bluejeangirl

well...my point was...why do chinese places (only example i know of off hand) go so far as to say they dont have msg...but places like frito lay cant just take it out and make the same claim

Chinese restuarants have a reputation for having their foods laden with MSG. If you have bad reactions to MSG you stay away from them. When they first discovered reactions people were having with MSG they called it the chinese food syndrome. So I imagine they wanted to get away from that rep. by advertising they don't use MSG but you still have to worry about them using it under a different name.

I have a hunch Doritos wouldn't taste like Doritos without MSG. They're not willing to change for people who are sensitive to it, too many peeps want it like it is. They do make a healtier version of their products but I don't want to risk it. I've been fooled too many times. I don't tolerate anything that has yeast extracts, Disodiums, or Hydrolzyed ingredients. My new discovery is with sodium caseinate which is in alot of creamers, ice cream etc.

So its a whole new ball game where you have to be your own detective. Food companies just want you to love their food and if it tastes to good to be true it probably has msg in it.

Gail

To sort of sum it up your body is made up mostly of proteins so you will be using protein to rebuild especially during your healing phase if your experiencing burn out issues.

Eating to much protein in a meal however raises adrenaline/cortisal levels and causes you to burnout your adrenal glands over time. Too many carb's will increase your insulin levels. If your eating foods high in sugar your insulin goes very high and the excess sugar is diverted into your cells leaving you with low blood sugar levels, and again releasing your stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol.

Also when you skip a meal both adrenaline and cortisol levels increase and because your not eating it allows your body to eat itself so doesn't allow you to heal since your using those biochemicals and energy for this process. Then the next time you do eat your levels of insulin goes higher than normal even for the same amt. of carbs you would normally eat.

You want to balance your meals with protein, carbs, (eating maybe a starchy vegetable and a non starchy one)

and using good oils. Good advice would be to try and eat foods that aren't processed and that are close to nature as possible. Eat smaller meals and more frequently like 6 meals aday. You want to make certain changes gradual because for instance to stop drinking coffee cold turkey could cause too much stress. You should taper off gradually.

Covsooze, I'm going to look into herbs to maybe drink for teas based on some chinese remedies. I'll let you know more after I get a few more question answered.

Gail

Carla and Ursula and others following this thread,

I was reading a link Carla sent and what hit me is the high copper levels with adrenals eshaustion. I wanted to know more so I googled copper toxicity. Wow what I read explained alot. I'll share what I wrote in my notes about it, and there is alot I didn't write down if you want to further your own study.

Some of the symptoms of high copper levels include:

A bluish tint to the whites of the eyes

A reddish tinge to the skin

Spinal degeneration

Osteo arthritis, or joint pain, swelling or stiffness, lax tendons dbl-jointed, hip dysplasia.

Brain fog, detached feeling, problems concentrating.

insomnia- as mind races, ( high copper to zinc levels)

Frontal headaches/migranins (high copper to mag. levels)

Moodiness, confusion, emotional instability.

Dyslexia, ADD.

Dizziness.

Hormonal- increased estrogen dominace causing anxiety, agetation, fluid retention, defensive, adrenal exhaustion, low throid, bruising, bledding gums, high blood sugar.

The article recommends taking addition zinc,

eating 6 smaller meals aday,

excercise in moderation,

reduce high copper to zince levels in foods.

amoung other things...I just jotted these.

Foods high in copper are:

Pork

salmon

organ meats

scallops

shrimp

nuts

seeds

mushrooms

all dried beans, peas, lentils

millet

bran

chocolate

dark meat on turkey and chicken.

So anyway I'm going to try working on lowering the foods I eat that are high in copper, and take zinc.

I eat alot of these foods expecially nuts and seeds and beans, millet and chocolate. This will be interesting, if it helps me with the sleep and moods I'd be so happy. I was surprized to see the ligaments are loose because I always had that problems and tried to google it along time ago and got nothing. I'm always popping and cracking and can easily bend like a prezel.

Copper who knew? Oh I stopped taking my multi. It had alot of copper in it.

Gail

Its really hard to change habits that are based in how you believed for a long time. It still feels like your betraying your conscience. There is alot of chemicals involved that science and psychology has a hard time understanding, although they know so much more and I just read where people with chemical addictions will be helped in the near future with some new medications that stop the brain from cravings.

It takes 30 days to start a new habit. It probably won't feel right until then but you will overcome those feelings. Until then base your decisions not on how you feel but on what you know to be true. Right in down on paper and look at it. Your basing you decision on what you know to get healthier.

