Newbie And The Big "d"

[lucky97]

Hello all,

This one will take some explaining, it's a bit unpleasant but so has this whole ordeal, so let's get to it...feel free to chime in.

Apparently one way to tell if you've been "glutened" is the big "D." I've read this countless times already on this forum in the past couple months since my own diagnosis in November 2010 at age 45...largely an asymptomatic case (except when the jaundice from the undiagnosed condition set in which set off all types of alarms).

Correct me if I'm wrong but MOST of this new diet does not inspire, forgive me, real tight, compact "movements." Brown rice, potatoes, Larabars...I gets lots of loose stuff from these foods. I've been careful to first eliminate obvious sources of gluten, then the secondary, and now the hidden stuff, and still get "D" or so it seems from this diet.

What do you folks say??? I'm truly perplexed by this experience I have on a regular occasion, and attribute it not being "glutened" but the nature of the whole foods. Distinctions, please?

Thanks in advance for sharing on this touchy subject, please believe me I would not have posted if I could figure it out myself by what I've read.

[YoloGx]

Hello all,

This one will take some explaining, it's a bit unpleasant but so has this whole ordeal, so let's get to it...feel free to chime in.

Apparently one way to tell if you've been "glutened" is the big "D." I've read this countless times already on this forum in the past couple months since my own diagnosis in November 2010 at age 45...largely an asymptomatic case (except when the jaundice from the undiagnosed condition set in which set off all types of alarms).

Correct me if I'm wrong but MOST of this new diet does not inspire, forgive me, real tight, compact "movements." Brown rice, potatoes, Larabars...I gets lots of loose stuff from these foods. I've been careful to first eliminate obvious sources of gluten, then the secondary, and now the hidden stuff, and still get "D" or so it seems from this diet.

What do you folks say??? I'm truly perplexed by this experience I have on a regular occasion, and attribute it not being "glutened" but the nature of the whole foods. Distinctions, please?

Thanks in advance for sharing on this touchy subject, please believe me I would not have posted if I could figure it out myself by what I've read.

You haven't said, but I suspect you might still be getting what is knows as "cross contamination" (CC) from gluten.

Its also important to no longer buy things from bulk bins given that they are often CC'd by gluten from the dusting/cleaning of other surrounding bins.

In addition, its important to avoid trace gluten in soaps, shampoo, makeup, alcohol, tinctures, vitamins and supplements, homeopathics, toothpaste, lotions or even from kissing someone who drank or ate something that has gluten in it. I have even gotten glutened from someone opening up a water bottle for me or shaking my hand after they ate some bread. Eventually if I haven't washed my hands afterwards, the gluten somehow migrates to my lips... Ditto problems for some of us from gluten dust in the air, say in a bakery or a friend's kitchen, or in my experience from fresh cut sheetrock or working with various building compounds like Fix-all or some powdered floor leveler or dust from sanded wall patch.

Its also possible to be allergic or sensitive to other food items that could cause D too--esp. due to leaky gut issues caused by damaged villi in the intestines. Somehow going off the gluten then makes your body more able to discriminate and not like other offending foods whose effects you might not have been aware of in the past.

For me for instance I now know I have to stay away from salicylic acid which is a common ingredient in many fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and herbs.

I'd make sure there was no CC going on first however.

Bea

[GFinDC]

I don't know what your diet is like now. But a whole foods diet is a real good way to start on the gluten-free road. whole foods like meats, whole vegetables, whole fruits etc. Also take a good look at any vitamin pills or meds you take, and consider eliminating them for a while to see if it helps.

How about things you are drinking, like juices, sodas, teas, coffees, alcohol? Any of those can cause reactions if they have gluten or some other ingredient that you are sensitive to.

A simple diet with few foods is easier to understand and troubleshoot than a varied diet with lots of food ingredients.

Remember also that oats bother some of just like gluten does.

[Fire Fairy]

I'm 36 and went gluten free November last year. I too am still having issues. I gave up Milk in December. I had been assuming it was because my villi weren't healed yet but after reading the other responses I'm starting to wonder. The thing is I usually get migraines from gluten so I think I can rule out CC as a cause for me.

[Jill0711]

In some ways, you can have issues from the diet alone and it is usually from lack of fiber. A lot of the gluten-filled products are enriched while the gluten-free versions are not. The other consideration is dairy. I was still having D after going gluten-free and I tracked it down to a dairy intolerance. Having a milk intolerance is actually very common for the newly diagnosed because the damage in the small intestine also hinders the body's ability to break down milk. I would try to eliminate dairy for a week and see if it improves. Some people are able to add milk back into the diet after some healing takes place; others cannot. If it is not dairy, you may need to look for some alternate source of fiber. You could also look for other food intolerances like corn, soy, etc. The best thing to do as someone mentioned was to start with a whole foods diet and then add things in slowly to see what you can tolerate. Keeping a food journal is a pain, but it really helps to notice a pattern.

[Marilyn R]

I'm so sorry you aren't feeling better yet.

It could be that your autoimmune system is attacking other similar proteins like soy, dairy, corn... something you may find worthwhile searching on the forum.

I was good with everything gluten-free at first, then had to eliminate soy, dairy and corn to alleviate that darn tooting "D". I had to start rotating foods too, but you may not have to do that.

If you have insurance and can go to an allergist, I highly recommend skin prick testing. I ended up being highly allergic to pecans, an ingredient I was regularly consuming in a gluten-free Soy Free bar.

Pecan Pie used to be one of my holiday regulars for potlocks, etc. I swear I would have never in a million years guessed that I was allergic to pecans! Or clams! (That came out in skin prick testing too.)

Hope you figure it all out and feel better soon! Good luck!