Gluten? Dairy? Neither? Both?

[imsohungry]

Hi everyone,

I'm just so upset this morning, I've been gluten-free for about 2 weeks. I had a couple of "good" days and got excited, but now I'm right back as bad as ever. I've used the restroom 7 times since 6:00 am and it's only 8:00 am right now.

Some of you who read my posts may remember that my GI dr. told me I had IBS, take pills daily, and go home. He said that he did a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and bloodwork on me two years ago and I was fine.

However, about six years ago, I had gone to a "Lead" GI in a good hospital who told me that he believed I DID have celiac because several parts of my bloodwork were positive at the time, I have firmly diagnosed celiac in my family, and he said it explained all of my symptoms.

Despite my new doctor's opinion, I started the gluten-free diet. To keep myself from giving up on doctors and healing, I'm trying to figure this out myself. Can you answer some questions for me please?

1. How do you go "back to basics" to start? Do I eliminate everything but salads and greens to cleanse my system before I start reintroducing? And can I have gluten-free salad dressing? How long do I need to do this "healing" part of the diet?

2. How do I eliminate dairy? It seems to be in everything! I've long suspected that I may be lactose intolerant (since childhood). What do you eat if you are gluten-free and DF? Is there a supplement or something I could take to help?

Thank you for your help. I'm just "so sick and tired of being sick and tired"...maybe the tears are a good release. I know you all have "been there" at some point too.

Everyone have a great day.

Julie

[i-geek]

I'm gluten-free and currently dairy-free (as my intestines heal from a recent bad accidental glutening). Here's an example of what I eat:

Breakfast: Lundberg rice cakes with peanut butter, an apple or banana

Lunch: leftovers from dinner (last night we had tuna, red beans and cucumber in homemade vinaigrette dressing), So Delicious coconut milk yogurt

Dinner: (I'll post representative examples from the previous week since tonight I'm eating St. Dalfour canned bean meal) corn-quinoa pasta with Newman's Own pasta sauce and ground turkey; spinach salad with grilled salmon and homemade vinaigrette; crock-pot roasted chicken with brown rice pilaf and sauteed broccoli; eggs, bacon and pan-fried potatoes; chicken-veggie soup with rice

Unfortunately DF means that you have to rely even more on whole foods and cooking from scratch. Fortunately, you might only need to be completely DF temporarily. I've been gluten-free for almost 9 months and it took a few months before I could add back dairy the first. I expect that it will take at least a few more weeks before I'm willing to brave it again. As for "back to basics"- I didn't do that completely when I started. Other than gluten itself, dairy, peppers, and cruciferous veggies were the big offenders for me nine months ago so I eliminated those completely to start. Sometimes things that I knew were safe would set me off anyway because my gut was in bad shape. It's happening again this time around, but I know that it will eventually pass.

For supplements: hopefully someone can recommend a good probiotic for both of us. The one I have now upsets my stomach. I'll have to see if I can find the ones I used to take, as I liked those and I think they did help. If you find that you can't totally avoid dairy, a Lactaid tablet will help with the lactose intolerance (unfortunately we often have trouble with casein and Lactaid won't help with that).

[butterfl8]

Hi Julie! I'm glad you are going for health, and going gluten free (and yes, dairy free too, at least for a while).

1. Back to basics is whole foods, no processed foods. Meats, vegatables, fruits, are all okay. The outsides of the grocery store are our friend! The downside, is that meal preperation takes a little bit longer. The upside, is that you can pass on all that label reading! Spices are also okay, so you can you those for flavoring. Gluten free salad dressing is good too--some may have dairy, and yes, you want to avoid that. How long? Gluten free is for life. Keep reading. . . .

2. How to eliminate dairy? No milk (from cows, anyway ), no cheese, no yogurt, no ice cream (I cried on that one). As I've already said no processed foods, that takes care of that. Give yourself a month or two with nothing, then buy some lactaid, than try some dairy with that. It's a slow process. And that sucks. But YOU CAN DO IT!!!! I promise!

You asked our favorite question. . . What do you eat if you are gluten free and dairy free!! "oh, carpet. Rats." Just kidding. If you are a cookbook person who needs recipes and ideas, I recently got Carol Fenster's 1000 gluten-free recipes. LOVE IT!!! Mustard-sage pork tenderloin with pear cranberry compote--and it was easy to fix. There are lots of great food bloggers out there that are gluten free, and some are still dairy free!

Open Original Shared Link

That's a good one.

Okay, enough of my rambles. Hope your day starts to go better soon (pun totally unintentional. Sorry!!)

