Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • 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

Wow... If I Wasn't Already Convinced...

boysmom

By boysmom
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

boysmom Explorer
boysmom
Posted

I've been trying to eat gluten free for about 3 weeks now. About every 3-4 days I accidentally get a little something (found caramel coloring in Dr Pepper and in balsamic vinegar for example) that I didn't realize until after I was feeling bad again. I wondered whether there was a chance it was not gluten/wheat, but something else that I'm getting *with* the gluten, so I decided to try a challenge this morning (my previous accidents were generally late in the day and the symptoms hit around bedtime, so I also wanted to see if it were related to something else besides my diet that would trigger at bedtime). So around noon today I ate 2 girl scout cookies. OH MY... within half an hour I was short of breath, and when I stood up I felt like I'd taken some kind of meds... slightly dizzy and off balance, that 'where's the floor' kind of feeling.

Obviously I have no way to tell whether this means celiac, gluten sensitivity, or wheat allergy, but now I have NO doubt that I am reacting to wheat pretty strongly.

One issue that has arisen I'd like some input on. I tend toward constipation and in the past managed it very well by eating a lot of whole grains, usually whole wheat bread and oatmeal every day for breakfast :( Now that those foods are not available to me, I seem to fluctuate between some mildly loose stools when I've accidentally gotten gluten and very hard stools when I haven't. How can I avoid full-on constipation and stay gluten-free?? I have mostly been substituting brown rice for my oatmeal breakfasts and eat more fruits and vegetables in place of breads and pastas and so far that doesn't seem to be helping much.

Thanks for being here!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

fyi, most caramel coloring in the US is gluten free (made from corn, iirc). and the vast majority of balsamic vinegar is naturally gluten free (made from grapes) - only a few cheap brands add anything to it.

as for the constipation - reducing simple starches, increasing things like beans/lentils/veggies/flax meal, and making sure that you're getting enough magnesium (especially if you're taking a calcium supplement, as those tend to be binding)...

boysmom Explorer
boysmom
Posted
  • Author

The website I was using to check my foods said caramel coloring was suspect, so when I felt bad and found that ingredient listed I suspected it ;) However, like I said, I wanted to be sure it wasn't something else (such as acidic foods late in the day, because both pop and vinegar could irritate an already upset digestive system, right?) so I tried my challenge earlier in the day. Generally, when I've had some reaction it seems to hit me within 30 min - 1 hour after I've eaten.

Thanks for the reminder about beans and lentils DUH lol Our health food store stocks a number of varieties of wheat flour, but other grains are only available in whole grain form, and since my Nutrimill is now thoroughly contaminated with wheat I'm trying to find ways to use whole grains rather than invest in a new Nutrimill right away.

I haven't started taking any supplements yet, but I have noticed that when I eat a banana it actually seems to cause leg cramps, where before I ate them to stop or prevent charlie horses. weird...

MrsClaus Newbie
MrsClaus
Posted

Chemicals can cause the big D. If I eat Strohs ice cream I get D. but Homemade brand and Bryers is ok. many Celiacs are lactose intolerant or Casin that is in dairy. Check other allergies and chemicals.

Corn works for me and drinking something hot in the morning gets the old system moving!

Bananas should not cause cramping and is recommended for cramping, unless you are allergic or some other reason, try organic maybe its the chemicals again.

I am free of most migrains now, the ones I get are chemical or food related like chocolate and cleaning supplies. Cheap and strong cologne.

ang1e0251 Contributor
ang1e0251
Posted

I have read other posters report that the balsamic vinergar they were going to use had wheat as an ingedient added. Not all of them but some.

I second the advice on magnesium. It will help constipation and if you feel it is making you too loose, you can reduce the dose and try the magnesium oil that you spray on your skin.

hannahp57 Contributor
hannahp57
Posted

Bob's Red Mill has oats and oatmeal! i have the oats and i LOVE them!! there's one like a mighty tasty warm cereal or something like that. look it up and if it isnt in a store near you maybe you can order them. oats are pretty high in fiber i think and they are a whole grain. also i have heard of adding flax seed and rice bran into regular breads(if you bake your own) just for a little additional health benefit!

Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted
Bob's Red Mill has oats and oatmeal! i have the oats and i LOVE them!! there's one like a mighty tasty warm cereal or something like that. look it up and if it isnt in a store near you maybe you can order them. oats are pretty high in fiber i think and they are a whole grain. also i have heard of adding flax seed and rice bran into regular breads(if you bake your own) just for a little additional health benefit!

Bob's Red Mill has regular oats and gluten free oats. If you try them make sure you get the package labeled Gluten Free . . . it's big, you can't miss it. If you are looking all over a BRM oat package for a little label, then it's the wrong package. Also, some Celiacs react to oats, too. Just wanted to throw that out there. If you try them, try a small helping first to see if you react. My daughter's doc wanted us to be gluten free for 6 months before we even tried them.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,188
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Leeila
    Newest Member
    Leeila
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Ginger38
      Food Allergies

      By Ginger38 · Posted

      So I recently had allergy testing for IGE antibodies in response to foods. My test results came back positive to corn, white potatoes, egg whites. Tomatoes, almonds and peanuts to name a few.  I have had obvious reactions to a few of these - particularly tomatoes and corn- both GI issues. I don’t really understand all this allergy versus celiac stuff. If the food allergies are mild do I have to avoid these foods entirely? I don’t know what I will eat if I can’t  have corn based gluten free products 
    • Kris2093u4
      Bread choice for a newbie

      By Kris2093u4 · Posted

      Geography makes a difference.  I'm in the West and Trader Joe's gluten-free bread tastes great and is a better price than most gluten-free breads sold elsewhere in my area.  
    • JForman
      7yo struggling!

