cornbread

I agree on Hula Hut. Very careful/courteous waitstaff. They will run and check on ingredients for you and suggest ways you can have a dish prepared safely, ie: substituting stuff. Great place for kids and adults alike.

If you plan on having a special meal without the kids, Sullivan's steakhouse is awesome and has never glutened me. Speak to your waitstaff and they will go all out to prepare you a safe meal.

I've also had good results at Magnolia Cafe (open 24 hours, all types of food, casual and but great food and very friendly and very very 'Austin'). They have a few 'branches' around town. Once again, speak to them and they will deliver. I CAN NOT say the same for Kerbey Lane however, who are the other 24/7 place. My husband and me used to go there daily before my diagnosis, but once I started going and asking for stuff to be prepared a certain way I got glutened. More than once. And they appeared not to care about losing 2 of their most loyal customers.

Mexican... you can't come to Austin without having some Tex-Mex. I highly recommend Maudie's (same deal - mention you can't have wheat and check what you're ordering has 100% corn tortillas and that there's no gluten in the sauces). They have a few items to choose from for the gluten-free, and it's worth a visit alone for their tortilla chips. Another good option for Tex-Mex is Guero's. For proper Mexican (ie: interior not tex-mex) I can very very highly recommend Manuel's. It's at 310 Congress. Make sure you get corn tortillas and have them check the dish you want, etc.

PM me if you want more info!

I'm on day 4. Based on Elaine's recommendations for those who have C rather than D, I've added in the muffins after day 2:

"Get on the introductory diet for two days. Then introduce the muffins, one per day, along with COOKED AND PEELED vegetables and fruits. Raw fruit and vegetables (with the exception of the ripe banana) can aggravate both diarrhea and constipation."

So now I'm eating the soup, grassfed beef patties, well cooked zucchini/carrots and drinking 3 litres of water per day, one glass of grape juice and one cup of green tea (she recommended a hot drink with breakfast and I can't do coffee yet). Oh, and baked apples with honey and cinnamon or baked pears. Mmmm!

I'm very tired and my skin is breaking out, which I guess means I'm detoxing (?). I'm now going to the bathroom after each meal (not saying something happens each time, but the urge is there now at least! ) and I've had no stomach pains or bloating at all since starting the diet. Compared to the previous week when I was bloated and in pain after eating anything. So I think it's working. Nothing dramatic, but baby steps. My stomach feels so calm these days that it actually feels odd! Isn't that depressing? I'm sure you can all relate...

Re: the muffins, I can't eat eggs so I substituted 1T flaxmeal and 2T water for every egg. Works a treat in the muffins, but I'm not sure how 'legal' flaxmeal is. The book doesn't mention it. It's given me no problems (only 3T flaxmeal per batch of muffins though), and if anything I think it's been a benefit for me, being on the C rather than D end of the spectrum. Any clues?

I also took a leaky gut test today. So I guess today I was off the diet, as you have to drink a lactulose/mannitol mixture. I should have the results in 7-10 days.

I'm also doing a 'Colonix' cleanse, whiich I started the same day as the diet. I guess it could be that which is causing me to feel 'detoxed'.

I think I'm going to try eggs soon. I don't have an intolerance to them, just a sensitivity (IgG) and I intend to get them back into my diet as soon as possible. I want to retry them every few weeks whilst I'm making progress with the SCDiet. Anyone got any pointers on when we should retry foods we couldn't handle before? Is 1 week too soon?

Thanks Corinne. I think you are totally right - the symptoms I'm still having are probably indicative of problems with some foods I *think* I can have (delayed reactions, etc). And if nothing else, a simple, cleansing diet like this will help me pinpoint what foods are really ok and not, as well as giving everything a chance to properly heal.

I definitely am going to give this a go! It's not even going to be that hard for me as the legal list is basically my current shopping list anyway, I will just have to cook it all longer and mush it up a little more than usual.

Can I also ask - you said you couldn't do eggs initially. Does this mean the SCDiet enabled you to now eat eggs? This is a big hope for me.

Thanks again!

