To ask what happened when you gave up gluten and dairy?

[benning]

I’m feeling so crap at the moment (perimenopausal too) and remember that when I briefly gave up gluten and dairy I felt much better. I don’t eat huge amounts of gluten but wonder if I should give it all up.

It’s just so hard!

If you’re gf and df, what benefits have you seen?

(weight loss not needed btw)

I just gave up dairy (well soya and coconut too) I felt deprived and ate too many Bourbon biscuits.

Definitely less bloating, clearer head and I actually don’t even remember the last time I was ill. I dont get the best sleep (due to young DC!), but I am able to function well even when Ive had several bad nights sleep in a row. I would say it took a while to feel the full benefits but worth sticking to. Ive got into the swing of eating differently and substituting foods, also tried Mindful chef boxes for a while as they are all gf and df meals.

I also started taking some probiotics at the same time but overall have really seen an improvement on general well being.

I have an underactive thyroid and realised a few years ago that a gluten and lactose intolerance can be linked. I started off super strict but I've loosened a bit now. I just don't ever eat pasta or breads or sponge cake etc. I switched the the Arla lactose free milk. My permanently bloated stomach disappeared within about a week and I have no joint pain. My energy levels prob didn't change but I'm really active anyway. Skin is good.
If I ever can't get lactose free milk and use regular milk my stomach bloated like crazy.
It's maybe worth a try. I think if you don't have coeliac disease it's probably fine to have some gluten and maybe just cut out the obvious gluten containing foods.

@shouldbesleepingnotscrolling same-I'm never sick either. I had covid last year (v mild) and I think that was the first time I was ill in about a decade.

Thanks, that’s interesting.

I already drink lactose free milk, but I eat yoghurt and cheese and copious amounts of butter, so that would have to go. And ice cream.

Gluten-wise I don’t eat pasta but have bread sometimes. Occasionally pancakes or something. So it’s not even that much.

I have joint pain, insomnia, dizziness, brain fog etc. Trying to work out if it will make a difference is hard but I guess I won’t know until I do it for a good while.

I gave up gluten for a while on medical advice. Zero impact other than being more expensive.

@mynameiscalypso

Why was it more expensive?

If you buy things like gluten free pasta or gluten free bread, they're often way more expensive than wheat-filled alternatives.

No difference at all. the only food group I notice when I eliminate is ultra-processed food.

I've not been ill for years and my diet is packed with gluten, dairy, etc. I haven't even had Covid

I felt a million times better but I have underlying health issues and developed a really bad intolerance to gluten and dairy as a result.
My pain drastically reduced, as did my fatigue, bloating, severe constipation, brain fog. My eyes cleared up, my hair stopped falling out as much, my face filled out and didn't look so gaunt, and I gained a much needed half a stone.

It's an absolute PITA some days, and I often miss real bread and butter, yoghurt, etc but it obviously doesn't compare to how unwell I felt before. Learning to eat gluten and dairy free was definitely a learning curve but it's slowly starting to become second nature (we eat a lot of Asian, Mexican, Indian foods) I've eaten more rice in the last 8 months than I have in my entire life 😂

Ah, I see. I would never buy these things tbh, I just would cut out the gluten and dairy and replace with other foods.

Yes, dairy free alternatives forfeited with calcium, vitamin D and iodine are very expensive. We are still buying them 5 years later and it makes a huge difference to the shopping bill.

I gave up both at once as part of working with a dietician. Nothing happened. Well, I ate lot of additives in the gluten free versions of stuff and didn't enjoy my food so much. Not everyone is intolerant to these things.

When I gave up dairy nothing happened except that I became much hungrier without the satiating palatable joy of cheese and much sadder without the joyful froth of a cappuccino moustache to brighten up my mid mornings

I am dairy intolerant so giving it up has stopped the bloating/cramping and tummy trouble. A positive side effect has been helping with stuffy nose/post nasal drip, and anything to do with that kind of mucus.

OP it's different for everyone but giving up both changed my life (IBS). I've given up other stuff, too. I swapped massive bloating, nausea, headaches, major gas, constipation, bad skin and no energy whatsoever for feeling great, and 95% end to all those symptoms. Honestly it's so worth it!

@benning I noticed a difference almost immediately after cutting dairy wheat and loads of other grains out. Go for it!

Gluten free diet is only better for you if you have a gluten intolerance. Same for dairy. You would feel better giving up processed foods and sugar, amd eating more fruit and veg.

Cutting out dairy has reduced my joint pain by about 95%.

I barely eat processed foods (by which I mean highly processed, not tinned tomatoes etc). Honestly, hardly anything. Maybe the odd packet of crisps. Also not much sugar.

And I eat 6-8 portions of fruit and a veg a day. It’s really a very healthy diet already.

Which is why it’s so frustrating that I feel like shit 😂

I'm 50 and perimenopausal. I started having stomach symptoms 2 years ago, pretty much out of the blue. I had various tests, tried giving up gluten and dairy, symptoms disappeared, found out I couldn't be tested for coeliac unless I'd been eating gluten daily for 3 months. Went back to eating gluten, tested negative. Went back to eating normally. Felt crap for a few months And repeat twice more.

I'm going to go back to the doctor, ask if it's worth being re-tested for coeliac, ask for a lactose test, and in the meantime, just carry on eating sensibly.

I generally avoid any grains and don't drink milk (fine with butter and cheese and cream, guess they're more fat than anything else) and feel much better, very few stomach problems, clear skin, no eczema, fewer aching joints.

Lapsing on this diet gives me immediate feedback, my stomach starts swelling while eating usually meaning a night of discomfort and if I drink milk I immediately get the runs!

It would be worth it for this alone.