Need serious help with elimination diet
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Numptcakes
Posts: 145 Member
I suffer SO badly with bloating and as of tomorrow I'm eliminating both wheat and lactose from my diet for 2 weeks to see if either one is the offender. But I really, REALLY need some help mapping out meals, etc. What foods do I avoid, and what foods can I eat? Should I remove my much loved porridge oats, too?
I know I'd be better off seeing a nutritionist but the NHS is notorious for dragging its heels and I need to get this started now. If anybody has time to help (even just a little) please post here or message me. Diary is open, feel free to have a nose.
Thanks in advance!
(A seriously desperate) Numptcakes x
I know I'd be better off seeing a nutritionist but the NHS is notorious for dragging its heels and I need to get this started now. If anybody has time to help (even just a little) please post here or message me. Diary is open, feel free to have a nose.
Thanks in advance!
(A seriously desperate) Numptcakes x
0
Replies
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Bump? Googling wheat and dairy free meal ideas is making me want to curl up in a ball and cry.0
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Have you thought about trying GAS-X or some kind of over the counter Maalox kind of thing? If you really don't want to give up foods or if you are unable to cut back, maybe you should consider that. Also, find out if celiac disease runs in your family.0
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I have a lot of digestive issues and just got done with 3 months of tests and doctor visits. The thing that has helped me the most is taking fiber. I also now take a probiotic everyday. It turns out nothing is wrong, well no disease or illness, I just am sensitive to certain things.
If you try an elimination diet only stop eating one thing at a time that you suspect. Go off it for a week then eat or drink that item at the end of the week. If you get sick then you probably need to stay away from it.
Elimination diets suck and they take a long time but for me it worked and I am so happy to finally know what I can eat that won't make me sick.
Hang in there!0 -
The only thing I can suggest, is to not do them both at the same time. Do one, if in a month that doesnt work, then add it back in and do the other.
It's like feeding an infant, but in reverse. You add in foods with babies, slowly, over long periods of time, to check for allergies. Ifyou have a wheat or lactose allergy, you'll want to find out which one.0 -
I've done the elmination/ challenge diet with wheat, dairy, corn and eggs. You eliminate them completely for 2 weeks and reintroduce them one at a time to see which you react to. Generally you would reintroduce dairy first and wheat 2nd as those are the 2 most likely culprits. Why would you need to avoid? The have little to no gluten. As far as foods, you need to read labels and eliminate anything that has wheat or wheat starch in it. I would also avoid any unspecified "food starch". It could be corn or soy or wheat. You can't tell and you can't risk it. For lactose elimination, just avoid anything with a diary product in it. No yogurt, no cheese, no milk product of any kind. As far as the GasX suggestion, if you are truly reactive to one of these items, this will do nothing but mask symptoms. You need to find the cause and eliminate it from your diet. All other food, meats, fruits veggies are fine. Most grains contain at least some gluten, so, with the exception of your oats, I'd avoid grain and grain products of all kinds.0
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Bump? Googling wheat and dairy free meal ideas is making me want to curl up in a ball and cry.
No, it's not so terrible! I had problems with bloating and such for a long time, and went gluten-free a few months back. This really helped, and I don't feel this was such a big sacrifice at all! You want to stay off bread/bagels and such. But you can buy gluten-free bread/bagels at whole foods. The brand I'm buying is Udi's, and their whole-grain bread/bagels are very good. You can also buy gluten-free bread mixes and make your own in a bread machine, if you are into it. I still eat oats (make my own granola). As far as I know some people who are sensitive to gluten also have problems with oats, but many don't. So it's up to you, but maybe you don't need to eliminate them from the beginning. Barley does contain gluten though, so you may want to stay off it as well. Also no pasta and no pizza (though they also have gluten-free pasta if you really need it).
As for other things, it is easy to get a substitute to wheat flour, such as corn flour, or other types. I really feel it's not such a big deal that I eat gluten free, and there are many people out there who do the same.
If you don't have celiac (which can be checked with a simple blood test by your internist), and no wheat allergy (can be tested by an allergy doc), then you may still be able to eat wheat every once in a while with no big problems. The allergist I have seen told me that even just reducing the amount of wheat often helps people who have stomach issues.
