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

Rice Intolerance - What Can You Tolerate?

gf-soph

By gf-soph
in Food Intolerance & Leaky Gut

Recommended Posts

gf-soph Apprentice
gf-soph
Posted

Hi all

I am on an elimination diet at the moment, have been for about 2 months. I have had some good improvements in GI symptoms, but still had problems with exhaustion and brain fog in particular. Things were reasonably consistent until I had a really bad week last week. I couldn't get out of bed until midday, missed work, felt moody and exhausted and generally awful.

I had a look over my food diary, and saw that I had started eating a lot more rice in the last week or so after adding in rice cakes. I cut rice out totally, and on the fourth day I woke up feeling amazing. I felt normal! I got a full days work done without the usual zoning out brain fog, have more liveliness and felt more myself than I have for a long time. I have now had 3 days in a row feeling significantly better, so I know it's not a coincidence.

My question for those of you with rice intolerance is - do you get the same reaction to all types of rice e.g. white vs brown, and to whole rice vs rice flour? I seemed to get reactions after adding in lots of whole rice cakes (definitely not a gluten issue), but haven't noticed it after eating processed gluten-free food made with rice flour.

I'm hoping that I can end up eating small amounts of rice as it would be hard to keep it out totally (though I will if I need to), so I will try reintroducing it at some point to work out if I have an amount that I am tolerant of.

Any experiences or info from those who have been though it are much appreciated.

Thanks :)

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Wolicki Enthusiast
Wolicki
Posted

I had the same issue for about 6 months. ONe bite of rice and I looked hugely pregnant. Once I started testing it, I could tolerate a few bites of rice, or gluten free baked goods with rice flour. Trader Joes rice cakes, in moderation, were ok before actual rice. A year later, I can eat 1/2 cup rice with no issues. HTH

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

I've read some brands of rice cakes are more subject to CC. So I wonder if it isn't rice, but trace amounts of gluten, or perhaps some other contaminate getting into the rice cakes. Especially since you've found products with rice flour seem tolerable.

Open Original Shared Link has some nice varieties of rice and other rice products. I've not heard of any CC issues from them.

doreen32 Newbie
doreen32
Posted

Hi all

I am on an elimination diet at the moment, have been for about 2 months. I have had some good improvements in GI symptoms, but still had problems with exhaustion and brain fog in particular. Things were reasonably consistent until I had a really bad week last week. I couldn't get out of bed until midday, missed work, felt moody and exhausted and generally awful.

I had a look over my food diary, and saw that I had started eating a lot more rice in the last week or so after adding in rice cakes. I cut rice out totally, and on the fourth day I woke up feeling amazing. I felt normal! I got a full days work done without the usual zoning out brain fog, have more liveliness and felt more myself than I have for a long time. I have now had 3 days in a row feeling significantly better, so I know it's not a coincidence.

My question for those of you with rice intolerance is - do you get the same reaction to all types of rice e.g. white vs brown, and to whole rice vs rice flour? I seemed to get reactions after adding in lots of whole rice cakes (definitely not a gluten issue), but haven't noticed it after eating processed gluten-free food made with rice flour.

I'm hoping that I can end up eating small amounts of rice as it would be hard to keep it out totally (though I will if I need to), so I will try reintroducing it at some point to work out if I have an amount that I am tolerant of.

Any experiences or info from those who have been though it are much appreciated.

Thanks :)

Hi, I don't think I have a rice intolerance per se (at least I hope I don't get that too). I can eat whole white rice and white rice flour that I have ground myself from dry white rice. However, I experience reactions if I have whole brown rice or packaged white rice flour, or any product that has been made with white rice flour, or of course, brown rice flour. As far as the white rice flour, I am thinking that it has something to do with the fineness of the ground rice? Not sure about the brown rice issue, but that may be due to too much fiber. Don't think I'll ever figure this stuff out! Guess things affect everyone differently.

Doreen

jststric Contributor
jststric
Posted

I also have a rice-intolerance. I learned I can do straight wild rice pretty easily. Brown rice from time to time. The rice flours that are used in gluten-free foods are ok only if I don't have them everyday. If I let several days go by between eating them, I do ok also. But its easy to get impatient when you can have SOME of something, especially when its the alternative in gluten-free foods. I often get caught eating it too often. To make matters worse....I am also bean-intolerant, another gluten-free alternative. Makes life....complicated, lol.

gf-soph Apprentice
gf-soph
Posted
  • Author

I used to think that to have a problem with rice would be the end of the world, but I have felt so good the last few days I honestly dont care! I am not planning on cutting it out unless I really need to, but I have plenty of things to introduce before I get to it.

