BRUMI1968

Yeah, I'm having real good luck with it on day 3. I probably eat more nut butters and more oil than she suggests; for the most part, I don't have trouble digesting it. Tomorrow I am going to try to make the veggies - I bought some of her starter to get me going, but then will transfer juice from old jar to new jar, that is provided that it works. I hope it does cause the store bought stuff is spendy.

Did you ever try the kefir? If so, did you go green coconut, raw cow's milk, or raw goat's milk. I'm thinking about trying to add the kefir when the one month mark rolls around, though I'm planning on adding back some of the less sugary fruits in a couple weeks.

Lastly, did you lose weight? I seem to be losing 1/2 pound a day even though I don't have it to spare. I figure it will even out once I add more meats into the diet (so far have only added chicken after 15 years of vegetarianism + salmon), like hamburger patty made from grass-fed beef, etc.

I visited the farm today where I buy my grass-fed beef and chickens and eggs and pork. It was so great. It's about 30 miles from my house, but they also sell their stuff at my local food co-op.

Anyway, we should keep each other posted as to how we're doing.

Do you not eat the yellow because you don't like it? Or because you have trouble digesting the fat?

I think eggs are so perfect (I hope I'm not allergic - I find out next week) because they have all the little baby chicken needs - they are a whole food. I usually try to eat them whole. Poached is my favorite.

I take DigestGold, but they are enormously expensive. They are about 25.00 a bottle, and that bottle only lasts three weeks or so. I've bought cheaper ones, and find they work not quite as well, but nearly so. I probably only need to take one at this point, and I'm still swallowing two - so that might make more sense. Anyway, they are gluten-free, and potent, and cover all the bases. It has twice as many enzymes as another brand I've taken.

The other thing I take is Betain-HCI. It is "supposed" to increase your stomach acid, though I've read things that say it doesn't. I don't know if it helps. But I'm doing the regimine my nutritionist put me on.

It certainly improved the quality of my stool, and, I imagine, how much I am getting out of my foods.

I plan to wean off them in another four months - see if I can make all the good stuff on my own.

I'm with you, and I'm glad you started this thread.

I'm of the mind that my body is the vehicle through which I experience my life. Thus, I want it to be in tip top shape. Finding out I had Celiac disease has certainly taken that in some new directions I would not have expected.

One thing I've recently tried is quitting all grains and beans (already didn't do soy, corn, or dairy). This is based on the idea of lectins and how they are toxic to our bodies. I think if you look up Lectin Story or something on google, you'll find it. Or doctorj.com. I am trying it, since it made some sense to me. So far, it has stopped by gums from bleeding, and decreased my intestinal turmoil.

Another thing I'm trying right now is a candida starvation diet (I feel I'm starving too). I am doing this for two weeks to kill off any nasty yeasties living in my digestive tract. This involves eating no grains, beans, sugar, fruit, or sweet veggies.

Now what TO do, instead of what NOT to do.

I think it is a mistake to separate anything out onto its own...so diet is important, but so is the way we think about food, interact with food, and take responsibility for our food. I'm reading "The Omnivore's Dillema" right now by Michael Pollen - it's a great book.

Excercise according to our needs. For example, I'm really more of a walking,swimming,yoga,pilates,taichi type - not to sound lazy - but I exhaust easily with running or extreme hiking and the like, which makes it unpleasant and not nurturing to my whole being. Even just with walking and pilates, I've gotten my resting heart rate down, and strengthened my back and stuff.

Lastly, and I think this bit is important. Americans tend to pick and choose remedies from a variety of traditions. Standing at the vitamin/supplement area you can gingerly pick a thousand things. "Oh, garlic is good for you". ONE THING WILL NEVER BEEN GOOD FOR ALL PEOPLE. I myself prefer a tradition, such as Chinese Medicine, well, I use Ayurvedic medicine from India. The systems are ancients - they understand about combining; they understand differences between men and women (ginseng is a male herb - how many women in America take it?), etc.

Those are my two cents anyhow. I'm glad others are trying to get their life vehicle, the engine of all of our senses, to be the best that it can be.

Neither my mother nor I can touch garlic. It makes me so bloated and miserable. I think it makes her feel sick to her stomach for a couple days.

Could you have a candida problem? Garlic kills off candida and might give this reaction. I had that problem with both garlic and onions when I had candida trouble.

Hey Carla. I've just gone on the body ecology diet, the purpose of which is to de-yeast and rebuild the good bacteria in the colon. So I'm day 11 w/o any grains of any kind (which has done wonders) and about day three with no sugar or sugary veggies or fruit.

In your experience, how long would a person need to go fruit free and sweet potato free in order to kill the yeast? I don't care about the sugar - I wasn't eating any of that anyway, except maple syrup - but I miss my fruit and its summertime. Boo hoo.

