Gluten-free diet advice

Cafe Society
1

Since just before Christmas I’ve been having digestive issues which I would describe as constant discomfort and constant wind. I’ve tried cutting certain things out of my diet, but it hasn’t had any effect. I’m awaiting the results of a blood test, but from talking to my doctor and my own research, it seems I most likely have coeliac diease. As I’m fed up with the constant issues I’ve been having and I’m travelling before abroad before I get the test results back, I’ve decided to preemptively cut gluten out of diet.

Do any dopers have any advice? Unfortunately a lot of the foods I like to eat have gluten in them and as I’m one of those people who eat copious amounts without having weight issues, I’ve never had to watch what I eat before, so I can see this being a big change for me.

2

Rather than focusing on gluten, you’d probably be better off trying to avoid FODMAPs in your diet for a while, with the side benefit that you’ll just happen to be avoiding gluten too.

Focus particularly on the types of fiber you’re ingesting, particularly any foods that claim “functional fiber” or “with added fiber” - those types of fibers are notorious for causing problems with some people.

Also, avoid any and all “sugar alcohols” like the plague. If it ends in -ol just say no!

3

In particular, I should have mentioned “inulin” and “chicory root” which, although it may be confirmation bias, seem to be popping up in everything these days. AVOID!

4

If you are truly celiac, then you are in for an intense lifestyle change as per your eating. It requires vigilance. While there are plenty of foods that are naturally gluten free (so there’s plenty to choose from) gluten sneaks into a lot of processed foods and into restaurant foods. And alot of medications have gluten in them as well.

The Celiac Disease Foundation is the best place to start.

and many who are intolerant of gluten, are also intolerant of dairy, soy, and caffeine as well. . . just saying. . .

mc

5

That’s interesting, before I had the problems I increased by intake of diet pop (soda), though I have cut back, but I still usually have a glass or two everyday.

6

The weird thing for me is that I’ve never had issues before and I would generally eat things in larger quantities than most, it just seemed to have come on all of a sudden. I would describe it as more than mild discomfort, but it hasn’t stopped me from doing most of the things I normally do.

I hope I don’t have coeliac disease as it’s depressing to think of the foods I wouldn’t be able to eat, but at this point I’m fed up of the issues I’ve been having and just want to get rid of the discomfort.

7

I was just coming in to say be ready for a longish period of anger or nostalgia or whatever it elicits in you when you go to the grocery store and every single time you find something you used to love that you’re not allowed to eat anymore. You’ll also want to take a lot of care in learning from the internet, as gluten seems to attract people who aren’t rational enough for mainstream medical conspiracy sites.

8

Well, diet sodas don’t usually have sugar alcohols, but if there was some correlation, you should be open to trying to go completely without diet soda for a month to see if it helps. That’s the kind of stuff you’re gonna have in your future one way or the other.

In fact, my recommendation would be to eliminate variety for a while. Make a list of all the foods you like to eat regularly, then cross out the ones that are hard to make, super unhealthy, or expensive. Then with what you’ve got left, go thoroughly research the ingredients of each one to make sure there are no hidden FODMAPs and cross out any that have any FODMAPs.

Boom, go shopping and plan your meals to make and eat ONLY those of your favorite foods left on the list that you’ve thoroughly vetted for FODMAPs.

If you want to get even more aggressive using a similar approach, just plan your ideal breakfast, lunch and dinner with an eye towards being reasonably healthy, balanced and totally FODMAP free. BAM! Now just eat those same three meals every day, because variety is overrated anyway. What do you like more, variety or a stable digestive system?

P.S. Have you tried Beano? Seriously. Alpha-galactosidase enzyme. Walmart has a much cheaper generic.

P.P.S. All Products ~ Shop at Heather's Tummy Care

9

My wife and son both have celiac disease. Both were diagnosed as adults, a few years back (not at the same time).

They both seem to have adjusted quite well, considering.

