I think I may have problems with wheat/gluten

[keepswimming]

Hi all

I recently decided to do an elimination diet to check if I'm eating anything that is making my health worse. For context I've had ME for 3 years and IBS for 11 years.

I cut out common problem foods for three weeks, then reintroduced them one at a time. I had a upset stomach after eating chickpeas, which I wasn't surprised at as I've always limited legumes.

Dairy and grains seemed fine, I had no reaction.

Then I reintroduced gluten. The first day I got a bad headache and stomach pain. But I thought perhaps it's a coincidence, so I stuck with it. The next day the stomach pain continued. On the third day I woke up with a bad pain in my stomach, I had an upset stomach, bloating, nausea. The forth day (by this time I had stopped eating gluten) I felt sick and totally exhausted.

I ought to add I used to regularly wake up with a pain and upset stomach, but it hadn't happened over the elimination diet, until I reintroduced gluten.

It's four days since I last ate gluten and I'm still bloated and my stomach doesn't feel right. I read online that reintroducing after avoiding for a while can cause symptoms to be worse.

I was tested for celiac a couple of years ago and it came back negative, so I guess it's an intolerance rather than that.

I'm posting this because I hoped to hear from people who have had similar experiences or know a bit about this subject as I'm new to it. I'm confused that I still haven't fully recovered four days after cutting it out - surely the gluten is out of my body by now? Is my reaction normal?

I'm bad at gaslighting myself so now I'm worrying in case I'm making a fuss about nothing. But it really did seem like a definite reaction. I'd eaten nothing else different/had any stress which could have caused those symptoms, other than the gluten. The reaction is worse than anything I normally experience.

 

[gregh286]

Wheat products....even with gluten removed.....GF beer eg. Flares Mt cfs by x5.

If I take gluten in large doses I get air hunger....dry mouth.....lactic legs....and sofa bound.
I'm not coeliac and test Negative.

By the way I can pay for it for.weeks.
Take many months for gluten anti bodies to calm down.

 

[Irat]

No one with chronic illness should eat gluten or dairy products

I even would avoid all other grains too

https://www.amymyersmd.com/article/give-up-gluten-autoimmune-disease/

 

[Judee]

I stopped gluten about 6 years ago. On rare occassions, I have re-tested it since then in the form of wheat and usually get anescoria (uneven pupils) when I eat it. I don't get the stomach issues you discussed though so I suspect mine is more of an allergy than a gluten intolerance.

When you re-introduced, was it as whole wheat?

With my IBS anything that is very fiber-y or granular seems to act like sandpaper in my gut. I can't do most seeds (or fruit with small seeds) and can only eat nuts in limited quantities.

The skins on legumes also can cause issues depending on how much I consume.

Also did you introduce dairy or something else around the same time? I get an IBS flair from cow's milk dairy.

 

[keepswimming]

Wheat products....even with gluten removed.....GF beer eg. Flares Mt cfs by x5.

If I take gluten in large doses I get air hunger....dry mouth.....lactic legs....and sofa bound.
I'm not coeliac and test Negative.

By the way I can pay for it for.weeks.
Take many months for gluten anti bodies to calm down.

Wow, weeks! I guess I need to wait a bit longer and see what happens...

 

[keepswimming]

I stopped gluten about 6 years ago. On rare occassions, I have re-tested it since then in the form of wheat and usually get anescoria (uneven pupils) when I eat it. I don't get the stomach issues you discussed though so I suspect mine is more of an allergy than a gluten intolerance.

When you re-introduced, was it as whole wheat?

With my IBS anything that is very fiber-y or granular seems to act like sandpaper in my gut. I can't do most seeds (or fruit with small seeds) and can only eat nuts in limited quantities.

The skins on legumes also can cause issues depending on how much I consume.

Also did you introduce dairy or something else around the same time? I get an IBS flair from cow's milk dairy.

I had mix of whole wheat and white over the two days I was eating it.

I reintroduced dairy three days before gluten. I didn't notice any bad effects until I started the gluten reintroduction (which included eating a very cheesy gluten free pasta bake!).

This feels different to my normal IBS. For example, reintroducing legumes gave me an upset stomach, but once they were out of my system I was fine. Whereas this is dragging on.

 

[keepswimming]

No one with chronic illness should eat gluten or dairy products

I even would avoid all other grains too

https://www.amymyersmd.com/article/give-up-gluten-autoimmune-disease/

Thank you for the link. I personally feel there's so much conflicting advice about diet I find it hard to know what's best. That's why I thought I'd take a more personalised approach and do an elimination diet, I hoped that way I could figure it out.

 

[Howard]

As an example, I had debilitating IBS early on in this illness - eliminated simple sugars (2013), and within 24-hours the year's long issue resolved.

Why not simply go gluten-free?

I've tested negative for gluten allergies, but eliminated gluten from my diet (in 2000) due to long standing IBS issues (variably mild to moderate). I've been dairy-free since 1989.

Also, whenever I did ingest gluten, it took days (even weeks) to recover. Ingesting dairy only took 24-hours to resolve.

