am I gluten or lactose intolerant?

i had the same problem. after eating wheat, I'd look pregnant within ten minutes. mine would last for hours/days though. I cut all gluten out of my diet for three weeks and it solved all of my symptoms. I think I may also be partially lactose intolerant as well but regardless, an elimination period is best so you can pinpoint trigger foods and decide whether or not to continue eating them based on how you feel. Best! Lindsey.

I had the same problem about 7 years ago. The doctor tested me for Celiacs and I gave up dairy: turned out to be a dairy intolerance for me. The other poster was correct; it takes at least 2 weeks to notice a complete difference. I would imagine dairy is easier to give up so you might want to eliminate that one first.

Also, an intolerance and an allergy are two different things. You can eventually die from too much exposure to an allergen but will wish you were dying from too much exposure to an intolerance! You don't necessarily have to go to an allergist for a diagnosis. I believe testing for Celiacs is quite common; it’s just a blood test. Testing for a dairy intolerance is typically not recommended because of the pain and discomfort involved. Most tests make you drink a lactose-enriched beverage and then have blood drawn or breath into a tube every hour for a few hours to measure the reaction.

Personally, dairy causes EXTREME digestive discomfort for me so you couldn't pay me to take a dairy intolerance test. Good luck!

don't confuse intolerance with allergies for one thing. an intolerance will involve your digestive system so you will have symptoms of stomach aches, headaches, nausea. allergies are can affect your digestive system, but are more centered around your immune system. an allergy will give you symptoms such as swelling, itching, rashes.

if i were you, i would exclude dairy or gluten products from your diet for longer than a week. i'm lactose intolerant and i don't get bloated from dairy products. i definitely get headaches from drinking milk and upset stomachs from other dairy products. there are little lactose pills you can take that will prevent you from getting these symptoms. i would check your local convenient store to see if they have some. just take a few of the pills before you know you're going to ingest dairy. my chef instructor told me about these pills because he is also lactose intolerant and doesn't want to get sick whenever he taste tests his students' food. definitely do your research though!

FWIW it takes 6 weeks for the body to remove all dairy once you have eliminated it from your diet. Any nutritionist will tell you to do at least 6 weeks dairy free to see if that helps symptoms, then you start reintroducing different forms of dairy, starting with the most processed (butter) in two week batches (so 2 weeks of eating cooked products containing butter, then if all OK, two weeks of trying uncooked butter, then if all OK, two weeks cooked cheese, uncooked hard cheese, soft cheese, cooked milk products, milk) and you need to faithfully track all food intake and all symptoms during this whole process. Remember that any intolerance may be to milk i general, but is more likely to be to one of the dairy proteins ie: lactose or casien, which are easier to avoid than all milk products:)

I takes 6 months for the body to remove all traces of gluten, and there is gluten in the most amazing things - very difficult to go gluten free without lots of money or lots of help LOL. I don't know if there is a similar reintroduction policy with gluten products as we managed the 6 months to the day without any noticeable differences to anyone in the family and I was ecstatically happy to just start eating normally again;)

Just to make life a little more difficult, food intolerances can change over time, especially if you are still quite young (making assumptions about your student status), and many people "grow out of" them, so nutritionists recommend trying small amounts regularly to check if symptoms reappear.

FYI, food allergies can be checked with a blood test. food intolerances are usually only found through symptoms and elimination diets.

Going gluten free is a big step and allot of manufactured gluten free product are expensive and really unhealthy. I would suggest trying to eliminate lactose first for a few weeks. If the doesn't seem to help enough then get a blood test for coeliac disease (you need to be on a gluten containing diet while you do this). Uncontrolled coeliac can make you sensitive ot dairy and fructose - so best to rule it out.

If you have ruled out coeliac then try the FODMAP diet and start introducing foods back and see what you react to. Fructose intolerance is really common and wheat contains fructose. The diet is hard - I got put on it and was almost relieve when I was told I was coeliac and only needed to avoid gluten! But it might help narrow it down.