I am not on a gluten-free diet myself, but almost everything I cook and many things I snack on are GF because that’s what makes sense for us. First, I’d assure you that you often will not be able to tell the difference between a gluten-filled boughten food and its GF counterpart. There are exceptions–we will all admit that GF pizza does not tend to be very good–and you may have to do some experimenting to find the best brands etc., but GF pasta, GF noodles, GF cookies, and many other GF foods really are very hard to distinguish, taste- and consistency-wise, from the “real thing.”

Second, you can learn to prepare plenty of foods that will be just as good as glutinous foods. Today my wife made GF Irish soda bread, which was quite good, and GF brownies, which were outstanding. It’s quite possible to make excellent stews and gravies, likewise, with bases that don’t contain gluten.

Third, while there are still a lot of restaurants that don’t do much to appeal to GF customers, it’s getting easier and easier (that’s in the US–from your spelling of celiac I’m guessing you’re not, but I’d imagine the trend is the same in most places) to find places that do serve GF bread (for burger buns, French toast, sandwiches), GF pasta dishes, etc. Last time we went out for dinner my wife had a reuben made with GF bread–said it was quite good. My son, who is a more adventurous eater in a larger urban area, says there are certain kinds of restaurant cuisines he avoids because their menu options for him are limited (I think he mentioned Ethiopian?)–that can be difficult when all his friends want to go to a certain place. But he says he usually can find something pretty good, even if it means leaving things off the dish (burger without bun…).

Which doesn;t mean it’s easy. GF food is more expensive, doesn;t always keep as well, is tougher to find. Traveling can be hard. My wife absolutely misses a few dishes that just aren;t workable in GF form, or that don’t turn out to be very tasty. My son, the same. Some people go out of their way to accommodate my family’s dietary restrictions (my son’s partner’s aunt, for example, always makes sure to cook something GF when they are hosting him, and one of my aunts does the same thing). Others, not so much. (Hi, mom…)

That being said, I would stress again that going GF may be easier than you think, and you may have to give up less than you think. True story from a couple of Christmases ago: the day’s dinner was to be held at my mom’s, and my son and my wife joined forces to create a gluten free gravy and gluten free stuffing. The GF gravy turned out to be more popular than the non-GF gravy Mom had made. (And it really was better too…)

Good luck.

10

Doesn’t a celiac diagnosis require a small bowel biopsy? I thought it did, although the blood test is an indicator as to whether the biopsy is necessary.

It’s done through an upper GI scope.

11

Butter and sugar make up for a multitude of shortcomings. As does “put more wine in the sauce.”

12

If you want a true diagnosis, don’t cut out gluten until you have a positive blood test and a biopsy. This matters because Celiac means that you are damaging your small intestine when you eat gluten. If it’s an intolerance, as far as anyone knows at this point, you aren’t doing damage by eating gluten, you’re just causing yourself discomfort.

Trust me, you’ll want to know this, and if you do have a gluten issue, you will absolutely NOT want to add gluten back in for a while to make the biopsy possible later.

For me, I stopped eating gluten on purpose about 6 years ago after about 10 years of issues, including an IBS diagnosis that was pretty useless. I was still pretty lax for a couple of years, but am much more vigilant now since I kept getting sick. I rarely get an exposure now.

There are a few things I miss, but most of the time I’m not bothered by what I can’t eat. It is a pain when people want to go to dinner or the like, and traveling can be a hassle.

Why do you suspect gluten?

13

My doctor didn’t mention a biopsy, but I guess it may be the next step if the blood test comes back positive. The reason I suspect gluten is that my diet is reasonably healthy (at least compared to the average) consisting mainly of vegetables, bread, fruit, chicken and fish. I drink alcohol only occasionally and in moderation and I don’t drink tea or coffee (in fact I’ve never even tried coffee!). I don’t have a huge amount of diary products and I cut spicy food out of my diet a couple of months ago. There’s clearly something wrong because as I’ve said the issues have been chronic with pretty much no let up for the last few months and they go a bit beyond mild irritation and include some of the classic symptoms of coeliac disease. I know this is far from conclusive, but as I said I’m fed up with it.

I’ve not had any gluten in the last three days and tentatively it appears to be effective - I’m still suffering from discomfort/mild pain, but much less wind and spasms. The problem is I’m flying to Germany (from London) in a couple of weeks for a weekend and I really want to reduce the symptoms by then or I can see what should be a fun trip being miserable.