H

 

[Wishful]

FWIW, I had no trouble with oats until recently, but now they make my symptoms worse. I have to do more experiments to see if this applies to other grains. Maybe oat fibre alters my gut microbiome. Maybe that batch of oats is contaminated with something. Our ME keeps changing.

No one with chronic illness should eat gluten or dairy products

I consider that an overreaction. I'm sure there are plenty of people with a chronic illness who have no problems with gluten or other grain products, and who might even benefit from them. The important thing is to test different foods and figure out which ones affect you as an individual, positively or negatively.

 

[Irat]

FWIW, I had no trouble with oats until recently, but now they make my symptoms worse. I have to do more experiments to see if this applies to other grains. Maybe oat fibre alters my gut microbiome. Maybe that batch of oats is contaminated with something. Our ME keeps changing.



I consider that an overreaction. I'm sure there are plenty of people with a chronic illness who have no problems with gluten or other grain products, and who might even benefit from them. The important thing is to test different foods and figure out which ones affect you as an individual, positively or negatively.

Even if you don t feel that if your reacting,it still causes inflammation,leaky gut and molecular mimicry ....plus glyphosate If not organic. In countries like Greece,France etc they also use a 48 hour fermenting process for their bread which lowers antinutrients and gluten a lot.i don t think gluten is safe for us.

 

[keepswimming]

Thanks for your reply @Howard , I'm glad you were able to resolve some issues by cutting out simple sugars. I too avoid sugar due to its "fake energy" effect on me.

Why not simply go gluten-free?

You are absolutely right, it certainly seems like I'm reacting to it so I think that's the sensible thing to do. I worry too much about certainties sometimes!

Also, whenever I did ingest gluten, it took days (even weeks) to recover. Ingesting dairy only took 24-hours to resolve.

That's an interesting insight, thank you. I've realised what I'm experiencing now is heartburn and indigestion so I've taken some remedies and eaten accordingly which seem to be helping. Heartburn isn't a usual symptom for me, it seems to have been triggered by reintroducing gluten.

 

[keepswimming]

FWIW, I had no trouble with oats until recently, but now they make my symptoms worse. I have to do more experiments to see if this applies to other grains. Maybe oat fibre alters my gut microbiome. Maybe that batch of oats is contaminated with something. Our ME keeps changing.

I know oats can be easily contaminated with gluten and other grains, I've been reading up on it. I'm not sure yet how strict I need to be, so I've bought gluten free oats this week to be on the safe side, but if its just an intolerance maybe I will be OK with the normal oats even if they contain a little gluten... I guess I will just have to test it out.

That's true, it does, it's a constant reevaluation isn't it.

 

[Irat]

I know oats can be easily contaminated with gluten and other grains, I've been reading up on it. I'm not sure yet how strict I need to be, so I've bought gluten free oats this week to be on the safe side, but if its just an intolerance maybe I will be OK with the normal oats even if they contain a little gluten... I guess I will just have to test it out.

That's true, it does, it's a constant reevaluation isn't it.

You could try some millet

 

[Tammy]

Irat..............you beat me to the millet comment. I can't eat wheat/gluten type grains as it causes flare up of inflammation big time...........but my body does tolerate millet and gluten free oats.

 

[keepswimming]

Oh that's helpful @Irat and @Tammy , I can't say I've ever had millet but I'm eager to find some new things to try if I can't have gluten!

 

[Tammy]

Oh that's helpful @Irat and @Tammy , I can't say I've ever had millet but I'm eager to find some new things to try if I can't have gluten!

I love millet pasta the best over the cooked grain but can't always get it due to cost and availability.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I had a upset stomach after eating chickpeas, which I wasn't surprised at as I've always limited legumes.

RE: legumes.....make sure they are really well cooked...I think this can be an issue.

Brands really vary if you buy canned beans. I decided last night to cook my chick peas in broth for a while longer.

I also removed some of the other husks that were floating around: extra fiber. I've removed that before, making hummus.

Also some organic brands include an algae in the beans which helps with digesting them.

 

[keepswimming]

RE: legumes.....make sure they are really well cooked...I think this can be an issue.

Brands really vary if you buy canned beans. I decided last night to cook my chick peas in broth for a while longer.

I also removed some of the other husks that were floating around: extra fiber. I've removed that before, making hummus.

Also some organic brands include an algae in the beans which helps with digesting them.

Ah interesting, thank you. I find I can tolerate small amounts of beans - a few in a chilli for example or a bit of hummus. But I can't eat a meal based on them.

 

[Wishful]

I'm not bothered by gluten. I can tolerate some white bread again, but losing my tolerance for oats is a big surprise for me, after it being a staple in my diet for a decade or two. I think I'll try some other brand of oats next trip to town.

I don't really care for millet, but prefer quinoa and amaranth. I had one batch of amaranth decades ago that I really liked, but the latest one wasn't as pleasant. Timothy grass grows abundantly here, and it's nutritious and tastes better than millet, amaranth or quinoa, but I've never seen it offered as a food product. I think that's a market missing a supplier.

 

[Jjplant]

Yep it takes me weeks to months to recover, depending on how much gluten I ate.