Maybe Not Just Gluten Causing Problems?

[Jujbe]

I found recently that I'm gluten intolerant. Simple enough I thought - I'll just eliminate gluten from my diet. Like many newbies to this, the easiest way to ensure NO gluten or offending grain products at all is to start with simple basic foods - rice, potatoes, fruits, vegetables & meats - nothing pre-prepared outside of my kitchen. I understand that means things like sauces, dips, ketchup, soy sauce, etc until absolutely confirmed safe. And since I can't or don't have enough info for now, I'm only using basic foods.

For example, yesterday I had some gluten-free un-sweetened muffins (I made them so am sure & they didn't bother me earlier in the week), piece of feta cheese, an avocado & fresh tomatoes for breakfast/lunch. For supper, I had a Chinese sweet & sour pork dish (no soy sauce though ) over fresh veggies & rice. Drank some apple juice & black tea with some milk besides water. That's the extent of my food yesterday. I can't see what was bad in that??

I woke up with nasal stuffiness this morning, feel grumpy, & notice I'm kinda gassy again with stools too loose again. I'm confused. I've been extra vigilant in making sure every thing I used was not contaminated by anything else & I only used my safe gluten-free flours. Now I'm not sure if there are other foods that bother me with gas or if something may have some offending gluten somewhere, somehow. This is frustrating as I'm being SO careful. I know that onions make me gassy. I've known that for many years but it's hard to make stews & soups without so I only use a 'tiny' amount for a bit of flavour. But I used no onions yesterday or the previous day.

So let's say some other foods bother me - how in the world do I go about tracking them down? I've never shown any symptoms of lactose intolerance before - I drink milk & have since I was diagnosed & many days I was completely gas free so can see how milk would be doing this. Wouldn't it bother me consistently if I was using the same amount each day?

Stupid me for thinking this wouldn't be so hard. I rarely eat out & enjoy my own cooking so I thought I had it all figured out. Guess I should've know better.

[gfpaperdoll]

My guess is that you need to be dairy free at the least for awhile.

next what kind of gluten-free flour was in the muffins? Did the muffins also contain milk or other dairy? You could also be reacting to one of the gluten-free flours. I have been gluten-free 4 years & hardly ever eat any of the gluten-free flour... Some people handle it with no problems - but not me...

I recommend coconut milk for cooking & baking to replace the dairy...

Some of us oldies keep saying wait to introduce those gluten free baked goods etc - but most people do not listen - heck I did the same thing when I was first gluten-free & kept getting sick as a dog - the tiniest little whiff of gluten in anything gets me & still does - nothing for me that is made in a facility that processes non gluten-free items. You know how everyone loves the Diamond Nut Thin Rice crakers - makes me sick...

All those gluten-free flours have some level of cross contamination... I think that is one reason that it is better to wait until your villi are healed...

[Takala]

Yes, but..... did you use a brand new muffin tin or an old one with baked on gunk ?

Plastic bowls, spatulas, colanders, etc... just throw that stuff out now or give it away.

Second most likely culprit could be the dairy, like the feta cheese or the milk.

You might be lactose intolerant, which means you need to avoid fresh milk and cheese products, just using aged cheese, or completely dairy intolerant, or just sensitive to cow's products and can use sheep and goat cheeses. Some of the dairy intolerance might clear up after you've been off gluten a while. Or not.

Apple juice... be careful with that stuff, they are truly putting some genuinely weird stuff in a lot of it, like calcium carbonate, which gives people gas. I don't drink much of it anymore because I don't like the labels telling me it could come from one of the following 10 countries... forget that. We grow apples in America.

Sweet and sour pork (gaaahhhh. sorry. ) was it completely from scratch or was part of it with a commercial sauce ? i don't trust very many sauces unless I put them together. Some people cannot tolerate vinegar unless it is apple cider pure vinegar, even tho it is supposed to be safe to use distilled vinegar. Pork can be a bit difficult for some people unless they are in otherwise good shape.

Other things.

You can get nailed by things that are completely off menu, like contaminated wooden cutting boards, hand lotion, makeup, pet foods and not washing your hands after you scoop it, etc.

[Jujbe]

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Some of us oldies keep saying wait to introduce those gluten free baked goods etc - but most people do not listen - heck I did the same thing when I was first gluten-free & kept getting sick as a dog - the tiniest little whiff of gluten in anything gets me & still does - nothing for me that is made in a facility that processes non gluten-free items. You know how everyone loves the Diamond Nut Thin Rice crackers - makes me sick...

