Fairy Dancer

Try the Paleo diet if you can and eliminate grains (all of them!), dairy, and legumes (including soy as it comes from a legume). Avoid heavily processed foods as well.

The basic rule of thumb is if you can't hunt it or pick it in the wild...don't eat it! If it is something you could hunt or gather because its a natural food...go for it!

Have you tried cooking the meat in its own juices? I tend to find you don't really need to add oil when cooking meat as it tends to have enough fat in it already. Use non stick pans though.

It is the pride brand (in the UK)

I had some coconut milk earlier and after eating I had stomach pain, acid reflux and wheezing. It has the following ingredients...Can anyone tell me anything about them as my gut was not hurting before I had some lol.

Coconut extract (obvious ingredient lol)

Water (another obvious one lol)

Guar Gum

Xantham gum

Sodium carboxymethyl cellulose

Distilled monoglycerides

Polysorbate 60

sodium metabisulpite

It seems, in one form or another, I get reactions to the following foods: Grains (except white rice), corn, and I am testing to see if I am having issues with soya as I always seem to get a reaction to foods with it in such as chocolate (although it could be the chocolate or vanillin in it) and some processed gravy containing soya but not wheat (brought me up in a rash).

I am also allergic to duck feathers but that is irrelevant here lol.

I get allergic reactions to some household cleaners (red itchy lumps where it has come into contact with my skin)

I am sensitive or allergic also to many medications including anti inflammatories (result in stomach pain, wheezing and projectile vomiting with in minutes of taking the darn things), certain types of anti biotic (but not penicillin), and various other meds including most anti depressants. I also had a bad reaction to vitamin pills some years back (don't bother with them these days) so god knows what the hell they put in these things lol

Celery gives me a numb mouth but I don't think that's an intolerance or anything lol.

I'm still exploring various foods etc. Don't know if any of those ingredients in the coconut milk are similar to ingredients in other things I am allergic/sensitive or intolerant to!

Not long ago I did ask my dr for blood tests for a number of things about a month and half after I took gluten/grains out of my diet but all tests came back as normal including the one for celiac. I have never had a biopsy though for anything. 8 or so years ago I went to my drs complaining of fatigue, feeling ill, stomach pain, acid reflux, diarrhoea, headaches etc. They also did blood tests then as well (although not for celiac that time) and they all came back normal except for an elevated white cell count which they said was 'probably' viral...or in their words a 'possible viral infection'.

6 Months later I still have the symptoms so I go back. They wouldn't repeat the tests, saw that I had suffered from depression in the past and diagnosed it as depression and anxiety with IBS. No testing was ever done other than that first set of blood tests at that time.

Medication (anti depressants) have not helped.

Therapy is useless and has no effect.

Fast forward 8 years and its getting worse. The fatigue and dizziness were so bad I could not get out of bed most days as every time I did the room would feel like it was moving. The diarrhoea was worse and the stomach pain and so on. So eventually I had to try something and as I had noticed that my symptoms changed whenever I had made any dietary changes in the past (either gotten worse, or slightly better until my diet changed back again) I decided to look into food issues.

First I pulled grains and within a month I was able to sit up again and get out of bed but I was still not feeling right. Then I pulled dairy and there was really no significant change...

Now I'm wondering why I my dizziness and diarrhoea are getting worse again (although I am still well enough to stay out of bed) and the only link I can spot is that I have been consuming more soy products than before.

I may try to find a dietician as I am sure I am intolerant to something but I am not 100% sure what.

My other theory is that it is Chronic fatigue as the improvements I saw with dietary changes in the past may have been coincidental. It seems to have a semi remitting (where I see slight improvement) relapsing course at times and if it's not food related I've no idea why. My full set of symptoms include:

Repeated infections in my teeth and molars that seem to be disintegrating/breaking apart.

Sore throat that comes and goes

Pain in my neck especially after eating bread/grains

Generalised itching

Bloating

Gut pain (upper and lower)

Acid reflux

On going diarrohea or rather soft pale stools that smell rancid (the rancid smell has improved since taking grains out).

Body temperature issues...either feeling too cold or like I am burning up

Muscle pains

Muscle twitching

Vertigo

Fatigue

Blurry vision (that changes too frequently to be a need for a new prescription

Headaches (migraine type)

And a burning/tingling sensation in one patch of my skin on my arm after I eat certain foods.

