AIBU to try Wheat, Gluten & Dairy Free?

[nitrox]

I am 29yrs old, 18 stones (size 20), feeling very fed up with everything and my health is only getting worse.

I used to be much more sporty and a size 16, but it's gradually creeping up on me.

Constantly bloated, fatigue, bad skin, IBS, trapped wind all the time, uncomfortable tummy and bowels, constipation mixed with loose poo's (TMI), Reflux. I know that all sounds very awful, but it's not all of it all the time I guess.

I did some research yesterday about bloating and wheat intollerance came up time and time again, so I went out and got some things to eat from now on, and have ditched anything with wheat, gluten or dairy in it..

No doubt this will be healthier than my regular diet, so I'm happy to give it a go, but is there anything I need to know?

I'm eating plenty of fruit and veg, more on the veg side due to natural sugars.. I've changed to soya type rice milk stuff, which is nice enough.

I've tried to get tests from the doctor's but they just say to eliminate foods for a while and see, so that's what I'm doing.

Anyone else cut out these products, and how have you found it?

Previous diet:
Breakfast: Toast, cereal, or nothing
Snack: Chocolate / fruit
Lunch: Sandwiches, crisps, chcocolate biscuit, banana
Dinner: Big plate of pasta / chicken noodle stir fry / Wedges & Home cooked Chicken
Snacks: lots of chocolate, nibbles, fruit, energy drinks, coffee, etc etc

Current Diet:
Breakfast: Free from cornflakes with rice milk / or oats
Lunch: Free from bread with plain sliced chicken /or tuna salad
Dinner: Chicken stirfry (no noodles) / or chicken with vegetables / salmon & veg
Snacks: Banana / Melon / Mixed nuts / Free From jaffa cakes / more fruit

*excuse all the supermarket rubbish pre packed stuff, but I need to gradually learn and these will help the transition I hope.

nitrox I've lost just under 3 stone recently on the Paul Mckenna WOE (way of eating ) it damn well works I also follow my Blood Type for my health By Dr. Peter D'Adamo it makes soo much sense.

I agree with fuzzpig - docs now have guidelines that before diagnosing IBS they should test for coeliac disease. You need to keep eating wheat/gluten before the tests- it is a simple blood test followed by a confirmation endoscopy.

No harm in trying it and anything that makes you feel better is worth it but my personal view is that a lot of these so-called "intolerances" are snake oil diets. A fair amount of research has been done on this which suggests that people who really have true intolerances are a fairly small % of the number of people with IBS etc, most of whom are just people with a not very good diet.
I would be prepared to bet good money that if you just cut out the crap (biscuits/processed food) and introduce more veg and fruit into your diet that will do it.

When you had your gall bladder removed did they discuss with you what impact that would have on your digestion? It means that there is nowhere for the bile (which emulsifies fat to make it easier to digest and absorb) to be stored and concentrated. It therefore just drips from the liver where it's manufactured, into the small intestine where most of your digestion takes place. Normally, if someone eats fatty food, it triggers a release of bile (along with other fat-digesting enzymes from the pancreas). If you don't have a gallbladder, though, you lack that fat-busting digestive capacity and probably won't feel good after eating high-fat meals or snacks. You don't have to cut out fat completely, by any means, but a high fat diet isn't going to make you feel at the top of your game.

For a start, I'd say you need to cut the crap out of your diet - but I think you already know that. Try eating nothing but freshly prepared, unprocessed food for a month (and no refined carbs!) and see whether your symptoms improve. If they don't, then try cutting out wheat or dairy for a month.

If you've had your gall bladder out and you're that overweight, I'm sure your GP would refer you an NHS dietician.

Good luck and I hope you feel better.

No advice to give, OP, but I'll be having my gall bladder out soon (hopefully!) and think I need to go gluten-free too, also eating too many processed foods and feeling crap generally.

So....you have my sympathy and support! Good luck!

The only way to lose weight is to eat sensibly and exercise. All these fad diets are a load of nonsense. And by depriving yourself of dairy and carbs you may be doing your body more harm than good

You may also need to substitute digestive enzymes. I would see a nutritionist / dietician for advice.

As for your diet, try to remove the processed food and reduce your sugar intake too. I followed a wheat, dairy and sugar free diet while breast feeding an highly allergic and intolerent baby and while not a stick insect, I was lighter!!

My DD has a Gluten/wheat and Dairy free diet due to allergies.

I spoke to Tesco and they e-mail me a list every month with all products in store that are free from all 3 (if that makes sense)

I also have the same allergies so we have the same diet, DS and DH don't have the allergies but we all just eat a lot of fruit, veg and meat so it doesn't really have a massive impact.