Enterolab now do IgA tests for soy, yeast and egg (as well as casein and gluten). I came back positive for everything but egg. They told me that it was their belief that any food that causes an abnormal rise in IgA antibodies could do the same damage as gluten. For example, whichever food triggers that reaction, to your body it is the same reaction. It's not actually the gluten that causes your body harm, it's the autoimmune *reaction* that the gluten triggers in your body that causes the damage - and as well all know, the damage isn't always limited to the gut, it can be arthritis, MS, excema, etc. To me that theory makes too much sense to ignore. Your body doesn't care whether it's gluten or casein or pickled frog that you ate, if it launches an IgA reaction, you are in trouble.

The grey area arises when you don't know whether it was an IgA or IgG reaction that you had. I can't tolerate eggs these days, but I tested for them twice via Enterolab (IgA test) and each time the showed no abnormal IgA reaction. However, they were the only thing that came back positive on my IgG food allergy blood test. So that means I am certainly reacting, but it is an IgG reaction, ie: something I can hopefully get over in time. The IgA stuff though, that's for life and I take it as seriously as gluten.

Here's the link to the Enterolab IgA tests for soy, yeast and egg:

Open Original Shared Link

I'm really confused about whether I should try this diet. I read the book and I like the theory but I'm not sure if it's right for me for the following reasons:

1. I'm confused about where to start because I don't have D, and the initial phase seems to be aimed at clearing up D. Also, I can't eat eggs or dairy, so if I were to do the intro diet it would be just chicken soup.

2. I can currently consume raw fruit without any problem, so what is the benefit of starting to cook them? I can understand not eating anything on the illegal list (because of the carb structure), BUT if I can already happily eat most items that the book is aiming to 'build us up to' eating, isn't the diet a step backwards for me?

Any insights greatly appreciated. I am desperate to embark on something that I feel will heal my insides! I have gluten/casein/soy/yeast intolerance (lifetime IgA kind) and an IgG allergy to eggs. I also can't tolerate ANY grains or starchy tubers. Even strictly avoiding all of my problem foods, eating organic only, no chemicals, additives, no gluten-free junk food, I still get massive bloating and abdominal pain. My ND says I have a leaky gut. I'm on probiotics, l-glutamine, etc. but to no avail so far (6 months).

Hi gf4life,

I hope you found a casein-free support buddy! I would offer to help but I have such an awful reaction to casein (exactly like my gluten reaction - knocks me out for 10+ days) that I had NO problem at all giving it up! It's a double-edged sword I guess - I have zero urge to 'cheat' because those foods to me now seem like poison, but then again I can very easily get sick from the most minute amount of the 6 food groups I react to, that I can no longer eat out. I miss that aspect of my life more than the foods themselves. And I miss coffee and wine (yeast allergy) MUCH more than cheese!

I also couldn't find a good cheese substitute because I'm also allergic to soy, which is in all the casein-free fake cheeses. I just try and focus on the good stuff I CAN eat, and on how great not feeling sick all the time feels. Cheese is tasty, but I ask myself what would I miss more, cheese or strawberries? Cheese or (dairy-free/soy-free) chocolate? It makes me thankful for the delicious stuff I still can eat. And more than that, thankful for my health, at last.

My fave cereal is eggs and bacon.

Open Original Shared Link. All of the test details and pricing are at their site. I would highly recommend getting all their tests - gluten, casein, soy, yeast and egg. I did and was intolerant to everything but egg. It wasn't until I cut all those other food groups out that I started to feel good. All of those foods (and presumably others that Enterolab don't yet have tests for) are capable of causing the same IgA reaction (and therefore the same damage) that gluten does.

Good luck!

I am on the Paleo diet by default, because I have intolerances to pretty much all the foods it prohibits. I still have coffee though (black, no sugar - and organic home-roasted most of the time), and I have a weakness for bacon! (albeit organic/minimally processed...) But I'm 98% Paleo. And yes, I feel great on it. Healthy, energised, optimistic - just great. The only time I feel less than amazing is if I get 'contaminated' by something, ie: a medicine that contains corn. It's very easy for me to agree with the theory behind it because it confirms all of my food allergy/intolerance problems. I've also found the diet has meant I eat way more different types of fish, fruits and vegetables, instead of the few I used to stick to out of habit, which can only be a good thing.

www.enterolab.com now do stool tests for soy (and eggs and yeast). I figured out I had a soy problem just from symptoms after eating it, and this was confirmed with a positive enterolab test. Soy (and yeast) produce elevevated IgA antibodies in me, just the same as gluten and casein. I get varying degrees brain fog, fatigue, depression and gastric problems from them all. Dr Fine believes that anything that causes these elevated antibodies could do the same damage as gluten, so I avoid all 4 items with the same vigour. It ain't easy, but I don't see the point in being vigilant about gluten then going ahead and poisoning myself with soy (or yeast/casein).

