Other Food Issues Vs. Recovery Time?

[GeoffCJ]

So I've been gluten-lite since November/October, gluten-free since Christmas, with a few slips.

My gluten reactions seem pretty severe, I had a "known" glutening middle of February, and it resulted in the bid D and vomiting for 12 hours, and felt bad for a few days. Based on that, I think I've been doing a pretty good job of avoiding gluten, but I guess I'm not sure.

I've been paying attention to my food, and started to suspect Corn. I haven't eaten corn in a week or more. Can't see any correlation between Dairy and when I feel bad.

I've seen people post here that it took a year to feel right again. I've seen a lot of improvements, but I guess the problem I'm having is that I can't really figure out if the issues I'm still having are one of the three following options, or some combination:

1) It's just been three months, my body is still healing.

2) Other food issues (corn?Soy?Dairy?)

3) Not avoiding some hidden, small sources of Gluten

Any thoughts? Should I give it more time, then try an elimination diet? I'm involved in a startup and a full time graduate student, and have a hard enough time dealing with the food. (I end up skipping meals because I don't have food with me)

Geoff

[mn farm gal]

Hi Geoff, I am in the same shoes as you. Some days I think that it could be corn or dairy and it only happens to me when I have larger amounts of one or the other that I get "Gluten feeling" upset stomach or headach, mood swings something on that order. If I have just a little I don't see the effects so I think my body is still healing and I hope it goes away. For now I am just watching what I eat so I don't get much of either one. Sorry I am not much help.

[oceangirl]

Hi Geoff, I am in the same shoes as you. Some days I think that it could be corn or dairy and it only happens to me when I have larger amounts of one or the other that I get "Gluten feeling" upset stomach or headach, mood swings something on that order. If I have just a little I don't see the effects so I think my body is still healing and I hope it goes away. For now I am just watching what I eat so I don't get much of either one. Sorry I am not much help.

Geoff,

I absolutely think you may have some other food intolerances. I had a glorious honeymoon of relatively symptomless living for about a month before things started showing up. I have now spent close to a year gluten, soy, corn and dairy-free. I have kept a food log (I'm freaking religious about it- it's nuts!) But, hey, I don't eat much so it's not too hard to remember!) for almost all that time and it IS very helpful. There have been times when I just want to throw my hands up in the air and say, well, an off-color phrase, because I can't make sense of what food is bothering me, but there have been just as many times of a bit of a "Eureka!" moment because of it. I, too, go without eating rather than risk something questionable; it can be daunting when you work full-time and have teenagers! Or are in grad school! Or have a life! Anyway, I recommend the old pain in the butt elimination diet- it has helped me find some culprits. Feel better!

lisa

[Lisa]

Geoff:

I have been gluten free since August 06 and seemed to slowly improve. Arriving to the point that I felt good, things started to bother me again.

I have gone dairy light and it seems to be better. I don't drink milk, but do have some yogurt and a little ice cream. I do get some very loose poop, but no other sympstoms like the nasty gluten symptoms.

I can do without the rest, but butter is my staple on top of a baked potato. I do use smart balance when I am cooking an adjusted to olive oil for every day, non-exotic dinners. That seems to work for me.

I do think this is very common among us.

[hathor]

There is always testing. Enterolab, for instance, tests for casein, soy, egg & yeast intolerance. But that may take money you don't have as a grad student with a startup ...

How are you doing without the corn? Any difference?

Is there anyway you could plan & motivate yourself to go a week without corn, soy, and casein? These are the other items that I've heard can be hard for the small intestine to cope with, as with gluten. (Corn to a lesser extent than the other two, though. I can look up the article if you're interested.)

After a week, assuming you are symptom-free, you could try challenging with one of the three. If you are OK, try another one. If not, it would seem you have one answer at least. Wait until you are symptom-free, and then try a second one. Etc.

If you are still having symptoms even without these three, you may need to do an elimination diet. At least, keep a food diary so you can try to identify possible culprits. I know somebody that persisted in symptoms even after going gluten-free. She really didn't want to do an elimination diet. Finally, she figured out she was reacting every time she had tomatoes.

[CMCM]

Sorting out other intolerances is HUGELY difficult, I've found. After going gluten free 14 months go, I initially had enormous problems with all sorts of foods. I couldn't handle any of the gluten free baked things....all the various rice, bean and tapioca flours seemed to bother me, and lots of these things are very high carb/high sugar and I have also come to believe I'm sensitive to that too. So I kept my diet fairly limited and plain for a long time, and now a year later I can have an occasional goodie, but I still have to keep it fairly simple. Even this long later, I made a gluten free chocolate cake the other night and one slice of it made me feel kind of sick.

Corn is a highly allergenic food. But having celiac disease, especially when untreated, can lead to all sorts of other sensitivities which will, over time, can often go away. I think you've first got to heal, and then indulge in such things only occasionally.

Dairy is often a problem with celiacs, too. I just read that the molecular structure of casein is very similar to gluten! I myself thought my big problem was dairy for most of my life. After being gluten and dairy free for nearly a year, I now find that I can have occasional dairy without problems.

Even now, 14 months later, I have a lot of problems with vitamins, even though they are gluten free. I don't know what it is with them, but certain ones make me sick.

When my mom was diagnosed with celiac disease 40 years ago, they told her that her intestines were smooth as a billiard ball, and also that her stomach lining was nearly destroyed. I just thought of the stomach lining bit....I haven't seen that discussed here, but I wonder if some degree of damage could affect a lot of us, hence all the apparent sensitivities.

[bluejeangirl]

I have sensitivities to everything it seems but I have to eat and decided that I can't afford to lose anymore weight, so after reading a book titled "Brain Allergies" by William Philpott, M.D. I decided to do the rotation diet. I'm having corn but then won't have it again for 7 days. I'm alittle more relaxed with it then he is though. He won't have you eating anything from the same family for 7 days. So that would mean corn is in the grass family along with rice, millet, oats and sorghum. I would have to wait 7 days just to have rice and then 7 days to have oats. Where I'll have corn one day and rice the next. I do recommend the book, its in paperback and explains so much more. He really believes in what Hippocrates said "Leave your drugs in the chemist's pot if you can heal the patient with food."

It does talk about how doctors put so many on tranquilizers and antidepressants for example where there is dangerous side affects when many times allergies are responsible for behavior, or reactions to chemicals or inhalants. There are times you'll have to totally eliminate a food and other times if you just rotate them and having that break in between is enough.

I find that is true for me with corn, tomato, legumes and dairy especially. I can have them but not to often. Its the frequent contact with these foods that will do me in. I don't want to be as intolerant to these foods as I am to gluten so I'm finding this to be my answer.

Hope this is all it is for you so I thought I'd pass this along,

Gail

[mn farm gal]

Well it could be all 3 things you listed. If it has only been 3 month it may need more time. I myself, is in my 9th month. I did notice alot of changes for the better right away, but still working on still healing and dificiencies. I can tell with the very little gluten if I get gluten. However you could have intorlerences to other things. I have a couple of things I know I need to stay away from. I was reading in a book last night and it said to heal the fasted is to eat fruits, veggies, chicken and fish. Each person will take different amounts of time and then slowly add in the other things. This is also a way of finding other intolerences, by adding a new food each week after being on the bland diet first. Sorry I am not the best person to ask but this is what I have found out.