When will I feel better from a GF diet?

tpsprings · Post by **tpsprings** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:43 pm

Does it take a while for the gluten free/dairy free diet to kick in? I haven't felt the benefits of this yet? I was just curious to see if that was common or if I was doing something wrong? It's been about a week and a half with NO Gluten, meat or dairy.

Thank you so much for all of your help!

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:55 pm

Some see results within weeks, for others it can take a couple of months, we are all different.
depending on how inflammed the gut is

be patient, the improvement will come...

a little warning
there are some of us, that once we removed gluten and dairy, we felt pretty good for a few weeks and then the symptoms return, what happens is another ingredient becomes the major trigger, (in my case soy). this went on for a few months.
keep a journal - noting what you eat and any symptoms, this can help identify trigger ingredients

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:59 pm

Yes, soy for me, too.

tpsprings · Post by **tpsprings** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:28 pm

Yes, Soy has always been a trigger for me even before I knew that my stomach was my worst enemy! BUT I do like the idea of writing down what I eat even though that will be cumbersome. Thanks for the idea!!!

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 2:33 pm

the journal has helped alot of people

in my case, carrots is ok, cauliflower is ok, if i ate them together in the same meal i would have issues - go figure hey?? dont know why

even the times that you eat might be causing issues. if you have coffee to close to a meal (this gives me gerd).

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 3:26 pm

Can I ask why you are not eating meat? Are you vegetarian? When you say meat, do you mean all animal protein? Protein is very healing and our tissues need it for repairing.

Yes, I agree with Gabes. GF can take a while and I also discovered a soy intolerance about 6 months out.

Leah

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 3:37 pm

Proteins, amino acids, are very important for healing - I would even upgrade it to crucial/critical for healing.

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 4:05 pm

It has taken a very long time after eliminating gluten, soy, dairy and eggs to identify all the other foods causing problems. I have reduced entocort to 3 mg every other day and hope to stop it entirely eventually. After Entero lab testing, including genetic tests for celiac, I did have MRT testing because I still was not feeling well. In desperation I decided to try the Paleo diet even though I'm not a big fan of meat. Because of an extreme weight loss the first 2 weeks on the paleo diet, I added rice, sweet potatoes and homemade GF bread. My weight stabilized and after more than 6 months, I feel so much better. Stress always causes problems but I seem to bounce back more quickly now. It has been a couple of years and I feel as if I have finally turned a corner.

So, we are all different and it is necessary to continually tweak your diet until you get it right. Many of us also have other autoimmune issues, allergies, etc and I have my share as well. Patience is necessary and the willingness to change your diet as necessary and stick to it.

Sheila W

tpsprings · Post by **tpsprings** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 7:59 pm

Hi Leah, I am not eating meat mainly because I have been a vegetarian for years and it just sounds terrible. I do eat fish and eggs. Trust me, I am trying to think rational knowing that this protein could really heal me, I just cant find the courage.

I have a decent GF bread recipe and today made a fab mac and "cheese" DF/GF, surprisingly delicious. Tomorrow is my GI appointment. I plan to drag my tired achy backside in there and hope that he actually cares enough to give me meds that will really help. I know that meds alone will not help, so starting this diet will be for the best I hope.

Maybe a good organic broth be the best way to start out on meat?

Some things I have added to my diet are dried figs, brazil nuts, pineapple, almonds, Aloe juice, primrose oil, probiotics, vitamin D and Digestive Enzyme. Do any of these things sound offensive to digestion? I thought that they would help with specific proteins, vitamins and have healing properties, but I'm not sure.

Jan G · Post by **Jan G** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 9:24 pm

Definitely keep a journal. I have been gluten free for a week and a half along with dairy free, cause I always had a problem with dairy. I have been eating chicken, potatoes and cooked green beans along with g/f bread. I had some scrambled eggs the other day and spend the following day in the bathroom. So no eggs anymore.

As soon as I took gluten out, I felt a difference.

It is different for everyone but there are some common denominators.

Good luck!

Post by **tex** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:49 pm

tpsprings wrote:Do any of these things sound offensive to digestion? I thought that they would help with specific proteins, vitamins and have healing properties, but I'm not sure.

I've never tried aloe juice or primrose oil, but of the other items that you listed, the only one that I know I can safely ingest is the vitamin D.

Of course, YMMV.