Wolicki - thanks for the info, I'm hoping I can increase my tolerance over time once I have figured out all my intolerances.

riceguy - great name for the topic! I had considered cc, but he rice cakes are labelled gluten free and I'm in Australia so the labelling is 5 ppm, i eat other products of the same gluten-free standard and don't react. It also didn't feel like my gluten reaction, so I tend to think it's the rice. When I start eating it again, i will keep my eye out and see if we get Lundberg here

doreen32 - I don't think it's the fibre exactly, as I didn't have any GI problems, more mood/concentration. It is something to consider that I just don't find it digestable, which might be part of the problem

jststric - i hear you - I am vegetarian but can't handle legumes right now due to them causing havoc on my gi system. before the eliminatino diet I was eating quinoa for meals, and rice only really in processed foods, so I wonder if my body was guiding me away from it. I used to eat lots of brown rice, then just went off it. I will give wild rice a try, thanks!!

Thank you all for your input - I love what a great source of info this board is!

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

If you haven't tried a digestive enzyme formula, it might be worth doing. Just make sure it is derived completely from microbial sources. Otherwise they tend to get destroyed by the acidity of the stomach. Consider NOW Foods Digest Gold, or the one from Doctor's Best. There are probably other decent ones out there, but those two I recently found when looking for a more complete formula.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


sweeeeet Rookie
sweeeeet
Posted

Rice cakes used to be a staple for me for breakfast since bread was out of the question. I'd put peanut butter on it. But forget that, they put me into a coma 20 minutes after eating them, even with an enzyme first. I'd be just like you, barely able to get up due to sheer exhaustion, my head spinning, and pounding. How I miss rice cakes w/ peanut butter.

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. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jmartes71's topic in Dermatitis Herpetiformis
      1

      Natural remedies

      While it's always important to approach internal use of essential oils with caution and ideally under the guidance of a qualified professional, your experience highlights the potential of complementary approaches when traditional medicine falls short. Many in the community are also interested in the intersection of natural wellness and gluten-free living...
    2. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to miguel54b's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      1

      Gluten and short-term memory.

      It's interesting how a single, clear moment—like struggling during a game—can suddenly connect all the dots and reveal the hidden impact of gluten exposure. Your experience with short-term memory fog is a very real and documented symptom for many individuals with gluten sensitivity, often occurring alongside the other issues you mentioned like mood disturbances, sl...
    3. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Suze046's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Reintroduction of Gluten

      Approximately 10x more people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity than have celiac disease, but there isn’t yet a test for NCGS. If your symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet it would likely signal NCGS. What you're describing is a very common and frustrating experience when reintroducing gluten after a period of avoidance, and your timeline is perfectly c...
    4. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Rejoicephd's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      2

      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      Your suspicion is almost certainly correct, and you are wise to be cautious. Draft cider is a very common and often overlooked source of cross-contact because the same tap lines are frequently used for both beer and cider; unless a bar has a dedicated line for gluten-free beverages, which is rare, the cider will run through tubing that has previously contained...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Mykidzz3's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      High Cost of Gluten-Free Foods

      Your post really highlights the financial and emotional struggle so many families face. You are not alone in feeling frustrated by the high cost of gluten-free specialty items and the frustrating waste when your daughter can't tolerate them. A great place to start is by focusing on naturally gluten-free whole foods that are often more affordable and...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,369
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Nick H.
    Newest Member
    Nick H.
    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

    • Scott Adams
      Natural remedies

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While it's always important to approach internal use of essential oils with caution and ideally under the guidance of a qualified professional, your experience highlights the potential of complementary approaches when traditional medicine falls short. Many in the community are also interested in the intersection of natural wellness and gluten-free living, particularly for managing systemic inflammation and its various symptoms, so sharing your story is valuable. Your observation that it may also be helping with bloating is fascinating, as that could point to an overall reduction in inflammation. Thank you for sharing what is working for you!
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten and short-term memory.

