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A Diet Without Grains?

Lockheed

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Lockheed Apprentice
Lockheed
Posted

I am not a fan of eliminating a whole food group from your diet, but I'm seriously beginning to wonder if I would feel better if I just avoided grains entirely. I have celiac's so no wheat rye barley. I also react to oats, amaranth, millet and spelt. I recently seem to be having issues with rice also. I thought for a long time maybe I just needed more excercise and more water - although that helps me on the physical fitness spectrum, it doesn't help the severe digestive issues I'm having. Has anyone else eliminated all grains? How do I do that safely? Is there some research out there about this? Or am I just crazy?

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Katie B Apprentice
Katie B
Posted

Hi Lockheed - check out the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I'm on the low FODMAP diet at the moment and am limiting my carbs per serving and spacing them out...

srall Contributor
srall
Posted

There are a lot of people here on a no grains diet. I'm on week 3 or 4 right now. I'm not keeping track. Initially I was going to test it for 6 weeks, but after the first week, after the INTENSE cravings died off, I realized this would be permanent. I had some residual issues, mostly joint pain that must wouldn't resolve just (wheat) gluten free. I blamed coffee, wine and night shades. Well, I've been drinking coffee with cream, drinking wine (not everyday) and eating tons of potatoes with my morning eggs and I have ZERO joint pain. None. Nada. Zip.

I'm not doing a specific diet. I'm trying to eat very balanced and make sure I'm getting a lot of fruit to make up for the carbs. I do notice when I over eat fruit I don't feel well. I feel the best with a piece of meat and a veggie. But I already knew this.

I think it's worth trying for a month or so. I waited for spring because our winter was so harsh I didn't have the resolve to start something new. Plus I knew it would mean a lot of trips to the grocery store. I will repeat, the first week was almost unbearable. I could not believe the cravings for carbs (muffins, oats etc) would go away. I was preparing for 6 weeks of cravings. But within two weeks they were over. I think you'd get a lot of support here if you tried it.

starrytrekchic Apprentice
starrytrekchic
Posted

Spelt is a type of wheat, so you'd definitely react to that. You might also be reacting to cross-contamination during harvesting. A lot of the grains on the market are at risk of being contaminated, so you may just need to switch brands. If you're early in the diet, you might simply be having problems digesting grains, which should pass as you heal.

sb2178 Enthusiast
sb2178
Posted

Millet particularly often has high contamination levels.

Oats cause reactions among a portion of celiac patients.

I second eliminating, then reintroducing in limited amounts. Sweet potatoes and such can substitute for carbs. Soaking grains overnight also helps digestion in some folks.

Lockheed Apprentice
Lockheed
Posted
  • Author

I'm sorry, I should be more clear. These are items I eliminated from my diet 8 years ago. I've been gluten-free for a while and I really pay attention to being gluten-free. But really.. I think I'm starting to have an issue with rice... like the same kind of issue I have when I get something with gluten. And it doesn't seem to matter the brand or type or source. And I'm thinking if I add rice to the long list of grains that I already can't have.. then perhaps I should consider eliminating all the grains together. Maybe I just can't tolerate grains. And I really don't miss the illness that came with eating most carbs. I do miss fast food french fries (the cross contamination on those has gotten to be enough in the last couple of years to set me off).

Further, I've always wondered about the celiac's diagnosis. I don't present with the leaky gut syndrome or the immediate severe illness that occurs for the tradiational celiac model. My reaction is the exact opposite - everything just stops functioning including me. So maybe the end result is the same as a traditional celiac in that we both have severely damaged intestines and malnutrition resulting from not absorbing vitamins and nutrients, but maybe it's not really the gluten that I'm having the issue to. Maybe it's something broader that includes glutens?

Lockheed Apprentice
Lockheed
Posted
  • Author

Hi Lockheed - check out the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I'm on the low FODMAP diet at the moment and am limiting my carbs per serving and spacing them out...

Okay so somehow naturally I'm really close to a low FODMAP diet and those foods don't seem to give me an issue. I'm going to look into it further. Thanks for recommending!

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Pyro Enthusiast
Pyro
Posted

I've read that celiac covers all grains and the gluten diagnosis has been a mistake. Remember that quinoa and buckwheat aren't grains.

BTW be careful about FODMAP, SCD, GAPS and the like. While the information there may be helpful, my avoiding of any minor disturbance backed me into a no carb corner. From there it seemed like my body started to really shut down from the lack of carbs and will test adding them back in right now.

Woolygimp Contributor
Woolygimp
Posted

I've read that celiac covers all grains and the gluten diagnosis has been a mistake. Remember that quinoa and buckwheat aren't grains.

BTW be careful about FODMAP, SCD, GAPS and the like. While the information there may be helpful, my avoiding of any minor disturbance backed me into a no carb corner. From there it seemed like my body started to really shut down from the lack of carbs and will test adding them back in right now.

I've started eating grain free because I have Sjogrens (an autoimmune condition) and celiac disease. After over two years on a gluten free diet I wasn't getting better...

Eating grain/dairy free has really been a big improvement for me, I feel like I have a lot more energy, my Sjogrens has died down a lot, and I feel much less inflamed.

jenngolightly Contributor
jenngolightly
Posted

Grain free wasn't hard for me. It was hard to feel full, though. Grains give you that bulk feel in your stomach. I recently reintroduced white rice and although I feel full, my C has returned - not as bad as when I had a lot of different grains in my diet, though. Thinking I need to go grain-free again. Bummer.

