is the one time over the last 12 months that I had any relief was when I tried a meat only diet for a couple of weeks. I had a week of feeling normal... however I didn't excersise during that week so I cant say 100% if the energy was due to only eating meat. But if it is due to the diet im thinking maybe my body isn't reacting well to alot of wholefoods that i thought would be great for me....I am planning on reattempting this in the new year but I ate so much meat during that diet that it makes me sick just thinking about it.

[celiacinrecovery]

On 12/26/2020 at 5:39 AM, Brett92 said:

I can relate to this part alot. Out of curiosity are you exhausted during exercise or is it after? And is it an out of breath exhaustion or a tired (need to sleep) exhaustion?

Im still trying to determine whether celiac is to blame 100% for my fatigue. I will say is the one time over the last 12 months that I had any relief was when I tried a meat only diet for a couple of weeks. I had a week of feeling normal... however I didn't excersise during that week so I cant say 100% if the energy was due to only eating meat. But if it is due to the diet im thinking maybe my body isn't reacting well to alot of wholefoods that i thought would be great for me....I am planning on reattempting this in the new year but I ate so much meat during that diet that it makes me sick just thinking about it.

I suspect part of it is lowish energy from not consuming enough calories - my diet is still a little wimpy as I try to figure out what I can add. I can do some light strength exercises - I'll do some chinups/pullups each day - and more recently I've added some light cardio. In that respect I can do some stuff, but without the proper nutrition I don't see much of gains, which is a little frustrating. (I've tried adding weight gainers and saw great results, then got sick because it contained dairy!)

[DJFL77I]

same..

i lost about 10 pounds after going gluten free.... 

i'm probably only eating like 1,200 calories a day right now!  ;o/

trying to figure out what to eat to get more calories in...  also my gut still bothers me when eating and even when not eating.. so i tend  to eat less..

 I did jut make some home made Almond butter cookies... real simple and taste great

almond butter

1 egg

vanilla

sugar...

 

 

[celiacinrecovery]

I think part of my problem is I tend to have a paltry breakfast. These days I usually have a few boiled eggs, which doesn't exactly make me feel full or energetic.

I used to eat oatmeal each morning and that was a bit more filling, but despite it being certified gluten free it seemed to make me ill. It seems from this board that I'm not the only one that tends to get sick eating gluten-free oats.

So, I'll see if I can figure out something healthy that I can add to my breakfast. Maybe hash browns/home fries will help fill me up.

[DJFL77I]

2 large Bananas 

 1 Table spoon of Almond Butter

2 Eggs

[trents]

55 minutes ago, celiacinrecovery said:

It seems from this board that I'm not the only one that tends to get sick eating gluten-free oats.

I doubt that. There are many on this forum who avoid even gluten-free oats because they react to them.