Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Is Cheating A Possibility At All On This Diet?

Jamie

By Jamie
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Jamie Contributor
Jamie
Posted

Hi, I was just diagnosed last Tuesday with bloodwork. I have been gluten free since Wed. I don't feel much different. I was wondering.. what would happen to me if every once and a while I cheated on purpose(special occasions.. things like that)... or if I accidentally ate something with a trace of wheat in it...

Before being diagnosed my symptoms were only gas, bloating and constipation. Does this mean I can handle cheating every now and then because my symptoms aren't severe... or can handle it if accidentally gluten gets into my food (cross contamination.. ect)... I know some people react badly and get really sick.

I am new to this, am researching everything, but still don't understand it all yet. Anything you could help me with would be great.

-Thanks

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


MySuicidalTurtle Enthusiast
MySuicidalTurtle
Posted

Hello! Well, I am sorry to say that this is a no cheating game. I was shocked when I found that out, but to be healthy and not damage our bodies we have to be 100% gluten-free 100% of the time. Also, after you are gluten-free for awhile, it will hurt sooooooooooooo much worse when you eat gluten. It is a scary thing and not worth it at all.

Gluten to us is poison. That is hard to imagine at first, but it is true. It damages our insides. This doesn't mean you have to miss out on things. There are gluten-free substitutes for pretty much everything, even beer. There are places we can eat out in but it takes awhile to get this lifestyle figured out. Start off slow and learn what you can and in a few months you'll feel more comfortable and a lot better.

Good luck!

tom Contributor
tom
Posted

I spent a few years in the 90s thinking a little was ok if I had no symptoms or easily manageable ones.

It ended up costing me 7-8yrs of my life.

Some CC may be unavoidable, but it'd be a (potentially huge) mistake to do what I did.

curlyfries Contributor
curlyfries
Posted

Welcome Jamie! :)

Sorry......no cheating whatsoever! A celiac is a celiac......whether the symptoms are extreme or mild or none. The damage done by gluten will be the same. Accidents will happen, especially at first, but you don't want to do it intentionally. You may find that once you are gluten free, your symptoms when glutened will be more severe. Your body will have realized what it feels like to be gluten-free, and will have none of that! <_<

You haven't been gluten-free long. It may take awhile for you to feel a difference. You may also find that other health issues you didn't think were related begin to improve. Keep reading. You will learn a lot here. :D

Here is a good site to start with

Open Original Shared Link

Let us know if you have any other questions!

pele Rookie
pele
Posted

I heard it explained by a NP recently that by the time symptoms occur, your body has been struggling to cope with gluten damage for a long time. Symptoms just mean that your immune system can't take it anymore. Cheating is not worth it.

rinne Apprentice
rinne
Posted
...

Before being diagnosed my symptoms were only gas, bloating and constipation. Does this mean I can handle cheating every now and then because my symptoms aren't severe... or can handle it if accidentally gluten gets into my food (cross contamination.. ect)... I know some people react badly and get really sick.

.... -Thanks

Hi and welcome. :)

I knew for many years that wheat did not agree with me, my symptoms were your symtoms, gas, bloating and constipation and so for the most part I did avoid wheat BUT for special occasions I would still eat it knowing that for a day or two I would feel bad. One day that changed and now the slightest bit of gluten causes me agony.

You are extremely fortunate to have a diagnosis at this point , believe me you don't want to go where I went. :)

I am wondering how you got your diagnosis?

MELINE Enthusiast
MELINE
Posted

Before diagnosis I would eat huge amounts of gluten. Now the slightest trace makes me sick for at least 24 hours.

When something is making us sick, the problem is not that we can't go out for a drink (for example..) . The problem is that the whole body is struggling at the time to cope with an invisible enemy. Your whole immune system is shuting down in order to deal only with the enemy. So that means that you are left in the war without a weapon. ....

Nature is wise. When our bodies ache, it is because we HAVE to know that something is not going well.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


luvs2eat Collaborator
luvs2eat
Posted

Nope... there's no cheating on the gluten-free diet... simple as that.

I used to hope I might be able cheat occasionally, but the longer I've been gluten-free, the more sensitive I've become. I would NEVER, EVER intentionally cheat now... EVER!!!

gfwb Newbie
gfwb
Posted

One of the hardest social situations is trying to get non celiacs to understand that celiac isn't like diabetes or a weight-loss diet. You can just cheat and take more insulin or work out a little harder. I almost think it is harder for celiacs like yourself--who didn't suffer complete systemic symptoms. After having anemia, hair loss, rickets, migraines, etc., cheating doesn't even look like fun. Hopefully, you'll start to see a big improvement in the quality of your life on a gluten-free diet, so that cheating won't be an attractive option.

