Best Test To Tell?

[Offthegrid]

Hi all! I'm new around here. Anyhow, here's the short version ...

Been gluten-free for about 9 months, but have still been having problems sporadically. I assumed I was getting glutened. I now believe that casein is behind it after switching to lactose-free products and still having problems.

Now I have been trying to be casein-free, but it's also an adjustment. I'm actually feeling a LOT better, but noticed I broke out in some acne (which had cleared up 95% being gluten-free after suffering for years. I'm 28).

But something is still getting to me. I'm wondering now if it's soy, or if I just haven't eliminated all casein sources yet. For example, I've been using Blue Diamond soy milk, which is delicious but I just read on here contains soy. And I've been eating Lindt 70% cocao chocolate, which does not have milk ingredients but may from contamination. So either one of those might be the culprit.

*Is* there some sort of medical test that can tell if it's soy or casein? I'm going nuts here.

[dangervolvo]

To be honest, I think it may be worth while to eliminate both soy and casein until your stomach calms down, and then challenge them to see which it is. Both can be problematic, and you'll save yourself the grief and worry that goes along with trying to ferret out which one is the issue.

I found out I was gluten intolerant 2 months ago via a blood test, and was given a list of many other things I developed a high level of antibodies to as well. I cut out all of those, but continued to have stomach issues. So, even though soy and dairy came up fine for me on the blood test, I decided to cut them out after reading about so many other people struggling with those 2 things while recovering from gluten damage.

So, while you can get a blood test to check for food problems, I don't believe it is always the most accurate way to judge what is going on with your body at that time. I am starting to believe that the best way to judge is to get rid of it and see if things get better, even if it is hard (and this is from a girl who gave up sugar, and yesterday was Halloween!).

Hope that helps, this whole thing is hard and mysterious, but hopefully worthwhile,

-Sarah

[hathor]

Enterolab will test for both casein and soy. That is one way to tell for sure. There certainly are plenty of folks who react to gluten, casein & soy.

I was surprised by my soy result. I never noticed a problem, at least gastro-wise. But I did have a lot of soy, given that I was following a plant-based diet 99.5% of the time I would estimate.

So what's with all this acne, I thought? I follow a very low fat diet, etc.

I eliminate soy just to see what would happen. My menopausal hot flashes got better. And my face cleared up completely. So it WAS the soy.

I've read several people here who have skin problems with soy. I even read in a book that frequently soy sensitivities are subtle things and may manifest themselves with skin problems. Since you added more soy and your face broke out, I think there's your answer.

On the bright side, I eat dark chocolate (without soy lecithin -- some soy folks do and some don't react to this) and my face is still clear.

I use rice and almond milks occasionally (not Rice Dream, it has gluten despite the label), but now use Living Harvest hemp milk. (The Hemp Bliss brand is awful IMHO). Of course, it comes down to individual taste. I like the LH taste, plus it has omega 3s and no additives I would prefer to avoid, unlike the other milks I've tried.

If you decide to eliminate soy, be sure to check on any supplements or medicines. They don't have to list allergens, as you probably know. I had tried a vit/min supp and after a few days I was getting more hot flashes and my face started getting some pimples. There was nothing about soy on the label. I called the manufacturer, and sure enough the product turned out to have soy.

If you do react to soy lecithin (I guess you just learn this by trial and error), be sure to check with manufacturers and current labels. I had one supplement that said soy free on the label when I first started it and the manufacturer still says soyfree on its web site. But the last time I bought it, I discovered after a while that the label says it has soy lecithin in the glaze.

[hathor]

Oh, I would add you should count yourself lucky if you find out the dietary sources of your breakouts at age 28. I finally have clear skin this year ... and I'm 54