Probiotics

[bartfull]

So I'm doing great with the diet. Plain meat, plain veggies, plain fruit, and some rice and eggs sometimes. Today I had a soft boiled egg, thick slice of cheddar, and a banana for breakfast. For lunch I had boneless skinless chicken breast, baked yam, fresh asparagus, and a handfull of blueberries. Then I took some gluten free acidopholus pills. Now I have terrible gas and bloating.

I was one of those who didn't HAVE GI symptoms on gluten. I know that after we are on this diet for awhile we become more sensitive, but the ONLY thing that is different from what I have been eating all along is the asparagus and the acidopholus.

It MIGHT have been the asparagus. I admit, I haven't eaten it before. (Mom always overcooked vegetables and I never liked ANY vegetables until I grew up and found out that you could lightly steam them rather than boiling them to mush.)

I suspect the acidopholus though, because about a year ago I started really eating a lot of Activa, and eventually I had to stop because it was bothering my stomach.

Anybody else ever have trouble with probiotics?

[T.H.]

I haven't, but we were looking for some that might work for us, and quite a number of them who are 'gluten free' don't even test for gluten, even if they have a shared line. So I could see them being a problem, definitely. We also had a big problem finding dairy free pro-biotics when we last looked, so if you have any dairy issues, that could be an issue, too, yeah?

It might help to call up and ask if they test for gluten, and if they do, what's the ppm detection level of the test.

I ask this latter question now because a few times I was told that 'of course' they test, but when they had to talk to more knowledgeable people in the company to find out the ppm info, they found out that they don't test for gluten at all.

[sreese68]

Probiotics can cause gas and bloating the first few days you use them. Mine was mild for me when I started probiotics a couple of weeks ago. (To me, mild bloating equals discomfort. Terrible bloating equals pain that makes you want to lie down.) If I understand it correctly, the bloating means the probiotics are working for you. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, though! The bloating should go away in a few days. If not, I'd discontinue them.

[bartfull]

I've been thinking - this happened one time last week. I had to leave the grocery store in a hurry and barely made it home in time. The only thing I had eaten that day that was the same as yesterday was the baked yam.

This morning, not to be too graphic, everything I ate yesterday was whole and identifiable. That makes me tend to think either the yams are CC'd somehow, or perhaps it IS the acidopholus that is CC'd. I'll call them today.

My morning elimination used to be that way every day before I went gluten free. I always thought I had damaged my digestive system back in the day when I used to drink rather heavily. I had no idea it was the gluten. I knew that I wasn't digesting my food though.

Today I have gone back to bacon, eggs, rice, and broccoli. I know those don't bother me. Then I will try adding asparigus back, then the yam. It's so frustrating. I know that we all go through this type of thing at first, but there seem to be so many things to figure out, it's a wonder anyone heals.

Being an irrepressible optimist though, here is the silver lining - I will be able to tell right away if I've been glutened instead of finding out three days (and several meals) later when my psoriasis flares up.

[Cara in Boston]

The probiotic I bought said "gluten free" in the on-line description. After a couple of days, I got suspicious and couldn't find the words "gluten free" on the bottle, or on the box, or on the company's web site so I contacted them. The person on the phone said it DID have gluten in it. The email response I got back from the company was that it starts out with some gluten-containing ingredients but after processing, there is no gluten left in the product.

Even if it turns out to be gluten-free, these conflicting answers were enough for me. I stopped taking it and felt better within days.

It was "iFlora multi-probiotic" from Sedona Labs.

Cara

[bartfull]

The brand I have is Sundown. I called and even though the lady I talked to was rather "snotty" with me, I GUESS they're OK. She was reading off of a card. She said all of their products are up to FDA standards for allergin labeling, and that the FDA also approves the way they clean the line between batches, for cross contamination.

When I tried asking if they are indeed made on the same line as gluten containing products, she just read the card again.