Elizabeth Hasselbeck

[Sam Caine1]

Hi again, I want to thank you all for the great conversation and encouragement. I haven't been back to the site since starting the topic, because I was so consumed with getting the best information on Celiac and learning to eat wheat free. I am still tweeking the details and greatful for the added information. Thanks NoGluGirl for the list of products, I know from how much my own research has taken, that you have saved me much time.

I guess I should have been clearer about my own curcumstances concerning having celiac, I didn't know I had to authenticate my disease before being accepted by the community. I am glad I have been taken seriously, by so many of you and I appreciate it. I was just so excited to realize that this was "it", that I couldn't contain myself. Elizabeth stated on the show that she first got a clue when she was on Survivor, because she was eating only rice and fish, and although everyone else was complaining about food, she was happy, because, 'It was the first time that she didn't have a stomach ache!' I perked-up, because I have been having abdominal pains for over 40 years.

My doctor was ahead of me and already sending in blood tests for Celiac without telling me. So, I guess she was doing her job, too. The problem is, that once it is diagnosed, it is very clear what needs to be done, but many people go years without a diagnosis. Thus, my coming out of the closet comment. For me it was hidden. Maybe only because of moving and changing doctors so often.

I found a very good book by Dr Peter H. R. Green called Celiac Disease a hidden epidemic in the Clarks health food store that cleared up many of the issues associated with this disease. He called Celiac the reflectory disease, because once you find out you have it you can look back over your life and see all the different times it manifested itsself.

I am no different. My mother mentioned "problems" as a child that she thought I out grew, In my teens I was already aware that milk bloated me, so it was no surprize when in my twenties the doctor talked about lactose intolerance. I have been tested many times for gallbladder problems and only recently fought back with "good" bacteria, the liver problems that were found, due to diabetes and compusive dieting. (I find if I accidently eat something with wheat, I want to compusively eat it, if I am gluten-free I have no interest in food or stop eating early) The probiotics I take for lactose breakdown have help the pressure & my gallbladder.

Now, for the update on the diabetes. I was taking 2x 250mg Tolazimide and the doctor was advising me to increase my Glucophage tablets to 5, which is the limit, when I watch that show on tv. I wanted to sit and cry, because I didn't know what else I could do. I have been restricting and changing food for four years without weight loss and with weight gain every time I had to increase the glucophage. I can now say that after 2 and a half months, I am off all my medication for diabetes and have lost a considerable amount of weight. I started with the glutenfree diet because I just wanted to feel better. The fact that my sugar began to drop was a bonus. I never thought that I might get off my medication. Right now, I am following "The Zone Diet" without the gluten and walking to control the sugar levels. It was my hope that I would just feel better, but now I have hope that I might actually get better.

I hope I've cleared some things up. Thanks to all of you who have been watching by back while gone. Charlene

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

Charlene,

Welcome to the board. Glad to hear about your positive dietary results and that the good doctor was doing some tests to assist you.

FYI, you don't have to validate yourself on this board, but bear in mind that there are some people (like you) that have suffered for years and this board and their diagnosis has truly been a life saver. Some of those people can seem a bit suspicious when they don't hear Dr.'s diagnosis or suspect someone is just trying the diet out as a "new thing".

Though it seems like we may bite, our bark is much worse - LOL

I have to admit, I was unsure what your intentions were in your intial post as it seemed like you were trying something because Liz Hasslebeck "was doing it" and not because of actual research or Dr.'s orders. Obviously, that assumption was incorrect.

Welcome to the board - I look forward to hearing/helping you!

BB

[Guest Doll]

Welcome Sam!

I'm so glad you were able to find that a gluten free diet is helpful for you. It really is a shame that your doctor didn't recognize the connection between diabetes & celiac...but its good to hear that the doctor is recognizing how this change in your eating habits is helping. Does your doctor want to do any further testing for diagnosis, or is s/he willing to accept diagnosis based on diet?

Michelle

Type 2 diabetes (the common form related to excess weight, obesity, and diet) is NOT an autoimmune disease, and it is is ***NOT**** genetically related to Celiac or linked to Celiac Disesae is any way.

