Help In South Africa

[Bonnie]

Hi Everyone,

What a great site. Found it by chance a couple of days ago.

I am Scottish but live in South Africa. Been TRYING to be gluten-free for 4 weeks. Wow, its really hard.

Found a nutritionist who gave me a list of products I can buy that are gluten-free but I am still struggling. Not finding it difficult to give up wheat products but I am sure I am still eating things with gluten in them - our labelling systems here are not very good yet.

Having a really bad week. Woke up every day with a bad headache (like a hangover without having had any alcohol), constipated as usual, flattulence and 'fuzzy' headed.

Where am I going wrong? I was so excited to finally have found what may be wrong with me but I feel so down now. Don't know what to eat anymore.

Bonnie

[KaitiUSA]

It's hard at first until you learn what to look for and exactly what you can and can't have.

https://www.celiac.com/st_main.html?p_catid=12

Here is a link you should go to and print out the forbidden and safe lists for celiacs. It will help as a guideline.

If you have any questions about products you can always ask on here. The people on here are very informative and supportive.

Be careful with nutritionists, some are not clued into celiac and I, along with others on this board, have been told crap by some.

There are many great foods we can still have. Since you are in S.A I am not sure of the foods you have available there.

There is a good possibility you are still getting gluten in your system. This could be why your symptoms are staying. For some people it just takes a while. I know it took me 3 months to get alot better and then another few to get back to normal. So don't expect all your symptoms to go away because it takes time and if you still have gluten in your diet it will take more time. Even makeup has it. Alot of lipsticks have wheat starch, and things you put on your hands, face, and head should be checked because they have a high possibility of getting into your mouth.

Nevertheless, when you figure everything out it will be alot easier. It is not as hard as it may seem at first.

Good luck