I'm Running Out Of Thing To Eat : /

[klemmen]

I don't no what to eat anymore without getting D or feeling ill! I cut out all dairy and realised that that was definately a huge problem but it's been a while since i've had any dairy and when i eat I still get D, not all the time but a lot of the time. It is getting frustrating because most of the time its at the point where i can't leave the house, and i need to work and study! I've been to the Dr and he keeps insisting that i'm still eating gluten or that i must be getting gluten from somewhere, which I am definately not. He won't test me for any other intolerances and when i told him how i react to dairy he said no it has to be from gluten. I am a vegetarian and I have tried to eat meat again but i can't do it, and I know if i ate meat or fish I would have a lot more options but i reaaally have tried to eat it and can't bring myself to lol. The Dr keeps telling me to come back in two weeks if symptoms carry on, and I have been back but he looks and speaks to me like i am an idiot wanting attention, it is so frustrating! He tested my stool for bacteria and there wasn't any there. All i am eating is basic foods, some fruit, mostly vegetables and rice, potatoes. I know I eat too many carbs but if i cut them out it leaves me with fruit and veggies so now i don't no what to do, I am so tired all the time but i think its lack of a balanced diet lol the dr tested my iron levels and he said their fine, so i really want to sort out my diet so i feel better and can leave the house lol It's at the stage where if I know I have to be out the house I won't eat the whole day so I know there won't be a problem, hmm i don't know. Maybe there are more foods thank i realise without dairy, eggs, meat and gluten???

[eKatherine]

Are you keeping a food diary? If you eat simple foods as much as possible for a while, you should be able to eventually track back to what has been causing the problem. Processed foods would make this much more difficult.

[Guest nini]

can you eat nuts and seeds? that would open up the food choices somewhat...

also, I don't believe that you have to eat meat or fish to have a balanced diet, you can be a vegan and still have a balanced diet. It just takes some careful planning and trying some alternative foods... What are some of the things you typically eat, (*what kinds of fruits and veggies and grains) so that we can get an idea of other foods to add into your diet.

Do you eat avocados? Coconut? Quinoa?

I've seen a TON of Raw, Living Foods that could be good options for you, they are all vegan and gluten-free... do you have a good health food store near you?

[NicoleAJ]

You may also consider the fact that you're eating too many fruits and vegetables. I know it's all you've got, but too much fiber can cause quite a few problems with D. I do agree that nuts are a great option as are avocados. Are you maintaining your weight in all of this?

[lonewolf]

It sounds like you need to increase your protein intake - beans (soaked overnight and then cooked), nuts, seeds, rice protein powder in smoothies, etc. You also might want to cook your veggies for a while (at least half of them) until your stomach calms down.

[lorka150]

you might just have to keep it simple for awhile. for about seven months i only ate about 12 different vegetables, three different fruits, coffee, almond milk, no spices/sauces (not even salt or pepper), nut butters, nuts and tofu.

[klemmen]

thanks for your replies

I'm glad you said nini you can still be a vegetarian because I've been worrying that might be my only option. I don't eat any processed foods and have been keeping a food diary but since cutting out dairy there is no real indicator of what it is. My weight hasn't gone down significantly, problems started again in February and since then I have lost about a stone..err not sure what that is in kilos but only 14lbs or so.

At the moment I just eat fruit and veggie wise, broccoli, green beans, peas, cucumber, bananas, and sometimes peppers. For some reason peanuts, carrots,sweetcorn, onion and leek all react badly with my stomach lol. I've been cooking all the vegetables really well. I don't mind keeping things simple for seven months or so I just want to be able to actually leave the house, especially without the constant worrying.

where do you get rice protein powder from, I haven't heard of it before?ooo smoothies would add something with taste lol What's Quinoa? and I hadn't thought of eating coconut...I didn't realise you could buy them : / We just have a Holland and Barret health food shop where i live (UK), it's so expensive, i can't find another health food store : / but i think i will go take a better look in H&B

Most of you mentioned nuts and seeds, like any nuts or seeds? I always assumed nuts would make things looser? so thats why i didn't eat them, the same reason for advacados. Maybe i should think less about the effect a food might have on me, perhaps thats part of the problem : /

Lorka150, did you feel better after seven months? What are nut butters?