Type 1 diabetes ("Juvenile Diabetes") IS. Type 1 diabetes is the severe insulin requiring kind that is not preventable, It is*not* related to diet, exercise, or excess weight, and is usually first diagnosed in childhood. You need multiple daily insulin injections for life to live and it is very hard to control for most people.

Type 2 diabetes is linked to excess carb counsumption, which often includes large amounts of bread and other wheat products. These people gain weight becuase of the excess carbs and not the gluten. The gluten free diet *does* work as a weight loss tool because it cuts out most carbs (provided you don't gorge on gluten-free replacements). It also really makes you watch portions and what you put in your mouth. I don't think we should automatically assume someone has Celiac because they lose weight on the gluten-free diet. Either way, good for them for trying to feel better and yes, I also was confused by the post initially as well.

Diet and exercise can keep many Type 2 diabetics off medication, so work hard Sam and good for you!

[rinne]

Hi again, I want to thank you all for the great conversation and encouragement. ....

Hi and welcome.

It appears that we are a passionate lot.

I understood from your post that you felt you had discovered a key to your wellness with the gluten free diet and wanted to share your appreciation of Elizabeth. I'm confused that others may not have seen it but then the internet is a funny place, even with emoticons.

I've been gluten free for over a year so Elizabeth had nothing to do with it but I think it is great that she is bringing attention to celiac disease.

I also think that many people would benefit from a gluten free diet.

I'm glad you are finding answers and seeing improvement, it is remarkable that you are off your medication. How wonderful is that?

And yes, well done Jin.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Welcome back, Charlene!

I can't put it any better than Rinne just did!

At any rate, you do NOT have to authenticate your disease here, and the nicest thing I can think of to say about anyone who says so is that they must be having a lousy day.

I don't care who inspired you to find out about gluten, I'm just glad that you did! What's important to me is that you get well, not who inspired you or how much "proof" you can show that you're on the right track!

Doll, you are absolutely correct, but--my endocrinologist told me at my last appointment that she is now routinely screening all her type 2 diabetes patients for celiac/gluten intolerance in addition to her type 1 patients, and she is finding that those who test positive benefit greatly from a gluten-free diet. Like Charlene, many oif them have been able to decrease and even eliminate their meds.

I know I dropped 20 pounds when I went off gluten, even though I was snacking away on Fritos and chocolate chips (and I freely admit that that was NOT a healthy diet!) and eating tons of other carbs--potatoes, rice, gluten-free cereals, etc.

Perhaps type 2 diabetes does have something to do with autoimmune problems after all. I'm sure there is much more to learn about it. Most of us here have been told for years that our problems have nothing to do with what we eat, and nothing to do with our immune systems. Ha ha, right?

I also found this on diabetesmonitor.com:

"Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) is a form of autoimmune (type 1 diabetes) which is diagnosed in individuals who are older than the usual age of onset of type 1 diabetes (that is, over 30 years of age at diagnosis). Alternate terms that have been used for "LADA" include Late-onset Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood, "Slow Onset Type 1" diabetes, and sometimes also "Type 1.5 [Type one-and-a-half]" diabetes.

Often, patients with LADA are mistakenly thought to have type 2 diabetes, based on their age at the time of diagnosis. Such misdiagnosis is easy to make when the person is older, and initially responds to treatment with diabetes pills. It is now thought that perhaps twenty percent of patients with apparent Type 2 diabetes really have LADA."

[Guest Doll]

Welcome back, Charlene!

I can't put it any better than Rinne just did!

At any rate, you do NOT have to authenticate your disease here, and the nicest thing I can think of to say about anyone who says so is that they must be having a lousy day.

I don't care who inspired you to find out about gluten, I'm just glad that you did! What's important to me is that you get well, not who inspired you or how much "proof" you can show that you're on the right track!

Doll, you are absolutely correct, but--my endocrinologist told me at my last appointment that she is now routinely screening all her type 2 diabetes patients for celiac/gluten intolerance in addition to her type 1 patients, and she is finding that those who test positive benefit greatly from a gluten-free diet. Like Charlene, many oif them have been able to decrease and even eliminate their meds.

