Is there a benefit to gluten or lactose free if you can digest them?
lorib642
Posts: 1,942 Member
I saw a nurse practitioner for a sleep disorder. I have apnea, which has been controlled, but I an still tired. One thing she suggested was try going gluten and lactose free for a few weeks and see if this makes my energy levels increase. She is not a dietitian.
Is this some kind of woo or is there something to it?
Is this some kind of woo or is there something to it?
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Replies
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I have never heard of this. You may want to seek the advice of an RD or MD.2
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It sounds like the latest bandwagon fad thinking to me, but I'm no expert.4
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Could you ask for a referral to a registered dietician?0
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How many other things has she had you try to improve your energy? If the answer is none it sounds like she is just guessing and pitching something that is a popular "panacea". That is my opinion and I am fine with being completely wrong.1
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exercise/lose weight I had a sleep study and my apnea is controlled (I wear a mouthguard) She also wants me to see an endocrinologist. I see her next month.0
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Food sensitivities can affect your health and exacerbate some conditions, especially chronic issues like autoimmune diseases.
Often the only way to discover a sensitivity is to eliminate those foods for a while, note any improvements, and then try reintroducing them,
I'm a celiac who has a couple of food sensitivities. Celiac is the extreme end of the food sensitivity spectrum but it has surprising symptoms that one would not expect from food like anxiety, depression, migraines, fatigue, fibromyalgia, anemia, B12 deficiency, D deficiency, beyond the obvious inflammation, stomach aches and bloating.
Lactose intolerance is more about not having the lactase to digest it. Some have a casein sensitivity or milk allergy though.
Gluten intolerance has nothing to do with being able to digest it.5 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »Could you ask for a referral to a registered dietician?
I may be able toFood sensitivities can affect your health and exacerbate some conditions, especially chronic issues like autoimmune diseases.
Often the only way to discover a sensitivity is to eliminate those foods for a while, note any improvements, and then try reintroducing them,
I'm a celiac who has a couple of food sensitivities. Celiac is the extreme end of the food sensitivity spectrum but it has surprising symptoms that one would not expect from food like anxiety, depression, migraines, fatigue, fibromyalgia, anemia, B12 deficiency, D deficiency, beyond the obvious inflammation, stomach aches and bloating.
Lactose intolerance is more about not having the lactase to digest it. Some have a casein sensitivity or milk allergy though.
Gluten intolerance has nothing to do with being able to digest it.
Thank you. Digest is the wrong word. I guess tolerate?
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Do you actually eat a lot of items that have gluten or dairy? I'm asking because I can't see your diary and I'm wondering what impact it would make or how big of a change it would be for you.
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I dont think i eat much dairy. I have yogurt. Gluten i am not sure.
I will give it a try. I have nothing to lose, but i don't think that will work. The weight loss and increasing activity, i am doing now and will keep up
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i follow a gluten/dairy free diet and find it very beneficial to me! feel free to shoot me a message for any questions!8
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There are a lot of things that can cause low energy levels. Her suggestions don't seem like the most obvious place to start checking. Lactose intolerance, celiac, and other gluten sensitivities all cause various digestive symptoms. Depending on the problem, there can be other symptoms too, but if you aren't experiencing digestive issues then I don't understand why she would point to gluten and/or lactose. If she truly believes you have some gluten-related problem, there are various tests she could order to help identify or rule out these things, but it sounds like she didn't do that. It sounds to me like she's grasping at straws.3
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L1zardQueen wrote: »Could you ask for a referral to a registered dietician?
I may be able toFood sensitivities can affect your health and exacerbate some conditions, especially chronic issues like autoimmune diseases.
Often the only way to discover a sensitivity is to eliminate those foods for a while, note any improvements, and then try reintroducing them,
I'm a celiac who has a couple of food sensitivities. Celiac is the extreme end of the food sensitivity spectrum but it has surprising symptoms that one would not expect from food like anxiety, depression, migraines, fatigue, fibromyalgia, anemia, B12 deficiency, D deficiency, beyond the obvious inflammation, stomach aches and bloating.
Lactose intolerance is more about not having the lactase to digest it. Some have a casein sensitivity or milk allergy though.
Gluten intolerance has nothing to do with being able to digest it.
Thank you. Digest is the wrong word. I guess tolerate?
No worries. I'm not sure what the best word would be either. LOL 1 -
There are a lot of things that can cause low energy levels. Her suggestions don't seem like the most obvious place to start checking. Lactose intolerance, celiac, and other gluten sensitivities all cause various digestive symptoms. Depending on the problem, there can be other symptoms too, but if you aren't experiencing digestive issues then I don't understand why she would point to gluten and/or lactose. If she truly believes you have some gluten-related problem, there are various tests she could order to help identify or rule out these things, but it sounds like she didn't do that. It sounds to me like she's grasping at straws.
This is what I was thinking. I guess there's no harm in trying unless it will make you miserable, but I would only do one at a time, otherwise you won't know which is causing a problem.