For diary: as far as I understand, many people have problem digesting milk, but are OK with other milk products such as yogurt/cottage/cheese. So if giving it up completely is hard for you, you can try this...
If you have other questions I'd be happy to help with what I can!0 -
The only thing I can suggest, is to not do them both at the same time. Do one, if in a month that doesnt work, then add it back in and do the other.
It's like feeding an infant, but in reverse. You add in foods with babies, slowly, over long periods of time, to check for allergies. Ifyou have a wheat or lactose allergy, you'll want to find out which one.
That is not how the elimination/ challenge diet works. You need to clear your system of suspected offending substances and reintroduce to gauge reactivity. What if you elminated only one and it was the wrong one? How would you know? Finding out which one is what she's trying to do.0 -
I did Wildrose Herbal Detox for 12 days to eliminate those two things. I ate my porrige for breakfast, sprinkled with cinamon and usually fruit in it and also ground flax seed. Google - "Wildrose Herbal Detox" there is a list of foods to eat. I was not bloated anymore and did not have gas....
http://www.livestrong.com/article/279507-food-list-for-wild-rose-d-tox/ - Good info here
http://wildroseproducts.com/en-CA - product might only be available in Canada though - but there are lots of recipes and such on various websitese when you google "Wildrose Herbal Detox".
It said you should eat lots of fiber, I lost 7 pounds during the detox.
Good luck.:flowerforyou:0 -
What i've heard is that you need to eliminate something from your diet for 21 days to get it out of your system, and when you start adding it back in to check reactivity do it in stages. maybe you can tolerate yogurt or cheese but not fluid dairy, maybe oats is fine but not wheat...don't just start eating it all again, start with the one thing you would be the most bummed out about if you couldn't have it. Also, sometimes its about how much or how often you eat the offending food, maybe you can tolerate dairy once or twice a week but not everyday. dont be discouraged, most people have a tolerance level to foods that doesn't require that you give it up entirely forever, you could still be able to enjoy your favorites every once in a while. (there is good dairy free and gluten free alternatives as well, if you can't have wheat its not like you could never have bread again)0
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The doctor prescribed me peppermint oil tablets to take before meals, but they're not having any effect on the bloating. I'm now just burping mint :blushing: And I have blood tests on Wednesday for celiac but I don't think it runs in my family.Have you thought about trying GAS-X or some kind of over the counter Maalox kind of thing? If you really don't want to give up foods or if you are unable to cut back, maybe you should consider that. Also, find out if celiac disease runs in your family.0 -
Thanks for the responses guys - please bear with me as I try to make my way through them! The support is really appreciated.0
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Its not bad at all, I don't eat any grains and I can eat lots of things. I would cut the oats for the elimination diet and slowly introduce each thing like a previous poster said after about 2 weeks. Have you read about GAPS? its an elimination diet program.
Breakfast:
eggs, egg casserole, or leftovers from dinner. Breakfast doesn't have to equal breakfast food.
Lunch:
Salad with tuna in olive oil and some balsamic vinegar
Dinner
roasted chicken or other meat and some veggies. Look up paleo recipes for wheat and dairy free recipes. Nom nom paleo is a great resource.
Snacks:
kalamata olives, beef jerky, raw veggies, hard boiled eggs
If you drink coffee, replace your cream with coconut milk from the can. Feel free to check out my diary
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We have daughters who struggle with stomach and GI issues. We've tried diets ranging from gluten free to dairy free to red meat free. Finally we went to a holistic doctor that ran tests on our 7yo. Her sensitivies list is depressing at best, and impossible at worst. We started the detox process 2 weeks ago, and will probably detox for another week or two before adding foods back in, one at a time, each one over a two day period, while gauging how she reacts.
Here's a list of what we've currently written off: wheat, soy, corn, grapes, apples, all citrus, pears, prunes/plums, apricots, all dairy, walnuts, pinto beans, coconuts, asparagus.
Imagine trying to do this with kids. Hell, it's hard enough as an adult!
Step one: Read EVERYTHING!!! Nothing goes unread. Anything without an ingredient list gets put back, no exceptions. The devil's in the details. Soy lecithin. Corn sugar. Corn starch. Citric acid. So many little things get items put back on the shelf.
