Could I possibly be allergic to gluten?...

jayrudq · October 2013

Don't you have your answer? Eating lots of bread and cheese makes you feel sick. Stop eating lots of bread and cheese. I am not trying to be snarky or mean, but it seems pretty simple to me. And you admittedly have a problem with overeating bread, so it is probably something you want to stay away from, no?
Whatever you choose to do, good luck! And get back to that yoga class!

mkgirl425 · October 2013

You are very astute to link the or way you are feeling to eating bread and cheeses. I have been following a blog/website by JJ Virgin for the past year or so and what she has to say makes all the sense in the world. She feels that our bodies are ever changing, and at certain periods in our life, we become "sensitive" to certain foods. She recommends removing these inflammatory foods from our diets for a period of 21 days and then re-testing them to see how the body reacts...i.e..to see if you are sensitive to that food. I have been following this for the past two weeks and have lost 10 pounds so far. Check out her website and book, Lost 7 pounds in 7 days by dropping 7 foods (or something like that). Good luck in your weight journey. I have many pounds to go in mine, but am very optimistic since finding this source.

Missjulesdid · October 2013

I discovered my sensitivity to wheat by doing a very strict lengthy elimination diet. when it was eliminated from my diet, I had no reflux, and my joint pain was nearly nonexistent.... when I reintroduced it into my diet, the reflux returned and my joints were so bad I could barely walk after working a 7 hour shift on my feet and I couldn't open or close my hands all the way. I don't know if it's the gluten in the wheat or something else about it, but it's DEFINITELY WHEAT that was causing my issues. I should mention that the changes didn't happen right away. The reflux appeared/disappeared quickly when introducing/eliminating wheat, but the joint problems took a few weeks. It's not like I'd eat a piece of bread and suddenly I couldn't walk.. the problem was cumulative. The joint pain would get progressively worse the more wheat products I ate and the longer I ate them.

I have to admit that I was hoping that my issues were not dietary and if they were that it would be maybe from dairy.. I could give up dairy. I was HORRIFIED to learn that my issues were with wheat.

1971jamie · October 2013

Very similar to me... my research/reading suggested it was a particular protein in wheat rather than the gluten that was the cause of the problems, and I don't seem to have the same problems with wheat-free (but not necessarily gluten-free) foods. As a kid I has asthma, and was diagnosed allergic to grass amongst other things - wheat being a type of grass of course. Excercise brought on the asthma really bad, leading to being an unfit (but not particularly overweight) kid/teenager. These days the connection has been identified and is now called exercise-induced anaphylaxis - during excercise the wheat protein enters the blood stream where it causes a severe allergic reaction/anaphylaxis... if only that link was made when I was a kid!

Totally understand the joints thing and not being able to open your hands... mine got so bad at one point after working very hard for several days, and of course eating nothing but sandwiches basically(!!) that I literally couldn't climb the stairs when I got home that night, partner had to drag me up... was in such agony I couldn't even shower myself. Horrible. More horrible because I absolutely adore fresh bread! - but I know I can't have it.

So to everyone I recommend strictly cutting ANYTHING containing wheat out of your diet for at least a week, and just see if there is any difference - you've nothing to lose, and potentially a *much* better life to gain if you are suffering from lots of niggling symptoms.

I was super-cynical it could be that simple an answer to all my problems, seemed to good to be true. But for me, and several friends now I've persuaded to give wheat up, it has been life-changing.

MyJourney1960 · October 2013

you say you are also eating a lot of cheese - you could also be experiencing lactose intolerance. but bottom line is that your eating is out of control so --- try getting a handle on that (overeating) and see what happens

emelia_ · October 2013

Sure, some people have gluten sensitivity or allergies. You could also just be thinking you do because it's a fad diet right now and everyone is doing it. Don't jump on the gluten free bandwagon until you get tested. It's expensive and at first you may lose weight but a lot of the gluten free foods out there are less nutrient dense.

Missjulesdid · October 2013

It's not expensive. Just don't buy any of the "gluten-free" products. The only thing I still do is I'll make corn tortillas sometimes and have them instead of flour when I want something bread-like other than that I don't eat wheat OR any of the substitutes out there as the substitutes are pretty much just straight up starch with no real nutritive value.

1971jamie · October 2013

Amazing how ignorant some people can be... just because they don't personally suffer the misery that Wheat unfortunately causes some of us, it must be "a fad"... As I have and others have said, many of us absolutely love bread and other wheat-products, but unfortunately it doesn't love us. It's cheap, filling and tasty - I'd eat it all the time if I could...

