gluten intolerance

So- I am four months off benzo's today yay!  Well I had a gluten intolerance before benzo's, just did not know it.  I found out after coming off benzo's and for about 6 weeks I have not had any gluten, well some cheats here and there.  Well today I decided to test myself and see, BIG mistake.  I have horrible mind confusion now, and it is making my DP seem so much worse.  I felt like I needed a carb so bad, I keep eating protein, and I have potatoes and rice, and fruits and veggies, but I just wanted bread!!!!!!!!!! I felt light headed like I needed carbs, so I had half a piece of toast.  I feel awful now, and kinda panicked a bit.  I can not have any dairy no gluten, I am just at a loss for what to even eat anymore!! Not to mention I am hypoglycemic!  All of this in wd and I feel like giving up!!!My brother recently started taking bovine colostrum and he says it has helped him combat his gluten issues.  I don't ever think I will eat gluten again, but I still just don't want to be soooo sensitive to it.  Really tired of this whole process!  I think I need to get some kind of gluten free cook book because I am at a loss here!

Hi Smuel,

 

A good site is celiac.com

 

I adhere to a gluten free diet. In the beginning, when you are acclimating, there are many, many choices of gluten free bakery items that can be found in some grocery and all health food store. The breads have come a long way from the early days, but they still are not as good as regular bread.

 

There are cookies and pasta and sprouted seed items. However, if you tend toward hypoglycemia, it's best to avoid these high calorie, low nutrient items.

 

I do well on fruits, vegetables, meats and nuts. And I do eat oatmeal that is processed in a gluten free plant.

 

More and more restaurants are beginning to feature a gluten free menu. In fact, I had a gluten free pizza at Mazzios last month. It tasted great to me, since I hadn't had pizza in years, but I noticed after my Mom and husband took a bite of mine, they quickly went back to their own wheat pizza. Lol.

 

It might be worth exploring giving up all casien as well. We have these little digestive "fingers" in our small intestine that absorb the nutrients from food. They are called villi. When your body has an adverse response to gluten, those little fingers can erode and/or flatten. The very tips of the villa are sensitive to casien (milk protein). A lot of people who have damaged villi do not process dairy products well.

 

Never fear, though; those little villi grow right back once you are on a 100% gluten free diet for a while.

 

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask. I know it can be very overwhelming in the beginning.

Take care,

Flip

Thanks for the help flip.  I will check out the site.  Yea, I have to stay away from dairy completely.  I have heard it takes about 6 weeks of no gluten at all to start to heal.  It takes that long to leave the body I guess??  I know there are places that have gluten free bread, its just nothing close to my house, and I am broke.  Makes it very hard to eat this way when all of it seems expensive.  Anyways, thank you for the tips:) I am sure I will have more questions for you:)

I am just starting out on this myself this week. Tell me something, did your bodies react negatively to removing the gluten at first? I never had any trouble before, but this is the first time I'm doing it in w/d. I have blood sugar issues too, which mean I cannot adhere to a whole grain diet or I'd get very ill very quickly. I have to have white carbs for my body to function right about now, believe it or not.

Princezz- I can honestly say for about two weeks, I felt terrible when I cut it out.  I got really bad headaches, which I did not know if it was wd or not, but it seemed to go away after that.  My body was almost craving carbs more, even though I knew its not what it needed.  So thankfully I had a good vitamin to help support my body through that, and then I ate a lot of fruit whenever I felt like I needed more carbs.  Now that the gluten is out of my body (well it was up until yesterday, I could really feel how bad it made was making feel because I was feeling better).  I could tell after two weeks that there was improvment, my brain fog started to lift, I didnt need to eat as much, and no longer wanted things like pizza and bread.  I eat a lot of potatoes and rice now for carbs, lost of fruit and veggies( I still need to work on this though). It is very overwhelming I know, but to be honest I am starting to feel better, and I am not looking back, especially after yesterday.  Hope this helps!

Flip,

 

I was just wondering where you get your oatmeal at, since most oatmeal I have seen is processed in facilities that are not gluten-free?

 

Thanks!

 

fg

fg- I get oatmeal at the health food store. It says gluten free right on the package and the fine print says "processed in a gluten free facility". There are several brands to choose from, usually. And I believe the Irish steel cut oats are gluten free. I have to put on glasses these days for every single thing I buy. 

 

Are you gluten intolerant, FG? Sorry if you are. It makes life more challenging. 

 

Princezz - I initially felt worse, too; it was an adjustment for my blood sugar. But, like Smuel, after a couple of weeks I evened out. One thing I noticed almost immediately -- I spent years fighting constipation. (most people get diarrhea) and within 10 days of going gluten free, I was close to regular again.

 

There are plenty of white carbs (or simple carbs) to eat besides wheat, rye and barley. Potatoes, rice, juice - those will give you a quick sugar spike, but also a quick let down. Usually, when people are just starting out, there is this panicky feeling of "I can't eat anything!" and it's overwhelming. You almost need to eat something to figure out what you're supposed to eat because you're so brain dead from lack of food and it's not like you can just open a package and chow down.