I know I dropped 20 pounds when I went off gluten, even though I was snacking away on Fritos and chocolate chips (and I freely admit that that was NOT a healthy diet!) and eating tons of other carbs--potatoes, rice, gluten-free cereals, etc.

Perhaps type 2 diabetes does have something to do with autoimmune problems after all. I'm sure there is much more to learn about it. Most of us here have been told for years that our problems have nothing to do with what we eat, and nothing to do with our immune systems. Ha ha, right?

I also found this on diabetesmonitor.com:

"Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) is a form of autoimmune (type 1 diabetes) which is diagnosed in individuals who are older than the usual age of onset of type 1 diabetes (that is, over 30 years of age at diagnosis). Alternate terms that have been used for "LADA" include Late-onset Autoimmune Diabetes of Adulthood, "Slow Onset Type 1" diabetes, and sometimes also "Type 1.5 [Type one-and-a-half]" diabetes.

Often, patients with LADA are mistakenly thought to have type 2 diabetes, based on their age at the time of diagnosis. Such misdiagnosis is easy to make when the person is older, and initially responds to treatment with diabetes pills. It is now thought that perhaps twenty percent of patients with apparent Type 2 diabetes really have LADA."

I wouldn't go so far to say that Type 2 diabetes is linked with autoimmunity (the genes are completely different), but if Celiac is much more common than once thought in general, and our population is 2/3 obese, of course some people will have both Type 2 diabetes and Celiac. All I meant to say is that Type 2 diabetics are not at an *increased* risk like Type 1 diabetics, *unless* they also have family members with autoimmune diseases/ a disposition to autoimmunity as well.

Some poor people do end up with the genes for Type 2 diabetes *and* autoimmunity of course.

One does not cause the other, though.

I am aware of LADA. LADA is just a form of *Type 1 diabetes* that presents atypically. For some reason, the medical community forgets that Type 1 diabetes can occur in adults (usually a slow onset version). These people can die if they are not started on insulin, and sadly, some people have. Their doctor sent them home with oral diabetes medicaton when they needed insulin and they went into a coma after a month and died. Unbelievable! I do understand why most here hate doctors (just please remember that there *are* some good ones!).

The issue here is that I have heard that 80% of Type 2 diabetes cases are preventable and directly caused by poor diet and obesity/excess weight (assuming you have the genes to get it in the first place). Now , if 20% of "Type 2" cases are autoimmune Type 1 diabetes, then virtually ALL Type 2 diabetes cases are preventable with diet and exercise with some rare exceptions.

The vast majority of LADA (Type 1) patients are thin, and true Type 2 diabetes is rare in thin people, so any doctor who diagnoses Type 2 diabetes in a thin adult without additional testing in a moron. That said, if some of her "Type 2" patients are really LADA, then yes, they may have a higher risk of Celiac. Overweight people are not immune to Type 1 diabetes or LADA of course, it's just that being overweight does not *cause* Type 1 diabetes or LADA, where it *does* cause Type 2 diabetes. Overall, people with LADA or Type 1 are quite thin, and people with Type 2 diabetes are usually (but not always) overweight or obese.

Overall though, the risk for people with Type 2 diabetes (assuming they do not have any autoimmunity genes as well) is exactly the same as the general population. My original point was that Type 2 diabetes and Celiac are not genetically or directly linked in any way.

I also want to point out that oatmeal and whole grains have been shown to prevent Type 2 diabetes and manage insulin resistance, so make sure you eat lots of brown rice and (if you consider them safe) gluten-free oats to help keep your weight down if you have Celiac and Type 2 diabetes. A major cause of Type 2 diabetes is trans fats, which is found in almost all processed and junk foods. However, many gluten free products are also marketed towards "health conscious" people, so they often are trans fat free.

Anything that gets people off the stuff we call food nowadays and back to natural healthy foods is good in my book!

[Karen B.]

