I Suspect I Am Gluten Intolerant. Any Advice?

[LOWNskater52]

Distilled vinegar is fine for most people with gluten issues. That said, it may not be for you.

We use Lea & Perrins and I think I'm fine with it.

You are correct the biggest problem here is that your Dad isn't being honest with you.

You may need to consider you have other food issues, or something else going on. Also, it's still early and many people have a week or two of withdrawal (and bad symptoms) before things improve.

Are you eating a well rounded diet? Are you avoiding acidic foods? I ask because I have to do that when my stomach gets acidic, and drink a ton of water. Keep some gluten-free rice crackers around and munch on them to calm down the acid.

You know I was thinking I might have other food issues. I still eat corn (high fructose corn syrup in my ketchup) so maybe thats my problem. My holistic doctor said it could be up to three months for all of the anti-bodies and stuff to regulate and have everything go back to normal so idk. I hope its soon

I don't think my diet has been too acidic. I have been eating alot of strawberry, bananna and kale smoothies. About 3 a day. But the banana and kale are super alkaline so that should neutralize the strawberries. I am also eating chicken breast with ketchup so thats a little acidic.

Yesterday I made my own stir fry with whole grain brown rice, carrots, peas, chicken and san-j's gluten free soy sauce. Real good but had terrible gas and indigestion afterward. I am going all smoothie and chicken breast with no ketchup for a while

[LOWNskater52]

You know I was thinking I might have other food issues. I still eat corn (high fructose corn syrup in my ketchup) so maybe thats my problem. My holistic doctor said it could be up to three months for all of the anti-bodies and stuff to regulate and have everything go back to normal so idk. I hope its soon

I don't think my diet has been too acidic. I have been eating alot of strawberry, bananna and kale smoothies. About 3 a day. But the banana and kale are super alkaline so that should neutralize the strawberries. I am also eating chicken breast with ketchup so thats a little acidic.

Yesterday I made my own stir fry with whole grain brown rice, carrots, peas, chicken and san-j's gluten free soy sauce. Real good but had terrible gas and indigestion afterward. I am going all smoothie and chicken breast with no ketchup for a while

P.s. That is a pretty good diet. The strawberries and bananas are my fruit souce, kale is the best green, leafy veggie there is, and chicken is my good protein source

[pricklypear1971]

Soy.

Try going soy free for a week, in addition to gluten-free, milk and see what happens.

That dinner was pretty straight forward and soy is the most likely culprit.

Also, are you taking digestive enzymes? Try that with your meals to help them digest easier, you may try that before dropping soy.

Also, those smoothies would have sent my acidic stomach over the edge - something about so many sugar/carbs without protein.

[LOWNskater52]

Im not taking any digestive enzymes but I am taking gluten free probitiocs and multivitamins daily.

Is a digestive enzyme something you take every day forever or something you take for a while to build up in your system.

[pricklypear1971]

Im not taking any digestive enzymes but I am taking gluten free probitiocs and multivitamins daily.

Is a digestive enzyme something you take every day forever or something you take for a while to build up in your system.

It depends.

Most would use them temporarily until the body starts digesting and processing foods better. It helps break down your food so your digestive system has an easier time.

[mushroom]

I still luse digestive enzymes occasionally when my digestive system seems to be working overtime. I agree about the soy - that's what jumped out at me from your post. Can you find some rice protein powder to add to your smoothies to make them more balanced?

[Curlyqueen]

Its sort of the same sensation I had when I became allergic to marijuana.

Before I got sick I was smoking ten times a day atleast. Now whenever I smoke marijuana I get a tight throat sensation and terrible esophageal spasms, along with debilitating anxiety.

I didn't know there was such an allergy. One time I broke out in rash on my face but it went a way and since then I've been weary of smoking. Do you also have celiac disease? ( sorry if thats a dumb question)

[LOWNskater52]

I didn't know there was such an allergy. One time I broke out in rash on my face but it went a way and since then I've been weary of smoking. Do you also have celiac disease? ( sorry if thats a dumb question)

I do not know yet. I had my blood drawn last Monday for the test so I guess I should know by the end of the week.

[LOWNskater52]

Day 13

Something has gone wrong. I think I am getting glutened some how. The heart/extremity pounding has come back somewhat, the indigestion has resurfaced, my throat tightness comes and goes now like it used to, and the last 20% of my eczema is not going away.

I don't know if I'm working through all of the gluten that has been stored in the 30 pounds of fat I have gained this past year or if I am gluting myself somehow but I am now going on a super diet now. All organic fruits and veggies. Hopefully I can figure out what the problem is...

[ravenwoodglass]

I do not know yet. I had my blood drawn last Monday for the test so I guess I should know by the end of the week.

Keep in mind that blood tests do have false negatives. You should still be eating gluten in case they want to do a endo with biopsies (if you are willing to have that done). Do try the diet strictly after the testing is over and as was mentioned by others do avoid soy and dairy for a bit when you go gluten free. Going with well cooked mild veggies like peas for example will be much easier to digest than the kale while you are healing.

[kareng]

I don't know if I'm working through all of the gluten that has been stored in the 30 pounds of fat I have gained this past year or if I am gluting myself somehow but I am now going on a super diet now. All organic fruits and veggies. Hopefully I can figure out what the problem is...

Please supply your source for gluten being stored in fat. I have not seen any scientific evidence that it is even possible for gluten to be stored in fat.

[LOWNskater52]

Please supply your source for gluten being stored in fat. I have not seen any scientific evidence that it is even possible for gluten to be stored in fat.

