Is there a diet out there for me, as I suffer from IBS, lactose intolerance AND gluten intolerance
#234485 - 12/29/05 10:09 PM
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Sunni
Reged: 10/28/05
Posts: 14
Loc: Ontario, Canada
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Hi Gang,
I am wondering if anyone can help me find a diet that incorporates all of the guidelines for IBS, lactose intolerance AND gluten intolerance.
This is getting so frustrating, and I am wondering if anyone has a steadfast eating plan to conquer all three easily and sensibly, that is nutritionally sound.
It is getting difficult for me to remember what I can eat at all safely anymore dealing with all three at once!
Sunni
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Well, Heather's diet, which is outlined on the main site, already covers IBS and avoiding dairy (lactose, whey, casein), so you just have to figure out the GF part. There have been a couple of Help for IBS newsletters that have answered questions about managing gluten intolerance and IBS along with some GF, IBS-safe recipes; these are listed under the IBS Diet & Recipes link.
If you decide to do a search on the message boards, I'd recommend using "GF" instead of "gluten free" (no quotes) as a search term. I hope you find what you're looking for and start feeling better.
Take care! 
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Hi Sunni, I'm in the same boat as you. The GF makes it much harder to follow and it seems theres very little to eat. Good luck,we need it lol
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*sympathy*
I've had to juggle that trio of intolerances, so I can at least say don't give up - it is possible to satisfy all three; and eat balanced and tasty food into the bargain.
As has been said Heather's eating guidlines already cut out dairy along with the other things that particularly inflame IBS; so in following that you're already two thirds of the way there.
The last part is adjusting Heathers recomendations to avoid gluten - and this can actually be easier then you think.
For example many of the IBS safe-staples are rice or potatoe dishes (to give the soluble fibre base) both of which are GF. Or when things are bad I've fallen back on oat porridge made with soya milk to passify all three.
For baking its mostly a matter of getting ahold of rice or potatoe based flours to substitute for wheat - there are a whole range of alternative flours now and in the main they really can just be substituted direcetly for normal flour and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.
Likewise bread can be substituted with rice or potatoe alternatives to remain GF while still providing soluble fibre. Personally I can't recomend baking your own bread enough - its time consuming when you first start but it soon becomes routine, and I've found that home baked bread is superior to the high-in-preservative GF loaves you tend to find in supermarkets et al.
In fact I can't recommend _cooking_ enough - with pre-packaged foods I found it almost impossible to satisfy all three requirements as there always seemed to be gluten or milk added to the most inocuous things; but when cooking yourself you have complete control over what goes into your food.
It may seem overwhelming at first with all the things to remember, but it really does become second nature after a while. Many of Heathers recpies don't even need modifying; and those that do are usually only a change in flour, or use of a GF bread to make the already DF recepie's GF as well. Going the other way many GF recepies from cookbooks catering to that side specifically can likewise easily be adapted by substituting out dairy things and keeping an eye on soluble
fibre.
Umm...I've babled quite a bit there so I'll stop. Hope I've been of some help.
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great tips,thank you.
would I used the same amount of Gf flour in a recipe as regular flour?
on the Gf diet I can only eat corn burritos,heather says corn is IF..I'm guessing its okay in the form of a burrito?
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forgot to mention..the gf bread I bought has dairy in it,most all the GF food I bought does,this was before I decided to start this diet. what a waste!
I ordered some lactose pills,they get great reviews and are supposedly the best on the market. my dr recommended using them
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...why have you chosen to eat GF? Do you have celiac disease too, confirmed by an endoscopy? Or did you have the antibody test come back postitive? All of them? Even the one most specific for celiac? Or do you just feel better eating gluten free?
By GF, do you all include spelt, oats, barley in that too, or just wheat?
I went on a GF diet for almost about 10 months because two of my antibody tests came back positive. But while eating GF, I didn't feel any better. I went from D to C!
I've been experimenting with spelt breads and cereals that contain oats and barley. I've asked 3 doctors what to do about this gluten issue, and have gotten 3 opposite responses (Yes, eat GF...No, you don't have to eat GF because lots of people have the antibodies come back postive and as long as the one specific for Celiac is fine, don't worry about not eating wheat....and the third one said to do whatever I wanted to do about the whole thing. 
This whole debate over whether or not I will ever be able to feel better if I eat Gluten is stressing me out so badly.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Or do you have a good name brand to recommend that is also IBS safe? I found a brown rice bread with fruit concentrates in it...don't think that would be a good soluble fiber base. Also tried Sammies Millet and flax bread which is great....but cannot serve as my SF source in the meal.
Any brand recommendations?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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I actually started making my own bread for sandwiches after the 'safe' rice-bread brand I'd found here in the UK changed its ingredients and suddenly became annoyingly unsafe so I can't be much help there I'm afraid.
