OT: Health, IBS, Gluten free diet

[Dave B]

I have IBS...bad. Had it beginning at 8 years old. Have tried several things to help and very little works.

If any of you have have/had it, have you tried a gluten free diet? If so did it help at all?

I have tried no alcohol, no caffine, anti depressants, other meds to help calm my system blah blah blah.

It sucks big time and I have had loads of scans, probes, tests, etc.

Anyone get a handle ontheirs or kick it in the...well you know?

[tuscanyswe]

I have IBS...bad. Had it beginning at 8 years old. Have tried several things to help and very little works.

If any of you have have/had it, have you tried a gluten free diet? If so did it help at all?

I have tried no alcohol, no caffine, anti depressants, other meds to help calm my system blah blah blah.

It sucks big time and I have had loads of scans, probes, tests, etc.

Anyone get a handle ontheirs or kick it in the...well you know?


I have pretty much the same experience as you. I got alot better with gluten free diet but im celiac but far from all ibs are so its hard to say if that would help for you. IBS is like the worst diagnosis ever. It says absolutely nothing other than that you have issues with your stomach.

I also had tubes and probes in most places. Tissue samples etc. Tried all diets.

Id do diet trial and error if i were you. Try gluten free but if you do be very very strict and try it for atleast 3 months or its pointless.

You will be amazed at how many things you can no longer eat if you are going to be strict about eating gluten free, it can be a pain at first. Cant use the same knives for bread as the rest of the family cant use the same butterknive, cutting boards, toaster etc etc.

[champ]

Try the book "Digestive Wellness" by Elizabeth Lipski.

[beercan]

my girlfriend had the same issue, the doctors couldnt figure it out, so she cut the gluten and dairy from her diet and she is fine now, often though you have to be careful when you eat out since a lot of cross contamination happens and foods you dont normally think have dairy in it does like rice in Indian restaurants. Its a pain to go and eat out with her but I eat anything so no big deal.

[pbarry]

Worth a shot. Your symptoms could be related to celiac or GI. http://www.elanaspantry.com/ is a great place to start. 100's of free delicious, (I've made a lot of them), GF recipes, short articles like, why almond flour is better for you than potato and rice flour. Excellent archives, dig around. She's moved towards paleo in the last year, but that is GF as well.

[Matt-H]

No personal experience, Dave, but a good friend swears the FODMAP diet has changed her life greatly. Maybe worth checking out.

http://stanfordhospital.org/digestivehealth/nutrition/DH-Low-FODMAP-Diet-Handout.pdf

[Dave B]

Thanks all.

I cannot even begin to describe how embarassing this is to deal with at school and my students. I have to have coverage every time I leave class...yep.

Anyway, I have got to fix as best I can w/o pills. effing hate pills.

[Hank Scorpio]

You could also check out "Power Healing" by Dr. Leo Galland. I wanted to have an office visit with him a few years ago when I was in a similar situation to yours but could not afford it and he doesn't accept insurance. We have probably had the same battery of tests. Did you ever have a lactulose breath test? That can help in excluding Celiac disease. Getting back to Dr. Galland I was origianlly referred to him from my dentist who has a son with severe Chron's disease. Dr Galland put him on a very restrictive diet and he made his disease much more bearable.

[Dave B]

You could also check out "Power Healing" by Dr. Leo Galland. I wanted to have an office visit with him a few years ago when I was in a similar situation to yours but could not afford it and he doesn't accept insurance. We have probably had the same battery of tests. Did you ever have a lactulose breath test? That can help in excluding Celiac disease. Getting back to Dr. Galland I was origianlly referred to him from my dentist who has a son with severe Chron's disease. Dr Galland put him on a very restrictive diet and he made his disease much more bearable.

I have had an upper and lower GI, Meckle (sic) scan, some test where I had to track and smear a bowel movement for two weeks, and several blood tests.

I have tried anti-depressants (lowering anxiety is supposed to help) tried giving up alcohol, soda, artifical sweetners (the stuf found in Fruit2 O) and a few other voodoo tricks.

I have a hunch the gluten deal might be beneficial, at least that is my hope.

Appreciate the help folks!

Dave

[chwupper]

Don't know if anyone's read this article. It doesn't necessarily offer solutions or a diet plan, but it's pretty interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/opinion/sunday/what-really-causes-celiac-disease.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[45K10]

I have had an upper and lower GI, Meckle (sic) scan, some test where I had to track and smear a bowel movement for two weeks, and several blood tests.

I have tried anti-depressants (lowering anxiety is supposed to help) tried giving up alcohol, soda, artifical sweetners (the stuf found in Fruit2 O) and a few other voodoo tricks.

I have a hunch the gluten deal might be beneficial, at least that is my hope.