 

That site, celiac.com is a good one. They even have a section about "what can I eat right now" that's helpful.  But if you will think in terms of food that is around the outside walls of the grocery store (except maybe minus dairy, depending on if you are intolerant), you will find selections easier.

 

If anyone is still reading this,  I'm going to list what I had for food yesterday, hoping someone might get some ideas.

 

Breakfast

Oatmeal with banana, blueberries and walnuts and coconut milk (I also use almond milk)

 

Lunch

Salad with olive oil and apple cider vinegar (and this was a huge salad with arugula and other mixed greens, tomatoes, avacado, lots of cucumber)

 

Snack

Apple and walnuts

 

Dinner

Hamburger  patty with onions

Steamed beets

Yellow squash

 

This is a typical day for me. I am a little carb heavy and am gaining some weight. But the trick here is nothing processed. It's much easier than it might sound.

 

Sorry to go on, but I hope this helps someone.

Flip

 

Thanks, Flip.  I am not gluten-intolerant but I thought I might feel better the less I take of it.  Plus, the wheat of today has been modified (in order to feed more people) so that it is different than what it was years ago and a lot of individuals have a problem tolerating today's wheat.

 

At any rate, thanks again.

 

Sincerely,

 

fg

Hi Sarah.

 

I'm gluten free and lactose free and I've learned how to eat great foods that taste good and are easy to make. I have celiac disease. But, I have family members who are gluten intolerant and have to be on just as strict of a gluten free diet as I am. It's a serious problem for so many people and most are undiagnosed.

 

If you can please read "The gluten free bible" by Jax Peters Lowell.  It saved my life. There are thousands of gluten free and lactose free recipes online.  There are support groups which are a lot of fun and often have free samples.

 

If you love bread and need some, buy some Udi's gluten free bread in the frozen section of most grocery stores.  There really are so many things you can have to eat.  Try almond milk instead of cow's milk on cereal.  It's so much better I promise, it's sweeter and richer. Even though some gf foods are more expensive, not all are.  Plus, it's best to eat healthier so that you don't have to pay hospital bills and for medications down the line. It's an investment in your health which is so worth it. Eat whole fresh foods that are always gf.

 

May is National Celiac Awareness Month! For every one person diagnosed there are 80 people that are undiagnosed (University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center). There are more than 300 symptoms, many of which are not GI related.  Also gluten can cause seriousl depression and anxiety.  I don't suffer from that anymore because of my diet alone.

 

Great website:

 

http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/

 

Here's some other great info:

 

http://paleozonenutrition.com/2010/06/26/how-gluten-makes-1-in-10-people-sick/

 

Hope this helps some. It does get easier to do as you learn what you can and cannot have.

 

Cedar

Flip,

 

I was just wondering where you get your oatmeal at, since most oatmeal I have seen is processed in facilities that are not gluten-free?

 

Thanks!

 

fg

Bob's Red Mill gluten free oatmeal is really great.  Most oatmeals are not truly gluten free because of cross-contamination.

Cedar- thank you:)  I have noticed my anxiety and depression getting better since I cut gluten and lactose out.  Feeling much better, just eating the same thing over and over:)  Thanks for the help, I will look into that stuff:)

 

Bob's Red Mill gluten free oatmeal is really great.  Most oatmeals are not truly gluten free because of cross-contamination.

 

 

Thanks so much, cedartree.

 

fg

 

Cedar- thank you:)  I have noticed my anxiety and depression getting better since I cut gluten and lactose out.  Feeling much better, just eating the same thing over and over:)  Thanks for the help, I will look into that stuff:)

Ugh, I know it's rotten when you're stuck in that cycle of eating the same thing day after day.  The more you learn about gluten free eating and cooking your options will expand (and so will your waistline    ).  Let me know if you have any questions. I've been down this road for awhile now and have a really good handle on it.

 

Hugs,

Cedar

 

Bob's Red Mill gluten free oatmeal is really great.  Most oatmeals are not truly gluten free because of cross-contamination.

 

 

Thanks so much, cedartree.

 

fg

You got it fg.  Love the name btw. 

Thanks, cedartree.

 

fg

Flip, you can't be serious. You're gaining weight off THAT???! O__O

 

W/d sure sucks. I've gained 35 pounds eating not one scrap more than I ate my entire life. In fact, I'm eating healthier now than I ever have.

 

Well guys, I've won the gluten war during the day...during the night is another story. W/d has gifted me with compulsive night eating disorder. I can't help but to eat bread when I get up at 3 am. Nonetheless I've been strict about it during the day. It's not even a temptation. I have no clue what to do about the night eating.