Step two: What's around the house is NOT acceptable!!! It's only there till the diet modifications end. Or until we decided this particular item is forever omitted. Then household items get tossed.
Step three: Everybody must be on board. There's no cheating. This isn't like going low fat or low carb or something, where you can have a cheeseburger on Sunday, then climb back on the wagon on Monday. This is ALL DAY EVERY DAY. This one is particularly tough for the kids, who feel the peer pressure to have that cookie, or the ice cream or cake, or whatever else their friends are having but they can't. Getting the teachers involved has helped tremendously.
Step four: Substitutes work some of the time, but not all of the time. If a favorite food's substitute just doesn't cut it, then so be it. time to move on and find other foods.
Step five: Screw anybody who wants to be dismissive, insulting, judgmental, or in some way difficult. I don't need them, and they can kiss my *kitten*. Help or stay the hell out of the way. But don't think for a minute I'm going to let you add to the stress with your sh!tty attitude.
Step six: This isn't easy. Not for anybody - not the kids, not me, not anybody. Anybody who wants to complain or be fussy or whiny is heard, listened to, understood. Frustrations are always acknowledged. Even my own. It's the only way I know to cope with this and not feel buried by it all. Which, to be honest, I feel buried by it anyway. But not as buried.
Step seven: Allow greater time at the grocery. You've got a lot of reading to do!
Step eight: Eating out doesn't happen. It would be nice, but it just doesn't. There's no restaurant on this planet that fits our dietary needs.
Step nine: Adventure. It's your latest greatest friend. Sometimes we just have to suck it up and try something otherwise insane. Last night we made taco meat with guacamole and salsa, and used lentil chips instead of tortilla chips. The kids loved it. (Thank You God!) Don't be afraid to try something that seems crazy. It may just be your next go to meal!
I hope this helps, and I wish you luck. It can be done, although I've found from experience it's much harder to do while curled up in the fetal position. Good luck.
TriJoe.0 -
Okay, please forgive me for being lazy but I'll just answer the major points in one post.
My biggest problem is that in 2 weeks time I'm moving to another country where healthcare is not only expensive but...subpar. My doctor has been faffing about for a good couple of months now - started with 'it's probably constipation' to 'it's probably an irritable bowel' to 'lets run some tests and see what comes up.' I never realised just how bad the bloating was until lately, as I've lost weight (and body fat). There's never been any pain, change in bowel habits or anything of the like. Just a tight, big belly. So I've left myself with no time to find a resolution.
I just don't know where to start.0 -
We have daughters who struggle with stomach and GI issues. We've tried diets ranging from gluten free to dairy free to red meat free. Finally we went to a holistic doctor that ran tests on our 7yo. Her sensitivies list is depressing at best, and impossible at worst. We started the detox process 2 weeks ago, and will probably detox for another week or two before adding foods back in, one at a time, each one over a two day period, while gauging how she reacts.
Here's a list of what we've currently written off: wheat, soy, corn, grapes, apples, all citrus, pears, prunes/plums, apricots, all dairy, walnuts, pinto beans, coconuts, asparagus.
Imagine trying to do this with kids. Hell, it's hard enough as an adult!
Step one: Read EVERYTHING!!! Nothing goes unread. Anything without an ingredient list gets put back, no exceptions. The devil's in the details. Soy lecithin. Corn sugar. Corn starch. Citric acid. So many little things get items put back on the shelf.
Step two: What's around the house is NOT acceptable!!! It's only there till the diet modifications end. Or until we decided this particular item is forever omitted. Then household items get tossed.
Step three: Everybody must be on board. There's no cheating. This isn't like going low fat or low carb or something, where you can have a cheeseburger on Sunday, then climb back on the wagon on Monday. This is ALL DAY EVERY DAY. This one is particularly tough for the kids, who feel the peer pressure to have that cookie, or the ice cream or cake, or whatever else their friends are having but they can't. Getting the teachers involved has helped tremendously.
Step four: Substitutes work some of the time, but not all of the time. If a favorite food's substitute just doesn't cut it, then so be it. time to move on and find other foods.