Appreciate the help folks!

Dave
My wife complained of similar symptoms every since she was a little girl. she decided to go gluten free two years ago and has had great success with it. All of her stomach and intestinal issues subsided completely after a month of avoiding gluten. Her energy levels also increased

Someone mention earlier to avoid cross contamination and is good advice. Gluten can sneak into your diet in unsuspecting ways. We even have separate toasters to help her avoid ingesting any gluten.

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

[abelson]

My wife tried gluten free and it did not seem to help. It is probably worth trying. IBS seems like a catch all diagnosis so there seems to be a wide variety in what works for people.

[jimmythefly]

I'd try the gluten-free diet first, and see if it helps. You might also want to try a dairy-free diet, if you haven't already.

If not, consider trying a full "elimination diet"
It has you eating super-basic foods and eliminates all possible irritating ingredients. That's a LOT of stuff, so maybe you don't want to go full-bore, but it's one way to figure out what really is bugging you.

You start off eating a restricted set of foods and then slowly, one-by-one, adding in potential allergens/irritants.


Since you hate pills, consider searching for an ND (Naturopathic Doctor) nearby and give them a visit. If you have no experience with NDs, think of them as MDs who have specialized in natural medicine (as opposed to, say pediatrics). Just like MDs, you'll find a spectrum of attitudes and habits, so shop around a bit. But most NDs will spend a lot of their visit talking to you and about your life, and they focus on treating the underlying cause of your IBS, rather than giving you a pill to treat only the symptom. That's a huge generalization, and I'm not trying to make this about ND/MD issues, but questions always pop up.

No matter what diet you try, the first couple of grocery trips are awkward, or they were for me at least. Don't be in a rush and know that you're having to re-train yourself to reach for different things on the shelf than you normally do.

1. Give yourself 3 hours at least for your first grocery shopping trip.
2. Go to the grocery store with a list of stuff you would normally buy, read all the ingredients and see what things you will need to find substitutes for (can also start this list with stuff you have at home.
3. Go to a health-food grocery store or a "natural" grocery store and search buy whatever you couldn't get at your normal store.
4. Be prepared to google "substitute for X" there are lots of online resources out there.
5. Find some good recipes you like and try them.

[tmf]

My family of 8 has a bunch of food and GI issues. One of my stepsons and I are the only two that don't have any issues (that we know of).

My wife can't eat dairy, eggs, soy or whey (the protein component of dairy).

My two daughters have Celiac with extreme sensitivity to gluten (we have to be very careful with cross-contamination at home and when eating out), and one of them is also lactose intolerant.

My son and one stepson are lactose intolerant, with my stepson also not able to eat sugar. One other stepson has severe migraines and doesn't eat any sugar to help with that.

For me, about 10 years ago I was having GI issues. I thought I was probably lactose intolerant. After a few weeks of trying that, I didn't feel any better. I finally figured out I couldn't drink regular Coke - and as soon as I stopped I felt better right away.

I say all that to share that we spend a lot of thought and effort in our grocery shopping and food preparation. It took some time to get our food knowledge to where it is now, but it's been SO worth it. Everyone is feeling so much better, and one way we do it is by eating really healthy (lots of fresh fruits and vegetables). When my girls aren't sure if a product is truly GF, they will call the 800 number to check on it. In addition to food, many Celiacs also have to be careful with gluten in products like shampoo & conditioner, and meds.

Most grocery stores have really improved their selection of gluten-free foods. Whole Foods is on the expensive side, but they have a great selection of some of those things we can't find elsewhere.

In all of your testing, were you tested for Celiac disease or sensitivity to gluten? Even if those tests came back negative, I agree with you and others that trying a GF diet for a month (and maybe cutting out lactose and some other things, too) is definitely a great next step.

For breakfast, my girls like the Chex cereals which most are GF. We use rice milk for those that can't do lactose. For dinner, we make the girls GF pasta noodles or do other fairly simple meals that we can all eat. For eating out, Chick Fil A has some items that are GF (but do have dairy), and our go to place has become Noodles & Company - they have many gluten-free and lactose-free meals (just ask), and do a great job of preparing without cross contamination.

Good luck and I hope you find relief and feel better soon.

[corky]

for me having been a sufferer for years, i found cutting out a large amount f gluten and eating loads of porridge aka oats, oatmeal adding in a fibre supplement.... oh and not working!

[Dave B]

for me having been a sufferer for years, i found cutting out a large amount f gluten and eating loads of porridge aka oats, oatmeal adding in a fibre supplement.... oh and not working!

I can suffer through oatmeal, would love to stop working, but those darn bills keep coming to my house. :)

The more I learn about gluten free I wonder if I shouldn't just stick to twigs and bark.