Jamie Contributor
Jamie
Posted
  • Author

I am wondering how you got your diagnosis?

happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

If you feel that a definite confirmation of the diagnosis (via biopsy) would help you adhere to the diet, then it may certainly be worthwhile.

Which blood tests were positive?

Jamie Contributor
Jamie
Posted
  • Author
If you feel that a definite confirmation of the diagnosis (via biopsy) would help you adhere to the diet, then it may certainly be worthwhile.

Which blood tests were positive?

My doctor called me and all he said was .. you have Celiac disease ... your blood work came out great.. but your anti bodies are abnormally hight toward gluten... everything else is perfectly in range

happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

It may be helpful to have a follow up appointment to talk with your doctor about the next steps, and get a copy of your bloodwork as well.

Jamie Contributor
Jamie
Posted
  • Author
It may be helpful to have a follow up appointment to talk with your doctor about the next steps, and get a copy of your bloodwork as well.

Do you think there is a possibility that I have gluten intolerance... and not celiac?

happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted
Do you think there is a possibility that I have gluten intolerance... and not celiac?

Unfortunately, there is no way to know that without knowing what blood tests were run and what the results are, and discussing that with your doctor.

UnhappyCoeliac Enthusiast
UnhappyCoeliac
Posted

I dont have much to add, been to a special dietitian specializing in coelicas asked if birthday xmas etc i could cheat, she answered like most here.... never

its all about alternatives I think

rinne Apprentice
rinne
Posted
....

I had blood work done and my antibodies were high toward gluten. Is that def celiac right there? Or should I get an endoscopy just for a second opinion before making this life change?

I would take it as a diagnosis but then I don't like tests. :) As Laura said you could ask for an endoscopy but since your doctor was conclusive in his/her diagnosis perhaps just discussing it would be a good start. On the other hand, an endoscopy may provide a picture of the damage that is done, but for you to have one you would have to continue to eat gluten until then as once we stop consuming gluten we start to heal.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,258
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Tdodge
    Newest Member
    Tdodge
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • suek54
      Awaiting dermatitis herpetiformis confirmation following biopsy

      By suek54 · Posted

      Wow KK, thank you so much for all your attached info. I had a very quick scan but will read more in depth later.  The one concerning corticosteroid use is very interesting. That would relate to secondary adrenal insufficiency I think , ie AI caused by steroids such as taken long term for eg asthma. I have primary autoimmune AI, my adrenals are atrophied, no chance if recovery there. But I am in touch with some secondaries, so something to bear in mind. .  Niacin B3 Very interesting too. Must have a good read about that.  Im sure lots of questions will arise as I progress with dermatitis herpetiformis. In the mean time, thanks for your help.
    • knitty kitty
      Awaiting dermatitis herpetiformis confirmation following biopsy

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @suek54, I have Dermatitis Herpetiformis, too.  I found taking Niacin B3 very helpful in clearing my skin from blisters as well as improving the itchies-without-rash (peripheral neuropathy).  Niacin has been used since the 1950's to improve dermatitis herpetiformis.   I try to balance my iodine intake (which will cause flairs) with Selenium which improves thyroid function.   Interesting Reading: Dermatitis herpetiformis effectively treated with heparin, tetracycline and nicotinamide https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10844495/   Experience with selenium used to recover adrenocortical function in patients taking glucocorticosteroids long https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24437222/   Two Cases of Dermatitis Herpetiformis Successfully Treated with Tetracycline and Niacinamide https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30390734/   Steroid-Resistant Rash With Neuropsychiatric Deterioration and Weight Loss: A Modern-Day Case of Pellagra https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12532421/#:~:text=Figure 2.,(right panel) upper limbs.&text=The distribution of the rash,patient's substantial response to treatment.   Nicotinic acid therapy of dermatitis herpetiformis (1950) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15412276/
    • suek54
      Awaiting dermatitis herpetiformis confirmation following biopsy