Irritability cause I always feel bad.

Past symptoms that vanished and have not returned yet:

Eye sight completely cutting out for a split second, momentarily blinding me.

Loss of ability to feel heat in my legs (burnt my leg in bath several times)

Peripheral neuropathy in my hands

Feeling as though the cold tap was hot when I put my hand under it (only lasted briefly).

Burning sensation in the skin around my ear canal.

Lately the skin in the side of my face keeps going semi numb but not the muscle underneath (as I can move everything ok).

Only it confuses me as I get times where for one reason or another it seems to pretty much disappear (except for a few minor symptoms) then comes back again, lasts for months, then goes then comes back again then comes then goes then comes then goes...gah.

Hi

I went gluten and grain free (except white rice) about 3 months back. At first I saw an improvement but then, as I pulled in new foods to replace the grains I had taken out, I started to feel ill again with the same old symptoms...ie stomach pain, diarrhoea, dizziness regardless of whether I ate grains or not.

As a trial I pulled dairy out of my diet...no change.

Then I noticed that I would get the stomach pain after eating a brand of gluten free dark chocolate. In the case of some gluten free gravy mix I actually vomited and came up in a rash (raised red lumps) over my stomach and of course bread was still making me ill if I ate it. I was also having problems with some chocolate mousse etc that I had been eating that was labelled as gluten free as well as with foods like bean sprouts and corn.

Today I looked at the ingredients lists of the foods that seemed to set off the dizziness, rashes etc and found that they all had one common ingredient...Soy (except for the corn obviously which seems to be another food my digestive system does not like lol).

I am now considering trying a soy free diet and wondered if people knew of a good list of foods I should avoid. I am also wondering if it is worth staying off of grains? I am not officially diagnosed as celiac and decided on trying a gluten free diet because I was trying to find out what was causing my symptoms. I also have a brother with celiac and wondered if it ran in the family.

The thing is if soy was or is causing my symptoms is it likely that I am actually ok with grians after all? Or could I have issues with both. I did initially get some improvement from taking grains out so that does make me wonder. Any advice appreciated...

Ok on Saturday I decided to be bad and eat a turkey Sandwich. I am not officially diagnosed with celiac disease but decided to try a gluten free diet anyway as I was a getting rather a lot of symptoms and I have a brother with it. I did have an improvement in symptoms after going gluten free, but I thought I might get away with just one sarnie lol. I did get some bloating after eating it but at the time nowt more than that.

Anyway, its Monday now and I have diarrhoea and stomach pain as well as bloating. Could it be the sandwich I had on Saturday causing it or is it more likely to be something I ate today or even yesterday?

Fructose malabsorption is a common problem for celiacs after going gluten free. BE CAREFUL and don't eat too much fruits and vegetables. Plain rice noodles with some sunflower oil poured on them after boiling works well! Make sure you eat a safe, simple diet for now!

I seem to be ok with fructose as far as I can tell. I also tend to avoid rice as it is a grain. I am doing a slightly different diet to just a gluten free one as I am trying a modified version of the paleo diet (that includes carbs and a limited amount of dairy). The full paleo diet is basically no processed foods, no grains, no dairy and no legumes.

I consume limited amounts of dairy, some grain free processed foods as treats only and the occasional legume (I only really like green beans and garden peas). Other than that my diet is more paleo than anything else lol. I also sometimes use virgin coconut oil for cooking instead of types of oils although I sometimes use vegetable oil for roasting.

Today for dinner I had chicken stir fry with courgette, kale, carrots and a jacket potato followed by a bowl of raspberries and blueberries. It seems to be sitting ok in my digestive system.

I also moderate foods with added sugars (limited to treats only) and get my carbs from the sugars that are in the foods naturally (rather than put in by a manufacturer). Thus far I am seeing positive results until I try to put grains in again so I have abandoned them completely for the time being.

I just play it safe and avoid all grains. I get my carbs from startchy vegetables etc instead (ie potatoes, butternut squash, parsnips). The rest of my diet is made up of meat, some fish (if it is low mercury) fruit, vegetables and nuts. I also consume dairy as I seem to be ok with that as long as I don't over do it.

Parsnips and butter nut squash have carbohydrates if you can eat them.