-Daisy

[tarnalberry]

I think one of the reasons people do the "what can I possibly eat if I have to eliminate five foods?!" thing is because we are creatures of habit. you are used to eating gluten and dairy, but out of all the edible foods in the world, there are only FIVE things that you are looking at avoiding. yes, those five things are ingredients in a lot of premade/prepackaged/processed stuff you can buy, but there are so many other foods out there. you have to build new food habits, though, new patterns of eating, and that's hard! time to start thinking outside the box.

my examples for breakfast:

eggs over something - gluten-free toast, rice, beans, rice cakes

rice cakes with peanut butter

fruit smoothie

hot cereal (I do millet grits with flax meal, almond milk, and jam)

my examples for lunch:

usually, leftovers from dinner

tuna "tacos" (tuna, avocado, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, on corn tortillas)

"soup" (bag of frozen veggies, bag of frozen shrimp, rice noodles, boullion)

my examples for dinner:

usually, we grill meat and veggies

beef stew (thickened with cornstarch)

chicken rice soup

stir fry (there are sooooo many ways to make stir fry)

lentil soup

[jerseyangel]

Hi Julie, first of all (((hugs))) Take a deep breath--it's all going to be ok

1. How do you go "back to basics" to start? Do I eliminate everything but salads and greens to cleanse my system before I start reintroducing? And can I have gluten-free salad dressing? How long do I need to do this "healing" part of the diet?

At this point, I would eat foods that won't irritate your system any further like lean meats and poultry cooked simply, eggs (if you can tolerate them), white rice, potatoes, cooked veggies like squash and carrots, and bananas. Stay off raw veggies and salads until you feel better. There are many tasty meals you can make with whole ingredients such as these.

2. How do I eliminate dairy? It seems to be in everything! I've long suspected that I may be lactose intolerant (since childhood). What do you eat if you are gluten-free and DF? Is there a supplement or something I could take to help?

Again, the list above and maybe try some rice milk or almond if you can do nuts. I was dairy free for over 5 years, and got on well with the substitutes. Use light olive oil to cook and bake with and extra virgin for flavoring, and later on salad dressing with vinegar.

Let us know how you're doing, and if you need anything

[RideAllWays]

As for the dairy, there are million of alternatives..

Ice cream will now be RICE cream. Some brands are sooo delicious. I also like coconut ice cream (made with coconut milk). If you can tolerate soy you can have that too.

Milk: Rice milk, almond milk (yum!), soy milk, you could just try lactose free milk (but you might still have a caseine problem)

Cheese: Soy cheese, goat cheese (they make cheddar, brie, feta, mozzarella..)

Everything is so overwhelming at the start, but really once you get the hang of things it is not that bad! Right now stick to fruits, veggies, meats, etc, then start adding stuff in.

I have been dairy free since I was 12 years old, and after 1.5 years gluten free I can tolerate some dairy in my diet now

It WILL get easier. If you have a meal you're really really craving, chances are it can be made gluten-free. My boyfriend and I love experimenting and whenever I get a bit depressed about not being able to eat something he tells me to not be upset, and then we make the dish, Devon-friendly. If you have any questions feel free to PM me

Devon

[imsohungry]

Thank you everyone.

I have a question from Tarnalberry's response. Does gluten-free toast have milk in it? I was reading about being dairy free and it said bread has milk in it...of course, I'm not sure if gluten-free bread is different, and it's been 6 years since I've really been gluten-free so I don't remember. Thanks!

[jerseyangel]

Thank you everyone.

I have a question from Tarnalberry's response. Does gluten-free toast have milk in it? I was reading about being dairy free and it said bread has milk in it...of course, I'm not sure if gluten-free bread is different, and it's been 6 years since I've really been gluten-free so I don't remember. Thanks!

Some breads have milk in them as an ingredient, others don't. The Gluten Free Pantry French Bread Mix can be made with water instead of milk--that's the way I've always made it and it's very good.

[imsohungry]

Some breads have milk in them as an ingredient, others don't. The Gluten Free Pantry French Bread Mix can be made with water instead of milk--that's the way I've always made it and it's very good.

Thank you very much Patti. I really need to feel better...I just keep getting weaker and weaker. So, I'm scrambling to figure all of this out! I appreciate everyone being so helpful!

[jerseyangel]

Thank you very much Patti. I really need to feel better...I just keep getting weaker and weaker. So, I'm scrambling to figure all of this out! I appreciate everyone being so helpful!

You're very welcome Think gentle, well cooked, simple foods. You are recovering, so be good to yourself

[jackay]

Thank you very much Patti. I really need to feel better...I just keep getting weaker and weaker. So, I'm scrambling to figure all of this out! I appreciate everyone being so helpful!

I sympathize with you because I am going through the same thing right now. Either I got glutened severely from cc or reacted to too many antifungals or both. I, too, really don't know where to start.

I can't figure out what foods my stomach can handle right now and what it can't. The terrible D has let up, but food is still going through me unprocessed. I can't remember how long it took for that to get better the first time around.

I did try an elimination diet about five months ago. When I added foods back, I was able to tolerate most everything. I really don't know where to start this time as it seems my stomach is reacting to everything.

I know I've had cc issues before, but that only lasted 24 hours. At least the extreme anxiety I felt for about three days has let up but not completely gone away. Headaches were a problem even before these stomach issues started in again. I resorted to Advil today and have been trying to avoid pain reliever.