My holistic doctor, who is an absolute genius with a wall of degrees, told me about it. When your body is overwhelmed with something it can't process or excrete, it stores it in fat as a way to get it out of circulation. I trust the doc.

[ravenwoodglass]

Please supply your source for gluten being stored in fat. I have not seen any scientific evidence that it is even possible for gluten to be stored in fat.

Neither have I and I have done a lot of research in the last 9 years.

I would be very interested in seeing what research the doctor was referring to.

[LOWNskater52]

Keep in mind that blood tests do have false negatives. You should still be eating gluten in case they want to do a endo with biopsies (if you are willing to have that done). Do try the diet strictly after the testing is over and as was mentioned by others do avoid soy and dairy for a bit when you go gluten free. Going with well cooked mild veggies like peas for example will be much easier to digest than the kale while you are healing.

I've had 2 endoscopies done. One in Oct 2010 and one in Aug 2011. All they found was gastritis both times and some esophagitis the second time. They took biopsies but I don't know if they were of the small intestine to check for Celiac disease. My allopathic doctor is checking into it.

[LOWNskater52]

Anyways I am just gonna list what I have been eating these past couple of days and see if anything pops out to you:

Fruit Veggie Smoothie - 10 Strawberries, 2 Bananas, 2 Cups of Kale, Ice

Baked Chicken Breast with Ketchup - Chicken Breast(baked), sea salt, pepper, Simply Heinz Ketchup(sugar instead of High Fructose Corn Syrup)

Jennie O Turkey Bacon - Says No Gluten on the back but does have a laundry list of crazy looking chemicals

Homemade Chicken Stir Fry - Baked Chicken Breast, Whole grain brown rice, peas, carrots, San-j soy sauce

Bush's Homestyle Baked Beans - Bush's website say all products are now gluten free. No more wheat flour used.

Coconut Water - 100% Natural, says no gluten on back

Carrots - Just plain carrots as a snack

[LOWNskater52]

I'm at work and I just went to the restroom and looked in the mirror and I have crazy dark cirlces under my eyes. It looks like I haven't slept in years (I got a good 7 hours last night). I really hate all of these symptoms and the fact that they are not going away as quickly as I would like.

This article here talks about the hormonal imbalance that can come from gluten intolerance and how it can take up to a year of being gluten-free to have the endocrine and neurological systems return to 100%.

Open Original Shared Link

I am 100% convinced my problems are from gluten. With the racing heart after a gluted meal, constant pounding heart, to eye floaters, constant acid relux/indigestion, adrenal fatigue/exhaustion, the strange eczema that raped my right foot and right hand, and the strange allergies I have developed. I don't know if I have full blown Celiac disease or if I'm just gluten intolerant but I'm not quitting my diet either way.

[pricklypear1971]

Well, hopefully your bloodwork will shed some light and help you figure it out.

If you feel better off gluten, do it. If you fe better off soy, dairy, whatever else....do it.

One thing you shouldn't do is stop trying to figure out what's going on because you are determined its ONLY gluten.

Many people with gluten issues have more than one issue. Figuring those out is what's called "life".

[LOWNskater52]

I don't know what else to cut out. I'm not eating gluten or casein. All I've had today has been bananas, strawberry and kale smoothies. Can I be allergic to fruits and veggies? I'm just over being sick all of the time

[pricklypear1971]

I don't know what else to cut out. I'm not eating gluten or casein. All I've had today has been bananas, strawberry and kale smoothies. Can I be allergic to fruits and veggies? I'm just over being sick all of the time

I'd feel sick if that's all I ate, too.

Lookt your food journal. When did the worst symptoms hit? What did you eat in the previous 24 hours.

Try making smoothies from something else - peaches, mango, etc. see if it changes. Cut the amount in half.

Eat some protein. Switch it up. Experiment.

[LOWNskater52]

Yeah I was thinking that. I had Jennie O turkey bacon yesterday. Maybe that is my problem. I am gonna switch up the smoothie too. Gonna change Kale to spinach. I also think I am gonna fast for a day or two to start with a clean slate. Is there a test of some kind that can see what your intolerant to?

[kareng]

Uncooked green veggies like spinach & kale can be hard to digest. Maybe you could make a little chicken, carrot & rice soup? Cook up a sweet potato or regular potato? Bake an apple or cut a peeled one up and cook in a pan with a little water to make applesauce? Cream of Buckwheat cereal is nice & mild. Might want to skip the ketchup as vinegar is acidic and can be irratating.

[pricklypear1971]

You need to look at the Jennie O bacon and see what's in it.

As far as allergy testing, opinions vary. Some people have problems accurately dx'ed. Others come back allergic to everything - literally, so they discount it.

I haven't had any food allergy testing, so I'm no help on this one.

[LOWNskater52]

I looked at the ingredients before I bought it and it was chocked full of a bunch of crazy preservatives I couldn't even begin to pronounce. It said gluten free on the back so I picked it up.

What I'm hoping is that my body's endocrine and neurological systems are just trying to get back to homeostasis. My eczema is still doing wayy better than when it started and my dandruff is getting better.

[LOWNskater52]

Maybe I should just take the kale out? Hmm. Good point kareng.

That soup sounds good. How do you make it?

[pricklypear1971]

Boil some bone-in chicken pieces with onion, celery, carrots, bay leaf, peppercorns, salt. Remove chicken and debone. Strain and save stock. Add chicken meat, chopped raw carrots and any other seasoning to the stock. Cook til carrots are to desired softness. Eat it.

If you like rice, add it in to the stock in that last step or cook it separately and ladle soup over it.