If you've been at a deficit for awhile, have you taken any diet breaks?
I normally am fine going to a nurse practitioner for wellness visits, but maybe this requires a visit to an MD?0 -
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I will give it a try. I have nothing to lose, but i don't think that will work. The weight loss and increasing activity, i am doing now and will keep up
I would honestly suggest getting a blood test to check for celiac disease before you go off of gluten.
Celiac disease can sometimes cause major fatigue. BUT the tests for it have major problems, namely that they check for markers of accumulated damage from esting gluten. If you did have celiac disease, and go gluten free, you start to heal and the test will no longer be accurate.
The only way to test for it at that point is to start eating gluten again, damage yourself for a couple months until you are sick enough that the tests pick it up and you test positive. Many people get so sick trying to go bAck on gluten - often having a worse reaction eating it again- that they simply cannot take the test.
So if there is even a chance that you have it, taking the test first is a good choice
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if you trade wheat products for gluten free alternatives - pasta for example, just beware that the GF stuff is usually higher in calories.3
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Plenty of people have intolerances to both gluten and lactose, but it doesn't sound like you are one of them. I don't eat either because they make my physically ill, but I've never heard of eliminating them to help with sleep. I follow a lot of "woo" advice, but if I were you, I might skip that one.2
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There are a lot of things that can cause low energy levels. Her suggestions don't seem like the most obvious place to start checking. Lactose intolerance, celiac, and other gluten sensitivities all cause various digestive symptoms. Depending on the problem, there can be other symptoms too, but if you aren't experiencing digestive issues then I don't understand why she would point to gluten and/or lactose. If she truly believes you have some gluten-related problem, there are various tests she could order to help identify or rule out these things, but it sounds like she didn't do that. It sounds to me like she's grasping at straws.
This is what I was thinking. I guess there's no harm in trying unless it will make you miserable, but I would only do one at a time, otherwise you won't know which is causing a problem.
If you've been at a deficit for awhile, have you taken any diet breaks?
I normally am fine going to a nurse practitioner for wellness visits, but maybe this requires a visit to an MD?
Some people take diet breaks/refeeds, though I didn't. There's a good thread around here that discusses it.
I've personally had good experiences with nurse practitioners, but anytime you don't feel that your medical professional is helping you, I support getting a second opinion if you can.
I am also lactose intolerant and it doesn't cause me to have low energy if I eat dairy. The symptoms it does cause would not be pleasant to think about 1 -
I saw a nurse practitioner for a sleep disorder. I have apnea, which has been controlled, but I an still tired. One thing she suggested was try going gluten and lactose free for a few weeks and see if this makes my energy levels increase. She is not a dietitian.
Is this some kind of woo or is there something to it?
I don't have traditional gluten intolerances but bread made from wheat flour does make me sleepy. I'm fine with brands that use sprouted grain, such as Ezekial/Food for Life, or Alvarado St Bakery. All the supermarkets near me have at least Ezekial in the frozen section these days.
However, unless you were already tested for iron/Vitamin D/iodine deficiencies and thyroid issues, seems like an odd place to start.
When my anemia is not controlled, I have crippling fatigue.1 -
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JP Sears is the best. Did you know he just got married? Now he's Married AF.
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duskyjewel wrote: »
Vaguely. I know it is in wheat and that if you have celiac disease it can cause intestinal damage.
I am not around anyone that is intolerant to it.
Someone asked if this would make me miserable, i think it might
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duskyjewel wrote: »
Vaguely. I know it is in wheat and that if you have celiac disease it can cause intestinal damage.
I am not around anyone that is intolerant to it.
Someone asked if this would make me miserable, i think it might
Gluten is the protein in wheat and some other grains. It is in a LOT of foods, not just bread. Here is a partial list of foods that may contain gluten: https://celiac.org/live-gluten-free/glutenfreediet/sources-of-gluten/
I would personally find it difficult and unpleasant to be gluten free, and I wouldn't want to do it unless I had a clear medical reason.5 -
I do think there is merit to being tested for food sensitivities, as pp suggested. I got tested for food sensitivities because I had been having several minor, seemingly unrelated symptoms over the course of two years and my doctor suggested getting a blood test. Turns out, I am sensitive to eggs, dairy, wheat, and soy.
Now, I've eaten all of those things quite regularly and I would have told you that I can eat anything and it doesn't affect me. But, I didn't know it may be affecting me without my knowledge.
Since cutting back on eating these things, I sleep better, rarely have headaches, rarely have upset stomach or bloating, and feel a lot less tired on a day to day basis. I would have NEVER thought anything in my diet was making me feel bad because I didn't even realize I felt bad, until I started feeling better.
Not saying it's a cure all by any means, but sounds like she's suggesting two of the most common food intolerances out there on the chance that they may be impacting you. I don't think it's a crazy idea.3 -
If you want you could stop dairy products for one week and then drink milk everyday for a week.0
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Cant hurt if it's just a couple weeks if you do have a sensitivity might be a good way to find out1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798
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