Since I feel candida is a big issue for me, there are so few foods that I should be eating. I probably shouldn't be eating rice at this time but feel I need it. Quinoa seems to be an issue now and I was able to eat that just fine.

[imsohungry]

I sympathize with you because I am going through the same thing right now. Either I got glutened severely from cc or reacted to too many antifungals or both. I, too, really don't know where to start.

I can't figure out what foods my stomach can handle right now and what it can't. The terrible D has let up, but food is still going through me unprocessed. I can't remember how long it took for that to get better the first time around.

I did try an elimination diet about five months ago. When I added foods back, I was able to tolerate most everything. I really don't know where to start this time as it seems my stomach is reacting to everything.

I know I've had cc issues before, but that only lasted 24 hours. At least the extreme anxiety I felt for about three days has let up but not completely gone away. Headaches were a problem even before these stomach issues started in again. I resorted to Advil today and have been trying to avoid pain reliever.

Since I feel candida is a big issue for me, there are so few foods that I should be eating. I probably shouldn't be eating rice at this time but feel I need it. Quinoa seems to be an issue now and I was able to eat that just fine.

So sorry to hear that you're going through that. I hate this guessing game. And I'm almost too tired to play it. Like you, I just need answers before I waste away...I'm already down to about 118 pounds and I'm 5'8". Good luck to you...we'll figure it out...we don't have a choice!

Hope tomorrow is better.

-Julie

[sickchick]

So sorry to hear that you're going through that. I hate this guessing game. And I'm almost too tired to play it. Like you, I just need answers before I waste away...I'm already down to about 118 pounds and I'm 5'8". Good luck to you...we'll figure it out...we don't have a choice!

Hope tomorrow is better.

-Julie

Hi Doll!

Dairy makes me so sick, I understand how you are feeling. Tapioca and soy and carageenan all make me just as sick.

I was getting so sick from all grains that I went off everything for about 2 months. (I am down to 100 pounds but I am feeling better) I am tolerating rice flours again fine- I have not bought rice itself, yet, but I am hoping it will be fine. I think tapioca is my problem, not rice. I ate an amy's gluten free pizza and did fine with everything but the cheese. It's brown rice. Not the blend that other companies use.

We'll get you all figured out.

:)

[imsohungry]

Hi Doll!

Dairy makes me so sick, I understand how you are feeling. Tapioca and soy and carageenan all make me just as sick.

I was getting so sick from all grains that I went off everything for about 2 months. (I am down to 100 pounds but I am feeling better) I am tolerating rice flours again fine- I have not bought rice itself, yet, but I am hoping it will be fine. I think tapioca is my problem, not rice. I ate an amy's gluten free pizza and did fine with everything but the cheese. It's brown rice. Not the blend that other companies use.

We'll get you all figured out.

:)

Awww...thank you Collette! I sure hope we ALL get answers to what's causing our probs. worked out soon. I just want to feel "human" again...have the energy to clean house, decorate for fall, and stay off the friggin' toilet. Have a wonderful evening!

Julie

[lucia]

For ideas, also check out the Recipe section on the site. And, searching for things like "breakfast ideas" or "what to eat" should also bring up some good posts.

[Wing]

I'm also very new to the gluten-free diet. In fact my digestive history sounds very similar to yours. Only difference is I'm a guy. 6 feet and around 146 pounds (I was 150 before going gluten-free...damnit!). Anyways, I've been gluten-free for exactly 9 days. The first 2 days didn't notice any difference. Days 3,4, and 5 were absolute dreams - I felt "normal". Best days. Since then I've been up and down, mostly down unfortunately. Everyone here says it takes time before your body will adjust and that you feel better on a more consistant basis. I hope they're right! Stick to it, give it time and see what happens. One thing I would avoid is constant panic about what to eat and when to eat it and how to eat it and what it will do to you and when and where and how etc...take it easy, panic won't make your intestines feel any better. Stay away from gluten and dairy if you choose to, it's not that hard, just more time consuming.

As for supplements I drink an organic protein shake once a day after working out. It has around 30g of protein per serving which is nice to maintain my weight. The only probiotic that works out there is called vsl#3. It's great. Except it's damn expensive. check their website. Also, I take Glutagenics by a company called Metagenics. It's a mix of l-glutamine, licorice, and aloe vera. It is designed to repair the damaged lining of your intestines...naturally.

[Nor-TX]

I am also gluten-free and DF. If you want to be absolutely sure that there is no dairy, lactose or casein in a food, look for a Parve symbol. It is always on the label, usually in the bottom left or right corner. It might say Parve or it might be a "P" in a circle. This is for people who are on a kosher diet and cannot mix mear and milk foods. If there is a "parve" or "p" on the label it is kosher, and without diary, lactose and casein free. Very safe to eat. Katz Gluten Free Challah is a delicious Parve bread. It has a texture similar to banana bread and is soft and slightly nutty sweet. I order mine online and keep it in the freezer. Looking for dairy free items is easy if you just look for the Parve symbol.