Anyone here gluten intolerant?

[Lethe]

i suspect that i may have gluten intolerance or another food intolerance. This week i'm doing a minimal diet and journal to see how things go.

Anyone here gluten sensitive/intolerant? How did you find out? I've seen the tests you can get but they are expensive. I have several symptoms that only appear after I eat meals, but I never have actually determined what food is causing them.

[Bluestar]

1. Yes, I am gluten intolerant

Go to www.celiac.com--all the information you could ever want to know.

I am self-diagnosed and the doctor says that is OK. When I stopped eating any gluten (and I mean ALL gluten) I got better. You cannot have any gluten in order to figure this out. It sometimes takes months to figure out if you will get better after you stop as your small intestine has been damaged. Try the message board on the website--this site has more information than most doctors as doctors don't really know what to do.

Good luck and I truly hope you are not gluten intolerant as it isn't any fun. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy (or GW Bush either).

[pnwmom]

3. I disagree. I think celiac disease or gluten sensitivity

is far preferable to many diseases. It takes a while to learn what foods to avoid, but that gets easier. I'd much rather have an illness that can be managed by diet.

In my case, they were ruling out things like cancer before I finally had my diagnosis. Compared to some of the diseases they were contemplating, this is nothing. So when I meet someone who is being tested for Celiac because they have a lot of symptoms, I say I almost hope they do have it. Because if they do, they will feel SO much better after going on the diet. It'll be worth it.

[nashville_brook]

2. a good friend is gluten intolerant

she gets an intense gastrointestinal reaction from it. it took her years to suss out that this was her problem.

she says SPELT is her new best friend. she makes bread with spelt flour in a bread maker in order to keep bread in her diet, as she found that most other wheat sources were fairly easy to avoid, but bread is a staple. so the spelt bread became a decent alternative.

[Warpy]

5. Spelt has gluten

Most people who think they have celiac disease really don't. Consulting a physician is essential to eliminate the other suspects like Crohn's and colitis. Both of those are potentially life threatening, so they need to be eliminated as causes.

However, if wheat really does bother her and spelt doesn't, she could possibly be sensitive to another component if tests have ruled out other disease processes.

There are plenty of recipes out there for wheat free breads and pastries. Just be aware that truly gluten free bread will not be the same. It tends to be rather brick like.

[pnwmom]

4. Here's another very good site.

Gluten sensitivity is somewhat controversial these days, because some doctors accept only a very narrowly defined illness called "celiac disease" and others recognize that gluten can cause a host of other symptoms (including neurological and liver problems). This site gives an overview of the different medical points of view.

http://www.glutensensitivity.net/index.html

[Lindsey]

6. I just had an endoscopy and while the doctor was at it he was able

to do a biopsy to send to a lab to see if I have it. I don't have the results yet but since I started eating at though I did have Celiac disease, I felt much better.