I've never heard of Diamond Nut Thin Rice crackers. I never eat crackers. I guess I'm thinking I'm not so sensitive to non-gluten foods as many as I don't get that sick. In fact, I didn't even consider myself ill with digestive trouble before until I got DH (dermatitis herpetiformis) & found I was gluten sensitive. I don't get any pain, cramps, or bloating - just more gas & looser stools. I suppose I'll learn how sensitive over time as I learn more & which things might bother me or not.

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Yes, but..... did you use a brand new muffin tin or an old one with baked on gunk ?

Plastic bowls, spatulas, colanders, etc... just throw that stuff out now or give it away.

No it's an older muffin tin but there's no baked on gunk. I scrub my pans & hate to see grease baked on. They shine they're that clean. But like I said, I've been eating this for a while & only today did I noticed any gas or itching again. So I can't see it being the baking as I've eaten it everyday since I made them & only reacted today.

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Second most likely culprit could be the dairy, like the feta cheese or the milk.

You might be lactose intolerant, which means you need to avoid fresh milk and cheese products, just using aged cheese, or completely dairy intolerant, or just sensitive to cow's products and can use sheep and goat cheeses. Some of the dairy intolerance might clear up after you've been off gluten a while. Or not.

Again, I've had milk every day too but only the reaction to whatever it was today. Milk has never bothered me in the past either.

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Apple juice... be careful with that stuff, they are truly putting some genuinely weird stuff in a lot of it, like calcium carbonate, which gives people gas. I don't drink much of it anymore because I don't like the labels telling me it could come from one of the following 10 countries... forget that. We grow apples in America.

I didn't read the label on the juice. Since it was at my mom's I drank it, I can't check it now. Will check in the future.

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Sweet and sour pork (gaaahhhh. sorry. ) was it completely from scratch or was part of it with a commercial sauce? i don't trust very many sauces unless I put them together.

No, entirely from scratch - basics like rice flour, egg, oil, etc. It's how I normally cook. I've never bought mayonnaise or any other dips, sauces, or mixes as they're so easy to make from scratch & taste better. Never used things like Shake-and-Bake or Kraft macaroni & cheese. It may sound old-fashioned & a lot of work to others but it's how I've always cooked. The sweet & sour pork I make isn't like you'd buy in a restaurant as it's an authentic Chinese way of making it.

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Some people cannot tolerate vinegar unless it is apple cider pure vinegar, even tho it is supposed to be safe to use distilled vinegar. Pork can be a bit difficult for some people unless they are in otherwise good shape.

Not trying to dispute any of what you're writing (glad to have help) but I am in otherwise excellent health - never get ill, active, strong, not overweight or underweight, all other blood tests are very good too. And pork has never bothered me before, not the slightest.

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Other things.

You can get nailed by things that are completely off menu, like contaminated wooden cutting boards, hand lotion, makeup, pet foods and not washing your hands after you scoop it, etc.

No, none of those. I don't use any lotions (really - just a drop of vegetable oil rubbed on my legs & arms after a shower), my cutting board is only for vegetables on one side & the other side for meat. Only make-up is loose mineral powder. And I always wash my hands after scooping cat food as it's a little greasy. The stuff I buy has NO grain in it anyway - the only carbohydrate source is potatoes. I'm really good at not feeding ANY grains to my kitty.

My son pointed out to me tonight that the "home made" fries I had at a friend's place may have been used to fry battered foods in too. I hadn't thought of that & now wonder if that might be the source. Seems to makes sense.

[brendygirl]

I, too, have been playing Sherlock Holmes to figure out why gluten-free packaged baked goods make me sick, too.

In my support group, they tell me that some people react to canola oil and some to guar gum (which is cheaper, but harder on digestion than xanthan gum), or to sorghum.

SO, I took note of two baked goods that definitely made me sick (I didn't eat dairy or anything that I don't normally eat the same days I ate each of them).

The common ingredients in the Kinnickinnick chocolate donuts and the Trader Joe gluten-free brownies that gave me "d" are:

Cocoa

tapioca starch/flour

xanthan gum

I cook at home with xanthan gum and cocoa, so I'm thinking it's the tapioca. The tapioca may be the reason I can't eat those Pamela's cookies, too.

Anybody else have an opinion to weigh in?? I'd appreciate more ideas to test out on myself...

[veggienft]

The proteins which celiacs react to in gluten are also present on the surface of the common yeast candida albicans.

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The operative theory says that people get gluten intolerant via exposure to candida. I got celiac disease after years battling candida. In the gut candida thrives in an environment of sugar and oxidants, chlorine and dyes.

I'm also lactose intolerant. I can eat real cows milk cheese (not "American cheese"), but I can't drink cows milk..