I feel alot better eating protein that come from good sources. I don't know if you can get it in your area but there's elk burgers were I shop. Elk is VERY lean and easy to digest. I like ground buffalo also which is leaner than hamburger and they are almost always allowed to free roam and feed on grasses. I'm trying to think of meats that's healthy and easy to digest. If you choose salmon which is really good for you try to get wild Alaskan instead of farm raised. I even buy it in the can and just mix it with mayo.

My favorite is Smart chicken and I eat it all the time. Smart is the brand name.

Good luck and good health,

Gail

Breakfast (between 4 and 5am usally) - Vans+Maple Syrup, my morning decaf coffee (add cininamon to grounds maybe?), umm needd a protien... um bunless cheese burger I guess. Or could use the waffles as the bun...

2nd Breakfast (around 8-30am usally)- Umm Banana? they travel well at least, maybe some dry cearal?? Maybe some string cheese? Or maybe a peanut/rasin mix?

Lunch (around 11 usally) Some oscar mayer lunchmeat , Lite Yoplait Yogurt, and a jucicy juice box for lucnh?

2nd lucnch (around 1-130) Umm String Cheese?

I get home around 2-230... and usally if Im not in control by them I am messed up for the day pretty much no matter what.

Ursula, I'm glad this may help you. Most of the foods he suggests are just the very basics, so I think you still can feel better even without the foods you cannot eat. Stress is the biggie for you, I'm sure. The more I read about this, the more I think many of us have these symptoms.

I read a real good book a couple years ago called The Schwarzbein Principle 2 by Diana Schwarzbein, MD.

I have the same problem. Just alittle stress really does me in. Once your adrenals become underactive you start to crave sugar, coffee, even excercize because it kicks it up and you start to feel good. To really start to heal you have to rest and slowly give up the food cravings. She explains the perfect diet to be on in the book. Which is probably alot like you eat already. She explains that excersize uses up all your biochemicals. Your ablility to rebuild those biochemicals is difficult when your have low adrenal levels. To make matters worse you can have a difficult time eating enough food to match the activity level because adrenaline is a natural appetite suppressant. What you don't want to do is skip meals.

Anyway the book is great and I think you'll enjoy reading it.

Let us know what your learning because I'd enjoy the input as well.

Gail

I'm gluten free, MSG free, sulfite free and I'm glad I don't have to give up my Cafe Lattes, Mocha Lattes, and Chai Latte but I just recently found out I have to watch for the ingredient sodium caseinate which is in some chai tea mixes. I get the MSG reaction to it. Its also in non dairy creamers and ice cream.

Well, where do I begin. About 5 years ago, I had bad bouts of really debilitating fatique and weakness. There were times that I would end up in bed thinking I had the flu, and just so weak I couldn't function. A doctor told me I had "fibromyalgia" and left it at that. This happened on and off for about 3 years until it totally affected my work and my life. I came down with a really bad case of the "flu" but just dealt with it for about 2 months straight. After 2 months of feeling like this I woke up one morning and was paralyzed on one side. I thought I had a stroke so I was taken to the emergency room. The doctors there referred me to another doctor who sent me for an MRI. The MRI showed that I had 5 lesions on in the white matter of my brain. These battles with paralysis and numbness and tingling have continued on since. I suffer severe fatique daily, and have double and blurred vision. I have to take meds for leg spasms so severe that my muscles are in constant spasm and they feel like touching "wood" if you feel them. Bladder issues are also a problem. I tend to walk like I am drunk at times and have slurred speech. Summer is killer, as the heat exaccerbates all of these symptoms I have mentioned.

Anyway, (sorry to go on and on) Those are the major symptoms that have occured. It has taken 2 years since I was first seen for my MRI for them to definitively diagnose MS. They had to rule out things such as Lupus, etc, before giving the ultimate diagnosis.

ONe thing I can tell you for sure, after I am glutened, I get so weak that I cannot function.

Probably more info than you wanted, but there it is........

Hope I could shed some light.

Denise

Thanks Denise for taking the time to share how all the symptoms begain with you. I get the blurred vision, and the feeling of being tired all the time also but what you said about your legs scared me because just about 2 weeks ago I told my husband the very same thing,....my legs hurt at night and keep me from sleeping and when I feel them they're hard like I have a wooden leg. Its weird because it happens about twice a month or so. I don't know I'll have to look into this more I think. I'm at least aware of it now.

gail

I really miss the Gluten Brain Talk Forum. Has anyone here heard if it is coming back? I wish they'd put a message up!

I don't know...I miss it too.

Thats so exciting! I'm signed up.

gail

I hate that people think you can cheat alittle bit now and then. Like with a weight low diet. They don't know how it hurts to get the smallest amt of gluten. Or someone will say "it has very, very little if any flour in it." They act so casual about it.