I had quit wheat and dairy two years ago. When I quit gluten two months ago, somehow my constipation and extremely bloated belly came back.

What finally seems to have worked for me, though it's only been about three days, is quitting all grains and all things that are sugary - fruit, sweet veggies, sweetners other than Stevia. My gut swelling has gone almost entirley away, and I've lost nearly a pound a day. Granted, in two weeks I hope to add back fruit. The concept is that yeast is living in there passing a lot of gas into my intestines. Once they quit their farting and die off, I should be able to add back some sweet veggies and some fruits.

It is a HUGE challenge not to eat any grains. But I find I'm enjoying my sauteed veggiees and poached eggs for breakfast.

Good luck.

Yeah, Florastor is the same way. It also can be used to fight diarrhea on a shorter term.

Barb,

I'm new, so I'll accept your thanks only in the broad sense of being part of the board. I find the folks here have helped me as well. There are so many hidden sources of gluten - and there are so many symptoms and setbacks - it's nice to hear from real live human beings who know so much more and so much more intimately than doctors.

I'm sorry you're not feeling well. I know that in the two months since I've gone gluten-free, I've gotten certain symptoms back (that I had lost when I quit wheat two years ago), some new ones, and many others have gone. But it is like playing chess - sometimes you give up a man - hopefully you end up taking the table in the end. That's a silly analogy, sorry.

One thing this Celiac definitely does - it forces you to really pay attention to your body - what works for you, what doesn't work for you. It takes a lot of experimentation. I think it takes a lot of letting go of what conventional wisdom has long told us. Often those "milk does a body good" or "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" have less than altruistic beginnings.

Anyway, stick with it. Hope you feel better. It seems that most folks suggest first quitting dairy, soy, and corn, to see if it is secondary food intolerances. I'm glad you're back, and I'm sure you're not a stupid old woman.

Yeah, knocking out all grains helps avoid the "gluten-free" foods, since they are all based on grain. No more Pamela's.

I think one hard thing is the no beans rule. This isn't about sugar really, but about lectins - well, they also feed yeast with their sugar-coating so to speak. I made my husband some chili last night (gluten-free amy's black bean chili - so I guess "Amy" made it, not me). I wanted a bite so badly.

But, I can't argue with the disappearance of the bloat. So I'm giving the NO SUGARy stuff two weeks, and then if I've figured it out pretty well, I'll try to hold on to it for a month or two, just to be on the safe side. By then summer will be over anyhow, and maybe I can just add back some sweet potato and a tiny bit of apple (to hold my walnut or almond butter). I'm glad I ate several pints of strawberries before I decided to go fruit-free. They are awesome this year (I live in Washington State - and I think the crappy Spring let them ripe longer or something....delicious.)

Florastor is something my naturopath gave me, saying it knocks the hell out of whatever bad is going on in the gut. I haven't been too good about taking it because at first, something he gave me was giving me a tummy ache. I figured out it was a different herb and put that one in the cupboard to try again when my digestion is stronger - so I need to pound these Florastor. They're shockingly expensive - $52/bottle of 50 pills. More than a buck a pill. Don't drop any of those under the dishwasher!

I'll check out this theralac you mentioned.

I like to sautee greens (beet greens, chard, etc.) for just a couple minutes with leek or shallot, then lemon-juice it.

Ooo, I also like Brussels sprouts sauteed for about five minues (after cut up really fine) - then put balsamic vinegar on them (or apple cider vinegar if you haven't found a gluten-free balsamic)...if you do cheese, then you add the parm.

Also, if it's more picknicky - you can make sweet potato fries

My addiction is maple syrup too. Actually, having gone the 10 days w/o grains of any kind is making the no sugars of any kind a bit easier for me I'm sure. Plus, this Stevia crap isn't too bad - it makes your tea taste sweet, though you can't put your finger on what kind of sweet, which I normally enjoy (honey sweet, maple syrup sweet, turbinado sweet, etc.)

Anyhoo, I'll keep you posted.

The gal who devised the diet doesn't like store-bought sauerkraut due to the salt. However, she does have, on their website, an approved brand...not hers, but one that she likes.

I will say that after 36 hours my bloating is substantially less. But I've lost 3 # in the last week or two, and I don't really have that to lose. I am only now adding land animals back into my diet after 15 years (today had two slices of chicken meat), so maybe once I get going with that, my weight will balance back out.

I will say that the ZERO grains thing has really helped me out quite a bit.

Anyway, I can keep you posted. I certainly don't think the diet has merit as a long-term diet, at least not in its stringent form. I am just trying to see if it was little yeasties in my guts that were causing my bloating - and am going to do my best to starve them out. This is WAR!

