What Are Some Of The Side Effects When First Changing To Gluten Free?

[Hollymomof4]

We just changed our 4-year-old son to a gluten free diet theis week. He has had the test, but we haven't gotten the results, yet.

His symptoms were rather severe and we wanted to change his diet as soon as possible. He has been gluten free for 3 days and today we noticed that he was passing really offensive gas. Is the part of some kind of detox that his body is going through? If so, what other symptoms can we expect in the first few weeks of changing his diet?

Thanks for you help!

[Lisa]

Welcome!

Would you mind if I asked you what test your son had?

The gluten free diet can be really tricky in the beginning. Toasters, wooden spoons, scratched pots and pans, vitamines, meds and lotions can all hide gluten. Play doh is gluten.

Should he have Celiac just one crumb could be very upsetting to his system.

Some adults have improvement within days and others in several weeks.

[Hollymomof4]

They did stool samples and blood tests on him. I am not doing the biopsy because of his age. He's only 4 and I'm not ready to put him through that. We have been VERY careful. He's had no gluten. He even has his own peanut butter jar! http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/style_emoti...fault/smile.gif

I was just wondering if there are some detaox type symptoms that the go through in the beginning.

Thanks!

Holly

Welcome!

Would you mind if I asked you what test your son had?

The gluten free diet can be really tricky in the beginning. Toasters, wooden spoons, scratched pots and pans, vitamines, meds and lotions can all hide gluten. Play doh is gluten.

Should he have Celiac just one crumb could be very upsetting to his system.

Some adults have improvement within days and others in several weeks.

[Amyleigh0007]

The first day my son went completely gluten free he had terrible D. It only lasted one day.

[April in KC]

I think it's possible his system is adjusting to a change in the way he digests things.

But if the problem persists beyond a few days, consider this.

Going gluten-free OFTEN times unmasks some other intolerances people have. For example, a friend was diagnosed with Celiac, and she did not think she was lactose intolerant until AFTER she went gluten free. Then, all of a sudden, she got huge GI symptoms from milk products.

I had a similar problem with corn...after a while gluten free, I realized that corn gave me GI issues where it never did before. And, to be honest, prior to diagnosis, I didn't have much pain with gluten...but within two weeks, I had a new painful reaction to even the littlest bit of cross-contamination with gluten.

If he's staying gassy - you might try eliminating milk and/or taking lactaid with meals. Some Celiac kids are just temporarily lactose intolerant for about 6 weeks while their villi heal, but some others actually have a more permanent intolerance to casein, a protein in milk.

Are you toasting his gluten-free toast in a separate toaster? Baking gluten-free cookies on a pan lined with parchment paper (or a new pan)? Not using the pasta pan to cook his veggies? Not using the colander? Just checking a few sources of x-contam that got me at first. Also, I hate to say it, but some processed foods like Lay's potato chips, etc., give some of us problems. There are a lot of snacks that show up on Gluten-free Casein-free lists for autism diets that may not be pure enough for sensitive Celiac tummies. (and to be honest, if the foods are bothering the Celiacs, then the Gluten-free Casein-free dieters might want to avoid them, too...I think about sensitive Celiacs as the canaries in the coal mine for the rest of the gluten-free world...)

If you look around this board, you'll find Celiacs for whom going gluten free unmasked sensitivities to milk, soy, corn or other foods...I've met people in the gluten-free aisle before looking for things that are free of any of the above...or peanuts...or coconut, etc.

Sorry it can be confusing. I'd start with the assumption it's lactose intolerance, and then look at cross contamination with gluten at home, then look carefully at the processed foods, and finally look at other food sensitivities...