Man was desinged to run on protein/fat (and to very easily and efficiently store fat for hard times), we were not designed to run on wheat/gluten/quick-fix-carbs... it is simple science, and a wonder that as many people tolerate such an alien food as they do really. Humans might as well eat gravel or nuts and bolts as wheat for all the good it really does us. It is just a cheap bulking agent that food companies make by far the most profit out of, which is why it is in virtually everything you buy pre-prepared. Unless you have the skills, budget and time to prepare all your meals yourself so you know exactly what is in them, wheat is very hard to avoid.

Let's all hope you don't get one of those terminal cancer or heart disease "fads"... cancer and heart disease seem to be affecting a lot of people right now, so they're probably just "trendy fads" too by your logic.

daybehavior · October 2013

That's a horrible analogy and I'll just leave it that. But consider: less than one percent of the population actually has celiac's but apparently everyone and their mom on MFP has it. So yeah like or not, things like Aspergers, gluten sensitivity, and bipolar disorder quickly become national buzzwords and subsequently maladies of the week. Blame lazy doctors, haphazard diagnostics and people wanting to feel like special snowflakes.

_Zardoz_ · October 2013

Actually there is no evidence of that. It's just that every time someone has any slight problem they now blame it on Gluten with no actual diagnosis or evidence backing it up

shandi_b · October 2013

Personally I have been tested for Celiac's and it came back negative.
However, after suffering from hayfever type symptoms constantly, claggy throat, sinus infections which then progressed to excessive joint pain in my hands and feet. My GP referred to to a Rhematologist as my inflammation markers in blood tests were high....more tests and I was negative for Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I then asked for a referral to a Dr that was an allergy specialist (as allergies can also cause these types of symptoms) and they ran the interdermal skin tests (where they inject a bit of the allergen under the skin to see the result).........I had strong reactions to cows milk dairy (milk / cheese etc), Rye, Wheat, Coffee, Potato and Beef. (Yes - according to the Dr the symptoms I have are allergic reactions....not everything results in hives.....anaphlaxis where you can't breath etc is something else again - it's a severe allergic reacion)

I cut these out of my diet and my symptoms disappear, I can sometimes eat small amounts without too much issue. Or I take an anti-histamine if I eat too many of these foods and the sinus symptoms get too hard to handle.

If you remove the food from your diet and you feel better for it - go for it - you are the only one that knows how you feel. If you have suspicions about allergies - get tested and then you know for sure. Good luck

Deanna_garnermommy · October 2013

Quit the bread, eat 1-3 oz of cheese max per day... you will feel better. its the bread.

1971jamie · October 2013

All the same symptoms I had... - I just did the experimenting myself to see what caused it, and for me without doubt it is wheat... But according to some idiots on here, we're just trying to be "trendy" by jumping on to some "fad bandwagon" ... thing is, like I say, I absolutely LOVE bread, sadly it doesn't love me... and that really P's me off! - a wheat free diet is also expensive - wheat free bread is twice the price for a loaf half the size and half the taste (though it is getting better to be fair)... I certainly wouldn't choose to be wheat free!

mkgirl425 · November 2013

I agree totally. Why is always one extreme or the other? If it doesn't agree with you, don't eat it.

rml_16 · November 2013

I thought I was lactos eintolerant, but it turns out my gallbladder was screwed up.

I suspect a lot of food intolerances are actually gallbladder issues.

toscarthearmada · November 2013

As someone who has Celiac's disease....

Gluten Free diets are a fad diet. Period. Being over in the Gluten free section I've heard many of people discuss their desire to start it to lose weight and how this "diet" is the way to go...yada yada. I even had a cashier ask me once "Oh you're on a gluten free diet, so how much weight have you lost?" as she rolled her eyes. But whatever, that's not the point.

There are no tests for Gluten Allergy or Intolerance, only for Celiac's disease. I didn't know I had an allergy until I spent almost 2 weeks in bed with a sharp pain in my side, foggy brain, fatigue and itchy skin. I went to the doctor where she wanted to give me a CT scan, but until then wanted me to cut out Gluten. That very first day it changed my life!

I didn't know I had Celiac's disease until I was cross contaminated with flour at a fast food place. It felt like I was dying and made an emergency trip where I had blood tests and the procedure.

When I got to the doctors she told me that because I had already cut out Gluten for a long time, I had become more sensitive to it. That might be exactly what happened to you. Since you cut out a lot of the stuff from your diet, eating it again made you have a reaction.

I'd stay away from it unless you plan on incorporating it back into your diet. Being sick from something will give you the motivation to stay away from it...trust me.

ReikiLove · November 2013

When I saw that you have been eating a lot of cheese, I thought it sounded like you might have some lactose intolerance. I would suggest nixing the cheese and cutting out dairy altogether to see if that might be your problem

I am lactose intolerant, so I nixed most of my dairy (except for pesto, which has a scant amount of parmesan cheese in it), opting for fortified coconut milk for my cereal and coconut creamer for my coffee. I don't even crave dairy anymore.

I hope you figure out what's going on.