Ivy,....Have you suffered from depression before? Some people get depressed because they miss the foods they once ate if thats what you mean. I don't think you do though, I'm guessing its probably due to not getting the nutrients from the foods you ate. Make sure you take suppliments and especially B-vits that are yeast free.

Look into maintaining your blood sugar levels at an even keel. I made that mistake, I got caught up in a thread that everyone named their favorite gluten free food. I ended buying all these new interesting gluten free mixes and cookies, snacks and cereals. Before you know it I was all weepy and cried over every little thing. Well I was having highs and lows from spikes in blood sugars. You can google hypoglycemia or read up on low carb diets.

Natural mood lifters SAMe, St. Johns Wort, Kava, 5 htp, and a nice strong cup of coffee works for me at times...but one cup.

And many have been helped by anti depressants, I know my sister has. I'll leave that advice up to those who follow it. I don't know enough about it.

I hope you find you path to healing,...dn't be hard on yourself, you are loved. There is a reason for everything. God's got a plan for your life thats specific only to you.

gail

Shannon, I sorry to hear what happened to your mom and your health problems also. I just read this today in the book Breaking The Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall.

She was just talking about the "Gold Standard" of testing for celiac and so many people are told they don't have celiac because not all the critteria was met.

"However this method of diagnosis has been seriously questioned by a number of specialists. The flattened or blunted intestinal surface has been reported in innumerable disease states: infectious hepatitis, ulcerative colitis, parasitic infections of the intestine including various types of worms and one-celled parasites, kwashiorkor, soy protein intolerance, intolerance to cow's milk protein intractable diarrhea of infancy, Crohn's disease, and bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. Bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine has also resulted in patchy broadening and flattening of the small intestinal surface,"

Just about all conditions associated with diarrhea seem to result in the same apperance of the small intestine as is seen in the so called "true celiac.

Your probably going to find you'll do better gluten free but also has to stay away from other foods that just hard to digest like beans. Flattened intestinal villi or absorptive cells have lost their ability to perform the last step in digestion which is to split disaccharides. Disaccharides are most starches.

This book might be something you'll find interesting. There is hope. She claims we can heal those intestines and start to incorporate foods back in our diet.

Good luck and may God give those doctors wisdom. Alot of us do our own research as you'll find out by reading this board.

gail

This is my first post on this site. DH has just been diagnosed. He hasn't even stopped eating gluten because he still has his biopsy this Friday.

He has never been able to sleep since he was a baby. He was also extremely hyperactive as a child. I'm sure if he was younger he would have been put on ridalin. Of course, he has always had stomach trouble but I somehow justified it all down to his whole system being hyperactive.

Right after we found out, I knew his stomach problems would get better but I started to wonder if this would help him sleep better and if his hyperactivity was also caused by the allergy. I am so encouraged by this forum. I see that going gluten-free hasn't helped everyone sleep, but it looks like it has helped many.

My husband also does not dream. We think he just never sleeps deeply enough because he never sleeps long enough. I am hoping dreams will come too (as an indication that he is getting a better sleep).

Thanks so much!

Now I'm off to the areas that tell me what to buy at the store for him. We go gluten free this Saturday!

I really hope being gluten free helps with the sleep,....it should help at least some. I read what you said about your husband not dreaming and there is a reason for that. I'm trying to remember this so forgive me if I get some things off but hopefully I'll be able to give you something to go on and to some research with google. He's having trouble absorbing B-6 and has to take a more absorbable kind called P5P by pure encapsulations or at least thats where I got it. I can't remember the name they have given for people who have this but under the testing the urine turns a mauve color and that how you'll know if you have it. I found this disscussion on Braintalk.org either uner Gluten Sensitivity/Celiac or Vitamin success and urine testings. He can dream again!!! its great because thats where you get the more restorative sleep.

gail oh by the way braintalk is having troubles with their boards right now.

Oddly, it turned out to the be Amazake Rice/Almond shake that got me. I'm not sure it was gluten, though. They don't make anything with gluten in it - so I don't know how that would be it. But the next day I had ONE SIP of another one I had - and right away was covered in canker sores. I felt like I had been MSG'd. Thankfully, just one sip and I felt better w/i a half hour or so.