      By JForman · Posted

      We have four children (7-14 yo), and our 7 year old was diagnosed with NCGS (though all Celiac labs were positive, her scope at 4 years old was negative so docs in the US won't call it celiac). We have started her on a Gluten Free diet after 3 years of major digestive issues and ruling out just about everything under the sun. Our home and kitchen and myself are all gluten-free. But I have not asked my husband/her dad or her other siblings to go completely gluten-free with us. They are at home, but not out of the home. This has led to situations when we are eating out where she has to consistently see others eating things she can't have and she has begun to say "Well, I can't have <fill in the blank>...stupid gluten."  How have you supported your gluten-free kiddos in the mental health space of this journey, especially young ones like her. I know it's hard for me as an adult sometimes to miss out, so I can't imagine being 7 and dealing with it! Any tips or ideas to help with this? 
    • Jane878
      My mo,ther married a bread making when I was 4

      By Jane878 · Posted

      By the time I was 5 I had my first auto0immune disorder, Migraine headaches, with auras to blind me, and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. I was 5 years old, and my stepfather would have pizza night, milling his own flour, making thick cheesy gluten pizza, that I would eat and the next day, I would have serious migraines, and my mother & stepfather did nothing about my medical problems. When I was 17 in my first year at college, I was diagnosed with my 2nd known auto-immune disorder, Meniere's disease. I was a elite athlete, a swimmer, and soccer player. And once again my parents didn't think anything of understanding why I had a disorder only older people get. Now after my mother passed from Alzheimer's disease she also suffered with living with gluten. She had a rash for 30 years that nobody could diagnose. She was itchy for 45 years total. My brother had a encapsulated virus explodes in his spleen and when this happened his entire intestines were covered with adhesions, scar tissue and he almost lost his life. He has 5 daughters, and when I finally was diagnosed after being pregnant and my body went into a cytokine storm, I lost my chance to have children, I ended up having Hashimoto's disease, Degenerative Disc disease, and my body started to shut down during my first trimester. I am 6ft tall and got down to 119lbs. My husband and I went to a special immunologist in Terrace, California. They took 17 vials of blood as we flew there for a day and returned home that evening. In 3 weeks, we had the answer, I have Celiac disease. Once this was known, only my father and husband made efforts to change their way of feeding me. At the family cabin, my stepfather & mother were more worried that I would ruin Thanksgiving Dinner. It wasn't until one of my cousins was diagnosed with Celiac disease. They finally looked into getting Gluten Free flour and taking measures to limit "gluten" in meals. He did nothing but ask for me to pay for my own food and wi-fi when I came to the cabin to stay after our house burned down. When he informed my mother, they proceeding to get into a physical fight and she ended up with a black eye. The is just more trauma for me. Sam had no interest in telling the truth about what he wanted. He lied to my mother that he had asked my husband if I could pay for "food" when he asked Geoffrey if I had money to pay for my wi-fi. My mother hates when he spends so much time on the computer so he lied and said I could pay for my own food. I will remind you I weighed 119lbs at this time. (At 6ft) that is a very sick looking person. Neither parent was worried about my weight, they just fought about how cheap my stepfather was. As my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. He had her sign over the will to a trust and added his children. He had no testimonial capacity at the time, so she signed without proper papers. Making this Trust null and void. When I gave my brother my childhood home, my mother stated I would be getting an equal part of inheritance to the house on Race. It currently worth 2.0 million $. I got nothing, and my stepfather has since disowned me b/c of my claim and he knows that my mother would never have left it uneven between my biological brother and myself. She sat me and my husband down, as we lived at the Race Street house and treated and took care of it as our own. My brother took over b/c he was going through a horrific divorce and needed a home so he could get a better custody deal with his soon to be ex-wife who was a Assist DA for Denver. She used the girls against him, and he & I were the primary caregivers. We, Judd and I spent the most time with them pre the divorce. Once Judd moved into the house, he threw all of my mother, grandmother and my family heirlooms out to the Goodwill. Nobody told my mother about this as she was going through cancer treatment and had Alzheimer's disease in her mother and her sister. My stepfather and biological brother took advantage of this matter, as I called a "family council" that my brother just never could make it to at the last moment. All of the furnishing, kitchen ware, everything was in the house my brother just moved into. He had had 2 weddings, I chose to elope b/c my stepfather ruined my brother's first wedding by talking about his relationship with my brother in front of my dad and his entire family, insulting him and having my grandfather leave the ceremony. It was a disaster. My stepfather just plays dumb and blames my father for the slight. I was the only child not to have a wedding. So, my mother and stepfather never had to pay for a thing. My mother had had an agreement with my father he'd pay for college and all medical issues with their kids, myself and Judd. So truly my mother never had to pay for anything big for me in her entire life. I am looking for anyone that has had a similar story, where they grew up in a household that had a baker that regularly milled flour and ate gluten. What happened to you? DId you suffer from different auto-immune diseases b/c of living with a baker using "gluten" Please let me know. I have been looking into legal ways to get my stepfather to give me what my mother had promised, and he erased. Thank you for listening to my story. Jane Donnelly  
    • trents
      Blood results

      By trents · Posted

      Possibly gluten withdrawal. Lot's of info on the internet about it. Somewhat controversial but apparently gluten plugs into the same neuro sensors as opiates do and some people get a similar type withdrawal as they do when quitting opiates. Another issue is that gluten-free facsimile flours are not fortified with vitamins and minerals as is wheat flour (in the U.S. at least) so when the switch is made to gluten-free facsimile foods, especially if a lot of processed gluten-free foods are being used as substitutes, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can result. There is also the possibility that she has picked up a virus or some but that is totally unrelated to going gluten-free.
×
×
  • Create New...