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If you're making your own bread all the time, try this. Buy Ziploc medium sized baggies. Then, measure up several batches of the dry ingredients, one at a time. Dump the contents in each little zippie, and then it's so much faster to whip up a loaf. All you mix are your wet ingredients and voila!
I figured out this little gem. It's no trouble to measure out 5 or 6 batches at the same time since all the ingredients are already out.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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one of these days I'm going to learn to make bread. I did try it once years ago,what a mess I made 
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...could you tell me why you eat Gluten Free? Is it based on medical tests or your own decision because it helps you?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.
I am also GF by choice, well sorta. I am wheat intolerant and also gluten. Not technically allergic but my guts puff up and I fart a LOT! I am very much dairy intolerant. So, how do you cope?
It's a lot of trial and error. Most HFS have a great pre-packaged selection. Keep it simple to start with and then build. You can even buy your own GF bread. Rice milk is great (or soy, depending on your tastes!) White rice flour is the best catch all substitute.
I'd be happy to help as I can. 
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IBS-C with major bloat!
Gluten Free Vegan
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I eat virtually GF. In my experience, people are just in the "habit" of eating bread which is generally made with gluten. Truly, there are many more interesting & nourishing & cheaper options. It's just the format. I don't waste my time making or buying GF breads because I honestly couldn't be bothered to eat them.
Kate, IBS-D.
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Hi Augie,
I highly recommend that you go to the website www.celiac.com
because it will answer a lot of your questions. Personally I had the gene test done and stool antibody test done by Dr.Kenneth Fine who is a gastroenterologist and one of the experts in this field. My stool and gene test came back positive and I have been totally gluten and dairy free for over a year and feel better. I am having an endoscopy next week for nausea.
If you go on Dr. Fine's website www.enterolab.com you will read a lot of information. Unfortunately I think most doctors are not knowledgeable in the latest research. This research shows that if you have a positive antibody test, even if the endoscopy is normal, you could have damage being done to other organ systems, not just your intestines.
After doing a lot of reading I felt that it was important to go totally gluten and dairy free. I also have anti-thyroid antibodies.
I understand how you feel since I have been going through intense health issues for ten years: attacks of vomiting, diarrhea, palpitations and tremors that would last 6 hours.I would have at least one attack every month. Several M.Ds wanted me to go to a psychiatrist. I finally found a clinic where they specialize in these types of problems. I was told that due to my gluten intolerance that my immune system was affected and I acquired 4 intestinal infections. ASfter 6 months of treatment for these infections and nutritional support I don't have those attacks anymore!  So it wasn't in my head as the other doctors thought. One of them shamed me like it was my fault that I was having those symptoms! 
So basically I feel that most doctors aren't knowledgeable about this issue. I highly recommend that you go gluten free to avoid future medical problems.
There are a lot of good food alternative out there. I also made muffins out of rice flour. To me its worth it to totally avoid gluten no matter what doctors say.
I should also mention that I have been an RN for 25 years and believe me, Doctors are people just like everyone else and certainly don't know everything! My GI doc just told me to eat more fiber,(I have diarrhea).
Take care,
June
P.S.
I highly recommend Dangerous Grains by Ron Hoggins as well.
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Kinnikinnick foods makes a good tapioca bread and english muffins. Some health food stores sell it or you can get it on line.
Hope this helps,
June
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Beth,
I eat Gluten Free because of the tests and how I feel. Also there is a high correlation of diabetes with gluten problems. My Dad had diabetes. My mother has osteoporosis and diabetes. In gluten problems you don't absorb enough calcium and you can get pancreatitis. My mother had that as well but won't get tested. I also have one of the main genes for Celiac disease. If I don't have problems now, there is a great probability I will in the future. I am also very thin and have a hard time gaining weight.
Also it may take up to two years or more to feel better after going completely off gluten That means no wheat, spelt, teff, barley, rye and oats. There is a bit of controversy over oats but I stay away from it cause it makes me bloat. I eat potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes,and rice. I like rice crackers and corn chips as snacks.
Hope this helps,
June
P.S.
If you have a lot of antibodies it means you are having a reaction to gluten, plain and simple.
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Which are not considered safe on this diet. I've tried the bread and it is good...but still, it contains whole eggs. 
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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my cousin and brother both have juvenile diabetes. I know there is a link. But, I tested negative for the celiac gene.  I only tested positive on two of the antibody tests. And like I said, not the one most specific for celiac.
This is so anxiety inducing for me...I just don't know if I have a chance of ever feeling better if I eat barley and oats and spelt. Or if I needed to give the GF diet longer than 10 months trial.
My doctors have told me that I would have felt better by then...but maybe I was doing something wrong on the IBS side of all this. I just want, more than anything, but some expert doctor, or better yet, God, to give me the answer to this gluten dilemma. I'm afraid it will consume me until my last breath. That's not a way to live....always have this very vital question in my life. It could meant the difference between a very symptomatic life and a life that is managable.