Oh well. I won't be drinking those anymore. I'm waiting for my food panel to come back, so maybe it was something else.

bully, what is amazake rice/almond shake and what is in it? I was going to suggest it was maybe the sourkraut. If you have MSG reactions chances are you'll react to aged or fermented foods. It usually goes hand in hand.

gail

I crave hotdogs that have been grilled and slightly burned. I found the applegate hotdogs and they are great! However I found these gluten free buns and they were terrible So it sort of ruined the expirence for me. I just ate it plain. I don't miss bread so much as I miss the buns that were soft and pliable for hotdogs and brats. Oh and hamburger buns I miss to.

gail

Does anyone know if Namaste blondies are like much tastier than their vanilla cake mix? I think I just don't like their line but maybe the two items are nothing alike. The only thing I've had is the vanilla cake and it tasted like it had wheat germ in it - seriously.

I thought they were good. It makes a big pan though, and if your not going to eat it in two days I'd freeze them because they dry out fast. I added choc. chips to mine.

gail

I have an on going problem with candida. I was first diagnosed in 1985 and did the nystatin mainly with strict diet. Back then they had you eating yogurt alot also. I remember drinking alot of tea made with a type of bark? But I hated it, really hated it. Never felt good because of the die off.

I've known for years that I'm back to square one with all the candida but I don't want to go back to the doctor who'll take me through all his high cost testings and the allergy stuff. I have alot of foods I'm suppose to stay away from also and I kind of do but not completely. You'll find it common to have food allergies because your immune system has been so compromised.

So anyway I tried the vicious cycle diet and found it made me light headed all the time. I'm also hypogycemic. So I stopped that.

Then I went to low on my carbs and I wasn't sleeping and the die off was to strong for me. So I upped my carbs even though I know the healing will take longer I can at least enjoy making seritonin again.

The only thing I take is OregaMax, Capryl, coconut oil and a good probiotic. I don't believe I need anything else. Absolutly no yeast, fermented products, sugars or simple carbs, aged foods.

Where I cheat is I have a glass of red wine (6 oz.) on weekends and I have a small serving of complex carb food with my lunch and supper. Usually brown rice or millet, alittle corn or beans.

I'm going to start eating yogurt again tomorrow. I've been putting it off.

So this is what I do for now,....I'm not in a big hurry but have learned sometimes being to aggressive can be to harsh for my system.

gail

Anyway this works for me

I don't feel the greatest with alot of the popular gluten free breads. For me its the yeast and potato starch. I do ok with a millet/flax bread I get at my local health food store. I don't over do it either. I don't have the web site available but its from Sami's bakery and its located in Florida.

gail

Hi, I have been miserable with bottom of my feet pain, lower back pain, hip pain and just feeling achey all over. What can be done about this and is it normal for a person with celiac disease to be so achey all over. I don't get the sleep I need because I am in such pain all the time. Any answers or help would be apreciated.

I remember the worse I've felt was about 10 yrs ago when on vacation in florida. I had joint pain come on out of nowhere. Then the restlessness at night. I concluded it was the sudden change in climates. I went from cold dry air from WI. to humid hot sticky wet weather. I even noticed the wall paper was peeling in the cheap motel room we were at and I looked under it and there was mold growing. I told my dh we had to leave the motel because of the mold problem. He wasn't happy but could see I was miserable. We ended up in a very expensive motel but I got better and could finally sleep.

So mold will usually be the culprit in my joint pain and also weepy and tiredness. Which has more to do with candida and leaky gut.

gail

I keep a poop diary I like to keep track of how things are moving. I used to go maybe two to three times a week and it would be hard to pass. Now I'm going about 5 times a week and not so much strain anymore. For about 4 days I tried to eat the recommended amount of fiber a day, I think its 25 to 30 grams and found it alittle hard to follow. You really had to have 2 fruits and about 4 servings of vegetable aday. But for chronic C's like me it makes the most effortless bm's. I get jealous of people who can bran cereal or muffins.....so much easier.

gail

I'm so glad there are others like me. In reading this thread you are all discribing me. I don't know anything about Aspergers but I'm going to look into it.

I was always painfully shy as a child. People would always comment that I never talked. I think alot of times I would just say something to say something. It never came easy. I'd return from a social event rehashing everything that was said and want to crawl into a hole. But my personality is I'm very quiet, observant, reflective and it takes awhile before I open up to people. More time then people are willing to give.

My husband is just the opposite. In fact I attract people who like to talk because they enjoy doing all the talking. lol

Its still hard to do social anything even going to church and like others have mentioned talking on the phone. I come from a big family and I even hate get togethers because everyone teases so much in my family and I don't want to do that. I usually do alot of the cooking and keep busy.

My husband says its just a matter of learning to ask questions of people and keep a conversation rolling like tossing a ball back and forth. For me though my mind would go blank and I would have horrible recall and some of that has improved so much going gluten free. So I'm sure there is a relationship there I never knew about between how I was feeling from the gluten etc.