      By suek54 · Posted

      Thank you all for your advice and the dermatitis herpetiformis article. The latter made me realise I had stopped taking my antihistamine, which I will restart today. The Dapsone has cleared the rash entirely but I still get quite a bit itching, absolutely nothing to see though. I know its notoriously hard to clear and its still relatively early days for me.  The iodine issue is very interesting. I do eat quite a bit of salt because I have Addison's disease and sodium retention is an issue. I also have autoimmune hypothyroidism, not sure how a low iodine diet would play into that? Because of my Addison's I am totally steroid dependent, I take steroids 4 x daily and cannot mount any defence against inflammation. I need to increase my meds for that. Now that I know what is wrong I can do just that if Im having a bad day. Life is very sweet, just so damn complicated sometimes! Hey ho, onwards. Thank you again for your advice.  
    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      So, essentially all of the nutrition in the food we eat is absorbed through the villous lining of the small bowel. This is the section of the intestinal track that is damaged by celiac disease. This villous lining is composed of billions of finger-like projections that create a huge amount of surface area for absorbing nutrients. For the celiac person, when gluten is consumed, it triggers an autoimmune reaction in this area which, of course, generates inflammation. The antibodies connected with this inflammation is what the celiac blood tests are designed to detect but this inflammation, over time, wears down the finger-like projections of the villous lining. Of course, when this proceeds for an extended period of time, greatly reduces the absorption efficiency of the villous lining and often results in many and various nutrient deficiency-related health issues. Classic examples would be osteoporosis and iron deficiency. But there are many more. Low D3 levels is a well-known celiac-caused nutritional deficiency. So is low B12. All the B vitamins in fact. Magnesium, zinc, etc.  Celiac disease can also cause liver inflammation. You mention elevated ALP levels. Elevated liver enzymes over a period of 13 years was what led to my celiac diagnosis. Within three months of going gluten free my liver enzymes normalized. I had elevated AST and ALT. The development of sensitivities to other food proteins is very common in the celiac population. Most common cross reactive foods are dairy and oats but eggs, soy and corn are also relatively common offenders. Lactose intolerance is also common in the celiac population because of damage to the SB lining.  Eggs when they are scrambled or fried give me a gut ache. But when I poach them, they do not. The steam and heat of poaching causes a hydrolysis process that alters the protein in the egg. They don't bother me in baked goods either so I assume the same process is at work. I bought a plastic poacher on Amazon to make poaching very easy. All this to say that many of the issues you describe could be caused by celiac disease. 
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      thank you so much for your detailed and extremely helpful reply!! I can say with absolute certainty that the less gluten containing products I've eaten over the past several years, the better I've felt.   I wasn't avoiding gluten, I was avoiding refined grains (and most processed foods) as well as anything that made me feel bad when I ate it. It's the same reason I gave up dairy and eggs- they make me feel ill.  I do have a bit of a sugar addiction lol so a lot of times I wasn't sure if it was the refined grains that I was eating - or the sugar. So from time to time I might have a cookie or something but I've learned how to make wonderful cookies and golden brownies with BEANS!! and no refined sugar - I use date paste instead. Pizza made me so ill- but I thought it was probably the cheese. I gave up pizza and haven't missed it. the one time I tried a slice I felt so bad I knew I'd never touch it again. I stopped eating wheat pasta at least 3 yrs ago- just didn't feel well after eating it. I tried chick pea pasta and a few others and discovered I like the brown rice pasta. I still don't eat a lot of pasta but it's nice for a change when I want something easy. TBH over the years I've wondered sometimes if I might be gluten intolerant but really believed it was not possible for me to have celiac disease. NOW I need to know for sure- because I'm in the middle of a long process of trying to find out why I have a high parathyroid level (NOT the thyroid- but rather the 4 glands that control the calcium balance in your body) I have had a hard time getting my vit D level up, my serum calcium has run on the low side of normal for many years... and now I am losing calcium from my bones and excreting it in my urine (some sort of renal calcium leak) Also have a high ALP since 2014. And now rapidly worsening bone density.  I still do not have a firm diagnosis. Could be secondary HPT (but secondary to what? we need to know) It could be early primary HPT. I am spilling calcium in my urine but is that caused by the high parathyroid hormone or is it the reason my PTH is high>? there are multiple feedback loops for this condition.    so I will keep eating the bread and some wheat germ that does not seem to bother me too much (it hasn't got enough gluten to use just wheat germ)    but I'm curious- if you don't have a strong reaction to a product- like me and wheat germ- does that mean it's ok to eat or is it still causing harm even if you don't have any obvious symptoms? I guess what you are saying about silent celiac makes it likely that you can have no symptoms and still have the harm... but geez! you'd think they'd come up with a way to test for this that didn't require you to consume something that makes you sick! I worry about the complications I've been reading about- different kinds of cancers etc. also wondering- are there degrees of celiac disease?  is there any correlation between symptoms and the amnt of damage to your intestines? I also need a firm diagnosis because I have an identical twin sister ... so if I have celiac, she has it too- or at least the genetic make up for having it. I did have a VERY major stress to my body in 2014-2016 time frame .. lost 50lbs in a short period of time and had severe symptoms from acute protracted withdrawal off an SSRI drug (that I'd been given an unethically high dose of, by a dr who has since lost his license)  Going off the drug was a good thing and in many ways my health improved dramatically- just losing 50lbs was helpful but I also went  off almost a dozen different medications, totally changed my diet and have been doing pretty well except for the past 3-4 yrs when the symptoms related to the parathyroid issue cropped up. It is likely that I had low vit D for some time and that caused me a lot of symptoms. The endo now tells me that low vit D can be caused by celiac disease so I need to know for sure! thank you for all that great and useful information!!! 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.