There's no gluten in wine HOWEVER... those of us who are casein intolerant need to be aware that during the fining process of winemaking, casein is sometimes added. Sometimes it's eggs, sometimes casein, sometimes other stuff. This was something I read about a few days ago and was horrified, as I'm casein intolerant and pretty much only drink wine. The only way to be sure is to drink so-called vegan wines. If you do a web search you can find lists of wines that don't contain any animal products (aka casein).

Perhaps you have other food intolerances? I have exactly the same reaction to dairy (casein), soy and yeast as I do to gluten. Gluten is the tip of the iceburg for many of us. Get some tests at enterolab.com.

I only use either olive oil or coconut oil. Bother very good for you.

I never had DH, but having gone gluten-free, then casein-free and most recently (following positive antibody testing at Enterolab), soy and yeast free too, I got 'glutened' by yeast (yeasted?!) last week, and developed, for the first time ever, symmetrical, dry, very itchy marks. Both sides of my chest, stomach and inner arms. It looked a lot like some of the photos of DH I've seen. As soon as I tracked down the errant yeast source and cut it out, the marks faded and stopped itching.

I have this problem with ANY grains and starches. If I stick to a grain-free diet (plus dairy/soy free for me too, since I'm intolerant to them), then my stomach is fine. Fruit, meat, fish, veggies, nuts and seeds. That's all I eat and I feel fantastic. Anytime I stray (gluten free bread, rice, potato) I get abdominal distention, acne, stomach trouble, lethargy... just not worth it. If I eat caveman style I can eat as much as I like and maintain a healthy weight (114 lbs, 5' 4") plus have loads of energy.

I have this problem with ANY grains and starches. If I stick to a grain-free diet (plus dairy/soy free for me too, since I'm intolerant to them), then my stomach is fine. Fruit, meat, fish, veggies, nuts and seeds. That's all I eat and I feel fantastic. Anytime I stray (gluten free bread, rice, potato) I get abdominal distention, acne, stomach trouble, lethargy... just not worth it. If I eat caveman style I can eat as much as I like and maintain a healthy weight (114 lbs, 5' 4") plus have loads of energy. However, one iota of gluten, dairy, soy, yeast, grains or starches (phew!) and the belly is back.

Burdee, your story could be mine, and we're the same height! Are you my secret twin?

Hi guys,

I just did Enterolab's soy/egg/yeast panel, because I was getting a bad reaction to soy and also something in my gluten-free bread was causing mischief. Very please to report I can still eat eggs! However, I did have elevated IgA antobodies to both soy and yeast.

I would advise anyone who is gluten and casein intolerant to test for these other 3 - my symptoms to them were nothing like my gluten/casein symptoms and are much more minor, so I wouldn't be surprised if for some they are non-existent, even though antibodies could be running rampant. I asked the lab if my avoidance of soy/yeast should be taken as seriously as my avoidance of gluten/casein, and was assured "It is Dr. Fine's professional opinion that any food sensitivity that is severe enough can cause the same intestinal damage that gluten and milk can." I have no doubt about this. If my body is producing antibodies that are able to cause disruption I can measure, I'm sure there is other stuff going on that I can't measure.

Anyway, I'm not *too* distraught because I just baked my first loaf of Breads From Anna's yeast free bread (well, gluten, dairy, corn, soy, rice and yeast free), and it was wonderful! I honestly couldn't tell the difference between it and the yeast version I baked the other day. Also no need to wait around for it to rise, just mix everything up, stick in the oven for 70 mins and you're done. It rose up (god knows how!) and had a lovely thick, crispy crust and was soft in the middle.

I was so proud I even took a photo!

