I Can't Eat Anything Anymore! I Give Up :(

[Kimbalou]

I agree with trying the elimination diet. You mentioned you ate grapes and you also drank wine. Maybe the alcohol has something to do with it or another autoimmune problem like primary biliary cirrohsis. Sounds like you need to talk to a good nutritionist and set up an elimination diet.

Don't give up. You have lots of support on this forum and sooner or later you or someone will figure it out.

wow!!?? Primary biliary cirrohsis?? I don't drink much alcohol at all. Such a big conclusion you came to. I really think it was the grapes. Why would you jump to the liver problem?

[Jestgar]

wow!!?? Primary biliary cirrohsis?? I don't drink much alcohol at all. Such a big conclusion you came to. I really think it was the grapes. Why would you jump to the liver problem?

Why not? Have you had your liver enzymes checked? Maybe it's time to let go of assumptions and start testing everything you can think of.

[Slovis]

As far as mustard, I have read up and drenched seems to be safe and free of gluten, not all mustards. Before u eat anything I do a quick web search. Also do the eliminatiion diet. I'm in the process as well. I have narrow ed down gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and am still looking!! You mentioned eating out, there are gluten free menues but I always have to check for the other items and often times if its not listed they don't know. Therefore, I don't eat. Most all meat - deli has gluten! Ask before you order chicken at a restaurant only some- mostly hi end will guarentee it. Cross contamination is huge!! Just making my son a bagel can make me sick if I'm not careful. Good luck!!!

[Kimbalou]

Why not? Have you had your liver enzymes checked? Maybe it's time to let go of assumptions and start testing everything you can think of.

Yes, actually I did have my liver enzymes checked and they were fine.

[Happyw5]

I know how you feel...I have had a peanut allergy for 8 years...It took along time to get diagnosed. In the last 3 years I have discovered a wheat allergy, milk allergy, hazlenut allergy, soy allergy, spinach allergy, and a HORRIBLE grape-raisin allergy... I am scared of alot of food, because sometimes things bother me and sometimes they don't...I seem to be ok with corn, but get a little sick for popcorn... tomatoes are always a problem, but fine with tomato sauce... I know that anaphylaxic reactions are scary and that is what I get with peanuts and raisins (red grapes)///which also means no red wine...Something else is bothering me now and I am writing every thing down so I can find it...Good Luck...

[GFshay]

It sounds like you are a good candidate for an elimination diet, your list of safe foods sounds like the basis of one anyway. If you eat just those foods for a few days and you feel better, you could try adding in one food at a time and see if you react. It might start to make sense of what you are reacting to. A food diary is a very good idea if you are trying to pin down problem foods.

Beans, grapes, broccoli and onion ring bells for me, have a look into the FODMAP diet, there are quite a few posts about it here. It could be that you have a problems with fructose and fructans. I also think I have a problem with corn, so I can commiserate.

The thing to keep in mind is that you haven't been gluten free that long, so your body is probably still healing. If you can find a diet that works for you now there is a good chance that you can expand it over time as you heal. I really do know how hard and frustrating it is, but you have a great resource here, with a lot of people who have been through the same process.

I really do recommend an elimination diet if you can manage it, it will cut out a lot of the guess work for you and can help give you some control over your symptoms. Good luck

Yes I agree with gf_soph. I went gluten-free in October and I didn't start feeling significantly better until I finally went very simple and started reintroducing foods gradually. I was very very hesitant to cut out dairy, eggs, soy milk (other forms seem ok in small amts), coffee and black tea. But once I finally did, I started feeling amazingly better. I've already reincorporated some of those foods, slowly but surely. Definitely going as simply as possible and keeping a diary of things you've eaten with symptoms you're getting might help a lot. My nutritionist had me eating tons of protein and veggies, and once I did that, I started feeling much better (I also don't eat many gluten-free breads and other products-- more natural stuff like rice, chicken, nuts, etc).

I'd also recommend trying Aloe Juice to calm your stomach. I've heard it can have a laxative effect if you have too much so start with just a teaspoon or so per day. I found it had an immediate calming effect. I'm sure it feels like it's already been forever on this journey, but trust me-- it takes a while but will get better if you stick with it!

[sb2178]

Yeah, simpler is better. I was eating something like 6 foods for the first few weeks then introduced more things and had to cut out a few a couple of months later to really get all the way back to healthy. Only non-gluten item that is still problematic at this point is dairy, and I'm still testing that every now and then.

Digestive enzymes are helpful, and pro-biotics help some people too.

Also, FYI, if you have susceptible genetics toward liver disease, it really only takes that 1-2 servings of EtOH to start it up symptoms.

All the above posts assume that you've pulled out possible CC in your home/kitchen, occupational exposures, toiletries, and are obsessive about washing hands before food prep/eating, right? I've been gotten by kids who just spread enough Cheerio dust around to fell a giant, and there are anecdotes about everything from pet food to library books.

Good luck!

[Marz]

I am so tired of feeling crappy. Usually what happens to me is I feel ok throughout the day. Then, when I wake up the next morning it hits me....

I have found some comfort foods at a gluten-free bakery, but they are expensive! I love their pumpkin bread. Anyway, I am going to stop buying gluten-free sandwich bread.

Sorry to hear you have such a restrictive diet One thing that helps me greatly is to keep a food journal - symptoms can hit you a day or two after you've eaten, it's not always the day before. For example, the big d can hit me a few hours after eating something CC'd, but it can also take 3 or 4 days (with maybe constipation leading up to it). Only by having a food journal could I pick up the pattern.

An elimination diet sounds like it might help you - stick to whole foods for a week, with 5 items you know are "safe". Add one item at a time for a few days, and note any changes in your symptoms/mood/stomach. Don't try multiple things at once, as you won't know what you've reacted to. Once you've determined if onions etc are a problem, maybe check out the FODMAP list. Leave processed items for last. I include gluten-free bakery items as "processed" btw, by "whole foods" I mean meat, veggies, fruit, rice, potato, sweet potato, eggs. You may want to cut out all grains/starches if you think that's bothering you.

Note that some of us are really sensitive, and even "gluten free" items may have < 5 ppm gluten that could still bother you. Some definitions of "gluten-free" even include up to 20ppm of gluten. I find processed baked products usually upset my stomach - whether it's the grain or gluten, I don't know. I do know that even Orgran "gluten-free" biscuits can give me a very bad day of d, and terrible DH, so I'm very wary of any gluten-free bakery. Maybe try to stay away from the processed baked goods for a week or so and see if it helps?

For myself, giving up the baked goods really helped and have found I can eat almost any fruit/veg/meat without a problem - I used to think I had issues with onion, beans, olives etc. I really hope you find an answer, because restrictive diets on top of gluten-free really sucks.

You can also check out lectins - see Mushroom's posts, if you have a problem with that, any food can upset your stomach :/