Too Limited Diet, And Still Sick. Not Sure What To Do...

[madminx]

Hey everyone, 

 

Since going gluten free in January, I have had to remove several foods other than gluten from my diet that I have intolerances to (or that I refuse to eat because it's processed).

 

Here is the list of foods I have removed from my diet since January:

 

1. gluten

2. most other grains, except for rice (this is mainly because when I ate millet, brown rice, quinoa, oats, etc... i got similar symptoms as gluten, and corn is GMO'd so I refuse to eat it unless it's organic, and it's hard to find organic corn so I usually don't eat it).

3. most processed foods

4. chocolate (i had to stop eating dark chocolate because it was causing bladder problems)

5. dairy (i have been dairy free for almost 10 years now, way longer than gluten-free).

 

So, my main problem right now with how I eat now is, I'm having peptic ulcer type symptoms, IBS type symptoms, and weight loss. I was perfectly fine a few months ago on this diet, but for some reason it all went downhill within the past few months, even though I'm almost 100% sure I'm not getting any cross-contamination or "hidden" gluten in my diet.

 

My question for everyone is, how the f do I get enough carbs without gluten, and without most other grains and processed foods? Right now I'm limited to these carbs: sweet potatoes, yams, other root vegtables, white rice, and fruits high in carbs such as bananas, apples, etc. Maybe my stomach problems are being caused by too little carbs? Is that possible?

 

This website  Open Original Shared Link

says per day percentages should be:

 

Fat: 20 - 35% of total calories (average 30%) 
Protein: 10 – 35% (average 15%)
Carbohydrates: 45 – 65% (average 55%)

 

Now I'm pretty sure I'm eating way more fat and protein than that per day, and not nearly enough carbs. How in the hell do I get more carbs? Any ideas? I feel like I just need to suck it up and eat processed food? 

 

 

[cyclinglady]

What about winter squashes, legumes and beans?  What are you eating for protein?  Make a list of all the foods you are eating.  Maybe that list isn't so long.  Maybe you're just eating the same 20 or so foods all the time.  Time to try new veggies or fruit -- like Taro root.  Lots of carbs there.  What fats are you eating?  Are you rotating your foods around?

 

Just food for thought.....

[Mum in Norway]

These recomandations are based on the idea that you need AT LEAST tha amount of protein, no mote fat than that and it is ok for carbs to fill the rest of your diet. You NEED far less carbs, and it is perfectly fine with more protein. As long as your sources of fat are of good quality, its ok with more fat as well.

To me, the symtoms you describe sund like another food intolerance

[T.H.]

plantains are another good source of carbs, and you'll get carbs from veggies, too, just not as much.

 

I'm grain free, too, as is my daughter, and potatoes, plantains, and fruits are our main sources. But yeah, you have to eat a lot of them. 

[magda.dietitian]

I think you should contact your doctor first and see what exactly is happening to your stomach, especially if you have peptic ulcer symptoms and weight loss.

 

I guess it could be another food intolerance, but it is really hard to say just from the description. To check what product is harmfull to you, you should eliminate one product after another separately and observe when you feel any better. But it is not possible, if you don't check organic reasons of your health problems before.

 

The weight loss could be also the sign, you have too less calories in your diet, maybe because of carbs deficiencies.

IBS symptoms - maybe your diet is too heavy to your bowels or you have to many stress, in IBS anything is possible:/

 

The exact lists of products you eat now will certainly help to find the answer:)

[nutritionguy]

Hey everyone, 

 

Since going gluten free in January, I have had to remove several foods other than gluten from my diet that I have intolerances to (or that I refuse to eat because it's processed).

 

Here is the list of foods I have removed from my diet since January:

 

1. gluten

2. most other grains, except for rice (this is mainly because when I ate millet, brown rice, quinoa, oats, etc... i got similar symptoms as gluten, and corn is GMO'd so I refuse to eat it unless it's organic, and it's hard to find organic corn so I usually don't eat it).

3. most processed foods

4. chocolate (i had to stop eating dark chocolate because it was causing bladder problems)

5. dairy (i have been dairy free for almost 10 years now, way longer than gluten-free).

 

So, my main problem right now with how I eat now is, I'm having peptic ulcer type symptoms, IBS type symptoms, and weight loss. I was perfectly fine a few months ago on this diet, but for some reason it all went downhill within the past few months, even though I'm almost 100% sure I'm not getting any cross-contamination or "hidden" gluten in my diet.

 

My question for everyone is, how the f do I get enough carbs without gluten, and without most other grains and processed foods? Right now I'm limited to these carbs: sweet potatoes, yams, other root vegtables, white rice, and fruits high in carbs such as bananas, apples, etc. Maybe my stomach problems are being caused by too little carbs? Is that possible?