Princezz- haha I feel you on this one.  I used to sneak crackers at night, I could not bring myself to eat bread, but sometimes would sneak little chocolate doughnuts too.  During the day is ok, but yea night time I crave bread too.  I just bought some gluten free oatmeal and bread and both are really good.  Fills me up and fixes that bread craving.  Now that I am learning more there are a lot of options, you just have to look, we have a Sprout's here so they have it all.  Hope this helps:)

I have Lymphocytic Colitis which is a chronic lower GI autoimmune disease (as a result of tegretol), celiac disease and am lactose intolerant, so just so ya know I feel your pain. 

 

Not sure if this will meet the late night craving needs, and I realize this may not sound hugely exciting, but I throw raisins, shelled pumpkin seeds, raw almonds and  shelled sunflower seeds into a bowl and have at it.  It meets the criteria for salty, sweet and crunchy,  Plus because I'm limited in the suppliments I can take (limited as in none), food has to be my medicine and that grouping provides calcuim, magnesium, iron, is low in cholesterol, high in fiber, fairly low on the glycemic index and contains a whole slew of other things good for the body.  But the real truth is it's just really good.

 

Just thought I'd add that as "food" for thought lol

 

WWWI

 

 

thx wwwi...this sounds yummy:)

Well this time I'm doing this for real. I have not had wheat since Tuesday. Not even at night. I feel HORRIBLE - every w/d sx has worsened and some things are coming back. I don't know if to blame that on the gluten as I've had a rough few weeks in any case but oh well. I'm eating desperately every couple of hours trying to make the feeling of low blood sugar go away but it doesn't help much. Anyway I am toughing it out because eventually I'd like to go grain-free entirely.

 

The bulk of my health issues began with stomach pain and vomiting that did not clear on a traditional gluten free diet, but evaporated after following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. However by that time I'd already been told I was crazy and put on benzos and an ssri. I quit the SCD because it gave me heartburn. Perhaps I should have toughed it out. My body is not accustomed to high protein anything. I grew up in a culture where large amounts of carbs are consumed - mainly rice. Anyhow, I had other symptoms back when I was ill that did not resolve completely and have returned now with a vengeance. I suspect they may be related to grain intolerance like my stomach problems but perhaps I did not give the SCD enough time - paresthesia and anxiety primarily. Dr. Osbourne says it can take weeks or months for gluten-related inflammation to subside and heal when it's affecting the brain and nerves etc.

 

After listening to Dr. Peter Osbourne's lectures on the traditional gluten free diet and reading through grainfreeliving.com I've decided that I need to try this again. Of course I can't do it in the state I'm in from w/d, but I can try baby steps and cutting out wheat gluten is the first for me.

 

Also, I've always thought the Blood Type diet was nonsense just from reading reviews online, but I finally borrowed the book from a friend and was surprised to find out that his recommendations for my type (B) are identical to the results of my ALCAT test done years ago. Anyone tried this? Following the ALCAT recommendations for 2 months helped my stomach maybe 50% but it was nothing like the total cure I achieved with the SCD.

 

Just musing.

 

-P-

I haven't tried the Blood Type diet.  I read part of the book and some of the very foods that I felt better when eating, it said not to eat for my blood type.  I pretty much dismissed it after that and just listened to my body when eating. 

 

I also would keep a daily journal of the foods and supplements I took and add how I felt afterwards.  That seemed to work pretty well.

 

Additionally, I got tested by my Allergy Doctor for foods that I was allergic to (which were very few).  I used to obsess over what I could and could not eat, but not any longer and am doing much better.

 

At any rate, that's my experience.

 

Sincerely,

 

fg

I read a post by a girl here awhile back about how she tried the Elimination Diet, which is gluten free.  She was still having problems with bad muscle pain years out from finishing benzos yet all other sxs were gone.  She heard about this diet and tried it and had great success.  I have really bad muscle pain/burn which can sometimes be debilitating so I'm up for trying it.  If anything, at least I will be eating healthier and get off this toxic processed food.  I've ordered the book and plan on starting in the next week or so as I am working on finishing some of the older dated meats/chicken/fish in my freezer.  Below are links to the website if anyone wants to check it out.

 

http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2010/01/elimination-and-detoxification-diet-its.html

 

http://wholelifenutrition.net/elimination-diet

 

Donna

 

Is it possible that benzo w/d can "activate" gluten intolerance and/or allergies? Does it affect the immune system? About two years ago I had the skin prick test and it had to cut out tree nuts and shellfish. No problems with gluten.

 

Well I started having benzo problems in early 2020, tapered and went off in April 2020. Prior to w/d I had been able to take cipro, no problem. Post w/d I ended up in the hospital due to a severe reaction to ear drops with cipro. That incident got me worried so I had another skin prick test recently and it turns out now I'm allergic to chocolate, gluten and rice along with tree nuts and shellfish.

 

It's been over 5 months benzo-free and I am still having fatigue, brain fog and some garden variety neuropathy. The allergy doctor said gluten sensitivity can play a part in all of my symptoms. I've had allergy problems throughout my life but it seems weird that this new stuff coincided with w/d. What do you all think?