So anyway I still like being home with my two dogs, I enjoy my kids, my husband and I enjoy internet relationships since they arent as demanding. I'm working on accepting who I am. I'm not like my husband.

I'm me.

gail

I second everything that Ursula said. I just recently learned about the metabolic type diet and it is the first one that has made sense. I am a former vegan who was a former ovo-vegetarian who was a former lacto-ovo vegetartian who was a former eat everything.

The problem I had with the vegan diet is the reliance on soy or gluten to provide more variety instead of beans all the time. My family made the mistake of eating a lot of gluten and soy. I made my own gluten, baked goods, bread grinding my own flour from wheat kernels. I also went through a time of making my own tofu.

With my vegetarian (both lacto-ovo and ovo) we probably ate more balanced because of having more food choices. If you are allergic or intolerant to eggs or dairy than this diet isn't for you. Also if you are allergic or intolerant to soy as wBell as gluten then the vegan diet is much more difficult unless you do very well with beans. Between my husband and I we don't do well with some beans. We have gone back to a meat eating diet to make up for the allergies in other areas. We need to learn to eat more fruit and veggies too...it has just seemed less expensive to eat the grain/starches. I know, they (the food industry) probably designed it that way.

Andrea and rinne,

I don't do well with soy at all and I did listen to a program on our public radio on how soy is bad for you. So I'm well aware. Now I'm thinking if I ate beans to fill in the void I'd blow up like a thanksgiving day balloon.

I'm sure I was just frustrated this morning because of the lack of sleep and the craving for more carbs was at an all time high.

I already feel better having buttered corn on the cob and potato salad with my bbq brat tonight. I'm happy again.

Thanks for the great replies,

gail

Gail, I don't see how going from one extreme to another would be helpful. The problem with people thinking EVERYBODY should follow a low carb (or vegetarian) diet is, that too many people are still stuck in this 'one diet is right for everybody' thinking. Obviously, the high protein diet is wrong for you.

I own a book called 'the metabolic typing diet', which makes it very clear that everybody is different, and there are generally three types of people. The protein type (which I am an extreme example of), the carbohydrate type, and the mixed type.

The protein type does very poorly on a high carb diet, and responds to that with low energy, weight gain and illness (that's me, I can't tolerate any starches at all). The carbohydrate type is the opposite way. Now, with the carbohydrate diet they don't necessarily mean to eat a lot of grains and starches, but rather a lot of vegetables (vegetables contain all the starch needed) and very little meat. One of my daughters is like that, and is very healthy on this type of diet.

The mixed type needs to eat what most people would consider more balanced (the ones who believe in a 'one diet fits all' think this is the way everybody should eat, for the most part).

The reason why most diets don't work for many people, but are claimed to be great is, that SOME people will feel great on it, but many won't, just because their bodies can't handle it.

The protein type should eat about 70% meat and fat and 30% carbs (in the form of veggies) for every meal. That works for me and keeps me as well as I am able to be right now. The carbohydrate type should eat the opposite, 70% carbs and no more than 30% meat and fat to be healthy.

All that said, you probably are a carbohydrate type. So, why not try eating some meat or fish three times a week, or eat eggs instead of meat much of the time to get the protein (and vitamins A and B12) you need, and eat a lot of vegetables, maybe some starches and fruit?

Thanks Usala, you have alot of wisdom. I do tend to go in extremes. I know I wouldn't do well with a high carb diet either because I'm hypo-glycemic. So any simple carbs would be out.

Now with summer in full swing and the farmers market starting it would be nice to learn how to coook some vergetarian dishes. All I know is what I doing now isn't working. But I was mostly doing salads and meats, and too many non starchy vegetables. More paleolithic.

I'll have to find my balance. That book sounds interesting.

Gail

There has been such an improvement in my health since I went gluten free and I am thankful for all the support in boards like this one and there is so much information in books and articles I don't think you can read them all. I'm always trying to perfect my eating habits however. I know I can feel better then I do.

My energy level is still low and don't sleep the best are my two main concerns.

I've been following a low carb diet for the past two months. I don't like how I feel on it. I think my carbs were too low. This week I woke up twice at 2:00 in the morning wide awake with what I know are the symtoms of low blood sugar. I get up have a lara bar or something and I'll feel better.

Anyway I want to try something else. Plus I could stand to gain about 10 lbs. I'm thinking about going vegetarian. I don't know to much about it though and I was wondering who follows this diet here and if they could give me tips. What do I watch for? What are some good cook books? Any advice would be so helpful.

Thanks, Gail