On The New Diet

[Pokerpro]

Hello, I just have a couple question that hopefully some of you can help me with, I recently had a few trips to the ER, but think i got my head on str8 now and lucky for me one of the docs at the ER was nice enough to tell me I may have Celiac disease... I been having strange stool movements since 2007, and the weight loss finally got to me... So I went to trader joes and since the 22nd of march i been (hopefully) gluten free, and the last like 5-6 days in a row ive had morning bowel movements for the first time in like 3 1/2 years... It feels wonderful mentally i must say... at the begining i still was consuming lactaid which is loctose free milk and had some think thin bars witch contained milk etc, and have removed all dairy as well, and symptoms seem to be even better...

Is there even more of a strict diet i should follow? like i bought some corn tortilla's from Trader Joes says gluten free on them, and i ate some of the larabars, but i noticed my stools to have like lots of nut particles or possibly the corn tortilla particles in it, does that mean i should avoid those items also.. Just wondering if my body can heal better with just eating meats veggies fruits.. I do get more or less gas and bloating, but i been dealing with this for years so its tough for me to gauge how strict to make my diet because im immune to the pain i guess...

Lastly ive noticed an occasional string like substance in toilet, its transparent and looks more like a string of fat then any parasite and it floats to the top, anyone know if its in fact fat? Could also be why i lose weight i dunno, im sure i also have calcium and mag deficiency, but just curious if that means i need to avoid fatty meats also, i hope not, i think i need red meat

[mushroom]

Hello, and welcome to the forum, Pokerpro.

Yes, it certainly sounds like your ER doc was on the right track, even if he didn't think to run the test for you. Your symptoms are pretty classic gluten intolerance. I can tell you have been doing a bit of reading up since you are almost sounding like a Celiacpro already.

Firstly, the lactose. Yes, the gluten destroys the villi which make the lactose to digest the milk sugar lactase. So until your villi heal you should avoid lactose. You may be able to tolerate some cultured dairy product like yogurt or hard cheese where the enzymes used in production have predigested most of the lactose for you. Eliminating lactose was a good move.

Secondly, undigested food in stool. This just means that your digestive system is not working properly because you have been starved of nutrients for three years due to lack of absorption. Your pancreas is probably not working too well and not putting out the digestive enzymes (that's where most of them come from) which will allow you to complete the digestive process. Most of us need to take a digestive enzyme supplement initially (and sometimes for quite a while) to help the pancreas out.

Thirdly, string-like substance in stool. This could possibly be fat or mucous, and is related to No.2, poor digestion of food. Fatty things always float. Once you get the digestive system working properly this should go away. Now in order to heal your small intestine and get the digestive process back to normal, you will probably need probiotics. Yogurt is a good probiotic if you tolerate it. If not,or even if you do, you will want to buy a supplement. These can be bought in capsule form (make sure that this is gluten free, your digestive enzymes also). This does not mean that you should avoid meat or fat, but you should eat good fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, and you will probably need the iron from red meat so don't give that up.

Yes, a diet of whole, unprocessed foods is the way to go to start off. Things that are easy to digest to start with, like chicken, fish, veggies, fruits, rice, nuts, seeds, maybe a little gluten free pasta (try Tinkyada - most seem to like it). Possibly some Udi's or Rudi's bread, but do not go overboard with the processed gluten free stuff. And avoid the junk food - you need as much good nutrition as you can get. Try some nut butters. I would not try too much raw food at first - cooked foods are easier on the stomach, raw = harder to digest.

I presume you have done some reading on here on gluten avoidance and deglutenizing your kitchen. If you need help with this, let us know.

Isn't it wonderful to be feeling better? Fire away with any questions you have.

[Pokerpro]

Mushroom, i am taking all your advice , although ive read about most of all this info its so nice of you to give me direct advice per my situation, its beyond helpful.. Yes i do feel so much better just to be on the right track..

Im going to do some more research for supplements for digestive enzymes, but do you have any particular one (brand name)in mind that I should just buy.. Do i need multiple bottles of enzymes for diff food types? (ill look into this also)..

I did just purchase a bottle of Sundown naturals calcium 600mg pills as well as magnesium 250mg, both bottles say gluten soy dairy free etc.. But i assume that these pills aren't to useful till i get the enzymes.. I need these pills since ive cut dairy out, but ill give yogurt a shot... i heard garlic was good also, ill prob rub down some steaks with it before cooking.

O i almost forgot, are eggs a bad idea? Or is that another thing where i test out my sensitivity similar to yogurt? I just bought a whole mess of cooking things gunna test em out..

[mushroom]

The main brand of enzymes I use is Ultlra-Zyme by Nature's Plus. It contains all the enzymes, plus Acidophilus and Bromelain. You don't need anything else - it has it all. I have also usedNutriVitamin Enzyme Complex, but I think that is marketed through naturopaths by Integrative Therapeutics. It is more of an all-round supplement.

Before you go buying a whole bunch of supplements you really need to find out what nutrients you are deficient in. Common deficiencies for celiacs are vitamins A, B12, D, E and K, also folate (B6), and minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron/ferritin. Many of these need to be taken in combination for maximum effectiveness. Do you have a PCP who can order these tests for you?

Eggs are a very individual thing and yes, you should challenge and see how you react. Don't eat them for a few days and then have a couple for breakfast. That should do it.

[Pokerpro]

Awesome i will get some ultra-zyme it looks perfect. I dont have health insurance but i do see a free doctor in a little over a month for a follow up, its all free follow up from the ER, he ordered some blood test just for internals nothing else and on the 14th i go to get xray on my stomach.. But with the info i have now ill try my best to convince him to give a test for deficiencies, but the reality is they are unlikely to do it for me..

I bought calcium and mag, because i rarely eat cheese or dairy because of gas for past few years, but i just thought it was completely necessary to get these two to go with my balanced diet.. I take a multi vite along with those, do you think this will be ok with ultra-zyme in the mean time? Ill push the doc to help with testing and just hope for the best..

[Pokerpro]

Hey mushroom, if you get another chance to respond, I purchased acti-zyme instead of ultra-zyme got confused at the store and got this one cause it said gluten free on the bottle, this should be fine right?

Also just actually thought about toothpaste, im kind of amazed not too much info in gluten free toothpaste, yet its seems rather important.. I use crest, do you have any info on which is bad and good, otherwise i must get on emailing them... thanks for the help bud