What Nutrients/vitamins Am I Lacking?

[Thewiseguy]

So I am not celiac but I have a slight gluten intolerance. I've been gluten-free for about 8 months and I've been trying to find information on which vitamins and or nutrients are required or recommended as a supplement to my gluten-free diet. Any info is appreciated.

[mushroom]

Welcome to the forum, wiseguy.

It is always best to check for nutrient deficiencies before supplementing on a large scale such as some of us have to do. However, if you are not celiac and have no intestinal damage (were you tested by biopsy?) you may not be grossly deficient in the usual nutrients associated with celiac intestinal damage like B12, D, iron/ferritin.

You can either get tested for your current levels or take a good gluten free multivitamin and multimineral to cover all the bases, That will you will not O.D. on anything.

[Juliebove]

Here's what I do! Go here:

Open Original Shared Link

Get youself a free account. Then enter in everything you have had to eat and drink in a day, including water. You will need to know your portion sizes so you may have to weigh and measure what you eat.

Check each day to see what nutrients you took in and where you are lacking. I do not personally believe that it is possible to eat a totally balance diet each and every day. But... You can see patterns there. For instance, I am always lacking in vitamin E and usually in the B vitamins, often B12 because I don't eat a lot of meat.

Now keep in mind that this will only show you what is lacking from what you eat. You could have other issues. For instance, I take Metformin, a diabetes medicine that causes the body to lose vitamin B12. And some sources say that diabetes in and of itself causes the body not to metabolize B vitamins properly. So my Endocrinologist had me take more B12. I already take a B Complex supplement and a multiple vitamin. And I am now taking extra B1 and B5.

I have psoriasis and have been suffering with really itchy, dry, thick skin on my knees lately. I read that taking extra vitamin C can help with this. Vitamin C is one vitamin that it doesn't hurt to take extra of because you will pee it away. Note that I am not recommending mega doses of anything. That in and of itself is controversial and can be dangerous for some vitamins because they can build up in the body to toxic levels. Vitamin C can also boost your immunity. I also gave extra to my daughter who caught a cold. She got over her cold more quickly than she usually does and my skin seems not as dry.

I do take a lot of other vitamins, herbs and supplements based on various things. I read a lot of books on nutrition and holistic type medicine. If I see something that looks like it will help one of my various medical conditions, I will try it for two months. If I see no improvement, I will stop taking it.

You can also have blood tests done at the Dr. for various things like vitamin D (which I also take more of per my Dr.), vitamin B12, potassium, magnesium, etc. If you are having any other medical problems, those could cause deficiencies. When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I had the big D for many months. This caused a potassium deficieny.

It probably wouldn't hurt to take a multi vitamin. Just check the ingredients first. The one I give my daughter has fish in it and I am intolerant to fish! But beyond that, you don't want to start taking things unless a Dr. tells you to or you see a reason for it. Like a medical condition that could be helped by taking extra or if you find your diet to be lacking in things.

[CeliacShack]

Now keep in mind that this will only show you what is lacking from what you eat. You could have other issues. For instance, I take Metformin, a diabetes medicine that causes the body to lose vitamin B12. And some sources say that diabetes in and of itself causes the body not to metabolize B vitamins properly. So my Endocrinologist had me take more B12. I already take a B Complex supplement and a multiple vitamin. And I am now taking extra B1 and B5.

I also take Metformin, and have never heard that, thanks for the info! I am not diabetic, I take it for PCOS (Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome). All the info I am discovering on these forums is convincing me to call my doc and get in for addtional testing.

[archaeo in FL]

thewiseguy, Juliebove's tool looks like it may be helpful to you - I'd try to look at what you consume over several weeks, though.

The reason many of us take so many vitamins and supplements isn't because we are missing something from eating gluten-free, necessarily, it's because we aren't absorbing the nutrients from what we do eat.

That said, a lot of wheat-based products, especially cereals and breads, are supplemented, at least in the U.S. (think Total cereal), so by removing those products we are also removing some of those supplements.

You might do just as well with a good multivitamin.

Of course, if you can get to a GP and ask for a vitamin panel that'd be best, so you can target any deficiencies with a supplement but more importantly by tweaking your diet.

[mommida]

I always suggest Biotin. High doses can not cause a "toxic" level. It would naturally be in food, in animal LIVER. I don't know about you, but I don't like liver and won't eat it.

Vitamin B12 does not have a known toxic level. Most Americans are assumend to have B defiencies.

You can start with a daily multivitamin and probiotics. Always do some research on what you are planning to take. I would even double check if a doctor prescribed a vitamin for me.

My dad's cancer was diagnosed because he was at a toxic level of Calcium. (Not pretty, and he was hours away from death. It had the symptoms of a stroke.)