Good luck!

tammietifanie · November 2013

I have Celiac and IBS and if I have any gluten in my food I will be in pain for days, bloating, gassy, sharp pains in my stomach.. It sucks.. If you where eating wheat bread and had no problem then I doubt it's from the wheat, Gluten is in a lot of things like soy sauce, soups, cereal, oatmeal , baked goods, sauces. you name it , gluten is every where.. so if you eating things that has gluten in it and didn't have any problems then you might just have reaction to the sugars, sodium or even soy.. A lot of people can't have soy cause it causes them problems...

Cut out all the stuff you've been eating for a good 2-3 weeks and slowly eat a food a day and see what causes you pain, that way you know exactly what's causing it.. If my stomach is bugging me I eat nothing but veggies and meat for 2-3 weeks and then I will have say a glass of milk, or cheese and see if it upsets my stomach, then the next day I will eat a something else and see if it will flare up my issues.....

Hope you find out what's causing you stomach issues...

kikih64 · November 2013

^^^^This! I'm not allergic, but appear to be "sensitive" as indicated by bloaty and rumbly and the other stuff the OP mentions after I eat something with gluten. I don't typically react unless I have a lot (a little seems to be okay). I absolutely feel much better going without. To determine if it might be gluten or lactose, test it. Don't eat one, eat the other for a week or so and see what happens. Good luck!

DatMurse · November 2013

no, because the gallbladder doesnt secrete the enzymes that can make people intolerant to foods, it is the pancreas.

However that isnt the only factor for intolerances

rml_16 · November 2013

So then having my gallbladder removed did NOT actually cure every food intolerance I had prior to having it removed? I simply imagined that?

DatMurse · November 2013

You are saying you "Suspect a lot of food intolerances are actually gallbladder issues."

N=1 does not work. Your reason for food intolerance is not the same as others.

rml_16 · November 2013

But the symptoms of gallbaldder disease are pretty universal and they are exactly what people who have "gluten intoleance" or whatever describe.

Since, as has been pointed out, celiac disease affects less than 1% of the population and gallbladder issues are quite common -- especially with weight loss -- it seems to me gallbladder is more likely than gluten issues or whatever else.

But people don't go to the doctor generally when they think they have a gluten problem or lactose intolerance (I didn't) because they stop eating the food and the symptoms go away, so they think the food is the culprit and don't look further into it unless something else flares up. I spent YEARS thinking I was lactose intolerant as it was the only food that bothered me. Then I started having other "intolerances." Someone pointed out that she had similar symptoms and it was her gallbladder, so I went to the doctor, ended up having it removed and everything that bothered me before no longer does.

I know a lot of people who had the same experience.

DatMurse · November 2013

Many of the symptoms to intolerances will be similar in general. I am not saying you are wrong, I am simply saying humans were not originally able to digest lactose at a later age, but many people have adapted to it. So what about the ones that have not adapted to it? Is that a gall bladder issue? No. It is not an issue at all.

Intolerance is, but not limited to, due to enzymes. This is such as lactose, lack of lactase. monoamine oxidase, for tyramien intolerance, or Alcohol dehydrogenase is for alcohol intolerance.
lactase is in the intestines, MAO and alcohol dehydrogenase are in the liver.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15099407

rml_16 · November 2013

Since when does, "a lot of" mean "every"?

melissalatzel24 · November 2013

it is true that eliminating wheat for a while then reintroducing it can cause your body to not know how to properly digest it , or become a bit sensitive or intolerant to it, I've herd that a few times...

DatMurse · November 2013

Those are the some of the big food intolerances and they, like gluten, are not associated with the gall bladder.

Did I say every? no. You said A lot., which it isnt

dbmata · November 2013

I eat too much wheat, I get joint problems. YMMV.

bigbyrdie · November 2013

Well, there's your answers..."BREAD - often accompanied by all sorts of cheeses," and yoga.

Two things make people fat:

1. Eating too much.
2. Not exercising enough.

You have included examples of each in your post.

Throw out your bread and cheese, and never eat anymore.

Do something more vigorous than yoga for exercise.

Problem solved.

litajl · November 2013

I went through your same issues. Ate very clean for a while and then started to reintroduce certain foods (bread, pasta, and etc) back in to my diet. I to felt sluggish, out of sorts, (brain fog) and had a lot of gastrointestinal issues. You are not over eating and I am not a doctor but I am pretty sure you have gluten allergies or an intolerance. On of the best ways is to eliminate it from your diet again and see how you feel. That is what I did and If I eat it on purpose or get "gluten-ed" I know with in 30 mins. I work with two ladies that have been my wealth of information. One has Celiacs disease for the past 20 years and the other for the past 10 years. I have not been "medically diagnosed (with the biopsy) but I do have gluten allergies.

Could I possibly be allergic to gluten?...

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