A celiac's immune system would see candida and gluten as the same invaders. If that's you, then eliminating gluten has only done half of the needed elimination. The tomato and sweet and sour sauce are also suspect.

Scientifically, you have it right. You build a model, and test it. Try changing your model to attack candida albicans. It works for me.

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[AliB]

  brendygirl said:

The common ingredients in the Kinnickinnick chocolate donuts and the Trader Joe gluten-free brownies that gave me "d" are:

Cocoa

tapioca starch/flour

xanthan gum

I cook at home with xanthan gum and cocoa, so I'm thinking it's the tapioca. The tapioca may be the reason I can't eat those Pamela's cookies, too.

That's interesting - I was hungry when I went to bed last night so I had some pate on a rice cracker. I had some the night before without any problem, but last night I opened a new pot of the same Organic gluten-free Pork Pate. Within 20 minutes my stomach started going off like Vesuvius! I could hear it grumbling and groaning its way through my digestion most of the night, I had raging gas both ends, and my legs and feet were jumping round the bed with a life completely of their own! I finally fell asleep exhausted about 5am!

What the heck was that?! The pate contained tapioca starch and xanthan gum. The only thing I can think is that this new pot must have some CC in there somewhere - despite the gluten-free label. Why on earth one would affect me but the other not. That is so weird.

I have to say though Jujbe that I too had a problem with quite a lot of foods after I went gluten-free. I could not cope at all with baked goods - even my own. I had a feeling it might be the tartaric acid in the Baking Powder so I just use Soda now on the odd occasion i do make any.

I do actually believe that gluten is just a small part of the picture for some. I have realised that for me it is not just Gluten, but carbohydrates per se that is my problem. I have just been looking into the Metabolic Typing diet and have ascertained that I am a 'Protein' type who needs plenty of purines and very little carbohydrate. I have always known that I need protein and that I can't cope with carbs but didn't know why.

If we eat the wrong foods for our particular metabolism, we are 'planting' ourselves in the wrong 'soil' and our bodies cannot function efficiently. Even plants need certain types of soil to thrive in - put them in the wrong soil and they will die. We never think of ourselves in the same vein, that what we are eating is the reason why we are sick and getting sicker, but just gaily go on throwing any old rubbish down our throats until suddenly one day our body throws its hands up and says 'ENOUGH'! My digestion collapsed before I woke up and did enough research to figure out what was going on.

Yes, going gluten-free is important for those who are Gluten Intolerant or Celiac, but it is often only just a part of the problem. If we keep eating foods that our body and metabolism cannot cope with then we just will not get better. It might be the most expensive food in the world but if it is the wrong food, it is worthless to us.

[veggienft]

The way it works for me is the difference between clinical diabetes and candidiasis.

Doctors generally tell diabetics and hypoglycemics the problem is sugar levels in the blood. And since the body turns stomach starch into blood sugar, don't eat sugars or starches.

Starches other than glutenous grains give me no trouble. Sugars of all kinds give me tremendous trouble .......itchy rashes, brain fog, swollen tongue, blurred vision, sinusitis, non-healing wounds, diarrhea and constipation .....all consistent with diabetes. But starches do none of these things to me.

For me, the problem is sugar in the stomach, not sugar in the bloodstream ......consistent with candidiasis. And gee, now that I've discovered I have celiac, it turns out they're probably the same autoimmune disease.

And it's apparent from the research and testimonials here that other people with this disease share my swings between constipation and diarrhea as well as the serges of allergic reactions. So to save a question-answer step, the surge model goes like this.

Gluten (or candida) causes gut damage, and the gut recognizes it. The gut releases a constant flood of zonulin cytokine (bodily protein). Zonulin opens the "tight junction" channels from the gut into the bloodstream. The blood's immune system then assumes the roll of food digestion. The unprocessed food contains allergens which the immune system reacts to with histamine. Histamine swells the mucous membrane of the gut lining, closing off the flood of food into the bloodstream. The liver, kidneys and immune system digest the offending substances. The histamine subsides, and the gut readies for another tight junction flood.

Histamine swells all mucous membranes, and creates allergic reactions all over the body. That's uncomfortable, so subjects tend to fight back by eliminating the perceived allergens. In this model identifying and eliminating allergens without eliminating the causes of zonulin curtails the body's ability to regulate the flood of unprocessed food into the bloodstream. The body must find successive allergen triggers in order to restore its pulsed means of digestive regulation.

I'm convinced this model describes my allergy and regularity pulses as well as those of other posters here. I'm just glad I found the gluten connection before I reached the end of the list of possible allergens.

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