 

This website  Open Original Shared Link

says per day percentages should be:

 

Fat: 20 - 35% of total calories (average 30%) 

Protein: 10 – 35% (average 15%)

Carbohydrates: 45 – 65% (average 55%)

 

Now I'm pretty sure I'm eating way more fat and protein than that per day, and not nearly enough carbs. How in the hell do I get more carbs? Any ideas? I feel like I just need to suck it up and eat processed food? 

1.  Do you have a diagnosis of celiac disease, or do you have a diagnosis of some other gastrointestinal disease?

2.  Since you are unexpectedly losing weight now, has your doctor recently determined your fasting blood sugar to make sure that everything is OK with your blood sugar?  Blood sugar problems can result in gastrointestinal as well as other health problems.

3.  I have seen at least one publication suggesting that apple juice can worsen inflammatory bowel disease by promoting proliferation of inflammatory bacteria in the GI tract.  I suspect consumption of large quantities of fruits might also worsen bowel disease in some individuals, especially those prone to glucose intolerance.  If you do want to include fruit, berries are probably one of the best types because they contain naturally formed xylitol, a sugar alcohol that inhibits growth of inflammatory bacteria.  But even excessive quantities of blueberries might be too much for you.  I know that when I switched from apple juice to blueberry juice, I saw a significant improvement in my blood sugar control and GI tract function.   

[Juliebove]

I do not claim to be an expert on anything but I am diabetic.  I know plenty of diabetics who eat low carb.  Some to the extreme of only eating carbs in the form of non-starchy vegetables and limited portions at that.  I am not one of those people.  But I do have to limit the amount of carbs I eat so as not to have high blood sugar.  I still do have high blood sugar much of the time and the reason for that has yet to be ferreted out, but I digress.

 

If you have an ulcer, H-Pylori could be the cause.  A Dr. should be able to determine this and prescribe a medication to you for this.  Or you could try taking Carnosine.  I can't remember the dose on this but I think you need to take it for 2 months.  Lemme see if I can find this online.  Ah, it is Zinc Carnosine that you need to take.  Also says cranberry juice can help.

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Note that this particular magazine also sells supplements.  I am not necessarily telling you to buy from them, nor do I have a problem with them.  I have bought their products and I do think they have useful information.  But you may be able to find this supplement elsewhere for less should you decide to take it.

 

I would also recommend that you try taking probiotics and perhaps more than you'd think to take.  Like twice daily.  And try to get the kind that have as many strains as you can find.  We take one from Swansons with 13 strains.  I do recommend them for supplements as they seem to have the best price on many things.  And they are good to tell you if a product is Top 8 allergen or gluten free as well as vegetarian or vegan.

 

As for the chocolate and bladder problems, it could be the caffeine in it.  My daughter had issues with caffeine and bladder for many years.  I dosed her up with cranberry and D-Mannose capsules and they really helped.  The cranberry can help to clear out and prevent an infection and the D-Mannose helps prevent any white blood cells from sticking as they pass through the urethra.  In her case, the caffeine was causing two problems.  It was irritating her bladder and urethra.  This was making her not want to use the toilet and keeping her from drinking freely.  This in turn was causing constipation and the balls of poop (sorry, TMI!) stayed in there, pressing on her bladder further irritating it and preventing her from emptying it fully.  Two weeks of antibiotic for the infection, drinking tons of water and limiting caffeine to two diet colas per week (actually she took herself totally off of it) cleared it all up.

 

She has only had one bladder problem since but she was sick with all sorts of things at once.  Respiratory and stomach as well.  No cause was found there.  But the gastroenterologist suspected a food intolerance.  Ah, it's always that and nobody seems to be able to find the culprit.

 

However, I have added to her supplement arsenal and changed her to a more potent probiotic, doubling her dose at the first sign of a stomach issue and she has been sick far less so far this school year than last.  Used to be that she caught everything going around.  Now not quite 1.5 months into it, she has missed only two days due to a sore throat and respiratory stuff.  She probably shouldn't have stayed home.  That was her choice not mine!  And she likely won't do it again now that she knows how much extra work she has to do when she misses school in high school!  But...  Her health seems to have greatly improved.  She used to have near constant stomach issues.

 

I too have stomach issues but for different reasons.  And when I felt sick to my stomach, I would pretty much eat nothing but applesauce, and white rice, perhaps with a little chicken and chicken broth.  It tasted good to me and seemed soothing.  The problem?  I am intolerant to chicken.  So while it should have been making me feel better, it wasn't!

 

I would also suggest to you to try drinking lots and lots of water throughout the day and try not to have food or drink that is icy cold or really hot.  Keep your food at a cool or warm temperature and see if that helps.  My daughter had gastritis last year caused by a bad reaction to a prescription med.  I realize that this isn't your problem but those food/drink temps are supposed to be much more soothing to the stomach than a really cold or hot food would be.  I had been giving her hot broth.  Oops!