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      It's interesting how a single, clear moment—like struggling during a game—can suddenly connect all the dots and reveal the hidden impact of gluten exposure. Your experience with short-term memory fog is a very real and documented symptom for many individuals with gluten sensitivity, often occurring alongside the other issues you mentioned like mood disturbances, sleep disruption, and digestive irregularity. It's a frustrating and often invisible effect that can make you feel unlike yourself, so that moment of clarity, though born from a tough dominoes match, is actually a powerful piece of self-knowledge. Identifying a specific culprit like that steak strip is a huge win, as it arms you with the information needed to avoid similar pitfalls in the future and protect your cognitive clarity. You are definitely not alone in experiencing this particular set of neurological and physical symptoms; it's a strong reminder of gluten's profound impact on the entire body, not just the digestive system. Supplementation may help you as well.  The most common nutrient deficiencies associated with celiac disease that may lead to testing for the condition include iron, vitamin D, folate (vitamin B9), vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, and magnesium.  Unfortunately many doctors, including my own doctor at the time, don't do extensive follow up testing for a broad range of nutrient deficiencies, nor recommend that those just diagnosed with celiac disease take a broad spectrum vitamin/mineral supplement, which would greatly benefit most, if not all, newly diagnosed celiacs. Because of this it took me decades to overcome a few long-standing issues I had that were associated with gluten ataxia, for example numbness and tingling in my feet, and muscle knots--especially in my shoulders an neck. Only long term extensive supplementation has helped me to resolve these issues.      
    • Scott Adams
      Reintroduction of Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Approximately 10x more people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity than have celiac disease, but there isn’t yet a test for NCGS. If your symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet it would likely signal NCGS. What you're describing is a very common and frustrating experience when reintroducing gluten after a period of avoidance, and your timeline is perfectly consistent with a non-celiac gluten sensitivity. While a celiac reaction can be more immediate, a sensitivity reaction is often delayed, sometimes taking several days to manifest as your body's inflammatory response builds up; the fact that your symptoms returned a few days after reintroduction is a strong indicator that gluten is indeed the culprit, not a coincidence. Your doctor's advice to reintroduce it was necessary to confirm the diagnosis, as the initial negative celiac test and subsequent improvement on a gluten-free diet pointed strongly towards sensitivity. Many in this community have gone through this exact same process of elimination and challenging, and it's wise to reintroduce gently as you did. Given your clear reaction, the best course of action is likely to resume a strict gluten-free diet, as managing a sensitivity is the primary way to control those debilitating symptoms and allow your body to heal fully.
    • Scott Adams
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your suspicion is almost certainly correct, and you are wise to be cautious. Draft cider is a very common and often overlooked source of cross-contact because the same tap lines are frequently used for both beer and cider; unless a bar has a dedicated line for gluten-free beverages, which is rare, the cider will run through tubing that has previously contained gluten-containing beer, contaminating your drink. The fact that you didn't react at a clean brewery suggests they may have had more meticulous practices or separate lines, but this is the exception, not the rule. Many in the community have had identical experiences, leading them to strictly avoid draft cider and opt for bottled or canned versions, which are poured directly from their sealed container and bypass the contaminated tap system entirely. Switching to bottles or cans is the safest strategy, and your plan to do so is a smart move to protect your health. PS - here are some articles on the topic:    
    • Scott Adams
      High Cost of Gluten-Free Foods

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post really highlights the financial and emotional struggle so many families face. You are not alone in feeling frustrated by the high cost of gluten-free specialty items and the frustrating waste when your daughter can't tolerate them. A great place to start is by focusing on naturally gluten-free whole foods that are often more affordable and less processed, like rice, potatoes, beans, lentils, corn, eggs, and frozen fruits and vegetables—these are nutritional powerhouses that can form the basis of her meals. For the specialty items like bread and pasta, see if your local stores carry smaller, single-serving packages or allow returns if a product causes a reaction, as some companies understand this challenge. Regarding vitamins, that is an excellent next step; please ask her doctor to prescribe a high-quality gluten-free multivitamin, as insurance will often cover prescribed vitamins, making them much more affordable. Finally, connecting with a local celiac support group online can be a treasure trove of location-specific advice for finding the best and most affordable products in your area, saving you both time and money on the trial-and-error process. 
×
×
  • Create New...