Need Some Help...

[crysmz1981]

I've just started with gluten-free and I'm having a hard time because I also have gastroparesis. For that, I have to eat small amounts of low-fat and low-fiber foods, no fresh fruits or vegetables and meat and poultry makes me really nauseous. My diet for the past two years has consisted mostly of sugary cereals and skim milk, white bread/crackers, low fat ice cream, baby food fruits and banana smoothies.

So now I'm a little confused about putting these two diets together. I have to do low-fat, low-fiber, and gluten-free. And I also have been having hypoglycemic episodes so I'm supposed to try to balance my mini-meals.

Is there are a protein powder that's gluten-free? That would help me with the smoothies. How about low-fat/fat-free ice cream or frozen yogurt? Are Gerber baby food fruits gluten-free?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I feel quite overwhelmed at the moment!

Crystal

[wowzer]

Hi Crystal, I'm not sure about the protein powders. You can check out Edy's ice cream website. They have low fat ice creams and also frozen yogurt. Most of them are gluten free unless they have cookies, brownies, or cookie dough in them. Good Luck

[RiceGuy]

Wow, sorry that you have to deal with such conditions at the same time as being gluten-free.

However, something tells me that your gluten intolerance is the cause of much of the other problems you mentioned. If I was in such a situation, I'd try putting those things in second place to being gluten-free. That is, I'd want to have my foods entirely gluten-free, and allow the other restrictions to relax just a tiny bit. It may not be advisable to to do that for awhile, but I truly believe that given proper time, it can work.

Given the amount of sugar you seem to be ingesting, I must say that makes me worried. I cannot believe it is helping you do better, but in fact contributing to you health problems.

One thing I have recently learned from my own mistakes, is that the body NEEDS fat in the diet. I accidentally cut too much fat from my diet when I found dairy to be a problem. I simply didn't have much else for dietary fats, nor did I realize it would catch up with me. I was just avoiding dairy after all. Thankfully, I did finally figure out what had happened, and adding some good sources of vegetable fats has made a huge difference.

As for fiber, the body does require that in the diet as well. While your current condition may indeed limit the fiber to a low level, that can and will impact your system in numerous ways. One way which immediately comes to mind is that fiber helps the digestive system to deal with fats. So yes, when you limit fiber, fats can easily become problematic. You mention banana smoothies, and bananas are a fairly good source of fiber. Here's a link to some Open Original Shared Link. There is of course more than one category of fiber though. Here's some Open Original Shared Link.

But in my recent research on fats, I learned about MCFAs (Medium Chain Fatty Acids), also known as MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides). This type of fat is like no other. It has a unique advantage in that it can be absorbed and utilized without going through the digestive tract like other fats do. That to me suggests it might be something you can use, and I'm thinking it could make a tremendous difference for you. Coconut oil has a large percentage of lauric acid, which is an MCFA. Since I really like the taste of coconut, it suits me quite well, and I can feel the difference it has made for my health. Here's a Open Original Shared Link that will give you some good info on the benefits of centrifuged coconut oil (which is the best kind to get), and some places where you can get samples to try.

I've also started using a magnesium supplement, which has helped me to digest things better, including proteins, carbs, and fats too! Many of the members of this board have also expressed how magnesium has been helping them. With the malabsorption issues we so commonly face, it seems like a good idea for us all to consider.

I do hope you get the answers you need.

[johnsoniu]

I've also started using a magnesium supplement, which has helped me to digest things better, including proteins, carbs, and fats too! Many of the members of this board have also expressed how magnesium has been helping them. With the malabsorption issues we so commonly face, it seems like a good idea for us all to consider.

May I ask which magnesium supplement you are using. I'm still having some malabsorption problems, I'm eating about 4000-4500 calories a day just to keep my weight at it's current level.

Do you know how much healthy food you have to eat to get that many calories?

Oh well, keeps my mind off what I can't have.

Crystal, sorry to hear that you have to go through all this on top of everything else. GNC carries a gluten-free protein powder, American Whey. It's not to expensive and the taste isn't to bad. There are a couple others listed in a recent thread on protein supplements in the Sports and Fitness forum.

Not sure about the baby food, but I think Gerber carries that info on their web site.

[RiceGuy]

May I ask which magnesium supplement you are using. I'm still having some malabsorption problems, I'm eating about 4000-4500 calories a day just to keep my weight at it's current level.

