How Much To Eat And How To Test For Food Reactions?

[catarific]

I no longer can eat rice, grains, bread with wheat, potatoes, cookies, cakes, etc. after a recent attack of what I thought was either IBS, Food Poisoning or a Gastroenteritis Virus. I had numerous tests and blood work and all came back negative. But when I eat gluten free bread I am fine - but if I eat any other starch (with gluten) I get sick. If I avoid many gluten products, I feel much better.

After a recent attack of what I thought was either food poisoning, IBS, or a viral infection, I had terrible watery diarrhea that was fatty and foul smelling. After I stopped eating gluten, I no longer have the same diarrhea result (fatty, watery stools) but now am still experiencing soft stools either once or twice a day. Sometimes every other day.

But - even if I eat some foods that are gluten free - I still sometimes have bouts of cramping and large soft stools. So it still seems like trial and error to figure out what food sensitivies are causing digestion issues.

For example, yesterday I had two Hebrew National hotdogs and two slices of Udi's gluten free bread. I read in the book Gluten-Free, Hassle Free that these franks were gluten free. Afterward though, I felt really bad (stomach ache) and finally during the night I went to the bathroom a couple of times and then felt somewhat better.

So my question is - what did I do wrong? Did I overeat - would it have been better had I only tried one hotdog without the bread? Should I have eaten less because it was too much to digest at one time?

Is it better to eat more frequently and eat less - would that aid in the digestion? I know the food was not cross contaminated. So I can rule that out.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated....

[cassP]

it could be that u were just recently glutened, and your gut hasnt healed yet.?? if i get glutened- it can take me a good 3 weeks sometimes to get back to regular digestion- so in that first few weeks- i really cant judge what im eating because it ALL could be hard to digest.

that being said... after mostly or all healed- i sometimes have to eat smaller meals... i also cant eat too many grains/carbs or gluten free substitutes. and sometimes if i eat meat with my complex carbs- it causes me discomfort.

good luck

[GFinDC]

Hi,

When people first go gluten-free, they often seem to have somewhat random digestion problems. At least that's what I have read on this board. So it can be hard at first to determine a specific food that is causing problems.

Also, gluten (wheat, barley, rye) can be found in many foods besides bread and baked items. Just about any processed food is a possible hiding place for gluten. Also vitamin pills, medicines, sodas, flavored teas and coffees etc can have gluten in them. So you really have a mine field of gluten in processed foods.

[Skylark]

How long have you been gluten-free? It can take months for everything to settle down.

[catarific]

How long have you been gluten-free? It can take months for everything to settle down.

Actually it's now about a month - so I guess I have a long haul ahead

[Skylark]

Actually it's now about a month - so I guess I have a long haul ahead

Give it some time, and also try going off dairy. Many gluten-sensitive folks have a cross-intolerance to dairy. You may be able to add dairy once you're feeling better. Also stop eating as many processed foods. Make the bulk of your diet things that are obviously gluten-free like an apple or a potato.

Oh, and by the way some people react to Udi's. It's not a gluten reaction, but some folks don't seem to handle tapioca well, and others react to all the xanthan gum. You might try a different brand of bread or even better, have rice or potatoes.