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

Sugar...symptoms?

sparrow

Recommended Posts

sparrow Rookie
sparrow
Posted

Just wondering if anyone out there has adverse symptoms to sugar as well as gluten? Today was my first gluten free day...not so successful... :( I know that sugar is not good for me and that it's good to stay away from, but I've noticed that sugar makes me feel bad in all sorts of ways similar to gluten (I've still got to confirm that thru gluten-free diet, but...) -- I know that there are sugary things that are gluten free, but does anyone feel like me?...sluggish, headachey, irritable, yucky....I know that's not groundbreaking revelation, but when you think that gluten is the #1 culprit, seems like sugar makes it worse or is just as bad...any thoughts? And when going gluten free, shouldn't you go sugar-free too?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

Sugar and all refined carbohydrates can cause fluctuations in blood sugar that can cause the symptoms you describe. Limit these things if they make you feel unwell. Eating plenty of protein any time you have carbs or sugar can help slow how fast they hit your blood stream and you may find that helps. Fat also slows it too. It's important to not skip meals too. Start your day with a good breakfast that includes protein, not just cereal or the like. Fruit juices can be problematic for some too.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

It can take awhile for the diet to make a difference. With only one day in you are likely still reacting to the gluten you had earlier this week. Limiting sugar is not a bad idea, many of us eat far to much of it anyway. Go with naturally gluten free whole unprocessed food as much as you can for now. It will help you heal the fastest.

sparrow Rookie
sparrow
Posted
  • Author
It can take awhile for the diet to make a difference. With only one day in you are likely still reacting to the gluten you had earlier this week. Limiting sugar is not a bad idea, many of us eat far to much of it anyway. Go with naturally gluten free whole unprocessed food as much as you can for now. It will help you heal the fastest.

Thanks...I'm going to commit to this for now in order to, like you said, let my body heal, and also to keep things from getting too complicated. I think as I add things gradually, I'll know what I can handle and what I can't... I've always loved carbs of every kind -- had a love affair with them that is really hard to control...always felt better without the refined flour and sugar...but keep coming back like an addict...That's why I'm hoping for some sort of dx to keep my resolve strong, but since my tests are negative, I guess I have to dx myself with my own diet experiment. Are there other tests, like that gene test and fecal test that I keep reading about, that I can do to help dx? I need all the evidence I can get...also, in order to help know what to do for my children, one of which I want to get tested...

txplowgirl Enthusiast
txplowgirl
Posted

Hi Sparrow,

I have what I call a sugar sensitivity. Found that out after being gluten-free for about a month.

My symptoms are very sluggish to the point of feeling like I am about to collapse. Very sleepy to where I need to take about a 2 hour nap. Body sometimes feels like it's trying to go totally numb.

sparrow Rookie
sparrow
Posted
  • Author
Hi Sparrow,

I have what I call a sugar sensitivity. Found that out after being gluten-free for about a month.

My symptoms are very sluggish to the point of feeling like I am about to collapse. Very sleepy to where I need to take about a 2 hour nap. Body sometimes feels like it's trying to go totally numb.

Hi,

So you came up with that yourself? That sounds like me. It's hard to pinpoint if I'm eating everything else wrong too, though...Like dessert after full meal loaded with gluten or candy after movie popcorn...but the more I pay attention, the more I'm convinced that it's more than a typical feeling most people get... and I'm not diabetic or been diagnosed hypoglycemic, which is hard to believe -- it just seems like a pronounced tiredness, just like you said.

One day I will never forget: i was at a Braves game at Fulton Co. Stadium years ago with a friend. I got cotton candy -- always loved it. Ate the whole thing, was very hyper for a short time and crashed. But not the typical crash, in my opinion -- I was falling asleep, literally nodding off on the 2nd row with noise and chaos all around me. That's ridiculous. And pretty funny in a sad way. :D

So in order to seperate the gluten from the sugar would be to cut out sugar for the next couple of weeks and add a little back and do a test? See how I feel? I just started gluten free diet yesterday and feel terrible right now -- I know it may take a little while to feel better.

sixtytwo Apprentice
sixtytwo
Posted

Very interesting. I have been putting the sugar thing together after having been gluten-free for five years. I sure do feel better when I don't eat white sugar. You should check out the black bean brownies and the carrot cake made with beans. It sounds unusual, but I tried both of them and they really are good. Do a search and you will find them. It is hard to always be thinking of gluten-free and sugar-free, but it really is worth it. I let the gluten-free thing go lately and got very sick, and my symptoms are unusual to say the least. I get neurological symptoms like light-headed, sick to my stomach and I have to go to bed because it is like I am in a stupor. Eventually it passes and I am good again. This used to happen to me before I went gluten-free and it would be after I had lots of pizza/ice cream, or a big sub from Subway, etc. I was 57 when I discovered that gluten did not agree with me and I have an 11 year old granddaughter that has severe celiac disease,diagnosed when she was one. Nice talking to you.............Barbara

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
So in order to seperate the gluten from the sugar would be to cut out sugar for the next couple of weeks and add a little back and do a test? See how I feel? I just started gluten free diet yesterday and feel terrible right now -- I know it may take a little while to feel better.