14

Yes, as far as I know, there is no definitive way to get a diagnosis other than the small intestine biopsy.

I really do strongly caution against going fully gluten free until you know the results of the blood test and, if that is positive, getting the biopsy. It makes the difference between “I want to be cautious because I’ll feel better” and “I need to be cautious because I am destroying my intestines.”

15

Look at the FODMAPS, as others suggest. When I was diagnose with IBSD, I was surprised by how much certain foods really triggered me. It won’t be every food, and I’ve adapted pretty well.

Garlic was a bummer. I still indulge occasionally, but I know in advance the price I’ll pay. :frowning:

Here’s a link to several different IBS control diets. Good luck.

16

Just had a gluten free birthday cake (a Jello cake, to be precise). You really cannot tell. Now avoiding dairy and getting Coco Whip instead of Cool Whip I did notice, as there’s a slight coconut flavor.

And, yes, do not go gluten free early. It could actually mess up the testing, as the lack of gluten can actually allow you to heal up. Sure, try out the foods if you want to see what they taste like, but keep at least some gluten around for now.

And do realize that it could just be IBS–which just doesn’t really have a known cause. Though studies are currently suggesting it’s a problem with gut flora, and there’s a new antibiotic that targets them, while you take other stuff to replace the bad flora.

17

It’s good that your relying on a doctor’s advice on gluten, as others have said. Along with your username, there are a few things that make me wonder if you’re eating too much:

It’s been said that, in one’s later years, it’s best to eat just a handful of food five times a day. Spice, grease, etc. can obviously bring on distress, but eating too much (even if it’s healthy food) can also stress one’s digestive system. I’m not a doctor, but I think some people are surprised to learn that their problems are caused by gas (and/or heartburn). In recent years, I’ve noticed that eating salad (lettuce) for lunch makes me swell up inside until the next day. Makes me feel heavy and bloated, like I’ve got cement in my guts.

Man, you’re not kidding. I still haven’t eliminated it from my diet and don’t plan to, because I like it so much, but it truly wreaks havoc on my digestive system. “Distress” would be the best word, because, in addition to heaviness and bloating, it makes my guts “nervous,” for lack of a better word.

It’s also worth considering that things like fried foods, spices, alcohol, coffee, tobacco, etc. can have a cumulative effect. I can consume those things for a day or two, but, by the third day, I’ll be sidelined for the rest of the week.

18

I have considered I’m eating too much, but I’m 6’3" and 230lbs, so I need a fair amount of food to keep me going and though I’m technically overweight, I’ve spoken to my doctor in the past who wasn’t concerned about my weight. The thing is though even small meals set off the issues at the moment and it feels like my digestive system just can’t handle properly anything I’m eating or drinking.

19

Well, another one of those old sayings is that it’s better to stop eating before you’re full. It takes some getting used to, to say the least, and becomes more relevant as you get older. I don’t drink pop or anything, but I do like beer, and I’ve gotten good results by switching from beer to wine for a week.

20

Yeah, that was what got me diagnosed with IBS years ago. I kept having more and more foods that were making me really ill.

I wish you luck! I won’t continue to harp on waiting for test results, but based on what you describe of your diet now, dropping gluten might not be too hard. I didn’t really struggle with it, except at first learning how to spot it.

Just in general, it’s easier to drop the item than to substitute for it, I’ve found. It’s easier to go breadless than to sub in gf bread (some are good. Some are incredibly awful). I do go on kicks on occasion where I’ll eat sandwiches, but usually I just go without bread and noodles and the like and it all works out fine.

Become a religious label reader. In restaurants, tell people you need to avoid gluten and explain that it can be wheat, barley, or rye. You never know which things will click for whom.

There are cards you can print out in various languages that you can give to servers to take to the kitchens. That can be really useful.

Even if you want to drop gluten, if you can, keep one toe in the gluten arena unless you get a Celiac diagnosis. Cut down rather than cutting it out.

Other FODMAPS might be the real culprit.

Good luck!