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

Food Diaries - A Must For Those Starting Out

kayo

By kayo
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

kayo Explorer
kayo
Posted

I've been seeing lots of posts where people are just starting out on the gluten-free diet and having trouble figuring out what might be causing them grief. Many have been gluten-free just a month or so and still having issues. This is normal and things will get better. It can take quite a few months for us to feel better. So many of us have gone undiagnosed for years, tens of years, so it makes sense that it will take longer than a few months to feel better.

One thing I want to suggest is logging a food diary and symptom notebook. This is an invaluable tool at helping us sort out which foods might be culprits. It can help us figure out cross contamination issues and other food intolerances.

I was just diagnosed celiac but have been gluten-free for 8 months and I still have the occasional issues. I still consider myself a newbie with this diet. It's a whole new lifestyle. About 5 months into the gluten-free diet it was discovered I have a soy intolerance. I was able to go back and look in my diary and see a pattern that I hadn't noticed before. I jot everything in there from dry eyes to GI issues to doc appointments and lab results. Then when I go to the doc I bring it along with me. No more having to remember it all in my head!

If I'm having issues now I go right back to keeping a food diary for a few days. I eat simply and then add things back in. For example I think I may have issues with chocolate. So I haven't had any for a few weeks and when I do I will keep the diary and track any changes in how my body reacts. If I see a pattern then I know I have an issue and will eliminate it from my diet.

Good luck!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kare101 Newbie
kare101
Posted

I've been seeing lots of posts where people are just starting out on the gluten-free diet and having trouble figuring out what might be causing them grief. Many have been gluten-free just a month or so and still having issues. This is normal and things will get better. It can take quite a few months for us to feel better. So many of us have gone undiagnosed for years, tens of years, so it makes sense that it will take longer than a few months to feel better.

One thing I want to suggest is logging a food diary and symptom notebook. This is an invaluable tool at helping us sort out which foods might be culprits. It can help us figure out cross contamination issues and other food intolerances.

I was just diagnosed celiac but have been gluten-free for 8 months and I still have the occasional issues. I still consider myself a newbie with this diet. It's a whole new lifestyle. About 5 months into the gluten-free diet it was discovered I have a soy intolerance. I was able to go back and look in my diary and see a pattern that I hadn't noticed before. I jot everything in there from dry eyes to GI issues to doc appointments and lab results. Then when I go to the doc I bring it along with me. No more having to remember it all in my head!

If I'm having issues now I go right back to keeping a food diary for a few days. I eat simply and then add things back in. For example I think I may have issues with chocolate. So I haven't had any for a few weeks and when I do I will keep the diary and track any changes in how my body reacts. If I see a pattern then I know I have an issue and will eliminate it from my diet.

Good luck!

Sounds like a good idea. I'm going to try it.

YoloGx Rookie
YoloGx
Posted

Sounds like a good idea. I'm going to try it.

This is an excellent idea. I did the same years ago long before I knew I had celiac. By going on a very restricted cave man diet and then gradually expanding my repetoire while writing down all my symptoms, (including my pulse by the way--before, after and then a couple of hours after eating) I was able to figure out I was intolerant of the wheat family. Long story short, it was only part of the problem. However it helped immeasurably. I also figured out a great many more food intolerances that way. It may be a good idea to do from time to time--makes me think I should do it again since I have an itchy area in my perineum that isn't really going away...I think its some kind of fungus however it often bothers me at times when I haven't eaten anything that should bother it so to speak, so something else may be going on... I also think over time one's intolerances lessen to a certain extent, so its good for helping figure that out too... Sometimes too I found I could occasionally have some food but only say once or twice a week--or that I could not combine it say with some "x" other food...

Bea

Mac55 Apprentice
Mac55
Posted

Thanks for the post. I really think this is what I need to do at this point. I'm so up and down and I've been SOOO careful with cross-contamination issues and such. It probably does help to look at it in black and white and have it as a reference. My memory isn't what it used to be. :)

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,543
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Carol Zimmer
    Newest Member
    Carol Zimmer
    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

    • Jsingh
      Protein or fat?

      By Jsingh · Posted

      Hi,  I care for my seven year old daughter with Celiac. After watching her for months, I have figured out that she has problem with two kinds of fats- animal fat and cooking oils. It basically makes her intestine sore enough that she feels spasms when she is upset. It only happens on days when she has eaten more fat than her usual every day diet. (Her usual diet has chia seeds, flaxseeds, and avocado/ pumpkin seeds for fat and an occasional chicken breast.) I stopped using cooking oils last year, and when I reintroduced eggs and dairy, both of which I had held off for a few months thinking it was an issue of the protein like some Celiac patients habe mentioned to be the case, she has reacted in the same fashion as she does with excess fats. So now I wonder if her reaction to dairy and eggs is not really because of protein but fat.   I don't really have a question, just wondering if anyone finds this familiar and if it gets better with time.  Thank you. 
    • Chanda Richard
      High Cost of Gluten-Free Foods

      By Chanda Richard · Posted

      Hello, My name is Chanda and you are not the only one that gose through the same things. I have found that what's easiest for me is finding a few meals each week that last. I have such severe reactions to gluten that it shuts my entire body down. I struggle everyday with i can't eat enough it feels like, when I eat more I lose more weight. Make sure that you look at medication, vitamins and shampoo and conditioner also. They have different things that are less expensive at Walmart. 
    • petitojou
      Frequent nausea after gluten-free diet

      By petitojou · Posted

      Thank you so much! I saw some tips around the forum to make a food diary and now that I know that the community also struggles with corn, egg and soy, the puzzle pieces came together! Just yesterday I tried eating eggs and yes, he’s guilty and charged. Those there are my 3 combo nausea troublemakers. I’m going to adjust my diet ☺️ Also thank you for the information about MCAS! I’m from South America and little it’s talked about it in here. It’s honestly such a game changer now for treatment and recovery. I know I’m free from SIBO and Candida since I’ve been tested for it, but I’m still going to make a endoscopy to test for H. Pylori and Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Thank you again!! Have a blessed weekend 🤍
    • knitty kitty
      Unusual bright yellow but odourless discharge

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I, too, have osteoporosis from years of malabsorption, too.  Thiamine and magnesium are what keep the calcium in place in the bones.  If one is low in magnesium, boron, selenium, zinc, copper, and other trace minerals, ones bone heath can suffer.  We need more than just calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones.  Riboflavin B 2, Folate B 9 and Pyridoxine B 6 also contribute to bone formation and strength.   Have you had your thyroid checked?  The thyroid is important to bone health as well.  The thyroid uses lots of thiamine, so a poorly functioning thyroid will affect bone heath.  
    • Celiac50
      Unusual bright yellow but odourless discharge

      By Celiac50 · Posted

      That sounds so very likely in my case! I will absolutely ask my doctor on my next bone check coming up in March... Thanks a lot! 
×
×
  • 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.