Anyway, does anyone know of any sugar-free chewing gum that does not contain soy? Most of them seem to, and I do like my gum.

I come from a long line of back scratchers! I don't get this nearly as often now that I'm gluten free, so you could be on to something...

Ok, I chickened out! I just couldn't do it. My plan is to take the test next time I get accidentally glutened or caseined. This way it either won't make any difference or it will add maybe a day onto the symptoms, which is better than purposefully poisoning myself. My doc already gave me info on how to treat it (basically the same info I already learnt on this forum - l-glutamine, enzymes, etc.), so I'm going ahead from today. She was pretty good, although her understanding of the casein intolerance wasn't too hot - she told me her aim was to treat the gut so that I could one day tolerate my problem foods, including casein. She understood that gluten is out forever, but she didn't grasp that casein is exactly the same if it's an IgA mediated reaction. She also said her aim was to get my gluten reaction time down from 8 days (it was originally 2) so I could cheat with gluten if I wanted too! She understands gluten will always give me a reaction, but I don't think she understands the long-term damage it does to Celiacs, whether you feel a reaction or not. She was very good otherwise so I will leave correcting her until my next visit. I liked the idea of my reaction time being reduced so in all fairness, her aim is the same as mine, but I will correct her nonetheless for the sake of future Celiacs who visit her, who may be less aware of the details.

I got the test from my ND today, to take at home tomorrow. I'm worried about it as the mixture I have to drink is lactulose/mannitol - lactulose being a milk sugar, and me being casein intolerant. I'm dreading it causing a casein reaction... but still, I need to take the test. My ND says she usually doesn't get people tested and diagnoses leaky gut based on symptoms (she's pretty sure it's what I have), but I figure if there's a simple test that will 100% confirm it, it's worth doing.

Has anyone who's casein intolerant taken the test?

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving meal and nobody got glutened!!

I made turkey, baked sweet potatoes, corn on the cob and mashed carrots/parsnips (British invasion on the plate ), followed by baked apples with maple syrup and cinnamon. I made gravy from the turkey juices mixed with gluten-free/CF chicken broth and thickened with a little almond flour. This was my first gluten-free Thanksgiving and only my second Thanksgiving ever. I'm stuffed!

Just to back up what the others said - I tested positive for gluten intolerance, but negative for a gluten allergy. They are totally different. You need to either order the celiac blood panel from your doctor or the stool test from enterolab (and the latter is WAY more sensitive, so I would go with that).

Becky, that sounds VERY much like celiac disease! What have the doctors said? If I were you, I would do the following:

1. Order the gluten sensitivity stool test (complete panel, plus gene test) from www.enterolab.com

2. Remove gluten from your daughter's diet and see what happens (it has to be 100% removed though, not just 'less' gluten)

The stool test will show up in a few days, and you will get the results back within 3 weeks. Those results will tell you all you need to know and by that time she will have been gluten-free for a couple of weeks so you will have a dietary test to back up the results.

Good luck and please let us know what happens.

Hi Colin

If you want a quicker answer, you could do the Enterolab stool and gene test. They are based in Texas, but they do testing for people overseas - in fact I have just ordered a few tests for my relatives in the UK. They send you the kit and you ship it back via FedEx's "biological specimen" service, then they email you the results within 3 weeks. Check out their site: www.enterolab.com.

Myself and both of my parents used them and we're all now gluten-free. We don't know for 100% sure if we're Celiacs or 'just' gluten intolerant, but having the gene test too gives you some insight into which it is (the lab report explains all this). But the results show you if you're reacting to gluten, and from that the Dr. at the lab will advise you on what to do (go gluten-free or not, basically).

It's pretty affordable too.

Good luck!

Cornbread

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the coffee - or rather, the coffee lid... If I buy coffee at coffee places , I very often change the lid for a fresh one, because I've noticed that they often use their palm to press the whole lid down - a palm that has very likely just handled some kind of gluten filled baked goods (or milk, which for us casein-free folks is just as bad). Call me paranoid, but so far no coffee shop glutanimations or caseinations!!

Yup, Clartitin, Claritin D... It has some lactose ingredient. Clarinex does too from what I've read online... Check the box, it should say 'lactose something'.