Wheat, gluten & celiac disease

[lil_miss_tashwa]

my doc suggested i may be wheat/gluten intolerant..after reading my food labels like a maniac i've noticed i do eat uber amounts of the stuff.

anyone have this problem? any ideas on vegan food that's alright for me to eat?

thanks

[RedWellies]

You could try making your own bread using gluten-free flour. If you like crackers, Tru-free do some vegan ones (they do some biscuits too). Some supermarkets have a gluten-free section (I've seen cherry bakewell cakes that are also vegan and tasted ok). Your local health food shop should also have gluten free products. I've seen gluten free pasta too.

On the plus side you can still eat things the rest of us eat...nuts, seeds,veggies, fruit,beans,rice, quinoa,lentils,etc.

[xwitchymagicx]

I still find my gluten/wheat intolerance annoying sometimes as the bread is just like cardboard. Also I can't use gluten free flour for the life of me...is there such thing as a gluten free/vegan cookbook? There probably is but I can't be bothered to read back.

[piggy]

i cant eat gluten, as i have celiac disease. i dont find it hard anymore tho! i have TONS of vegan gluten free recipes

hi foxytina. do you find that simply replacing wheat flour with rice flour in normal recipes works? or do you have to make some other modifications?
from what i've seen on the internet, many gluten free recipes contain xanthan gum, which i have no way of obtaining. do you know whether this gum is used to compensate for the rice flour's different properties in some way?
i've also heard that rice flour doesn't rise with baking powder/yeast. do you find this to be true?
do you have any links for sites with gluten free recipes that don't contain too many exotic ingredients?
thank you!!

[nervine]

Hmm I have not heard that.
I tend to stay away from it since it causes 'mucous' for me even with the freshly ground whole wheat. I noticed this when I eliminated it in a food cleanse. When I 'reintroduced' it in my food consumption my nasal passages were not as clear. I eliminated it again and I had no more problems.

Wow, I have mucous every single day. No day goes past without me blowing my nose or sneezing several times. I hadn't eaten rice for quite a while so I made some brown rice with alot of fresh veg yesterday and I was amazed by how fast it digested. 5 mins after I finished eating I felt light as a feather. I just ate some muesli and now my stomach feels really heavy. I'm gonna stop eating wheat for a while and see what happens. We have a bread maker so I'll buy some rice flour. Thanks for you post!

[purple.cow]

After being gluten/wheat intolarant for a while, I find it really simple now to find things that I can eat. I eat a lot of brown rice though, rather than gluten/wheat free pasta, I've found rolls I like which are brown with linseeds and stuff in them and I can make cookies and stuff gluten/wheat free. It is a lot easier to be wheat/gluten free these days, they even have a whole section for it in the supermarket, although not all things are vegan. I've just found some gluten/wheat free gravy which is vegan. lol

[cafejane]

Hi. If I eat wheat, I break out into rashes on my arms & inner legs. Gluten makes loads of pain from head to toe. Lethargic also with slurred speech. Because I never looked skinny, I always dismissed the thought of being celiac. (the idea that celiacs get horrid intestinal upset which causes them to lose all their nutrients) I was alerted to the fact (from the celiac board http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/) that it's not always as so to be so thin. In fact, quite the opposite can happen on a regular basis.

As a child, I was so bloated & my legs were so inflamed it hurt to walk. I developed these painful red bumps all over my inner thighs that felt like my skin was just boiling. My parents & I just thought it was because I was overweight. My hunger/cravings couldnt be tamed.

I learned from the celiac regulars there, that as a child my body was OVER compensating with food. It does make loads of sense.

Where am I now??? Well, I always feel so alone. I'm always worried what everyone else is getting to do except me. (eating out, going to the cafe, etc) Wheat free I can do. Wheat has hurt me soo much, it's easy to let go of the whole thing. GLUTEN IS IN EVERYTHING!! It's even in stamp/envelope glue!!

The health food store is like a 2nd home for me, but they carry everything for everyone. From organic meat eaters- raw vegans. Yes that's a good thing, but for someone trying to be the good little celiac, it gets very confusing! It's easier to just be a raw vegan than try to figure out how on Earth a wheat free/gluten free bag of mix is supposed to stay that way when they expect you to add butter, eggs & milk just to form the batter.

I give up. I crave apples now. I surround myself with coffee, tea, fresh green juice, bits of fruit, almond butter, & rice tortillas. For the moment. It may change, but I'm still trying to warm up to the whole recipe thing without having to be gourmet or less than vegan.

Anyone want a shoulder? Email me anytime... ljannise@msn.com

[piggy]

do you find that simply replacing wheat flour with rice flour in normal recipes works? or do you have to make some other modifications?
from what i've seen on the internet, many gluten free recipes contain xanthan gum, which i have no way of obtaining. do you know whether this gum is used to compensate for the rice flour's different properties in some way?
i've also heard that rice flour doesn't rise with baking powder/yeast. do you find this to be true?
do you have any links for sites with gluten free recipes that don't contain too many exotic ingredients?
thank you!!

does anyone have any tried n tested tips for baking with rice or maize flour??