If we want treats then I just bake my own. We don't eat much processed food and to be honest and the 'free from' range is hideously expensive.

Hi there
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MNHQ

OP, Having your gallbladder out doesn't mean that milk will make you feel yucky. I had mine out a few years ago, and I steer clear of overly fatty foods, but that's it really. As everyone else (and you ) have said, you need to cut out all the crap from your diet, I think that's the biggest problem! Try not eating between meals, and if you must, snack on carrot sticks and red/yellow/orange peppers. Prepare them in advance so you can just grab them from the fridge. MAke a large batch of soup for your lunches. Oatcakes will also stave off hunger and are good slow release energy. Drink lots of water, too. See how you go doing that before cutting anything drastic out of your diet. Good luck

I think it needs to be clarified that there will be absolutely no ill health effects whatsoever from cutting out gluten or lactose. The body does not need carbohydrates from starches. It is capable of producing energy on its own from protein and fat sources. If you are a particularly active person you may need more carbs, biput for most of us it's unnecessary. A lot of people feel a lot better when they stop eating grains. I recommend Mark's Daily Apple for a few examples.

If you think you have an intolerance, cut out both for one month, then gradually add them back one at a time. That should help you figure out what's affecting you. If I cut out wheat for any real length if time and try eating it again, it's only a matter of minutes before I have to get to the toilet. That, combined with bloating and general discomfort when I eat wheat, has told me all I need to know.

Great advice again, thank you everybody!

I think I will continue with what I'm doing but see it more of a test to see if the bloating goes, and also a way to ensure I'm staying healthy and not kidding myself that a bit of toast and butter is ok! At least I'm eating healthy options by default this way.

For dinner this evening I'm having oven steamed salmon, oven baked veg tray (tomato, corgette, peppers & onion with a splash of olive oil), boiled fine green beans and mini sweetcorns. I hope this will be okay, it's certainly healthier than a frozen pizza!

I've also found some peppermint tea, so I'll try that for the bloating and for a change.

I'm trying to cut down on sugar, I only have 1 sugar in coffee now and also I have switched to sweetners, but I'm worried that these aren't a good alternative health wise? I only have 2 coffee's a day, so it's not the end of the world either way.

I'm not active at the moment unfortunately. In my past I was heavily into snowboarding, skiing, scuba diving, horse riding, abseiling and motorbikes. I'm a total tomboy and I miss being myself I feel like I'm old before my time.

I'm glad that even if I do wheat free etc, it isn't bad for me, that was my main concern. I don't want to go on milkshake diets and loose 2 stones in 6 weeks, despite my mums insistence that it's great! I don't know the long term effects and don't want to risk my health long term.

Any more recipes or info would be ideal! Great list Euroshag sounds very nice!

Gall bladder, they did say I wouldn't absorb fat and may loose weight lol, that's not happened! Other than that I don't notice many ill effects really.. I have looked at digestive enzymes, but wasn't sure if they were a healthly scam might be worth me looking into. Also, some sort of acid drink I read about ages ago, helps digest the food...

I would try more protein at breakfast as will keep you full for longer than cornflakes. Try some poached eggs, with grilled tomatos/ mushroom/ bacon

nitrox - a common misconception is that coeliacs lose weight. Some lose weight and some bloat with retained water.

Your symptoms do sound quite typical for coeliac - but may be otehr things. However, before you diet go to your GP and get a coeliac test. Do not stop eating wheat. You need to keep eating it to make the test work.

Your 'dairy' intolerance may be lactose (ie milk sugar) intolerance which is very common in coeliac. Go to your GP and tell him/her your symptoms and press hard for a coeliac test. If it comes back negative then try going wheat and dairy free on your own. You will know immediately if it works.

I lost 2 stone doing that and I only weighed 13.3 stone. I have severe gluten and lactose intolerance.

Is there anywhere I can go to get tested for everything (within reason)? I'd pay privately if I had to...

I've looked a coeliac and obesity online and you're correct MoreBeta it's quite common now.

I do match a lot of the symptoms.

I haven't been to the doctors here since I moved from another town, so I've got no rapor with any doctor, going to bet I get told to change my diet..

OP have you thought about trying the paleo diet? It means cutting out all grains, sugar and most dairy and eating meat, fish,eggs, fruit, veg, nuts and some unpasturised fermented dairy. My IBS is gone and I've lost lots of weight too.

I haven't seen that mslicketysplit I'll have a look online for it!

Sounds like something I could do