I used to but corn products upset me and I hate drinking aspartame so won't opt for diet versions. I drink mostly black coffee, mineral water, water with lemon or lime juice (freshly squeezed), occasionally fruit juice and more frequently fruit smoothies (they have more fibre than juice alone).

I used to drink milky coffee but I am trying to cut down on my dairy. My stomach will take moderate amounts but does not like an excess of it. When I do use milk (as a treat I have a latte once in a while) I have also switched to goats milk as its a bit nicer than cows milk.

I went grain and gluten free and saw improvements. 3 months later though I now find that my diet has become dairy heavy and I am starting to get stomach aches again. I originally thought I had no problems with dairy but now I am wondering if I do as the symptoms are worse at times when I have consumed a lot of dairy produce. I seem to be ok with small amounts of it, but not large amounts. For now I am going to try reducing the amount I eat and switching to goats milk for a while instead. Goats milk seems to be a bit gentler and is nicer than cows milk anyway lol.

Gliadin is a type of gluten. Gluten is a collective name for certain proteins found in grains. Gliadin is wheat gluten, secalin is rye gluten and hordein is Barley gluten, as far as I am aware.

HI

About 3 or so months ago I eliminated grains and gluten from my diet and have slowly started to feel much better. However now I am noticing that whenever I consume a lot of dairy produce I feel unwell again. Has anyone else found that, some months down the line, they have also had the same problem and is it worth taking dairy out of my diet also?

If so, what other sources of calcium are there?

I was fairly strict although at the beginning I did ease into it and there were a few accidental glutenings. But as I live alone and needed some new kitchen pans etc anyway it wasn't too hard to make the switch over.

In the space of 3 or so months I have gone from hardly being able to get out of bed most days to having good energy levels. The vertigo, fatigue and constant dizziness I was experiencing have gone and the IBS symptoms have greatly improved. The constant hang over feeling I had has also gone. I feel well 98% of the time. There are still some days I feel a bit off but I am still giving my body time to heal itself and am working on improving my fitness levels as well.

There were also some unexpected changes too. My depression and anxiety have virtually vanished. So much so that I am now weaning off of my anti depressant medication. I had been on them for 10 years for chronic depression and for the first time in all those years I don't feel depressed at all.

I also seem to heal much faster (I had tended to be a bit of a slow healer previously) and the hard skin on my feet has gone as well (it got quite bad at one point lol). My nails are also in better condition too.

Lots of little oddities that seem to be correcting themselves since I went gluten free. I presently eat a modified version of the paleo diet. I eat no grains or grain produce (except the occasional portion of white rice) and limit legumes (I only like garden peas anyway and whilst I will eat peanuts they are not one of my favourite nuts). I avoid foods with added sugar (except as a treat now and then) and I don't add sugar to anything myself or use artificial sweeteners either (I drink mostly water, water with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice or coffee rather than soda or cordials). I also limit processed foods to treats only (as long as they are grain free) and stick to a mostly whole foods diet based on meat (but not processed meats or meat products...ie bacon or packaged sandwich meats), fish (as long as they are low mercury), nuts, dairy, starchy tubers, fruit and vegetables.

It seems to be helping. A lot! It is nice to be able to function again and I wouldn't return to my old diet if anyone paid me lol. I don't miss feeling like death warmed up and I don't miss the foods I used to eat as there are plenty of delicious foods that I can eat which don't make me feel unwell.

Hope you solve your issues.

Please excuse my typos as my glasses now feel a bit too strong for me so I need another visit to my optician I think. I have a convergence insufficiency caused by weak eyes muscles for which I need a prism in my glasses. I think I need a new prescription cause I can see better without the glasses but not well enough yet to do fine art work etc without a bit of help lol.

I tested negative on the one test for celiac disease that I had, which my dr agreed to do because I have a brother who is diagnosed with it (I have never had genetic testing done though) but have found that my symptoms have gradually improved on a gluten free diet anyway.

