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Coincidence? I think not

Posted , 11 users are following.

FlipDover_Aust
FlipDover_Aust

Hi everyone,

At the beginning of the year I cut out sugar (and consequently nearly all processed food) and about 6 weeks ago I cut out all wheat/gluten and dairy.

Not only did I feel better, but my flatulance and bloating problems disappeared!

As a test, this weekend I ate quite decent amounts of both gluten and dairy and surprise, surprise, I fell in a big heap - fatigue, pain, bloodshot eye, sweats, dizziness - you name it.

Spent most of yesterday in bed or on the couch (most unlike me).

Coincidence? not likely. Now I need to work out if it's gluten OR dairy OR both!

1 like, 52 replies

52 Replies

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  • EileenH
    EileenH FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    In my case it isn't even gluten - it is something in the structure of modern hard wheat. As long as they are pure, I can eat rye, spelt and kamut which all have gluten and spelt and kamut are ancient varieties of wheat but very popular in the Alpine regions where they grow well.

    It is a recognised intolerance - and apparently some people are able to eat foods such as French bread which is made with soft Canadian wheat or bread made the old-fashioned slow way using sourdough. It is thought that part of the problem is the use by manufacturers of what are called "improvers" - substances added to the bread mix to speed up the rising and proving process so bread can be made much more quickly. Time is money.

    I spent a week in France a couple of years ago and had the choice of not eating or eating baguette (on a boat, no shops, shopping had been done by someone else before I got there) - I had no problems at all.

    Do experiment a lot - if you identify what it is more accurately it makes much much easier!

  • ingo
    ingo FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    Don't think it is a coincidence.  I did the same thing after I was diagnosed with PMR.  I feel great and am managing to keep weight down.  Don't know how much is from pred or diet but I think from reading the literature that an anti-inflammatory diet probably is helping.
  • leonard12916
    leonard12916 FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    Thanks for the clarification on foods you've eliminated.  I've been taking my Pred with yogurt, if I stop all yogurt what are some of you eating with your Pred instead? Do any of you use 'Stevia' powder as a substitute for honey or sugar?  Are there any other foods you use for sweetners that don't fall under the category of being called a 'sugar'?
    • EileenH
      EileenH leonard12916

      Posted

      I eat a very similar diet to Flip though, since I know it isn't dairy that causes the problems, I don't bother with that. A dietician wanted me to cut almost all dairy to reduce cholesterol - but life without cheese wasn't my idea of fun. Cutting carbs not fat is the most effective way to reduce cholesterol levels.

      I have learnt not to want sweet things - but I have been at this for a long time! I also sin and eat a dessert maybe once a month - but not regularly, it has to be something REALLY good for me to be bothered. Lots of things are just too sweet now - I drink mineral water rather than any sort of soda because they are all so sweet.

    • linda17563
      linda17563 EileenH

      Posted

      Many people are trying the FODMAP "diet" although it`s not a diet...ever heard of it?.  My sister had it mentioned to her by a doctor when she went in hospital this weekend with gallstones!...Myself I can`t digest gliadin (in all gluten) hate gluten free rolls/bread, they get stuck in my throat.....think I will try (old type) spelt!...the mind boggles with all this.......
    • EileenH
      EileenH linda17563

      Posted

      When I first realised the delightful weeping exzema I had was due to wheat I was living in the UK. I joined the local coeliac group for ideas on how to vary my diet and we always had goodies at the monthly meeting. That was how I realised it wasn't the gluten, it was something else, because one lady brought rolls made with the Juvela mix - and I itched. It was gluten-free but made of chemically treated wheat starch. Made brilliant gluten-free bread though! But in the UK it was so difficult to find pure rye or spelt I resorted to the Free-from stuff but very quickly decided I'd rather go without than eat that bread! It was disgusting! The jaffa cakes are good though - better than real ones. 

      Scottish oatcakes are good - one company makes gluten-free ones too and they taste the same as real ones. I have spent years reading the labels - what I don't know about what is in food isn't worth knowing!

      I've heard of the FODMAP diet - either I don't eat enough for it to be a problem or it isn't a problem. My aim is to limit carbs of all sorts - because only then do I lose weight which was the aim and the best part of 40lbs of PMR/pred weight gone as a result. Need to lose a bit more and have jsut been on holiday, have eaten more carbs and have gained a couple of pounds - boo! Usually I just don't lose weight but this time we were away and eating out so that means the food is saltier than I am used to and so I retain fluid. Water weighs too :-(

    • linda17563
      linda17563 EileenH

      Posted

      Thanks for the info....I think the FODMAP was suggested to my sister more for the IBS as well......

      My husband has tried making bread with different flours in our breadmaker, but when they come out....you couldn`t break them if you threw them at the wall!!  which when you see them, or taste them is all they`re good for!rolleyes  (rice flour etc all tried...disgusting)

    • EileenH
      EileenH linda17563

      Posted

      Yes, FODMAP has been found to work well for IBS symptoms.

      There are breadmakers that will work with gluten-free recipes and spelt but when you use other grains the normal cycle won't work - the lack of gluten makes them rise fast and then because there is no elastic structure to hold the air they sink back so they are solid. One way to get round it is use the breadmaker to mix the dough and then remove it after the the first rising and do the rest by hand and bake it in the oven - a bit less work.

  • leonard12916
    leonard12916 FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    Flipdover, can you recommend a few sites with info on honey and sugar and an explanation as to how they can be problematic?
    • FlipDover_Aust
      FlipDover_Aust leonard12916

      Posted

      I am loathe to give you specific websites as a lot are just mumbo jumbo.  I can recommend some good books however. 

      Pure, white and deadly John Yudkin

      Sweet poison David Gillespie 

      Fat chance Robert Lustig 

      i quit sugar Sarah Wilson 

      they are are just a few off the top of my head. Look them up and I'm sure you'll be on the right track. 

       

  • leonard12916
    leonard12916 FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    Thanks for the titles Flipdover, I'll be sure to check them out.
    • FlipDover_Aust
      FlipDover_Aust leonard12916

      Posted

      Try searching these words Leonard. 

      Is Honey the Same as Sugar? Jenifer T. Kappico, Asuka Suzuki, and Nobuko Hongu 

  • richard84351
    richard84351 FlipDover_Aust

    Posted

    Thanks for reporting - this is very valuable information. Especially in terms of what you said last about, which change is most affecting. I am sorry to say, in a way, that the best approach to identify which change did what, is to cut out one thing at a time, in order to pinpoint which change it was. I am sorry to say this because it really means you have to go back to square on and consume all the things you cut out, and then eliminate one at a time. Otherwise, the identity of which change caused what, may not be fully known.

    Thanks again, and Good Luck - feel better!

    • FlipDover_Aust
      FlipDover_Aust richard84351

      Posted

      yes, you are right Richard. I'm trying it the other way around, gone back to fully eliminating all wheat and dairy and introducing one at a time. Tried butter yesterday and today.....we'll see how that goes. rolleyes
    • EileenH
      EileenH FlipDover_Aust

      Posted

      That is actually a recognised way of doing it - you find a diet that doesn't cause problems and then reintroduce a food group one at a time. I suspect it is actually a faster way - it takes longer to get rid of the effects and once you are off something you often become more sensitive to it so react very quickly. Good luck!
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