Now why would Celiacs assume that the "coming out" referred to the closet and not the bathroom? :-)

Welcome Charlene. However you found it, if gluten-free works for you -- keep it up. I have found that a lot of people assume that we are on the gluten-free diet for weight loss because they relate it to the Atkins diet. Many times people assume it's an optional thing for us. As was previously said, the world is full of clueless people. My favorite was the comment that I couldn't have Celiac because I'm overweight. (my answer: "Oh? Let me give you my doc's address so you can tell her.")

You may want to check out a local Celiac support group to help you get familiar with resources in your area. https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodi...-49107235539.b0

[Darn210]

Does it really matter why someone chooses to eat gluten free? If it works for them - whatever the reason, then it works for all of us. The more people requesting gluten free products, the more $$manufacturers$$ listen. Wider variety, lower cost . . . I'm for that.

And Charlene, congratulations on becoming a more healthier you.

[Karen B.]

Does it really matter why someone chooses to eat gluten free? If it works for them - whatever the reason, then it works for all of us. The more people requesting gluten free products, the more $$manufacturers$$ listen. Wider variety, lower cost . . . I'm for that.

And Charlene, congratulations on becoming a more healthier you.

It doesn't matter why one person chooses to eat gluten free. Personally, I think most people would feel better on a gluten-free diet. It only matters if the gluten-free diet is misunderstood to be an optional diet like Atkins.

I didn't take that seriously until recently. CNN Money.com (Open Original Shared Link) had an article a few months back that I sent to our local Celiac group leader. I don't have the link to the article at work but the title got my attention "Gluten Free Fad Diet Replaces Atkins". By 1 PM, they had corrected the title to "Gluten Free Diet Replaces Atkins Fad" but it made me realize how serious it is that food producers and grocery stores realize this isn't another fad diet that will go out of vogue next year -- it's for life.

Our group leader was able to use the article in a meeting she was having with Kroger store managers and buyers to make the point that Celiacs are a steady purchaser of gluten-free items, not someone that will be going onto a different diet next week.

I'd love to know how many emails CNN Money received telling them that the gluten-free diet is not a fad. :-)

LATE ADDITION: I found the link to the article -- Open Original Shared Link

[Sam Caine1]

Good conversation! Love the input. First, I didn't start a gluten-free diet to lose weight. I have been trying to lose weight for a long time. Like many people in their teens, it was just a few pounds overweight, then a couple of babies and more pounds. Up and down, in between. I have been very good at dieting, (especially high protein) just not keeping it off.

It is my belief that as soon as I introduced wheat products into my diet, I began to "lose" control and would regain the weight I lost. Sound familiar? I also believe there is an addicting quality associated with gluten for me. I have lost weight since dropping gluten, but I did not stop eating what I wanted, including potatoes, chips, corn, beans, yams and rice. I just didn't want so much. It is possible that my diabetic meds were adding to the weight loss, because my sugar started to drop pretty fast and I kept finding that I had to add food to my diet. That's why I had to back off my meds.

It is also true, that I haven't run out to find the lastest flour substitutes, to make replacement foods, although I anticipated I would miss them and bought several cookbooks for when I was desparate for my old favorites. But, I haven't had any interest even in my "favorite", pizza since going gluten-free. I did find, that I still kept having stomach aches and the intensity of the lower abdominal cramps increased; until I learned to keep researching what products had wheat in them and refining my choices. I was surprised to find that soy sauce is made with wheat. That has been a difficult one for me to give up, since eating more rice has led to more asian recipes. But, so far I am doing fine, just adding a little more salt and other seasonings to the food.

I am concerned that just maybe, many more people are affected by gluten, than are confirmed as "Celiac".

My theory is that "WHEAT GLUTEN IS NOT GOOD FOR HUMANS!" What a concept, huh! I am sick of hearing about how fat Americans are getting. The only thing that separates American diet from the thin world diet, is that most of the world eats RICE! What does that tell you about fat Americans?

