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Are These Normal Reactions To Gluten-Free Diet?

dploy

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dploy Newbie
dploy
Posted

My son (13) & I (45) were diagnosed 2 months ago with Gluten Intolerance - not Celiac. The son is doing great - no more mood swings, more energy, better focus etc. However, I am experiencing some unusual side effects and am wondering if they are normal:

  1. Really hungry all the time. May need more protein?
  2. Loose Stools - out of the blue...
  3. Increase in BMs throughout the day - 4-8 times!
  4. Increased Intestinal Gas - both types. Wife annoyed.

For the last ten years we ate mainly low-fat and low-cal. I excersize heavily - sometimes twice a day. I have allways had a very efficient digestive system and have never been constipated - but after this gluten-free start I am REALLY efficient - like overboard!

Are these normal side effects? My doc knows nothing and thinks I'm imagining it all...

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sb2178 Enthusiast
sb2178
Posted

It sounds like you are either getting some gluten contamination-- work or something you eat but your son doens't maybe?-- or else you are having problems with another food. Dairy would be suspect #1. Take it out for a couple of weeks and see how you do. If that doens't help, some deeper thought might be needed to see if you're reacting to eggs, or soy, or nuts, or peanuts, or if you're super-sensitive to miniscule trace amounts.

The other thing to consider is the "lipstick and moisturizers" category: shaving creams, shampoos, sunscreens, etc. Anything you could get on your face or hands can fairly easily end up in your mouth. Pet food. Wall paper glue... play-doh...

Really hungry is pretty typical. I also get really hungry a day or two later if I've been exposed to gluten.

love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

My son (13) & I (45) were diagnosed 2 months ago with Gluten Intolerance - not Celiac. The son is doing great - no more mood swings, more energy, better focus etc. However, I am experiencing some unusual side effects and am wondering if they are normal:

  1. Really hungry all the time. May need more protein?
  2. Loose Stools - out of the blue...
  3. Increase in BMs throughout the day - 4-8 times!
  4. Increased Intestinal Gas - both types. Wife annoyed.

For the last ten years we ate mainly low-fat and low-cal. I excersize heavily - sometimes twice a day. I have allways had a very efficient digestive system and have never been constipated - but after this gluten-free start I am REALLY efficient - like overboard!

Are these normal side effects? My doc knows nothing and thinks I'm imagining it all...

Sounds very similar to my side effects. In fact, when I went off gluten I felt worse than when I was on it (felt good on it). Anyway, I was absolutely famished at all times. For the first time I remember I actually got up to eat in the wee hours of the morning as I could not stand it.

I was so strict with gluten-free that I know my new bowel problems (didn't feel sick from gluten) were not from cross contamination, etc. but found I was lacking fibre. That cleared things up for me very quickly! So, I take Metamucil and ensure I am eating a lot of legumes and other fibre-rich foods.

domesticactivist Collaborator
domesticactivist
Posted

I was famished at first. Eating more fat and getting over sugar withdrawal put an end to that. Eating healthy saturated fats like avacados, fats from pastured & organic meats, coconut oil and ghee can all help take the edge off hunger.

As for the "efficiency" - I had the opposite problem when we went gluten-free! I will say that resolved when I cut out all grains.

modiddly16 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted

I've had problems with your third point also since being gluten free, but more so in the last year. Turns out, it was due to a freakishly low level of b12's in my body. I've been on the shots for 5 months and am just starting to feel normal!

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      Thank you so much for your response! I have a follow-up appointment with her pediatrician next week, and also an appointment with her pediatric GI Dr. Your message gives me some ideas for questions to ask the doctors. My daughter went strictly gluten-free in January following her first endoscopy so I’m guessing her diet is pretty solid. She is compliant but also reliant on others to make her food (at school and home) but she didn’t have this problem prior to the gluten challenge when she went strictly gluten-free. It really makes sense to me that the gluten challenge inflammation hasn’t healed and I will be asking her doctors about nutritional issues. I ask for anecdotal stories because the research surrounding the gluten challenge seems to be inconsistent and inconclusive (at least what I’ve been able to find!). Thank you so much for your response!
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