Newly Diagnosed

[Caligirl04]

Hi-

I was diagnosed with Celiac a little over a month ago. I am on a completely gluten free diet but find that if I eat any starch/carbohydrate at all, I have problems (terrible gas, diarrhea, cramping). This includes any vegetables or fruits. I really only feel okay eating eggs, tuna, and plain chicken. Is this normal after diagnosis and beginning a gluten free diet? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for any info or advice!

Caligirl04

[Di2011]

I remember in my early days (about 12 months ago) I ate a bowl of rice. Nothing added. I was pretty desperate food wise cause nothing was going down well. I thought plain rice would be okay but it was quite the opposite. After that I stuck with soup/stews with minimal ingredients - started with pumpkin soup (literally pumpkin and water), potato with a little onion/leek. After a week or two I was able to handle adding a little meat. Eventually I moved on up to stew/casserole with more and more ingredients.

It was a very gradual process - probably about four-six months of gradual introductions and trials of new ingredients one at a time but it was working for me so it wasn't hard to do. Given how incredibly hungry I had been it was nice when I found another food that agreed with me. I am now well and truly handling dairy, rice etc etc. Corn (and other sals) was a more recent discovery as something I am intolerant to. Corn takes out much of the gluten free production food which in hindsight has probably been very good for me. And cheaper.

If eggs, tuna and chicken are working for you then eat as much of these as you can handle. Try different cooking techniques - fry, scramble, steam, roast etc so it doesn't get too boring/frustrating. I bet your never had stir fried chicken (and maybe some leek or mild onion? for flavour) in your omelete. Try and think of combinations that would otherwise be considered unusual. Have you tried fresh tuna? Maybe try some of the milder forms of seafoods? I have to watch my iodine intake (due to dermatitis herpetiforms - DH) otherwise I would have been going down the seafood track early on. I'd eat prawns and oyster every day if I could

Keep a track (diary if that suits you) of what you eat and what reaction you have. This is sooo important and will shorten your journey.

I wish you well. Let us know how you are travelling along the way.

[HoosierMother]

I wish you well in discovering foods that you can eat...

[Bubba's Mom]

Hi-

I was diagnosed with Celiac a little over a month ago. I am on a completely gluten free diet but find that if I eat any starch/carbohydrate at all, I have problems (terrible gas, diarrhea, cramping). This includes any vegetables or fruits. I really only feel okay eating eggs, tuna, and plain chicken. Is this normal after diagnosis and beginning a gluten free diet? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for any info or advice!

Caligirl04

Try taking a digestive enzyme when you eat. The starches can be hard to digest when you have damage from Celiac. Most of us find that taking probiotics is very helpful too.

Healing can be a slow process. It's not unusual to have weird symptoms like yours as you go along.

[squirmingitch]

I'm not sure if it works this way for humans or not but it's worth considering & someone can step in here & tell me I'm way off base or not. You might try frozen veggies & fruits in addition to the probiotics. Here's why: If you're going to give dogs fruits & veggies then they should be frozen (& then thawed) first. Their systems can't break down the cellulose in the fresh fruits & veggies so freezing them prior helps to break down the cellulose & then the animal can get the nourishment from the food. Ever given a dog raw carrot slices? Comes out the other end chewed up but not digested.

[1desperateladysaved]

I no longer eat any grain and that change from a traditional gluten diet to no grain made me experience a second round of withdrawl. However, after a week I think I am noticeably better. I hope the same for you.

Hi-

I was diagnosed with Celiac a little over a month ago. I am on a completely gluten free diet but find that if I eat any starch/carbohydrate at all, I have problems (terrible gas, diarrhea, cramping). This includes any vegetables or fruits. I really only feel okay eating eggs, tuna, and plain chicken. Is this normal after diagnosis and beginning a gluten free diet? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for any info or advice!

Caligirl04