So Bloated!

[AMom2010]

Hi everyone

I will be coming up on 5 weeks of being gluten free tomorrow. Since the day after I cut out gluten I have been bloated off and on, and more frequently lately. I have been trying to do my best to avoid gluten and CC, but have probably been glutened 3 times due to CC at restaurants since I started. Could those instances of CC be contributing to my extreme bloating or do you think I have another intolerance to another food (I surely hope not)? Should I just stop worrying and give it more time?

I am self-diagnosed and have seen improvement in some neuro/joint/skin symptoms, but it seems my digestive symptoms have gotten worse (more constipation and painful bloating). I have been eating mostly whole foods made from scratch, but do eat corn tortillas daily. I would say I drink at least 8 ounces of milk a day too.

I would really appreciate any insight into this! Thanks so much!

ETA: Now that I think about it, I do eat a lot of dairy. Today I have had a glass of milk, 2 cheese sticks, and a cup of yogurt. Could dairy be the culprit? If I try "dairy free" does that mean I have to eliminate all sources of dairy, like whey and casein in baked goods or do I just leave out milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream?

[Takala]

The first probable likely culprit is the lactose in the milk. Celiac damages the part of the intestinal lining that deals with dairy, but even normal adults, as they age, may get to where they cannot handle regular milk, just the low/non lactose versions of aged cheese and certain safe yogurts.

Some people are further unable to handle dairy at all, including casein, the milk protein, but they are usually so miserable they can tell that milk products are bothering them.

Truly dairy free means everything, but it's easy to do for a few days and see what the bloat quotient is, then try adding back some aged cheese. If you react, you may want to lay off dairy for awhile, while you recover the ability to handle it. ( I am assuming you can handle it somewhat if you're already not laid flat out on the floor, rolling around and whimpering, from consuming that much) I had a heck of a time with yogurt at first, and was really annoyed because it seems the milk powder and thickeners really set me off. I also do better with organic dairy than non organic dairy, but I couldn't find organic yogurt that didn't have some sort of thickener crud in it. This is when I stopped putting it in baked goods, because I was so aggravated that it was possible to ruin a whole loaf of other wise decent, expensive gluten free bread with some yogurt I did not get along with. I am okay with the greek fage type yogurt right now, if I don't over do it.

The second culprit can be one of the other ingredients in commercially baked or manufactured gluten free products. Not every body was meant to eat tapioca, I can eat it but it makes me puff up. Soy flour is another thing that really does not agree with some people. A third thing that is just probably specific to me, is that certain brands of gluten free labeled lunchmeats with preservatives in them make me bloat. And it's not brand 1, but brand 2, because I went ahead and laid off the lunchmeats and then tested them out. Grrrrrrrrr.

[AMom2010]

I think I will try to go dairy free for a couple of days to see if it makes a difference. Thanks Takala!

I was also wondering if food allergies I had as a child might be bothering me now since going gluten free. I was never tested but my tongue always itched after eating pecans/walnuts, avocados, cantalope, and bananas. I don't get an itchy tongue anymore, but might these foods (which I happen to eat quite often) still be bothering me in another way?

[Takala]

More likely it's the dairy or soy- allergic reactions tend to be different and more sudden.

I'm "less" allergic now than I was before going gluten free. Having your whole auto immune system revved up doesn't help allergies.