Adding fibre to gluten-free diet

[Lucy84]

Hi there, I’m new to the group and still learning ! I’ve recently gone gluten-free and am feeling so much better for it ! Before going gluten-free I was regularly struggling to go to the loo OR having Diarrhea first thing in the morning and also had lower back pain. These symptoms have gone now and I go to the loo regularly in the morning BUT now (sorry if TMI!) my poo lacks ‘bulk’ for want of a better word! It’s not one big log as it should be let’s say! I am presuming this is because I am eating less fibre? I normally have gluten-free toast for breakfast, something like scrambled eggs, avocado, tomatoes for lunch and a banana or two throughout the day and then a gluten-free dinner..can anyone help me with how to add more fibre in? I should also add that I have recently started eating chia seeds and flax seeds in my protein shakes but this doesn’t seem to be helping with bulk but defo keeps me regular. Lucy x

[Scott Adams]

More starches and fiber could help you, but try to avoid too many processed type starches like highly processed flours. Psyllium fiber powder can be helpful, but be sure it is marked "gluten-free" on the package. I got some from Amazon which was marked gluten-free, and when I tested it with my Nima Sensor it was contaminated with gluten, presumably at the mill. Dates are also a great source of fiber.

[cristiana]

Hi Lucy

Just a thought... are you still consuming dairy?  I find I have the same issues if I overdo the dairy products such as milk and yoghurt.  I'm not saying to you exclude dairy - I have a family history of osteoporosis so I have tried to keep it in my diet (although at the moment I'm supposed to be cutting it out for other reasons, but that's a different subject!) but things are much more, shall we say, "solid" if I don't eat it, so much so that I'm prone to constipation, fibre or no fibre, if I don't consume it. 

Sometimes coeliacs cut it out while they are still healing, then reintroduce it, as one can be temporarily lactose intolerant until the villi mend.

C.