I've tried a few different ones thus far - all in powdered form, which avoids having a solid pill to break down. I know my system can't break up a pill. Some formulations appear to be more for assisting in bowel movement than for absorption. What I prefer is something that I can add into my meals, rather than having to mix up a drink or whatever. The first one I tried was really meant for putting into water, fruit juice, etc, so it gave my meals an unwelcomed taste. It also wasn't formulated optimally for me. The next one seemed far better, but did impart a slight taste I didn't appreciate, since the vitamin D which it happens to have is derived from sheep's lanolin. So now I am using one which is straight magnesium and nothing else, but I haven't been using it long enough to be certain if it works as well as the previous one did (that one also had calcium). All of these products have magnesium citrate. From what I've read, this is the sort which I should use, though the info I've located on this is a bit sketchy.

The last two formulations are made by Now Foods, and labeled gluten free as well as a number of other allergens. Here's a link to one Open Original Shared Link. If I determine that I also need calcium, I'll probably try Open Original Shared Link along with the magnesium.

Do you know how much healthy food you have to eat to get that many calories?

Oh well, keeps my mind off what I can't have.

While I don't count calories, I do know what you are going through. I have been eating enormous quantities of food, and yet the hunger persists. However, more recently I seem less hungry, so I'm hopeful this is a good sign and not some other issue creeping up on me. Time will tell I'm sure.

Another thing which I can tell helps me is to use a blender to make a puree of veggies and such. The smaller the pieces are, the better chance the digestive system has to get at the nutrients. While I wasn't so thrilled to eat everything like baby food, I cannot deny the benefits. Each day I try to experiment with new combinations in order to liven things up. It's amazing what veggies can taste like when certain ones are put together like that. Nuts, seeds, fruits, and even tofu can make it a real treat. It's a kind of adventure I guess, and the sooner my digestive system is operating better, the sooner I can have an even greater variety.

[crysmz1981]

However, something tells me that your gluten intolerance is the cause of much of the other problems you mentioned. If I was in such a situation, I'd try putting those things in second place to being gluten-free. That is, I'd want to have my foods entirely gluten-free, and allow the other restrictions to relax just a tiny bit. It may not be advisable to to do that for awhile, but I truly believe that given proper time, it can work.

That is what I'm hoping! I have been struggling for so long with nausea, severe bloating, early fullness, regurgitation, etc., as well as asthma, recurring yeast infections and thrush, frequent respiratory infections, orthostatic hypotension, iron anemia and magnesium deficiency. I'm so hopeful that gluten-free will be the answer I've been searching for!

I think I'm going to see what happens if I focus primarily on the gluten-free and less on the gastroparesis diet. I know I can't eat raw fruits or vegetables right now or I risk blockages but I will try your suggestion about coconut oil.

I currently take 400 mg of Magnesium (Mag Ox) twice a day, but I just got blood test results that indicated I'm still quite deficient. They want me to increase to three times per day. I think I might try the powder you mentioned instead of the pills I take.

Also, I am on a lot of daily medications - about 10, I think. How do I know if they contain gluten and if they do...what can I do about it?

Thank you for all of your advice. I'm going to take a look at the links.

[crysmz1981]

Crystal, sorry to hear that you have to go through all this on top of everything else. GNC carries a gluten-free protein powder, American Whey. It's not to expensive and the taste isn't to bad. There are a couple others listed in a recent thread on protein supplements in the Sports and Fitness forum.

Not sure about the baby food, but I think Gerber carries that info on their web site.

Thanks for the info!

[RiceGuy]

Also, I am on a lot of daily medications - about 10, I think. How do I know if they contain gluten and if they do...what can I do about it?

Google can be your best friend in these situations. I'd try a search for the drug name followed by "gluten", and see what it turns up. Also there are numerous other ingredients in meds which people can have trouble with. Having to take so many at the same time simply cannot be good for the body, and I'm certain you already know that. It's easy to feel that it's our only choice in such cases, and I'm sure that reasoning is justifiable to some degree, when the medical knowledge to aid us better simply hasn't been established.

I think you're on the right track now though - being gluten-free. So many health problems to address simultaneously tells me there's an underlying cause, or a small set of causes.

You mentioned iron anemia. There are two kinds of iron - heme iron, and non-heme iron. The iron we get from plant sources can be absorbed up to six times more effectively when adequate amounts of vitamin C are available. Calcium can reduce the amount being absorbed, so it can help to seporate iron rich foods from calcium rich foods. Here's some Open Original Shared Link.

For yeast infections, I always recommend caprylic acid. It's cheap and effective. Coconut oil just happens to contain this too, but I doubt the amount is enough to address an infection as it is an aid to staying healthy.

HTH

[Slackermommy]

I am sorry you have so many limitations I hope that the gluten free diet helps you out.

I posted the following in the sports section, according to my husband, it's great stuff, and he buys it online to get the best price.

Prostar Ultimate Nutrition is gluten free except for their cookies n cream flavor. It is a whey protein...my husband uses it and he checked with the company since he didn't want the powder to be all over the kitchen if it contained gluten.