I have been suggesting this to my Diabetic Type 2 Husband who is an average weight individual and never has been fat for most of his life (his Diabetes is attributed to Agent Orange in Vietnam during the 60's). I realized that in changing my diet to many non-gluten items, that it wasn't that hard for him to adapt, because he isn't a "bread" person. Nevertheless, because of my changes, he is now eating even less gluten than before. He returned today with his latest blood tests to confirm even better numbers, than his last checkup. Don't tell him, though, he hasn't been diagnosed with celiac disease.

I do want to make one contribution about Celiac and the Diabetes connection. It is only a theory, but my belief that because of the malabsorption that comes with celiac, that many of the other diseases associated with it, are due to the lack of nutrients. Why then do you not believe that wheat gluten is or maybe the "cause' of these diseases? INCLUDING GETTING FAT!

This is my theory on celiac and weight gain leading to diabetes: The closing off of the small intestines means you are not getting nutrients, maybe even carbs...diabetes type 2 is associated with the over production of insulin and I believe the added production of cortisone. I think this is the body's last ditch effort to get nutrition that it is not getting, by a closed off and attropyed small intestine. Insulin drops you in to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar and hunger) and the cortosone stores fat. You eat more and gain weight.

I also think that nearly every human may be at varing stages of intestinal destruction as shown by the number of people who have been tested at different times in their lives, only to get early negative results and later positive results. What's going on? I'm sure the money makers who sell wheat and wheat loaded products, do not want you to make this connection. Can you imagine the up roar, to make such a suggestion? Theyv'e got it made, getting Americans to eat non stop, those wheat laden french fries you all love so much. What do we need wheat on our french fries for? I don't think I would have discovered any of this if I hadn't noticed that every time, while trying to go gluten-free, I experience "Bulimic" episodes, whenever I accidentally ate something with wheat or maltodextrin in it. One or the other, or both are addicting. While reading labels for gluten, I kept finding maltodextrin. Even in so called GLUTEN-FREE, products they still list maltodextrin. Guess what? Some of those gluten-free products are still giving me stomach aches. I know that being NEW to learning what I can and cannot eat has made me more hypervigilant to my sensitivity, but the more I stay away from these things the less "hunger" I am having. I am losing weight at a slow rate, but eating pretty much however much I want. I actually have to diet in order to eat enough food. I have lost most of my interest or maybe I should say "over interest" in food. Of course, having to be aware of gluten does keep me thinking about what I can eat.

The best information I got for staying motivated was when I read that 'you are not suppose to feel your digestion. It's like your arteries, you don't feel your blood flowing, you shouldn't feel your food flowing' I can say I have had such days and it feels so good! It is worth more to me, than weight loss. Forty years, plus, is a long time to take stomach aches and cramps as a normal way of life. I hope if you are young you will avoid making your self sicker and stay the course. I think in the long run, you will probably be healthier than those "wheat eaters". Charlene

[rinne]

Charlene, I think you make many good points.

When I did eat wheat it was like a hunger drug. If I ate one piece of bread, I could eat six or eight and even when I stopped eating because I was full I still wanted to eat it. Now that I have been gluten free for a year the last thing I want is that sensation again.

[jerseyangel]

I know that feeling, Rinne. When I was on the Atkins diet, a couple of years before I was diagnosed and went completely gluten-free, I tried to stay off bread and baked goods completely for the weight loss. If I slipped and had some toast or a few cookies, it turned into a feeding frenzy--the rest of the day I'd find myself rooting around the kitchen to find things to eat. It was crazy!

[Sam Caine1]

Thanks for the reply. It really helps. I was starting to doubt myself and thinking I was just in denial about the bulima, except that I almost killed myself last night.

I took the advice of someone else (here) and thought it would be ok to eat Cocoapuffs. I was excited to find an ok cereal and overdosed on it. There is a apply named phase...cuckoo for Cocoapuffs. I started eating and couldn't stop. Then, within minutes fell into a deep sleep. Semi-coma? When I did wake I was concerned about what happen and decided to check my sugar. My normally in check level, jumped to 376! The only time it has been up to 300, was when I was sent to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with diabetes.

You can understand where my concern is with this food thing. It is just as important to be aware that corn is sometimes grown near wheat fields and can pick up gluten before it even gets to the factory. Also, these items are sometimes manufactured in the same plants that make wheat items.