[darlindeb25]

I didn't have to give up dairy, so that leaves me more options then you. Yogurt would be good for you to add, if you can eat soy--there are soy yogurts now--I can't have soy. Also, you may want to give up rice for a while and see if it is the culprit--I have recently found that I can't eat rice. I have finally realized that I can't have any grains. Keep at it, you will figure it out. Deb

[Guest cassidy]

I still had D after giving up gluten and then I started having problems with safe foods. I recommend digestive enzymes. Also peppermint and aloe are good for healing. If you have been eating gluten and dairy until recently, your body probably needs to heal.

Also, candida is a common problem with celiac, you could look up those symptoms and see if they sound familiar. That can cause fatigue and D.

[Guest nini]

quinoa is an ancient grain that is naturally gluten-free, there is at least one company that makes quinoa pasta. rice pasta from Tinkyada is also really really good.

Avocados are awesome, you can do so much with them. Coconut is great for a lot of things, you should be able to find coconut milk and shredded coconut fairly easily, it makes for good flavor in dishes.I like it with Curried rice and chutney.

Nuts can be hard on your digestive system, but nut butters (like peanut butter, soy nut butter, cashew butter) can be a really good source of protein and are not as hard on the digestive system as raw nuts.

try cooking with spagetti squash, sweet potatos, and carrots... cooked and pureed carrots can be added to a lot of things for different texture and flavor.

Cucumbers and Peppers and Broccoli produce a LOT of gas, so I would def. reccommend a digestive enzyme to help your system process them, or avoid them for a while.

Sauteed onions and mushrooms and garlic in olive oil are a really nice topping for a meal, Also, if you can tolerate tomatoes, you can make quite a variety of sauces with tomatoes... salsa's, pasta sauces, tomato soup, and so on...

I hope this gives you some ideas... get creative and try for some variety. I agree that the raw veggies might be too difficult to process just yet, so stick with cooking them thoroughly for now. Same with fruits, try baking apples in the oven with cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins, YUM!

Also, get creative with smoothies, I like mine with apple juice, berries, bananas and honey, my sister likes to make them with orange juice, peaches, bananas and ice cream (you can make homemade ice cream really easily with a bucket ice cream maker and you can use whatever "milk" you like, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk...) or I'm sure there are some store bought varieties that are gluten-free and dairy free that you can buy.

Protein powders can usually be found at stores that sell lots of varieties of vitamins and supplements, you'll just have to check with the individual companies to find a gluten-free, dairy free one that works for you.

[key]

I too am vegetarian and having troubles. I don't have D. I have C. I am giving up dairy to see if that does help. It is frustrating though. I like you can't bring myself to eat meat. I have always been vegetarian and I wouldn't know how to cook it and just can't do it. My mom even says she wishes she had raised me to eat meat, because now I don't have as many food options. I tend to not eat very healthfully. I want to eat a ton of mexican food with cheese, etc. Mainly, because I miss my "fake" meat substitutes at meals with potatoes and veges, so I just don't eat those very much. i still eat alot of fruit. I am trying to change, but it is tough to not eat dairy products, meat and soy. Can you eat soy?? Definitely give avocadoes a try. We love them here! You don't have many options without a healthfood store and the expense. I wish you had some other options for gluten-free pasta's etc.

Hope you start feeling better and wish I had more ideas for you. Do you eat tofu?

Have you checked your shampoo's, etc. for wheat or oats?? SOmeone else may have mentioned this. What about toothpaste, gum, lipstick? Are you cooking for other people that eat wheat? I feel like I am getting gluten from somewhere and I still cook stuff with wheat for my family everyday. I do wash my hands constantly, but it is tough.

Monica

[Warrior Woman]

Hi

Check out Dr Fuhrman's Eat to Live book- his way of eating is basically fruits, veggies, nuts and beans. He is pretty down on grains but thinks a few times a week is OK if you want to. His book has some recipes as well. You can also have a phone consult w/ him. I havent yet as I wanted to get all my testing done. He also has a website but most of the info is in the pay for access part. there are a few celiacs on the message board and do well on the 'diet'. Get it out of the library and if you need any more info- I can send you some pdf's.

