Gluten - Other Food Intolerances

[Guest Greggy]

Hi all,

Im a new member here. Definately have a problem with gluten i know that. Been doing well when i havent slipped up on the gluten-free diet

Just wondering about oher food intolerances. I know celiac/ G intolernance can cause other food intolerances because of the damage that is done to the intestinal villi. I wanted to know if most of us can expect, in time, after our intestines have healed on a G F diet (I know this can take a long time) that our other food intolerances go as well. Im thinking that it may not be as siple as this??

Thanks

Greg

[Guest cassidy]

I think this is really going to be individual. I have heard that many people can't handle dairy while they are healing and they may be able to handle it later. I never had a problem with dairy at all. I did find out that I can't have nightshades - tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, green pepper. I have been on the diet a while and I'm feeling great and I still can't handle those. Many people have intolerances other than gluten that don't go away on the gluten-free diet.

So, you may find changes in what you can tolerate as you heal but I wouldn't expect all other intolerances to go away. You may also find there are more things that you can't have now - maybe not because they are new intolerances but because you are feeling so much better that you can actually tell when another food makes you sick.

I have also found that I can't tolerate things like nitrates and MSG. I don't know if I always had a problem with them and just felt so crappy from eating gluten that I didn't know, or if this is a new thing since I'm eating soooo healthy now.

[kabowman]

I have not been DX with celiac disease so I can't speak to that aspect. However, I have many food intolerances and most of my mom's side of the family does too, which I didn't learn about until after I started to tell everyone my discoveries. It was not known exactly what everyone's problems were before but most of the family knows now what their intolerances are, at least the ones that care about their health enough to fix it.

I know mine continue to get worse but again, these are just intolerances, not celiac disease.

[Guest Greggy]

Thanks both of you

Just to clarify - is it only celiac that causes damage to the intestines & not GI? I have read that somewhere. Also is it likely that I have other allergies / intolerances? Without wishing to sound glib or naieve if certian intolerances dont majorly effect me symptom wise is there a desperate need to remove such items from my diet?

Greg

[Guest cassidy]

I found after I went gluten-free that I felt amazing. I have never felt this good in my life. Potatoes and tomatoes give me a stomach ache and D. I am so used to feeling good now that I don't want to eat those things because I don't want to feel bad anymore now that I know how to prevent it.

I also asked people if it was ok to cheat on foods you seem to be intolerant to and other people have had serious long-term complications that they believe are due to eating things that they are intolerant to (not gluten). I can't imagine that D is good for your system regardless of the cause, so I choose not to eat those things. I do know that if you are gluten intolerant you can have long-term serious symptoms from consuming gluten, so that isn't one that you want to cheat on. There is all sorts of info about more neurological symptoms with gluten intolerance, so while I'm not positive if I have celiac or intolerance, I never cheat with gluten - plus it makes me horribly ill.

On the other hand, pineapple, strawberries and bananas make my mouth feel funny. They don't do it all the time and the amount of them I eat affects my symptoms. So, while I don't make banana, strawberry and pineapple fruit salads on a regular basis, I will have a few bites of them every once in a while.

If you are healing from going gluten-free and you continue to eat other foods that you seem to be intolerant to, I liken that to drinking a 6 pack of beer when you have a cold. Why put that much stress on your body? It can't make things better.

If it was me and I was new to the diet, I would exclude all things that I seem intolerant to and maybe introduce them one at a time after a couple of months and see if I still have symptoms and if so, how bad they are.

[Guest Greggy]

Thanks for that. I agree wit you & am on the look out for other intolerances.

Since I did my gluten "test" last week /weekend (aafter 3 weeks of blissful good health off gluten) I have felt worse than ever this week - major fatigue, pain, IBS, sore bleeding gums & a really sensitve throat & tight chest. Could all these be symptoms be from gluten? It feels like my muscles in my upper body are on fire I think the answer is YES but it would be nice to hear it from those in the know...

Thanks for your advice

Greg

[Guest cassidy]

Yes, if you felt great off gluten and then ate gluten and got all sorts of symptoms, they are probably from the gluten.

I get D, stomach ache that lasts for several hours, headache that lasts for about a day, I have to pee frequently, brain fog for several days, anxiety to the point of being paranoid which lasts for about a week. So, I tend to think that gluten can cause many different symptoms.

Hope you feel better soon!

[Ltrain917]

I think this is really going to be individual. I have heard that many people can't handle dairy while they are healing and they may be able to handle it later. I never had a problem with dairy at all. I did find out that I can't have nightshades - tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, green pepper. I have been on the diet a while and I'm feeling great and I still can't handle those. Many people have intolerances other than gluten that don't go away on the gluten-free diet.

So, you may find changes in what you can tolerate as you heal but I wouldn't expect all other intolerances to go away. You may also find there are more things that you can't have now - maybe not because they are new intolerances but because you are feeling so much better that you can actually tell when another food makes you sick.

I have also found that I can't tolerate things like nitrates and MSG. I don't know if I always had a problem with them and just felt so crappy from eating gluten that I didn't know, or if this is a new thing since I'm eating soooo healthy now.

I'm trying to figure out what I can eat. So far, I think I have problems with gluten, corn, rice, tomatoes, dairy and artichokes. What else is out there that can provide enough nutrients to keep me going? What is this diet that has you feeling so good?