I just quit fruit yesterday. I've had no sugar or sugary fruits for a day and a half now. I will say that my bloating went down.

I've also slowed down on the probiotics...instead taking one called florastor which is a yeast rather than bacteria.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my progress...but I'm not planning on adding fruit back for another two weeks. Is that long enough to kill candida?

Yeah. I've read the book. I just ignore her whenever she starts trying to sell me some of her products.

Here's what I figure I'm going to do. Go on her version of the diet for two weeks (the absolutely no fruit and sugar part). The add back some fruit. I think fruit is healthy.

I'm undecided on the kefir. I don't do dairy right now, and I have no idea where to find young green coconuts or how much they cost. So the jury is out on this part.

I bought some jars to do the veggies in and I'll give that a try. I usually follow Ayurvedic medicine (from India) and I'm a Pita (body type), which means no fermeted foods of any kind. On the other hand, I see the logic of the fermented foods. I might ask my Ayurvedic doc what he thinks.

Well, in the end I think I'll focus on killing the yeast, and see if that helps. Already my bloating is gone (which I've been struggling with since I quit gluten 2 months ago).

Thanks for your help.

I use the Earth Sciene skin care line, I have yet to verify from the company yet if they are gluten-free, the ingredient listings doesn't reveal anything but I want the 'for sure' from the company.

At night I use this salve that is made by this lady in the mountains, it's called Beautiful Face, I just slather it on.

Which mountains?

Did you find it helped? It is similar to the paleo diet, which I like, but I'm finding I'm still bloated. So I thought maybe yeast might be the problem, and looked for a cleansing diet.

I'm day one w/o any sugar or fruit, and I'll admit that my bloating has diminished quite a bit already. I already hadn't done grains for ten days, so that was easy enough.

Anyway, any luck with the diet? Did it help at all?

I called a company to find out if their product had gluten in it. Their answer, "Oh no, it's entirely sugar free."

People in America are sorely undereducated about Celiac. Annoying, ins't it?

Since I started using Zia Moisurizing Cleanser (no SLS), I don't need a moisturizer during the day any more. I use their night time moisture treatment. I love the Kiss My Face bar, but I don't use it on my face

Have you specifically verified they're gluten free? I've thought about switching to them.

I use Dr. Haushka's - but they have wheat germ oil in a lot of their products. They claim the gluten is processed out...I'm going to find a new one when this bottle runs out - but I'll miss it - it is good stuff!

I am contemplating the "Body Ecology Diet", which is mostly a candida elmination diet. Anyone here tried it?

Stomach: more 'nervous' or 'tight', sometimes so hungry I think I'll throw up, wake up feeling ookily.

Abdomen: bloated beyond belief, pressure pain, often stabbing pain in one or another part, pain from bloating to where I can't stand up straight.

But most of that is gone now.

I definitely agree not to change to soy milk. Rice milk is better, but watch out for RICE DREAM, it has gluten in it. I think it is Pacific brand that is alright to get. Almond milk is pretty good too...but I'd be sure there's no barley malt or brown rice syrup in it.

Some folks are allergic to the casein in milk, others to the lactose, so it's hard to say. I'd definitely start out be eliminating ALL forms of dairy...just to see.

Good luck!

I am dying to make myself some sort of dessert. I really want to try to make ice cream because I am hoping my body can handle its smooth consistency better than it could something made from nut flour. Have you tried making ice cream?

I don't know if you've figured out a dessert since I haven't read to the bottom of this post, but applesauce with maple syrup is pretty good. I'm not on the SCD, I'm on the Paleolithic diet, which sounds quite a bit different since I'm not allowed beans, grains, dairy of any kind - easy enough since I've been off dairy for two years, but the beans I miss and the grains - I don't miss them but they sure make it easier to eat out or get something to grab at the store.

Anyway, if you're allowed maple syrup, you might try it.

I like this dressing I concocted:

some mineola juice (or other sweet orange)

some lemon juice

(balsamic vinegar - but I think it'll be fine w/o)

(dash o-mustard - but doesn't that usually have vinegar?)

dash of sugar

dash of salt & pepper

you wisk that together

THEN

you slowly wisk in the olive oil and it will get kindof creamy

It's good - the sweet orange juice gives it a nice change from regular vinegrette.

I wouldn't think you would GAIN weight on vegetarian diet...I probalby lost a few pounds when I did it 15 years ago.

What if you took the best of vegetarianism - which is vegetables (and fruits and nuts) - and added more of it to your diet than you eat now. (The best veggies are the non-starchy ones.)

Whatever you do, don't add cheese and soy to make up for a lack of protein - these things are most likely not good for anyone, but most especially not good for someone whose intestines are damaged from Celiac. These are high allergic foods and high GLUE foods - munging up the system, if you will.