Hi everyone,
At the beginning of the year I cut out sugar (and consequently nearly all processed food) and about 6 weeks ago I cut out all wheat/gluten and dairy.
Not only did I feel better, but my flatulance and bloating problems disappeared!
As a test, this weekend I ate quite decent amounts of both gluten and dairy and surprise, surprise, I fell in a big heap - fatigue, pain, bloodshot eye, sweats, dizziness - you name it.
Spent most of yesterday in bed or on the couch (most unlike me).
Coincidence? not likely. Now I need to work out if it's gluten OR dairy OR both!
If you could, please give me examples of your daily diet. Would be much appreciated
I did the same thing and discovered that the problems I had put down to dairy, turn out to be wheat! Feel so much better and the cough has gone.
Ah, not quite the same thing, I didn't cut out dairy.
You'll probably have to repeat-confirm any one food type is actually the culprit.
Seems that cutting out major sources of one's diet can also have the effect of mild fasting, which in itself often resolves G-I distress symptoms.
For me it seems to have turned out to be my calorie intake vs. expenditure over any period of a day or two, multiple symptoms disappear whenever I cut back on calories and/or greatly increase my exercise-related calorie expenditure.
I suspect this has to do with the liver's limited ability to regulate by storage the uptake of nutrients from the intestines, with the liver then acting as a nervous system of sorts of the entire digestive response via chemical signals that it can and does send through the blood (to the gallbladder for instance).
No problem Tony. I spend a bit of time writing menus and shopping to make sure I have fresh food on hand otherwise I really struggle (I work full time). it does take some planning and I've all but given up going out to eat.
This is just a roughie....
Breakfast: rolled oats and almond milk or a piece of zucchini slice (like quiche without the crust) made with soy milk, perhaps a couple of eggs and some mushrooms and some tomato (I have this for dinner occassionaly if I haven't planned anything)
Lunch: If I don't have left overs from dinner the night before I'll have tuna and a garden salad with home preserved olives, or soup (home made) and some fruit. I also keep left overs in the freezer ("freezer surprise" - put your hand in and grab something for lunch, you never know what you're going to have!).
Dinner: A fresh salad of some sort - particular favourites are Chicken larb (thai) or tabouli made with quinoa and a piece of grilled salmon. I do eat roasted/steamed veg but I much prefer raw veggies as a rule. I love curry and rice. I've also been making spaghetti bolognaise with gluten free pasta.
Because I no longer eat sugar I don't have dessert as such. If I haven't had a couple of pieces of fruit already I might have some after dinner.
Snacks: Nuts and/or fruit.
Trust me, there was no fasting! I LOVE food!! lol
Gives me a lot of ideas, thanks a lot and best of luck to you
Your observations on your diet are very helpful. I'm told honey is okay and NOT a sugar! What do you think? Are all breads such as rye or whole wheat still to be considered as wheat/gluten products? I see you mention almond milk which I have so I assume you don't consider this as 'dairy'. Is that right? What about yogurt or regular milk, do they fall under dairy for you?
Sugar and honey both have sucrose and fructose but they bond the enzymes in a different way. This is important because the body treats those enzymes differently. In that regard honey is 'better' than sugar but neither are 'good' for you. There's a heap of info online if you're interested.
Rye is wheat. So is spelt, and barley. I stay away from all wheat products.
Some things like buckwheat and oats can be contaminated with wheat
so I really watch those. For example soba noodles are supposedly made
with buckwheat but most packaged varieties include wheat.
Alomd milk is is made with almonds, and is not dairy! Milk, yoghurt, cheese are all dairy.
If really want o of gluten or dairy free you will just about cut out ALL processed food, as they are used in everything!
Think meat, veggies, fruit, rice, corn, oats, nuts, soy. Quinoa is also popular as a grain substitute these days.
I've found some substitutes like coconut yogurt and milk are useful.
Wow, that's fantastic! You give me hope and impetus to continue. It's not always easy and I often wonder if it's worth it.
Where do you get your calcium from, i have to be on tablets for vitc and vitd like of us do.
Do you ever need a sandwich, if so what do you eat.
I am really interested in diet, but do get bored with eating the same foods.
In my case it isn't even gluten - it is something in the structure of modern hard wheat. As long as they are pure, I can eat rye, spelt and kamut which all have gluten and spelt and kamut are ancient varieties of wheat but very popular in the Alpine regions where they grow well.
It is a recognised intolerance - and apparently some people are able to eat foods such as French bread which is made with soft Canadian wheat or bread made the old-fashioned slow way using sourdough. It is thought that part of the problem is the use by manufacturers of what are called "improvers" - substances added to the bread mix to speed up the rising and proving process so bread can be made much more quickly. Time is money.
I spent a week in France a couple of years ago and had the choice of not eating or eating baguette (on a boat, no shops, shopping had been done by someone else before I got there) - I had no problems at all.
Do experiment a lot - if you identify what it is more accurately it makes much much easier!
Rye is NOT wheat - it is a gluten-containing but completely different grain where the gluten is much weaker which is why pure rye tends to be a very heavy bread as it doesn't rise well. So manufacturers often add a small percentage of wheat, up to 20%, to make it lighter for fussy people who don't want to chew! Living in Germanic countries makes pure rye breads very accessible which is great for me 
So if it is wheat that is your problem rye is fine, if gluten is your problem, it isn't. Despite its name which confuses a lot of people, buckwheat is NOT a grain (just clarifying, flipdover didn't say it was) but a distant relative of the rhubarbs and naturally gluten-free. It makes lovely pancakes, pasta (a bit tricky to handle but it works) and a cake which is a traditional speciality here where I live.
Honey is sugar, just has a nicer taste people feel. It stimulates the production of insulin in exactly the same way as the white sugar in packets and all processed foods.
Don't think it is a coincidence. I did the same thing after I was diagnosed with PMR. I feel great and am managing to keep weight down. Don't know how much is from pred or diet but I think from reading the literature that an anti-inflammatory diet probably is helping.
Oops. Yup, right as usual
Sorry - it wasn't meant to sound like a criticism Flip! I know all this stuff because I've been doing the "No wheat - so what CAN I eat" for about 9 years now. Wheat is in EVERYTHING!!!!!!
I love rye bread, definitely my favourite when it is a good Bauernbrot (farmer's bread) with not too much cumin and a good bitter taste. It's fantastic with butter and Dundee marmalade on it. So if the problem turns out to be WHEAT as such, it still means you can have other breads.
When I lived in the UK I always went with OH when he had a meeting in Cambridge - there is a bread stall on the market there that sells pure rye bread and I was there early in the morning to reserve 3 loaves before it disappeared to take home and freeze for the next few months...
Thanks for the clarification on foods you've eliminated. I've been taking my Pred with yogurt, if I stop all yogurt what are some of you eating with your Pred instead? Do any of you use 'Stevia' powder as a substitute for honey or sugar? Are there any other foods you use for sweetners that don't fall under the category of being called a 'sugar'?
I eat a very similar diet to Flip though, since I know it isn't dairy that causes the problems, I don't bother with that. A dietician wanted me to cut almost all dairy to reduce cholesterol - but life without cheese wasn't my idea of fun. Cutting carbs not fat is the most effective way to reduce cholesterol levels.
I have learnt not to want sweet things - but I have been at this for a long time! I also sin and eat a dessert maybe once a month - but not regularly, it has to be something REALLY good for me to be bothered. Lots of things are just too sweet now - I drink mineral water rather than any sort of soda because they are all so sweet.