 

Might you be taking any prescription medications?  Sometimes those can cause problems.  Have you had your thyroid checked?  Daughter has thyroid problems and I have had them.  I still have the goiter but am no longer hyper or hypo thyroid.  Thyroid problems can mess with your weight and digestion.

 

Also agree on that it could be blood sugar issues.  One of my first symptoms of diabetes was chronic big D.  I don't think I had gained or lost any weight at that point but not really sure.  I had no scale in those days and wasn't seeing any Drs. on a regular basis.

 

You probably should see a Dr. but it also wouldn't hurt to try the things I suggested.  Although the supplements will lighten your wallet a bit.

[lihaoqing]

Hey everyone, 

 

Since going gluten free in January, I have had to remove several foods other than gluten from my diet that I have intolerances to (or that I refuse to eat because it's processed).

 

Here is the list of foods I have removed from my diet since January:

 

1. gluten

2. most other grains, except for rice (this is mainly because when I ate millet, brown rice, quinoa, oats, etc... i got similar symptoms as gluten, and corn is GMO'd so I refuse to eat it unless it's organic, and it's hard to find organic corn so I usually don't eat it).

3. most processed foods

4. chocolate (i had to stop eating dark chocolate because it was causing bladder problems)

5. dairy (i have been dairy free for almost 10 years now, way longer than gluten-free).

 

So, my main problem right now with how I eat now is, I'm having peptic ulcer type symptoms, IBS type symptoms, and weight loss. I was perfectly fine a few months ago on this diet, but for some reason it all went downhill within the past few months, even though I'm almost 100% sure I'm not getting any cross-contamination or "hidden" gluten in my diet.

 

My question for everyone is, how the f do I get enough carbs without gluten, and without most other grains and processed foods? Right now I'm limited to these carbs: sweet potatoes, yams, other root vegtables, white rice, and fruits high in carbs such as bananas, apples, etc. Maybe my stomach problems are being caused by too little carbs? Is that possible?

 

This website  Open Original Shared Link

says per day percentages should be:

 

Fat: 20 - 35% of total calories (average 30%) 

Protein: 10 – 35% (average 15%)

Carbohydrates: 45 – 65% (average 55%)

 

Now I'm pretty sure I'm eating way more fat and protein than that per day, and not nearly enough carbs. How in the hell do I get more carbs? Any ideas? I feel like I just need to suck it up and eat processed food? 

Hi , 

i just joined the board, i dont know i am celiac till 24 years old, and i am down to 95 pounds with 5,9 male last december, and has to be put into hopital for 2 weeks because of severe weight loss, the thing with me is, whatever other people considered to be high calories weight gainer food(red meat, cooking oil, milk, chocalate, gluten definitely) will lead to weight loss for me and make me feel uncomfortable in the meantime,  it is all because with a weak digestion system, your stomach and intestine is extremely picky about the food you ingested, it wont matter how much calories you put in, if its the wrong food it wont absorb a tiny bit of nutrition energy from it at all.

so for me, the only grain i can eat is white rice, so i take advantage of that and play it to my limit, i will eat rice like crazy everyday till my stomach can't handle it anymore, i eat like 2 lbs uncooked rice maybe everyday.  i also eat chicken which is only meat i can eat, and some veggies and ocassionally fruit. you need to forget about the bad things people throw onto rice, just because this is the society which rice is still considered much to be foreign, oriental and etc, people are biased most of the time against rice in favor of meat. just because they thought it is cooler and our ancestor did it this way.   but when it comes to food intolerance patient with the goal of gaining weight, nothing compares to rice.

right now i am 150ish pounds, in great shape and condition, i ran 10 miles everyday. and just last month i walked across death valley from pathrump nv to ridgecreast CA, the whole week i just ate rice and drank water, and i felt great.

hope that helps 

[GFinDC]

Hi,

 

Carbs are way overrated IMHO.  You don't need to eat lots of carbs to be healthy.  Refined carbohydrates are quickly converted into sugars in the gut.  So you might as well eat a bowl of sugar.  That's really not a healthy way to eat.  You should always have some protein with your meals.  Protein provides long lasting energy instead of a "bounce" like carbs do.  If you are not able to function without carbs there is something wrong.  You should get your blood glucose checked in that case.

[frieze]

have you tried digestive enzymes?

[JustCricket]

Nutrients are more important than carbohydrates, but carbohydrates are our "quick energy" source. Fats pack much more energetic punch, but time is not on their side.