[PygmyGoat]

I'm so confused and wondering if I am Wheat/Gluten intolerant, could anyone just look at my symptoms and give me their opinion? .

Since i was a child I have always had chronic sinus problems, and I frequently get stuffed-up, itchy/tickly ears, and sore throats, and always have black circles under the eys, sometimes with swelling . For the past few years I have been prone to upset and rumbly stomach, with bloating and occasional cramping. I also get headaches almost daily and find it very hard to lose weight, even though I am reasonably active .

I have been to the doctor about this and he suggests Irritable Bowel Syndrome but I am not convinced. I don't smoke, drink alcohol or drink Coffee. I do drink plenty of water and weak black or herbal teas.

This morning I simply didn't feel hungry, so all I had was water, and my energy level was very high. I ate sandwiches at lunchtime and around an hour later my ears felt full and I was sneezing again, my legs were aching a bit and my energy was dipping, even though I had a lovely walk on the beach in the sun.

If i eat cereals - such as breakfast cereals, I literally have to run to the loo . I'm wondering if others who are Wheat/Gluten intolerant have/had the same or similar symptoms?.

[purple.cow]

I don't have all those sypmtoms, but it does seem to me you might be gluten/wheat intolarant. Why not cut it out for a while to see if it helps?

Gluten/wheat does make my legs and the rest of my body ache, I get a huge migraine and it lowers my energy.

Mine has got worse recently though, if I eat it my throat starts to close a bit.

[Haniska]

I don't eat grains except for the occasional bad treat, and every time I have a reaction, it's just that I like falafel in pitas too much. The reason grains can cause so many issues are pretty obvious. Humans evolved to eat succulent veggies, root, fruits, and nuts. It just so happens that of those foods, very few are acidic, and humans have the exact digestive makeup to turn them alkaline quickly. Most grains on the other hand are not easily alkalized, and cause a blood pH issue (too acidic). This leads to all sorts of issues, one of the biggest being inflammation of any cells in contact with blood (almost half the cells in your body). All the processing to make grains lowers the toxic content (grain toxins are hard to metabolize because we simply didn't evolve to do it) still do not accomplish much. Having all this stuff in your blood and suffering from a pH problem, and causing swelling in the brain can lead to some pretty awful headaches, IBS, dehydration, immune system disorders (also caused by the gluten in many grains) and overall crappyness. All that for a lot of carbs and little nutrients...


If you want to do yourself a favor, cut grains of any sort except rice (rice is fairly unique). Also some people confuse buckwheat and quinoa with grains, they're seeds and don't cause the issues most grains do. They are also vastly superior to grains as far as nutrition is concerned.

Lastly, what do you like in the morning? I certainly have no craving for cereals after eating fruit in the morning. Make yourself a big fat banana, date, coconut, and raisin (or goji berries, or both), and almond butter smoothie. Not only does it taste like heaven, it's damn good for you.


Oh, also do some research on how you feel. Grains and processed sugar are food for an internal fungus infection called Candida albicans. You feel bloating after eating foods known to feed it, so I'm just suggesting it as a possibility. It is not an uncommon issue, just mostly ignored by wesern medicine..

That is funny, I've significantly reduced the grains in my diet except for the "grains" quinoa and amaranth. I have had no problem with them lately and had told myself that I must have been paranoid that grains were bothering me :-p

[Haniska]

p.s. Do you do beans? I felt like they were way too much sugar and I broke down and bought a big tub of soy protein isolate, I feel MUCH better in the way of sugar.

[Clare...]

The Vegan Society have a new gluten-free recipe sheet with some lovely recipes, which you can get here,

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/recipes/GFree.php

or email to be sent a paper copy.


Clare

[Gorilla]

thanks Clare, that's cool!

[Astrid]

I'm coealic, and this was a worry for me when I first thought about going vegan seeing as the nutrient uptake in my small intestine is probably not as efficient as for those without the disease. I'm tested every year for nutrients because of the disease, so I'm crossing my fingers that the next test won't reveal any deficiencies.

Those of you who worry you might be allergic or intolerant to wheat or gluten should absolutely see a doctor and get tested before you make any dramatic changes in your diet. And also, csymptoms of coeliac disease are very individual. The most usual ones include bloating, diarrhoea, weight loss and such, but some react with vomiting, and some don't react at all. If you get a rash from eating gluten you may have a skin disorder called dermatitis herpetiformis.

[mexicanpotato]

My mom has celiac. and since I've inherited lots of health issues from her, I'm probably going to get it too. I decided to cut gluten out now so I won't be disappointed when I have to later. I'm not gluten-intolerant yet, but I am intolerant to oats (and lactose but that's not really relevant).