In the beginning improvement was very slow partly, I think, because I found out later that I was still consuming foods with gluten or wheat in (it was not in the ingredients list but they were not suitable for gluten sensitive people due to the manufacturing process...in one case it was a vegetable stir fry (with no sauce) of all things causing the problem!). I also found that I was having issues with other foods as well such as fresh sweetcorn on the cob and I recently had a bad reaction to a non food product...a nicotine patch...from which I am still recovering lol. Talk about feeling like death warmed up and having bad diarrhoea! However, I think it might be an allergic reaction in the case of the latter as I have had issues with certain brands of medical adhesives before and I also had a skin reaction to the patch as well as the upset system. I had similar problems with the gum as well (it burnt my mouth and was too painful to tolerate) so it looks like I will have to quit smoking cold turkey lol.

I do have other allergies (duck feathers, anti inflammatories, certain household cleaning products and I also respond badly to other types of medication) so I have never been sure if my reaction to wheat and gluten is a sensitivity, celiac disease or an allergy...

I did try putting wheat back in after going gluten free and had a bad reaction to it 4 times in a row...each time I had bad stomach pains, diarrhoea, acid reflux, fatigue, horrible vertigo, irritability, and nausea and on the fourth occasion some processed gravy actually brought me up into a rash...

Either way I avoid it now and stick to a whole foods only diet. My drs however still continue to put my gradually disappearing symptoms down to anxiety and depression. I still think the issue was and is food related.

Many of my symptoms have improved since my house has been gluten and wheat free etc, and some are still slowly improving, even if I am still not yet 100%.

It is worth making your house completely gluten free if you can as that minimises your risk of exposure. I avoid the stuff like its the plague lol.

I would certainly agree with that. Are you going to get more tests?

No as usual my drs are not going to investigate further. I just get left with the anxiety, depression and IBS diagnosis, which is what they blamed the fatigue, dizziness/vertigo and stomach issues etc on. Other than routine blood tests I have never had any further tests for anything lol.

Oddly antidepressants and therapy have never helped. But changing my diet has...

I am in the uk. I had one test done as part of a routine blood panel (he added the one test for celiac because I have a brother with it and I asked for it). It only took a few days to come back but although it came back negative I am not totally convinced it was accurate due to the success I have had on a gluten free diet. Nearly 3 months and many of my health problems are reversing themselves. I think my body knows better...

You could be getting cross contaminated or being glutened unknowingly. There could also be other food issues. For a while I failed to show as much improvement as I would have liked and later I found that some products I had been eating were not suitable for those on a gluten free diet even though there were no gluten ingredients in the recipe. It was a vegetable stir fry of all things but because of the methods used in manufacture it was not suitable for celiacs.

I also later found that my system does not like fresh corn.

I find its much easier to stick to a whole foods diet and now only buy fresh produce, limiting anything processed to treat foods only (and only after I have triple checked they have no gluten in).

Also because my diet is partially influenced by the paleo diet, other than the occasional bit of rice (once or twice a month), I don't eat any grains or gluten free substitute products (the full paleo diet does not allow any grains, legumes, dairy or processed foods...mostly because according to some grains and legumes contain lectins and anti nutrients and were not consumed by our palaeolithic ancestors). We have only been eating grains as a staple in our diet for 10 thousand years and the theory is that we are not genetically evolved to consume them and that they are harmful to the body. For nearly 200 thousand years before that grains were not a staple food on our menu. We evolved to eat a different type of diet basically. However as I do a modified version of the paleo diet I still consume some dairy and one or two legumes such as green beans and garden peas (they are the only legumes I like anyway).

What if a celiac gene is not an anomally and the human race is still evolving to be able to digest our new diet? Problems with gluten seem to be very common!

I will say that without any grains at all and with limited gluten free processed foods as an occasional treat (ie chocolate ice cream that is gluten free) my symptoms have started to disappear...and fast! For many years I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I had mood swings, headaches, migraines, fatigue, dizziness, vertigo, stomach acid, diarrhoea etc and all those are vanishing one by one. So I do feel that your symptoms could be being caused by gluten or grains.

I am also losing weight which is something I, personally, needed to do.

There is a lady I talk to on another site who had problems with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Her health problems also vanished on the paleo diet. I have come across a lot of people who, even if they are not diagnosed as celiac, have benefited from going grain/gluten/processed foods free.

Hope you feel better soon.

fairy

I tested negative when I had the blood test for celiac disease (no biopsy has ever been done as my drs treated the blood test results as conclusive) but I have experienced great improvements health wise by going gluten free. The fatigue that my drs diagnosed as depression for the last 8 years is going, my dizziness has gone completely as has my vertigo. My moods have improved. My stomach is now settled and the diarrhoea I was getting has pretty much gone now. My brain fog has vanished (most days unless I accidentally eat something with wheat or gluten in). My acid reflux has gone. My stomach pain has ceased and I can function again now.