 

There is a maximum of allowed protein, because you start getting build-up of uric acid and such. Open Original Shared Link

I'm offering this, in the hopes it will be taken as a suggestion just to be careful. I also advocate that you see your doctor and perhaps get with a dietitian. It could be something metabolically or physically and it's really hard to determine for us laypersons who also don't have the benefit of your labs.

[1desperateladysaved]

My diet recently has been eggs, nut flower muffin, and a bit of fruit for breakfast.  leftover supper for lunch.  Supper is meat, vegetable, and nut muffin and fruit perhaps.  This has been filling me with a good full feeling.  You might try adding some different meats such as venison, elk, yak, bison, or duck.  If you try some new foods, you are unlikely to have antibodies to them.

 

I also take small amounts of honey in my nut flour muffins.

[madminx]

Hi , 

i just joined the board, i dont know i am celiac till 24 years old, and i am down to 95 pounds with 5,9 male last december, and has to be put into hopital for 2 weeks because of severe weight loss, the thing with me is, whatever other people considered to be high calories weight gainer food(red meat, cooking oil, milk, chocalate, gluten definitely) will lead to weight loss for me and make me feel uncomfortable in the meantime,  it is all because with a weak digestion system, your stomach and intestine is extremely picky about the food you ingested, it wont matter how much calories you put in, if its the wrong food it wont absorb a tiny bit of nutrition energy from it at all.

so for me, the only grain i can eat is white rice, so i take advantage of that and play it to my limit, i will eat rice like crazy everyday till my stomach can't handle it anymore, i eat like 2 lbs uncooked rice maybe everyday.  i also eat chicken which is only meat i can eat, and some veggies and ocassionally fruit. you need to forget about the bad things people throw onto rice, just because this is the society which rice is still considered much to be foreign, oriental and etc, people are biased most of the time against rice in favor of meat. just because they thought it is cooler and our ancestor did it this way.   but when it comes to food intolerance patient with the goal of gaining weight, nothing compares to rice.

right now i am 150ish pounds, in great shape and condition, i ran 10 miles everyday. and just last month i walked across death valley from pathrump nv to ridgecreast CA, the whole week i just ate rice and drank water, and i felt great.

hope that helps 

Thanks for the reply. I eat a lot of white rice too, because it's also the only grain I can eat. Are you worried at all about the arsenic in rice? And if so, do you do anything to limit the arsenic in your rice? The FDA did some studies recently and found there are pretty high arsenic levels in all rice products, though white rice does have less than brown rice. 

[madminx]

Thank you everyone for the useful replies. 

 

I recently went to the doctor. They tested for h pylori, thyroid, liver function, kidney function, and blood test for celiac disease. All came out normal. 
I'm pretty sure I have celiac though because I have a very strong negative reaction when I accidentally eat gluten, so I think it was a false negative because I have been on a gluten free diet for a long time before they did the test. 

 

Anyway I figured out what was causing the problems I mentioned in my original post, it was potatoes. I'm intolerant to all potatoes including yams and sweet potatoes. So I've been eating a lot of plantains, white rice, fruits and veg as a substitute for all the carbs I can't eat. I feel healthy now for the most part except I still can't gain weight (though at least I'm not losing anymore). 

[madminx]

plantains are another good source of carbs, and you'll get carbs from veggies, too, just not as much.

 

I'm grain free, too, as is my daughter, and potatoes, plantains, and fruits are our main sources. But yeah, you have to eat a lot of them. 

Thank you for the suggestion. I have been eating a lot of plantains and they help a lot. 

[madminx]

What about winter squashes, legumes and beans?  What are you eating for protein?  Make a list of all the foods you are eating.  Maybe that list isn't so long.  Maybe you're just eating the same 20 or so foods all the time.  Time to try new veggies or fruit -- like Taro root.  Lots of carbs there.  What fats are you eating?  Are you rotating your foods around?

 

Just food for thought.....

Thanks. I've been trying to get more variety in my diet, trying new fruits and veggies that I don't usually eat. It has helped a lot. 

[lihaoqing]

Thanks for the reply. I eat a lot of white rice too, because it's also the only grain I can eat. Are you worried at all about the arsenic in rice? And if so, do you do anything to limit the arsenic in your rice? The FDA did some studies recently and found there are pretty high arsenic levels in all rice products, though white rice does have less than brown rice. 

no worries, they all exaggerate things a lot. i do pick those rice without nutrition enrichment, like calrose from california with low arsenic as they told us , making sure cook it thoroughly, it will turn minerals and stuff into more absorbable form. good luck. i never eat brown rice. my body reacted to that. white rice is sufficient to provide the carb need everyday.  

[muyy11]

try this:gluten,grain,seafood,bean,nut,egg,dairy,nightshade,sugar.processed food,prepared food,junk food. free

use yam as ur carb intake.and dont eat too much yam only 10% of ur total diet. 

paleo diet can save u i believe