I didnt eat meat for 8 years and started dreaming about it and craving it. Now that I look back, I think w/ the celiac I wasnt getting any B12. I think that caused the cravings.

If you dont want to eat meat- dont. Like Nini said- eat quinoa. It actually has a lot of protein and is related more so to spinach than wheat- that is why it is safe for us! And avacados!! I could eat them ALL DAY!!

And if your doctor isnt helping or listening to you- get a new one!

[shai76]

You should also try reducing your overall chemical load. Go all natural. It's helped me tons. Try not to eat too many of those fake foods, like fake meat and sugar alternatives. Also reducing household chemicals, like cleaners and stuff, could help a lot! Food allergy testing could help as well.

[ms-sillyak-screwed]

I am in the same situation -- limited what I can eat.

Check out my profile below. I was also non-meat eater 15 years. I'm convinced it never helped me in the end. I felt I couldn't digest it, it would make me constipated. Now, I eat plenty of meat and I it what makes me feel alive. I can't go with out it. Remember what cavemen - cave women ate. Have you read the PALEO DIET? It's on the [must read list]. It will explain much of this, and a better way to eat. It helped me. You might need to scratch everything you have been doing and start all over again. Go basic, then introduce foods one at a time...

Be aware that it happend that some of us celiac's can't do corn, potatoes, rice and soy too. I'm one it took 5 years and it appeared after gluten & dairy free diet , that I didn't cheat on.

We develop secondary food intolerance and allergies like I have. No one tells you about it until you ask questions. It is common in this disease. It is documents in the new books coming out about celiac disease.

Also -- I want to warn you about SOY. I really wish someone told me. Many are in denial and don't want to listen to me beat my drum about SOY. It caused my problem! However regardless of what the (clueless) medical community says -- one day a food is 'good' then in no-time it's on the 'bad list' -- SOY creates problems for many of us as time passes. There are several threads here pro and con. I will link them if you'd like. Now with that said SOY is in the LEGUME family. They are ALL beans. I've had to do away with them too.

Something I just learned about advacados is they are in the latex family, so if you get a reaction to latex gloves, advacados can also be problemmatic. They were for me, I found out the hard way.

You must also consider cross contamination (CC), if you live with other people their crumbs in your food can cause it too.

DRINK DISTILLED WATER ONLY. It will make a difference too. There are minerals and things that can overload your body when ill...

One last thing. What some of us do -- like one of the posters wrote is a food JOURNAL. I have been keeping one for over the last year now. I must tell you it will help you pin-point what is giving to you a reaction. It will help you understand your body and whats good and bad. I know it takes time, but not that much. Less then a minute per meal. I first write the time of day and what I ate. I keep it in a large paged spiral bound journal in the kitchen counter someplace, and everything, and I mean everything, that goes in my mouth and comes out (you read that right) is written between those pages. I write what my stools are like, formed, not formed, explosive, pale, steatorrhea diarrhea the smelling kind or with undigested food particles. This is very helpful in knowing what type of reaction a certain food you just ate is giving you. You can go back and refer to see a pattern. Please think about it and try it, it will help a lot I promise.

Be well!

[lorka150]

yes, i do feel better, thanks.

nut butters are butters made of nuts (instead of peanut butter, i also eat almond butter, cashew butter and hazelnut butter, and also tahini (seed butter).

[klemmen]

thanks for al the suggestions I feel more positive now knowing I can do more..quinoa, tofu, cocunut etc, i got some quinoa, thanks for all the different ways to do foods! will definately try them, i need to learn to do more food things and will try quinoa instead of rice for a while and see if that works, and i bought an advocado (i'm so uneducated i had to google search what one would even look like lol )

I had been keeping a food journal but a really basic one but thanks for the way you lay yours out ms_sillyak_screwed, i think i might do it more that way to get an idea, i'm sure the people i live with will appreciate the extra info hehe

I'm quite sure i don't get cc from anywhere, cook separately etc It really isn't so easy to change dr's in the uk where i live, i'm with an NHS Dr and it's the only surgery for ages, my sister said go to a private one to just find out what's wrong but i would imagine that would be so expensive. I think i will look in to digestive enzymes, keep a good food journal, try these foods and hope i get better.

really thanks for your help