I need to find a good place that sells gluten free stuff.

I did have a question for anyone who knows. I see fresh meats are fine, but lunch meats and hamburger patties are bad. Is this common knowledge?

I should be sticking to organics?

[tmf]

When my girls were first diagnosed with Celiac, we met with a dietician in their GI's office. She helped us get educated quickly, and had lots of good advice and information that made a big difference.

BTW, our dietician and GI advised that Celiacs should avoid oats (including oatmeal). Even the GF oatmeal can cause problems. We just experienced that firsthand a week ago.

For bread, try to find some UDI's GF bread. It's our favorite. GF food can be hit or miss. We know which brands of bread, pasta, etc. we like and don't like.

[tuscanyswe]

for me having been a sufferer for years, i found cutting out a large amount f gluten and eating loads of porridge aka oats, oatmeal adding in a fibre supplement.... oh and not working!

Cutting out a large amount wont cut it! You either stop eating it or you don't!
We even dont use the same breadknives etc as rest of family cause of crosscontamination.

Most oats are processed in the same factories that process wheat. They are usually not gluten free!

Best advice is either do it very strict or dont bother at all imo!

My symptoms when i get glutanized is now far worse then they were when i was constantly eating it. Many get even more sensitive after stopping or perhaps one was so poor before that one couldent tell the difference.

[Dave B]

Cutting out a large amount wont cut it! You either stop eating it or you don't!
We even dont use the same breadknives etc as rest of family cause of crosscontamination.

Most oats are processed in the same factories that process wheat. They are usually not gluten free!

Best advice is either do it very strict or dont bother at all imo!

My symptoms when i get glutanized is now far worse then they were when i was constantly eating it. Many get even more sensitive after stopping or perhaps one was so poor before that one couldent tell the difference.

This fascinates me. It seems so simple, but the slightest bit (or so I am reading) can really cause issues.

I also worry about getting off of it and then mere chance I eat something and have fits.

Well, maybe the discipliine will almost be a new hobby. At least that is how i am looking at it.

[tuscanyswe]

This fascinates me. It seems so simple, but the slightest bit (or so I am reading) can really cause issues.

I also worry about getting off of it and then mere chance I eat something and have fits.

Well, maybe the discipliine will almost be a new hobby. At least that is how i am looking at it.

It took some time getting used to, thats for sure. But if you start to feel better in a few months (perhaps even sooner) you will not want to change a thing!

The toughest part for me is not eating out, something i did alot and enjoyed very much. Its just not worth it for me anymore. I find a few places that i know i can trust but going to a random restaurant is like playing the lottery for me. Dont matter how sure the staff is that the food is gluten free!

Indian restaurants are always the same (love indian food btw). No we dont use wheat at all in our dishes! Okay thats great, ill have the whatever. Do you want naan bread with that?

[pbarry]

I can suffer through oatmeal, would love to stop working, but those darn bills keep coming to my house. :)

The more I learn about gluten free I wonder if I shouldn't just stick to twigs and bark.

I need to find a good place that sells gluten free stuff.

I did have a question for anyone who knows. I see fresh meats are fine, but lunch meats and hamburger patties are bad. Is this common knowledge?

I should be sticking to organics?

Do you have a good healthy diet now? You've mentioned diet soda and lunch meats... Whole foods and cooking from scratch are the first things to try, IMO. Soda of any kind is unhealthy as are processed foods, i.e., things that come in cans and packages, unless you're getting them from your local HF store and reading labels carefully. Here's an article lifted from elanspantry.com blog. Says it all. :)

"Gluten Free Is Not Healthy

Gluten Free is not healthy? Blasphemy –you must think someone has hijacked my blog, but it’s true. Just because a food is gluten free does not mean it is healthy.

Sadly, the recent popularity of “gluten free” has many thinking that if they eliminate gluten, they are on a healthy diet. As Michael Pollan wrote last year in the New York Times Magazine, “Gluten has become the bad nutrient of the moment.”

I think it’s time for those of us in the gluten free blogoshpere to admit that villainizing one ingredient is not enough when it comes to eating well.

With all of the hype surrounding gluten free, no one mentions the dirty little secret of the Standard Gluten Free Diet. Few realize that when it comes to gluten free baked goods such as bread, snacks, and desserts, gluten free food is not as nutritious as “regular” food. That’s because gluten free goods are generally made with ingredients such as rice, corn, potatoes, sorghum, tapioca and millet, which are higher in carbohydrates and lower in protein and other nutrients than wheat flour. Sad, but true. The typical gluten free ingredients that are used in place of wheat are less nutritious than wheat itself.

