Should I Be Concerned About Dairy Intolerance?

[Mrs. M.]

I have been following a gluten-free diet for about 6 weeks, after learning that I have (mild) celiac disease. Right away after starting the diet, I felt much better (no bloating/discomfort after eating). But lately I feel like I have more bloating again--hard to tell whether it is as much as before, and it comes and goes. I never had severe digestive symptoms, so it is hard to quantify. My question is whether I should try eliminating other foods from my diet. I have been told that many people with celiac disease have trouble digesting other foods like dairy products. I don't drink milk any more, but I do cook with butter and dairy products. I don't want to give up all these foods if I don't need to. I would like to hear other people's experiences and advice: is testing typically done for other food allergies, or do people just figure out what works and doesn't work by trying to eliminate foods from their diets?

[steve501]

My question is whether I should try eliminating other foods from my diet. I have been told that many people with celiac disease have trouble digesting other foods like dairy products. I don't drink milk any more, but I do cook with butter and dairy products. I don't want to give up all these foods if I don't need to.

You could try lactose free dairy products. Butter and hard cheeses are lower in lactose anyway, so you could try using these sparingly. It may help you to invest in some digestive enzymes or a bottle of lactase. Probiotics are a good idea too.

I have trouble with sugars at the moment and do have trouble with milk products although a few scoops of greek yogurt seem to be alright. Sometimes a splash of milk on oats. That said, there are plenty of alternatives, such as rice milk and almond milk, if you're mixing into hot drinks or onto gluten free grains.

Best of luck!

[Metoo]

Thats pretty much what happened with me. I was feeling much better, then started having problems with bloating, sour stomach. I am lactose intolerant I believe now. If I avoid milk I feel good again, if I eat ice cream or cottage cheese the next day I have a sour stomach, bloating...etc all again.

Butter and cheeses dont' seem to bother me. Also cooking with milk doesn't bother me much at all (not enough to give it up anyways!)

[Skylark]

You're not really describing an allergy. Unfortunately, all the food allergy and intolerance testing is prone to inaccuracy and false positives. Elimination and challenge is most reliable. The problem comes if you're sensitive to multiple foods. You may not feel better if you eliminate only one and keep eating the others.

Milk and soy come up as problem foods a lot on the board. Lactose intolerance is common and some people are really sensitive to it. Other common causes of bloating are fructose malabsorption and intolerance to sugar/starch from bacterial overgrowth.

[steve501]

Other common causes of bloating are fructose malabsorption and intolerance to sugar/starch from bacterial overgrowth.

I have problems with sugar at the moment but as I continue with a gluten free diet it seems that I handle it better.

I can't rule out the possibility of bacterial overgrowth though. Do you have any ideas on natural ways to treat it?

For the moment I use ginger tea, raw garlic, coconut oil and probiotics as well as keeping sugar intake low.

[Skylark]

You might like low starch too, since it's the same as sugar as far as bacteria and yeast are concerned. Have a look at the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for low-starch, IBS-friendly food lists. Open Original Shared Link

[Lisa]

Once I removed the gluten, several weeks later I had issues with dairy. I gave it up for about a month and then tried it again, without issues.