Nutritional Deficiencies

[KevinG]

What nutritional deficiencies should people on Gluten-free Casein-free diets be most careful about?

[CeliacMom2008]

Making sure you're getting enough fiber.

[jackay]

I was tested and the only thing I was low on was Vitamin B12. I take 3000 IU Vitamin D3 daily so most likely that would also be low if I didn't supplement. Just started on Vitamin B12 and am hoping it will help with my insomnia.

[Wolicki]

I was tested and the only thing I was low on was Vitamin B12. I take 3000 IU Vitamin D3 daily so most likely that would also be low if I didn't supplement. Just started on Vitamin B12 and am hoping it will help with my insomnia.

You need a Basal Metabolic Panel, all the B vitamins, D, calcium, K, ferritin and hemoglobin/hemocrit for starters.

[jackay]

You need a Basal Metabolic Panel, all the B vitamins, D, calcium, K, ferritin and hemoglobin/hemocrit for starters.

My doctor did a full nutritional panel. He was as surprised as I was that only B12 was low. He said it almost looked as if they tested someone else's blood. I can't afford to have it redone to see if there was a mistake.

[RiceGuy]

Since neither wheat nor dairy is essential to human health, there shouldn't be a real concern as long as you have enough variety in your diet. Having a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, etc will provide good nutrition. However, the health of your digestive system also needs to he maintained, in order to absorb those nutrients. Celiac tends to lower the absorption of certain nutrients, and this might be a larger area of concern. This is why so many find supplementation necessary. Some of the most common nutrients to be deficient include the B vitamins (B12 in particular it seems), magnesium, vitamin D, iron, folic acid, potassium, vitamin K, and probably others I'm not recalling ATM.

Although blood tests aren't always an accurate way to assess what nutrients are deficient, it's probably a helpful tool to start with. You may want to have that done, as well as using the Internet to search for what deficiencies might be responsible for any symptoms you may have, even though they may seem minor, or unrelated to diet.

Many people grow up with deficiencies and never know it, even though they do manifest certain signs, subtle or not. For instance, the health of your nails, skin, and hair can be very revealing.