Step five: Screw anybody who wants to be dismissive, insulting, judgmental, or in some way difficult. I don't need them, and they can kiss my *kitten*. Help or stay the hell out of the way. But don't think for a minute I'm going to let you add to the stress with your sh!tty attitude.
Step six: This isn't easy. Not for anybody - not the kids, not me, not anybody. Anybody who wants to complain or be fussy or whiny is heard, listened to, understood. Frustrations are always acknowledged. Even my own. It's the only way I know to cope with this and not feel buried by it all. Which, to be honest, I feel buried by it anyway. But not as buried.
Step seven: Allow greater time at the grocery. You've got a lot of reading to do!
Step eight: Eating out doesn't happen. It would be nice, but it just doesn't. There's no restaurant on this planet that fits our dietary needs.
Step nine: Adventure. It's your latest greatest friend. Sometimes we just have to suck it up and try something otherwise insane. Last night we made taco meat with guacamole and salsa, and used lentil chips instead of tortilla chips. The kids loved it. (Thank You God!) Don't be afraid to try something that seems crazy. It may just be your next go to meal!
I hope this helps, and I wish you luck. It can be done, although I've found from experience it's much harder to do while curled up in the fetal position. Good luck.
TriJoe.
This was well written and very inspiring. Your kids are lucky to have you! I'll take it on board 0 -
It's not looking good for me, I've got to be honest. Nobody but myself to blame - I just realised the seriousness of this all a bit too late.0
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You can't eliminate both dairy and wheat at the same time because then you won't know which one is causing problems. If you remove both and you feel better then you'll just think it's both without actually knowing if it's both. When doing an elimination diet, you need to eliminate ONE thing at a time so you know what thing is causing the effect.
And seriousness of what?0 -
You can't eliminate both dairy and wheat at the same time because then you won't know which one is causing problems. If you remove both and you feel better then you'll just think it's both without actually knowing if it's both. When doing an elimination diet, you need to eliminate ONE thing at a time so you know what thing is causing the effect.
And seriousness of what?
No that's not as good a strategy as it seems on the surface. If the OP is allergic or sensitive to multiple things and she only removes one food at a time it is very possible that she won't notice a huge or obvious difference for some or all of the foods. Her immune system could be too revved up and/or her gut probably too inflamed. It is also asking a tremendous and unreasonable amount of patience on her part. It can take 8 weeks or more to get things like dairy or wheat completely our of her system.
The best course is to restrict all the common triggers for a minimum of 6-8 weeks to see if she's on the right track. Then if she feels much better she can slowly re-introduce one item at a time. She will still isolate specific triggers and the reactions will be more obvious when the system is less symptomatic. It is a much more humane, reasonable, and efficient way to go.
I'd check out recipes used in the Gerson Therapy. Now known as a controversial alternative cancer treatment, it's origins were an elimination diet for food intolerances. Dr. Gerson had crippling migraines and cured them in himself and his patients with this restrictive, raw, organic, vegetarian diet. The Gerson claims are that these dietary changes allow the body to heal from multiple other chronic degenerative diseases. The suggestion is that food intolerance and related metabolic issues, chronic inflammation, etc. is their cause. Even if nothing more the Gerson recipes are wholesome and mostly hypo-allergenic and easy on the gut.0 -
Both are easily replaced with similar substitutes. Bread with bread made of rice or corn flour. Dairy with soy or almond milk. The ingredients may change but it's not a big deal. You'll discover a lot of baking recipes.
Btw avoid canned tuna. There is whey added in there so strangely yes, there is dairy in canned tuna.0 -
I am vegetarian, grain-free, dairy free, and have a number of other allergies or intolerances. My diary is open, please feel free to browse for ideas of what to eat.
To find lots of gluten-free, dairy-free advice, use "GFCF" (gluten free casein free) in your Google searches. You will find so many recipes and pages of advice.
Here is a good place to start:
http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/gfcfsf-diet-on-a-budget/
Follow her link to meal plans too:
http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/gfcf-diet-on-a-budget-meal-plans/
I'm happy to help with any questions that you might have. And yes, I would eliminate both at the same time (if you have problems with both, eliminating one won't help), and I would eliminate oats. Oats are contaminated with wheat, and a lot of people are sensitive to the protein in oats even if you do get uncontaminated oats.0
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