I have severe C, not D. I was a chronic D before going GF, but GF turned me painfully C. Since adding back spelt, oats, and barley, I remain C. Yuck! I would gladly stay GF if I had felt the difference you did.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Beth,
I just checked the english muffins in my freezer, egg whites only. I don't have any tapioca bread now so I cant look but I'll check on the website. I have had the yeast free bread and it was good, no problems.
Take care,
June
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Beth,
Have you had an endoscopy? That would tell if you had damage to the small intestine.
I know that it is a lot to deal with. Something that has helped me a lot with the gas and bloating is a digestive enzyme called Gammazyme which has peppermint in it. Also fennel tea. I agree that this is nerve wracking. I get a little constipated when I eat a lot of soluble fiber, in between attacks of diarrhea and then I take triphala which helps me.
Unfortunately, it is a question of trial and error to see what foods agree with you. You could start a journal and write down what you eat and how you feel and how your body reacts to different foods. Thats how I have sorted a lot of things out. For me egg yolks are not a problem.Everyone is different. Some things that work for some people won't work for others.
You might start out with only rice since it is the most tolerated and non allergenic for a few days and then add other grains in to see your body's reaction
Whatever you decide you have my support in working things out.
Take care,
June
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Everything was normal which adds to the confusion. Were all your antibodies high? How long were you on the GF diet until you started to feel better? Do you have IBS too? What are your symptoms now?
I already take a digestive enzyme...either Digest Gold or Garden of Life brand. I still get the gas and bloat bad. I should just accept the fact that I am going to be confused and hurting for the rest of my life.
Sorry, but I'm just down tonight. Hopefully 2006 will be better. Thanks for all your support, June. Doesn't the GF diet cause you to have more C? All those rice products? I went from having 6-10 BMs a day to chronic Constipation to the point I need Miralax now. UGH.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Have you tried any probiotics? It helps with gas and bloating.
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Hi 'Urufu',
I just wanted to thank you for your response.
I have been sooooo overwhelmed by all of these food intolerances...(these are new to me; I am 38 and have NEVER had a food intolerance in my life - except Ceasar Salad would send me straight to the bathroom!
I find it hard to deal with all three of these intolerances at once...especially the gluten! Wheat flour is in everything in the grocery store!! All crackers, cookies, pastas, even store bought stews!
I am baking a Sweet Cornbread loaf right now but am using Potato flour. I have substituted rice flour for some of the breads, like the Lemon Bread, and it doesn't turn out at all. The batter for the cornbread was really runny. I hope it turns out!
I wanted to ask you if you could literally tell me what you eat most days. Perhaps I could get some other tips from you, as dealing with all three of these issues is incredibly overwheming. I have been reading alot of books, this website, and other websites as well, but to find info. on all three problems is very difficult.
Thank you and I appreciate all your help!
Sunni
P.S. On top of it all, I need to lose about 40 pounds. All this bread, potatoes, etc., seems overwhelming, (and fattening). Any suggestions?
I had lost 76 lbs. on the South Beach Diet program in a year with exercise, but I think those days are sadly over.
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Could you please share why you eat GF. What's your reason and background with gluten?
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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Hi Beth,
I am a GF eater, because I am gluten intolerant. I have a gastroenterologist, who did all the tests on me for everything, including Celiac Spruce disease (which my grandfather developed in his 70's)! Celiac Spruce disease is hereditary.
My test for Celiac Spruce (which means you are allergic to wheat) came back negative. However, whenever I eat ANYTHING, no matter how small, made with "wheat flour", look out! I get incredible gas, bloating, like you would not believe. I slowly figured this out over the last few months.
I do see a Registered Dietician to help with the food intolerances and IBS, and she told me no matter what the test says, she has many patients who are told the same thing as me, but absolutely cannot tolerate any wheat products. Our bodies don't lie! So, I am Gluten Intolerant.
That is why I eat GF. But it is very difficult, gluten is in everything. Are you Gluten Intolerant, too?
Sunni
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Fyi Sunni
#235083 - 01/01/06 08:41 PM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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It's Celiac Sprue, not Spruce.
And Celiac isn't just being allergic to wheat...it is an IBD with gluten as a trigger causing the villi in your intestines to become deformed.
You can be wheat or even gluten intolerant without having celiac.
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...or did the one most specific for celiac come back fine, but the ones for gluten antibodies came back positive. Or did all bloodwork come back fine?
I agree, you should honor your body, especially since it runs in your family.
I had all the tests done (antibody, gene test, endoscopy). I had 2 antibody tests come back very high! But the one most specific for celiac was negative, as was the gene test (meaning I don't carry the gene for celiac suposedly) and my endossopy was normal too. So, not definitive answer.
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~ Beth
Constipation, pain prodominent,cramps, spasms and bloat!
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