The gluten free diet is a very specific requirement for very specific people –those with celiac, gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity. People with these conditions have to eliminate gluten from their diets to make sure their body doesn’t deteriorate. Let’s remember though, that doing so doesn’t actually speak to eating the diet and consuming the foods that allow your body to thrive. Those are two separate things. Therefore, the millions of Americans jumping on the gluten free bandwagon, who believe that eliminating one ingredient is a quick fix are short changing themselves.

If you have any of the above conditions (and it’s a good idea to go to a doctor and get tested if you think you might) remove gluten from your diet. For that matter, if something makes you feel sick, get it out of your diet! However, if you think eliminating one food gives you a free pass to eat processed gluten free goods made from rice, corn, etc., and that this will make you healthy, guess again.

The best path to wellness is a well rounded diet which includes many foods –it is far more work than simply bastardizing one ingredient, such as gluten.

What does eating healthy entail? Consuming a diverse array of nutrient dense foods every day; day after day. When I was a little girl, my Dad told me to eat the rainbow. So I’m staying away from fad diets and sticking with Dad’s advice. I have to agree with him, eating close to the earth is, and always has been, the way to go."

[rpm]

I've had ulcerative colitis for the last 45 years. One thing that I've found helpful is a probiotic. I use Culturelle, which has the basic lactobacillus that is found in yogurt, but a lot more of it. I think it helps.

[tuscanyswe]

The above is a very good point.

I dont eat any prefab or packaged meals etc. Dont eat gluten free bread from the store cause its rubbish. Dont eat gluten free candy cause its about the worst you can eat etc. Advertised gluten free food is usually full of E-substances and additives that are far worse than in your regular food. Probably to make it look and taste just like food with gluten (not working btw..)

I found a nice bakery that only does gluten free stuff so there is no wheat flower in their facilities at all. Down side is its crazy expensive. Pay 15 bux for a piece of bread that cant cost more than 5 in a regular bakery. Good part is i know its good stuff!

In Sweden you can apply for tax deduction even if you are celiac because it more expensive to eat gluten free.

[rpm]

I've had ulcerative colitis for the last 45 years. One thing that I've found helpful is a probiotic. I use Culturelle, which has the basic lactobacillus that is found in yogurt, but a lot more of it. I think it helps.

[John H.]

It is easy to go gluten-free these days (compared to 5-10 years ago).
Many more gluten free products available in regular supermarkets.
But be careful- you can buy lots of items that are junk food that are gluten free- does not make them good for you.
Stick to rice, quinoa, other grains, and potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Also, have you ever checked to see if you are acidic? With Ph strips?
Lots of GI issues can be caused by acidity- lowering acidity can help.
Meats and processed food can be very adidic, also some fruits, juices, alcohol, etc.

[Louis]

I know nothing about this sort of problem, so I should probably just shut up, but here’s an idea:

How about conducting a short-term test (say one or two months, anything longer would seem too daunting due to the monotony) where you massively simplify your diet down to a handful of healthy, tasty, meals (say, a dozen) that do not contain any of the suspect items, and eat that, and only that?

For example, you could have two different types of breakfasts, four lunches, and six dinners, and randomly rotate through them. As time progressed you could tweak them to improve nutritional variety, taste, flavor, mouth feel, etc. No eating out - a hassle, but this is just a test. After two months if you’ve seen a significant improvement you could then very slowly add more items to your diet, until you had a good handle on the good and bad actors. (It’s easy for me to say this, I’m not the one having to deal with it, but if a health issue is a big enough problem it might be worth it to put the effort into systematically figuring out what’s going on.)

Good Luck

[rbtmcardle]

My siblings and a few cousins have IBS, celiac, etc.. They found their best results on a paleo type of diet..starting with a completely basic diet of natural foods and adding from there. I have several PDF guides I can post to my Dropbox if anyone is interested..

Frankly I think our food supply in this country is toast..and not gluten free whole grain toast.. Think wonder bread (i "wonder" where the nutrition went) toast.

Buy local and locally sourced organic. You will be amazed how different an egg from a local free range chicken is compared to a factory egg...

As my great grand pop said... You can pay the butcher or pay the doctor..

[pbarry]

It is easy to go gluten-free these days (compared to 5-10 years ago).
Many more gluten free products available in regular supermarkets.
But be careful- you can buy lots of items that are junk food that are gluten free- does not make them good for you.
Stick to rice, quinoa, other grains, and potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Also, have you ever checked to see if you are acidic? With Ph strips?
Lots of GI issues can be caused by acidity- lowering acidity can help.
Meats and processed food can be very adidic, also some fruits, juices, alcohol, etc.

Excellent point. Coffee is another contributor to acidic pH. Caffeine from green tea is far less acidic. Get your boost without the downsides.

Here's a list of alkaline and acidic foods:
http://rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm