Doubts And Questions

[Lissa]

I'm not sure I'm Celiac anymore. Lately, I've still been feeling like crap but my runs arent as bad as usual. I'm really confused. However, all the gluten I've been eating lately has been a bagel at breakfast, but shouldn't I be getting the runs from that? My blood test was negative, maybe that's telling me something. Perhaps I'm looking at the wrong thing. So my question...

If I am not Celiac and I try the diet, will I be messing up my body? (cutting gluten out, seeing it doesn't help, then going back to gluten?)

And can anyone tell me what some proper Celiac are? I can tell you I get the runs (which I'm not getting as often) but what else could be affecting me?

Whats the difference between gluten intolerance and Celiac?

What kinds of foods can I eat on a gluten free diet? Which are the major not-commonly-know-but-are-in-fact-glutenized products?

How much is an Enterolab test?

Thanks, everyone. I'll be happy with any help you can give me.

[Mango04]

If I am not Celiac and I try the diet, will I be messing up my body? (cutting gluten out, seeing it doesn't help, then going back to gluten?)

No, trying the gluten-free diet cannot hurt you.

And can anyone tell me what some proper Celiac are? I can tell you I get the runs (which I'm not getting as often) but what else could be affecting me?

I believe there are hundreds of symptoms associated with celiac disease. The symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. Other food intolerances, leaky gut etc. might also be affecting you.

What kinds of foods can I eat on a gluten free diet? Which are the major not-commonly-know-but-are-in-fact-glutenized products?

There are many, many foods you can eat. Some people take a more "all natural" approach (organic fruit, veggies, meat, rice, dairy, beans etc). Others stick to mainstream conventional foods that happen to be gluten-free (There are apparantly many. The lists of safe and forbidden ingredients found on celiac.com, as well as the delphi lists, can help you with that.

Whats the difference between gluten intolerance and Celiac?

This is a confusing topic. Not much research has been done to decipher the difference. See www.glutenfreedom.net for an explanation of the gluten sensitiy spectrum. Some people have gluten intolerance that will one day lead to celiac disease. Others have gluten intolerance related to other conditions.

How much is an Enterolab test?

www.enterolab.com should give you all the answers you need.

Sorry I'm in a rush to get off the computer, but wanted to answer some of your questions. Others will pop in and help you more. Good luck. I hope you find your answer soon.

[tarnalberry]

If I am not Celiac and I try the diet, will I be messing up my body? (cutting gluten out, seeing it doesn't help, then going back to gluten?)

The celiac diet (merely removing wheat, barley, rye, and oats) can be perfectly safe for anyone. There is no fundamental, nutritional need in humans for wheat, barley, rye, or oats. Of course, like *any* diet, you can eat healthfully or unhealthfully without those ingredients. But it has the potential to be equally, if not more, healthy (as processed foods are less of an option).

And can anyone tell me what some proper Celiac are? I can tell you I get the runs (which I'm not getting as often) but what else could be affecting me?

The symptoms of celiac disease vary greatly. There are more than two hundred, and some are contradictory. Some people have diarrhea, some people have constipation, some people alternate, some people have nearly neither. Some people have weight loss, some people have weight gain, some people have no change. Some people get brain fog or headaches, some don't. Some get bourbourygmi (noises in the intestines/stomach) and/or pain, some don't. Some people get no obvious symptoms at all, but that doesn't mean that they don't have intestinal damage, nutritional deficiencies, or are healthy.

Whats the difference between gluten intolerance and Celiac?

Honestly? A lack of knowledge in the medical community. Technically, celiac disease is only diagnosed upon knowledge of the flattening of the intestinal villi. But the gluten intolerant may also have that, but it's not confirmed, or they may simply get symptoms when ingesting gluten. Not enough is really known about the physiologic issues at play here.

What kinds of foods can I eat on a gluten free diet? Which are the major not-commonly-know-but-are-in-fact-glutenized products?

You can eat just about anything - that's not already processed. Chicken, beef, pork, fish, beans, lentils, rice, corn, quinoa, tofu, peas, eggs, milk, juice, fruits, vegetables, root vegetables, greens, etc. The list goes on for miles. You're only take four things out of the *thousands* of edible items in the world. Yes, it means you might have to make some combined dishes on your own, or change the habits of your eating if you're used to a lot of wheat-based breads. But there's still all kinds of things to eat, and there are countries in the world where wheat really isn't that common.

[darlindeb25]

Mango's explanation was very good, covered everything. I do want to add something though: However, all the gluten I've been eating lately has been a bagel at breakfast, but shouldn't I be getting the runs from that? False! One bagel can be causing you to have diarrhea, gluten is gluten, no matter how big or small.

[Lisa]

Lissa, these are great answers from some of the best!

[ravenwoodglass]

In addition to the great advice you have already gotten I would like to add one thing. For many celiacs in the early stages of the disease D is an episodic event and often is not a daily occurance. Some will suffer D only a couple times a week, in some cases it may even seem to be tied to hormal issues.

It is important to understand that gluten intolerance is often a delayed reaction. For many in the earlier stages of GI symptoms once the body clears away the gluten that is in the system that can relieve many symptoms for a couple of days until enough gluten is again ingested to cause a reaction. This can make pinpointing what 'got' you difficult and can make diagnosis hard, especially when one is 'gluten light'.

[CMCM]

Also...you can be gluten sensitive with many of the same reactions, but not have active, full blown celiac disease.....yet. And for many years your body can figure out ways to "tolerate" gluten. Sometimes your body does better than other times with this tolerance. This may explain the oddity of sometimes getting sick from gluten, and sometimes being able to eat it with no observable effect. Over time, and perhaps if you are eating more and more gluten, that ability to tolerate gluten may break down and you may get increasingly sicker and other intolerances may crop up.

Remember that for some people, even a miniscule amount of hidden gluten in something can make them violently sick. If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, a bagel could make you sick a half hour later, or perhaps a day later, or perhaps 2 or 3 days later. This is the crazy thing about gluten.....we're all different, our tolerances are all different, our degree of sensitivity is different from person to person.

If you have symptoms, something is going on. Eliminating gluten is a good way to find out, and not only do you NOT need to eat gluten, probably EVERYONE would be better off not eating it!

[Lissa]

Thank you so much for your answers. It really helped, believe me. I'm going grocery shopping tonight for gluten free items and I plan on starting the diet tomorrow. I spent the past 3 days doubled over in pain with some of the worst D I've ever had (I couldnt leave the bathroom for a couple of hours).....and what did I eat all weekend? Breads! And cakes! and pizza! and all the stuff that has made me decide I do NOT want to live like that anymore. Thank you so much, everyone. I'll keep you updated!