Still Having Soft Stool....working On Eliminating Dairy....do I Need To Look At Anythign Else?

[Kimeran]

Hi,

I havent been on here in a LONG time. I was diagnosed with celiac disease about a year and a half ago and stopped eating gluten immediately.

However, I am still fighting frequent diarrhea. I originally thought that I just needed to give it sometime and let my body heal itself sinc I was having problems for 4 years before I was finally diagnosed....which required a change in doctors cause the one before just said it was "stress".

Anyways, starting about a week ago I started to try and eliminate dairy....I say try because I LOVE dairy and me and my wife cook alot and cheese is used in a good amount of dishes. I have started to buy lactose free yogurt and I have been drinking almond milk since I was diagnosed with celiac disease. I dont seem to be badly affected by milk used to bake for some reason though. I have also stopped putting cheese on sandwiches. Judging by how much better I am doing I think I can "treat" myself every so often to a small dish of ice cream but I think I need to try and avoid dairy even more than I have been since I have seen an improvement.

however, I was wondering if there were other areas in my diet that I should like at? I eat alot of chicken and pork, I only have beef once or twice a month and my wife makes some great fish....something that I need to learn....we usually have vegetables of some sort with dinner and quite often potatoes as well so I can get that starch in my system. Lunch is usually a wrap in a corn tortilla or just left overs or cold cuts on a plate....breakfast is usually gluten free pancakes or gluten free cereal with almond milk, (chex or fruity pebbbles). I can hardly stand eggs as when I was on my honeymoon the cruise boat was notified of my diet restrictions and said that they could accomodate me but I kept getting sick so I resorted to boiled eggs and fruit for 2 weeks solid and I can hardly stand the smell of eggs now.....

I also need to eliminate chocolate from my diet as I never think it is a big deal because I eat dark chocolate....which there is still dairy in but I really like chocolate....

[Skylark]

Eliminate really does mean eliminate. If you are reacting to dairy you need to get it out of your diet 100% and see if you improve. I know it's hard, since I had to do just that last fall, but now I never get diarrhea.

[Avalon451]

Ugh, I feel for you. I'm in the same place. Been gluten-free for about 2 months, saw initial improvement, but back to where I was in terms of D. I know it's probably the dairy, but I just love my morning mocha or hot chocolate. I'm quite picky about flavor so I haven't tried alternatives yet-- my daughter's soymilk is so sweet it makes me gag.

Le sigh.

[Cujy]

I was just dx in March and have been gluten-free since then, and although everyone says its a good idea to take yourself off dairy, I can't do it! Im a cheese-a-holic, and used to be a bread-a-holic, its bad enough the bread is gone, can't do without the cheese! I did buy the lactose free milk, but have since switched back to normal milk, Im so weak, have no self control!?!?

Hopeless, thats what I am.....If you can do it though all the power to you, I hear its the right thing to do!

[JNBunnie1]

To respond to the original question, it doesn't sound like you have any other trigger food things happening. If you are feeling somewhat better on a somewhat dairy free diet, that's pretty self-explanatory. You might also consider a probiotic at this point.

And there is most definitely dark chocolate out there with no dairy in it!

[Kimeran]

sorry for the delayed response, I have been busy looking for work lately.

I guess I will look closer at what I am eating as far as dairy. Last night I "sinned" and had some gluten free pizza but so far this morning I am not having to bad of problems this morning but that is all the dairy I am having for the next month if I can help it.

I think the hardest part of this is going to be cooking. Im not going to have my wife stop using milk in what she is cooking with as far as gluten-free pancakes and baked goods as those haven't been giving me any problems from what I can tell. However, I will have her try and avoid using cheese when she is cooking....we just use so much cheese when we cook!

gah! this disease has been hard to get used to even though I have been trying for about 2 years now......does lactaid work well with celiacs?

[IrishHeart]

Two thoughts for you:

(1) You can't dabble, you have to GO TOTALLY dairy-free as Skylark says. No milk, no cheese, not even tiny amounts baked in things. None. (use coconut milk)

If it stops completely, that is your answer.

(2)

Probiotics. Take them for a few months to repopulate your gut.

They work wonders for diarrhea.

Just my two cents. Best wishes!

[Skylark]

I think the hardest part of this is going to be cooking. Im not going to have my wife stop using milk in what she is cooking with as far as gluten-free pancakes and baked goods as those haven't been giving me any problems from what I can tell. However, I will have her try and avoid using cheese when she is cooking....we just use so much cheese when we cook!

I still don't think you are understanding the issue here. If you don't get a food you're testing for sensitivity 100% out of your diet and you happen to be sensitive to low amounts, you will completely miss the opportunity to feel better. Isn't your health worth you and your wife going to a little effort for a few weeks for a truly dairy-free trial?

By the way, you probably LOVE dairy becasue you are addicted to it. Dairy has opiate-like peptides that can get across a leaky gut. This is an even more compelling reason to go completely dairy-free. Casomorphins are immunomodulators and increase your risk of heart disease (look up the research on BCM-7) so if they're getting across your gut there are more issues than just soft stools. I got over the cravings a couple weeks after I went off dairy and I don't really miss it now.

Coconut milk is a good sub for gluten-free pancakes and baked goods. Soy milk works better because it has more protein but soy sensitivity is common enough that using soy milk may be out of the frying pan, into the fire so to speak.