I was on a strict SCD diet for a year and now I eat a much less restrictive diet, but mostly whole foods. SCD doesn't restrict from NO carbs, just complex carbs that are harder to digest.

cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

I'm sorry, I should be more clear. These are items I eliminated from my diet 8 years ago. I've been gluten-free for a while and I really pay attention to being gluten-free. But really.. I think I'm starting to have an issue with rice... like the same kind of issue I have when I get something with gluten. And it doesn't seem to matter the brand or type or source. And I'm thinking if I add rice to the long list of grains that I already can't have.. then perhaps I should consider eliminating all the grains together. Maybe I just can't tolerate grains. And I really don't miss the illness that came with eating most carbs. I do miss fast food french fries (the cross contamination on those has gotten to be enough in the last couple of years to set me off).

Further, I've always wondered about the celiac's diagnosis. I don't present with the leaky gut syndrome or the immediate severe illness that occurs for the tradiational celiac model. My reaction is the exact opposite - everything just stops functioning including me. So maybe the end result is the same as a traditional celiac in that we both have severely damaged intestines and malnutrition resulting from not absorbing vitamins and nutrients, but maybe it's not really the gluten that I'm having the issue to. Maybe it's something broader that includes glutens?

you might want to test out the rice. ie: some fodmap lists include brown rice as being problematic. maybe you should see if you react differently to brown or white rice. i too feel much much better if i avoid all grains in my diet- but if i have basmati white rice 2x a week i feel just as fine.

RollingAlong Explorer
RollingAlong
Posted

Check out the Paleo diet - plenty of people eliminating grains and feeling great!

anabananakins Explorer
anabananakins
Posted

I eat a low grain diet. I also avoid regular potatoes. For me, it's not because I react to them (besides gluten ones of course) but because I need to keep my carb intake really low to manage my insulin resistance.

BTW be careful about FODMAP, SCD, GAPS and the like. While the information there may be helpful, my avoiding of any minor disturbance backed me into a no carb corner. From there it seemed like my body started to really shut down from the lack of carbs and will test adding them back in right now.

I do find this balance tricky sometimes. I discussed what I eat with a dietitian and she thinks so long as as I eat fruit and drink milk (I have lactose free milk) then I'm getting enough carbs. But I do have to watch it, especially if I'm being particularly active.

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      I wanted to respond to your post as much for other people who read this later on (I'm not trying to contradict your experience or decisions) > Kirkland Signature Super Extra-Large Peanuts, 2.5 lbs, are labeled "gluten free" in the Calif Costcos I've been in. If they are selling non-gluten-free in your store, I suggest talking to customer service to see if they can get you the gluten-free version (they are tasty) > This past week I bought "Sliced Raw Almonds, Baking Nuts, 5 lbs Item 1495072 Best if used by Jun-10-26 W-261-6-L1A 12:47" at Costco. The package has the standard warning that it was made on machinery that <may> have processed wheat. Based on that alone, I would not eat these. However, I contacted customer service and asked them "are Costco's Sliced Almonds gluten free?" Within a day I got this response:  "This is [xyz] with the Costco Member Service Resolutions Team. I am happy to let you know we got a reply back from our Kirkland Signature team. Here is their response:  This item does not have a risk of cross contamination with gluten, barley or rye." Based on this, I will eat them. Based on experience, I believe they will be fine. Sometimes, for other products, the answer has been "they really do have cross-contamination risk" (eg, Kirkland Signature Dry Roasted Macadamia Nuts, Salted, 1.5 lbs Item 1195303). When they give me that answer I return them for cash. You might reasonably ask, "Why would Costco use that label if they actually are safe?" I can't speak for Costco but I've worked in Corporate America and I've seen this kind of thing first hand and up close. (1) This kind of regulatory label represents risk/cost to the company. What if they are mistaken? In one direction, the cost is loss of maybe 1% of sales (if celiacs don't buy when they would have). In the other direction, the risk is reputational damage and open-ended litigation (bad reviews and celiacs suing them). Expect them to play it safe. (2) There is a team tasked with getting each product out to market quickly and cheaply, and there is also a committee tasked with reviewing the packaging before it is released. If the team chooses the simplest, safest, pre-approved label, this becomes a quick check box. On the other hand, if they choose something else, it has to be carefully scrutinized through a long process. It's more efficient for the team to say there <could> be risk. (3) There is probably some plug and play in production. Some lots of the very same product could be made in a safe facility while others are made in an unsafe facility. Uniform packaging (saying there is risk) for all packages regardless of gluten risk is easier, cheaper, and safer (for Costco). Everything I wrote here is about my Costco experience, but the principles will be true at other vendors, particularly if they have extensive quality control infrastructure. The first hurdle of gluten-free diet is to remove/replace all the labeled gluten ingredients. The second, more difficult hurdle is to remove/replace all the hidden gluten. Each of us have to assess gray zones and make judgement calls knowing there is a penalty for being wrong. One penalty would be getting glutened but the other penalty could be eating an unnecessarily boring or malnourishing diet.
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    • Scott Adams
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      I'd be very cautious about accepting these claims without robust evidence. The hypothesis requires a chain of biologically unlikely events: Gluten/gliadin survives the cow's rumen and entire digestive system intact. It is then absorbed whole into the cow's bloodstream. It bypasses the cow's immune system and liver. It is then secreted, still intact and immunogenic, into the milk. The cow's digestive system is designed to break down proteins, not transfer them whole into milk. This is not a recognized pathway in veterinary science. The provided backup shifts from cow's milk to human breastmilk, which is a classic bait-and-switch. While the transfer of food proteins in human breastmilk is a valid area of study, it doesn't validate the initial claim about commercial dairy. The use of a Dr. Osborne video is a major red flag. His entire platform is based on the idea that all grains are toxic, a view that far exceeds the established science on Celiac Disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and a YouTube video from a known ideological source is not that evidence."  
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