All in all, regardless of what the blood test said, my body has most definitely responded favourably to a gluten free diet.

I also avoid most processed foods and eat a whole foods diet.

Whatever the reason...it has worked.

Many hugs

I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety yet on a gluten free diet my symptoms are disappearing one by one. However, over the years, due to my not being well my family turned against me also and I too have no one.

I feel your pain.

I hope things improve for you x

I thought I was ok with some vegetable stir fry as there was no gluten or wheat in the ingredients (only vegetables). However I later found that it was not suitable for those on a wheat or gluten free diet due to the methods used in manufacture. I wondered why I was feeling off after eating it. I was beginning to think it was the mushrooms or something and that I had another food sensitivity...

I think its easier to buy fresh stuff and make your own lol

I am not diagnosed as celiac but have found that I have greatly improved my health by going gluten free. Everything from my fatigue to the dizziness and brain fog I was suffering from has disappeared. 4 weeks ago I could hardly get out of bed and if I wanted to mow my back garden it would take me 4 days (and my garden is not that big) because I would have to keep stopping due to feeling ill. However recently I managed both back and front in the same day and had energy left over to trim the hedge. Its strange as I am not used to feeling this well. I have felt like death warmed up for years, which my drs kept putting down to anxiety and depression. Therapy and meds did nothing to help though.

Now, I am still not quite 100% but each I day I feel a bit better. I almost feel 18 again in some ways.

However if I eat even small amounts of wheat or gluten I will start to see the return of some of the symptoms that now seem to have vanished. So I would rather not expose myself to any gluten at all!

@AVR

I had problems with pain in my neck for months until I went gluten free and that seems to have subsided as well. I thought I had just pulled a muscle that was refusing to heal or something lol but since being off the gluten it seems to have gone. I was wondering the other day if it might have been connected in some way.

I have had similar symptoms to you (except for wieght loss and rash) for over 6 years now and although the one blood test I had for celiac was normal (no biopsy has ever been done) I have experienced improvement on the gluten free diet anyway. Previously my dizziness, vertigo and fatigue were so bad some days that I couldn't get out of bed. Several weeks after going gluten and processed foods free (I went onto a whole foods only diet with the occasional gluten free processed treat) I am now up and about slowly getting my housework done.

I still don't feel completely right but I feel much better than I did and I am still experiencing a gradual improvement in symptoms and not just physically. My anxiety levels have gone down and have almost vanished, my depression has gone, my mind is clearer than it has been for years and I'm far less irritable. Acid reflux has disappeared, bowel is much more settled (but still having the occasional off day...then again I've accidentally glutened myself a few times...its amazing what they put this stuff in including a vegetable stir fry lol) and the abdominal pain is fading and has almost gone as well. I just seem to have a bit of residual soreness rather than pain now, and that is improving too.

Oh and for the first time in years I actually wake up in the mornings without feeling like I have a massive hangover (I don't drink alcohol), especially in the last few days. It feels strange as I am so used to feeling horribly groggy in the mornings and very unwell for most of the day.

I almost feel 18 again and I'm 36 now lol.

Have the test but whatever the result it's still worth trying a gluten free diet for a while!

Hope you feel better soon.

Despite having had gut symptoms (bloating, diarrhoea with soft pale stools at times, acid reflux, stomach pain and abdominal cramps etc) and fatigue (tired, dizzy, attacks of vertigo etc) issues now for over 6 years I have never had an endoscopy etc. My dr just labelled it as IBS after doing routine blood tests.

They also labelled my fatigue as depression even though I don't have the symptoms of clinical depression (ie have not lost interest in my hobbies etc). Thing is they keep giving me therapy for the fatigue and err it doesn't work. I was still feeling like death warmed up most days (so much so that some days I couldn't get up out of bed due to the dizziness and vertigo). On the gluten free diet my dizziness has improved a bit and I am now at least able to get up and move around! My last dr did at least test for celiac with the routine blood tests (because I have a brother with diagnosed celiac disease) but didn't specify which tests were done exactly.