I was lucky when I was recovering, because I wasn't sensitive to eggs, so I ate a lot of them. The protein in eggs has the highest biological value of just about any food. On a calorie for calorie basis, it takes less protein from eggs, than from any other protein source, to achieve the same muscle-building benefits. And eggs have the added benefit of being loaded with the very vitamins that we tend to be deficient in (B-12, B-9, B-6, and D), plus they also contain a lot of B-2, E, iron, phosphorus, and zinc, that we may not be deficient in, but they can still come in handy.

So if you don't turn out to be sensitive to eggs, and you're willing to eat a lot of them, and you're willing to eat fish, you might possibly be able to get by without eating meat. How about that?

Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 11:26 pm

Some things I have added to my diet are dried figs, brazil nuts, pineapple, almonds, Aloe juice, primrose oil, probiotics, vitamin D and Digestive Enzyme. Do any of these things sound offensive to digestion?

Nuts and figs have lot of fiber that can be tough to digest. I have no trouble with aloe juice but I don't drink it regularly. Any chance it has laxative properties?

Anyway, the red flag for me is probiotics. Yes, they are hugely important, but the wrong one can make your MC much worse!! I took Dr. Mercola's multi-strain version for 5 days and almost landed in the hospital with rapid-transit D. I now take Culturelle, S boulardi, and my kids' dairy-free acidophilus and bifidus wafers on alternate days with no trouble. I eat some fermented sourkraut too, but in small quantities. I'm considering trying VSL#3.

Regarding your diet, we know MC is partly the result of permeable intestines. Since you've been vegetarian, I'd suspect some of your staple foods are causing you trouble, especially soy. Do you eat soy cheeses, tofu, soy milk, edamame, etc? Other legumes may be suspects too. I tried the processed non-dairy, soy free cheeses early on (Daiya), and they did not agree with me at all.

tlras · Post by **tlras** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:12 am

Well I would have to say nuts, figs and the probiotics are very questionable. I have yet to brave those and I'm 9 months into this nasty disease. I did eat a Lara bar the other day (contains cashews and dates) and had no issues and that's probably because my gut has had a long time to heal. Gluten has a long half-life. It was still in my system 4 months after going GF! Now it's at a level that I don't react to I suppose. Going DF helped me with the D but I still had it. It takes awhile but for me the help of Pepto and diet changes seems to have put me in remission ( so far). Don't want to jinx myself. I also try to avoid most soy products. I'm still testing eggs but seem to be okay with them.

Hang in there!

Terri

Leah · Post by **Leah** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:15 am

tpsprings. I agree with all these fine people. I still (after a year of healing) can't eat pineapple. Dried fruit is also not very good for me,( but a few cranberries in a salad is ok). When I started taking culturelle, I had D very quickly, so I don't do probiotics either. You might want to hold off on the nuts for now also. I can eat them, but if you are still having a lot of problems, they are probably not helping matters.... maybe in the ground state ( like in DF pesto or the paleo muffins) ???

I really do hope you find some relief soon.

Leah

tpsprings · Post by **tpsprings** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:58 pm

Zizzle~that is very interesting to hear about the probiotics. I was suspicious of the Align that I have been taking for a very long time now. When I stop taking it I have other issues...I think I will switch to Culterelle and see how that goes. I just picked up some Krout...Bubbies brand! I read great things about it, we'll see how that goes. I don't do ANY soy substitutes...SOY puts me in bed for the day. I have by accident and payed dearly.

Terry and Tex~ I'm going to try eggs by themselves and see how I really react them. They really might be okay...not sure.

Leah~ I hope that nuts aren't doing harm...I am relying on them right now for calories.

I am soooo glad that you are all here! Today at my appointment I told my doctor how attentive I was being towards my diet and that I was still suffering. He said NOTHING towards the fact that I was gluten or dairy free. Disappointing. But you are all here to support and cheer me on so that's pretty cool. He prescribed Entocorot 3x a day in the morning for who knows how long...he didn't say! He also said that if I don't feel better in a week or so to come back (more tests). If I do feel better to follow up with my primary.

One thing I learned at my appointment was that there is a link to your back pain and your stomach "flare ups". My doctor always pokes at the sacroiliac joints on my back (lower sides of my spine). The more painful, the worse off my stomach is. He calls it sacroiliac arthritis. Does your doc to this test?