If you go with the simple whole foods, naturally gluten free, by doing that your going to be cuttting out processed sugar at the same time. After you have healed a bit with the gluten issue then your plan to add back in processed sugars would be a good one. It can take a bit of time to heal and some of us will go through a withdrawl which will make us irritable and weepy but that will pass. Hang in there and it will get better soon.

txplowgirl Enthusiast
txplowgirl
Posted

Hi Sparrow,

I was already phasing sugar out for a while befor going gluten free. I had been drinking sugar free drinks for a couple of years and decided a month after goin gluten-free to try a coke just for the heck of it. I would say about 2 oz's of it. Bam, got me good. Then 2 days later tried it again. Same thing. Then got to wondering about it and tried straight sugar, half a teaspoon. Double BAM!

So, if I were you I would give it up for a couple of weeks to get it out of your system and then try it. See what happens

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens. I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium. I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells. When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly. This is safe...
    2. Jane02
      - Jane02 replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency. I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hello, @Jane02, I take Naturewise D 3. It contains olive oil. Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets. Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking. Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the...
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Penobscot Bay, Maine: Nurturing Gluten-Free Wellness Retreat with expert celiac dietitian, Melinda Dennis

      until
      Hello! Join me and treat yourself to a four-day, three-night restorative gluten-free retreat in a peaceful, private coastal retreat setting near Penobscot Bay in Maine. Dates: April 10-13, 2026 Enjoy engaging classes...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      9

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,327
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    dnamutant
    Newest Member
    dnamutant
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

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

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jane02, I hear you about the kale and collard greens.  I don't do dairy and must eat green leafies, too, to get sufficient calcium.  I must be very careful because some calcium supplements are made from ground up crustacean shells.  When I was deficient in Vitamin D, I took high doses of Vitamin D to correct the deficiency quickly.  This is safe and nontoxic.  Vitamin D level should be above 70 nmol/L.  Lifeguards and indigenous Pacific Islanders typically have levels between 80-100 nmol/L.   Levels lower than this are based on amount needed to prevent disease like rickets and osteomalacia. We need more thiamine when we're physically ill, emotionally and mentally stressed, and if we exercise like an athlete or laborer.  We need more thiamine if we eat a diet high in simple carbohydrates.  For every 500 kcal of carbohydrates, we need 500-1000 mg more of thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  If there's insufficient thiamine the carbs get stored as fat.  Again, recommended levels set for thiamine are based on minimum amounts needed to prevent disease.  This is often not adequate for optimum health, nor sufficient for people with absorption problems such as Celiac disease.  Gluten free processed foods are not enriched with vitamins like their gluten containing counterparts.  Adding a B Complex and additional thiamine improves health for Celiacs.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine helps the mitochondria in cells to function.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins.  They are all water soluble and easily excreted if not needed. Interesting Reading: Clinical trial: B vitamins improve health in patients with coeliac disease living on a gluten-free diet https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19154566/ Safety and effectiveness of vitamin D mega-dose: A systematic review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34857184/ High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38766160/ Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31746327/ Vitamins and Celiac Disease: Beyond Vitamin D https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11857425/ Investigating the therapeutic potential of tryptophan and vitamin A in modulating immune responses in celiac disease: an experimental study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40178602/ Investigating the Impact of Vitamin A and Amino Acids on Immune Responses in Celiac Disease Patients https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10814138/
    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @Jane02,  I take Naturewise D 3.  It contains olive oil.   Some Vitamin D supplements, like D Drops, are made with fractionated coconut oil which can cause digestive upsets.  Fractionated coconut oil is not the same as coconut oil used for cooking.  Fractionated coconut oil has been treated for longer shelf life, so it won't go bad in the jar, and thus may be irritating to the digestive system. I avoid supplements made with soy because many people with Celiac Disease also react to soy.  Mixed tocopherols, an ingredient in Thornes Vitamin D, may be sourced from soy oil.  Kirkland's has soy on its ingredient list. I avoid things that might contain or be exposed to crustaceans, like Metagenics says on its label.  I have a crustacean/shellfish/fish allergy.  I like Life Extension Bioactive Complete B Complex.  I take additional Thiamine B 1 in the form Benfotiamine which helps the intestines heal, Life Extension MegaBenfotiamine. Thiamine is needed to activate Vitamin D.   Low thiamine can make one feel like they are getting glutened after a meal containing lots of simple carbohydrates like white rice, or processed gluten free foods like cookies and pasta.   It's rare to have a single vitamin deficiency.  The water soluble B Complex vitamins should be supplemented together with additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine and Thiamine TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) to correct subclinical deficiencies that don't show up on blood tests.  These are subclinical deficiencies within organs and tissues.  Blood is a transportation system.  The body will deplete tissues and organs in order to keep a supply of thiamine in the bloodstream going to the brain and heart.   If you're low in Vitamin D, you may well be low in other fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Have you seen a dietician?
    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By trents · Posted

      Contact them.
×
×
  • 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.