In 2000-2001 I started to collect food labels and stick them to 4 x 6 index cards to start a file on many of the foods I ate. My intentions were to be able to fit them into my diets for weight loss in a "healthy" and measured way. Yesterday while cleaning my studio-office, I decided to go through them, to clean out those glutens and I began reading what was listed as ingredients. I know that the label lists have changed, thanks in part to people like you all here, as well as others; but I noticed that some of the newer products are listing wheat protein as if the product is somehow higher in protein, rather than higher in gluten, which IS wheat protein. This could be significant to new members.

No matter what, I think that I have to be more responsible to finding out information for myself and I hope others will also. That includes anything I might say. Many of us are just expressing our experiences and some of us are passing along information we learned from others. I am going to trust myself and my own experiences more and be a little more wary of advice. Hope you all will do the same. Char

[home-based-mom]

I was surprised to find that soy sauce is made with wheat. That has been a difficult one for me to give up, since eating more rice has led to more asian recipes. But, so far I am doing fine, just adding a little more salt and other seasonings to the food.

Charlene

I am really new here and have learned a lot. "Surprised" doesn't quite describe what I was when I discovered that most soy sauce is made from wheat. Devastated comes closer! But then I discovered LaChoy, which does not list wheat as an ingredient as all the others do. I don't know about others, but I don't have any trouble with it. Just thought I would pass that on in case you want to try it.

[stef-the-kicking-cuty]

I am concerned that just maybe, many more people are affected by gluten, than are confirmed as "Celiac".

My theory is that "WHEAT GLUTEN IS NOT GOOD FOR HUMANS!" What a concept, huh! I am sick of hearing about how fat Americans are getting. The only thing that separates American diet from the thin world diet, is that most of the world eats RICE! What does that tell you about fat Americans?

That's exactly what I think, too. I'm not American and just lived here for three years and because I travel a lot as well I can tell you, that the 'rest' of the world does not mostly eat rice! Maybe Asia, yes. But not Europe, and people in other countries are not much skinnier than Americans . A little bit maybe, but not much.

I do want to make one contribution about Celiac and the Diabetes connection. It is only a theory, but my belief that because of the malabsorption that comes with celiac, that many of the other diseases associated with it, are due to the lack of nutrients. Why then do you not believe that wheat gluten is or maybe the "cause' of these diseases? INCLUDING GETTING FAT!

This is my theory on celiac and weight gain leading to diabetes: The closing off of the small intestines means you are not getting nutrients, maybe even carbs...diabetes type 2 is associated with the over production of insulin and I believe the added production of cortisone. I think this is the body's last ditch effort to get nutrition that it is not getting, by a closed off and attropyed small intestine. Insulin drops you in to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar and hunger) and the cortosone stores fat. You eat more and gain weight.

I also think that nearly every human may be at varing stages of intestinal destruction as shown by the number of people who have been tested at different times in their lives, only to get early negative results and later positive results. What's going on? I'm sure the money makers who sell wheat and wheat loaded products, do not want you to make this connection. Can you imagine the up roar, to make such a suggestion?

Exactly my words. A lot of the other diseases are connected by the lack of nutrients due to celiac. Just look at cancer for example!

[gfpaperdoll]

charlene, just wanted to say Hi, & I like the way you think

Hope you are doing well on your food journey.

[kjc516]

I have recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and am a longtime sufferer of Irritabe Bowel Syndrome. I have other symptoms, however, and if it wasn't for Elizabeth's discussion on Celiac Disease I never would have thought to ask my doctor for the necessary tests to rule it out. I am doing so Monday... in the meantime, in my search for more information, I have found that Meijer offers a gluten-free foodlist on their website: Open Original Shared Link

also, I found a very comprehensive symptoms list for celiac disease - a similar list helped me self-diagnose my fibro so I new what doctors/tests/supplements/meds to ask for to find relief. Here's the symptom list for celiac: Open Original Shared Link

if any of these links don't work email me please!

Blessings and good health to all,

Kathi