For anyone else who is a celiac, try going raw. Its worked wonders for me. I eat only fruits and juice my veggies for nutrients (i have a very sensitive digestive system due to another medical condition and even raw veggies don't work well with me. Basically I'm all messed up...)

[skufgurl]

There is a cookbook for gluten-free vegans. http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Ve.../dp/1600940323 Also, I work in a health food store and there are lots of products that are both gluten-free and vegan. Companies such as Enjoy Life and Orgran are all gluten-free and mostly vegan. Their products are clearly marked vegan if they are vegan. Delands makes good tasting gluten-free, yeast-free, vegan breads. I'm not gluten-free(although I probably should be) but alot of the vegan food I eat is.

[Daffodil]

Any coeliacs out there?

I've been doing some research on google as to why i keep getting spots/acne type all over my face sometimes and after weeks of research i think i can link it to the fact that I may have this? I don't get bloated or anything but if I have a bad weekend on the biscuits or pasta (as it was this weekend) then i break out in spots all over my face! then only last a few days and then clear up intime for the next pig out. It's all I can think of....anyone else suffer from this? I'm not even sure I'm right in calling it acne.

i know i could go to the doctors but they jsut give you medicine they don't find out WHY it's happening. and i don't have a prob with them healing up just want to know why they keep coming grrr.....

i found this link:
http://www.natural-acne-solution.com...-and-acne.html

[Quantum Mechanic]

If you think you might have coeliac, please do go to the doctor to get tested (there are specific tests - the gold standard being a colonoscopy but there are other, less invasive tests as well, I believe a blood test). If you do have coeliac disease, the treatment isn't even a drug treatment - it's a gluten-free diet. As far as I know, drugs don't usually get prescribed unless the disease is refractory even with a gluten-free diet or if you present at a late stage.

I looked at the link, and there is no evidence (and believe me, scientists have looked) that grains cause digestive problems in people without coeliac sprue or gluten intolerance. Particularly one thing that struck me, is that one part of the author's reasoning for the avoidance of grains is that they contain insoluble fiber which is indigestible, and therefore must be unfit for human consumption. However, insoluble fiber is also found in nuts, seeds, and the skin of apples, and helps regulate bowel movements. Soluble fiber is important too, but given that the article's author blames insoluble fiber for why people without gluten intolerance or coeliac disease to avoid grains, causes me to wonder about their knowledgability in nutrition. Perhaps the author had a gluten intolerance and acne, or had coeliac and dermatatitis herpetiformis, noted some things from personal experience, and extrapolated these things to the public at large before doing more extensive investigation of the existing research in nutrition and gluten intolerance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatitis_herpetiformis

I have not read any research to suggest a correlation between gluten intolerance and acne, but I'm no expert, so you could always ask a doctor if they might be related. Could the correlation be related to the oil content of the foods, either the gluten-containing foods like pasta or foods you're eating alongside them (I know very little about acne and don't know if these are related either, but that has always been the "conventional wisdom", and I don't know, maybe the evidence supports it). Also, have you considered if there might be a relationship between your menstrual cycle (assuming you're female)? I know that pretty regularly correlated with my cycle, somewhere in the middle.

BTW, the "opiod hypothesis" that gluten and casein cause an opiate-like addictive process, has been studied and shown to not hold up. Of course, if someone has a genuine gluten intolerance or coeliac disease, then gluten would be very bad for them for different reasons.

Also, even when doctors give you medicine, it is (almost always) after finding the cause, with the exception of those unscrupulous practitioners who over-prescribe anti-biotics for viral infections such as cold and flu (which, to be fair, often comes about after the insistence of the patients -or their parents- that the doctor "do something" for it even after an explanation, but that still hardly justifies it when it does happen). Heck, even painkillers, while not getting to the root cause of the condition that causes the pain, it does attack the physiological mechanism of the pain.

[Quantum Mechanic]

Whoops, double post!

[Daffodil]

Ok thanks for the info. I've done more research and think i just have a wheat allergy. I have other symptoms like a runny nose & sneezing for no reason, the spots (as i've said), all which can be linked to wheat. i shall lay off it for a few weeks and see if symptoms improve.

[Kitteh]

I also think that you should go see a Dr/Specialist and have a blood test done, and you have to have been eating gluten to get any gluten intolerance testing done.

I hope you get it sorted, if you don't go to a Dr you could try an elimination diet and cut out the foods you think are causing your acne and then try introducing them one at a time.

[baby_vicuña]

My mom has celiac. I've never heard of it causing acne though. Most symptoms I read about are weight loss, anemia, with or without bowel issues. Hmm...well if you're going to go to the doctor about it, make sure you have eaten gluten beforehand. If you abstain from it, the tests won't be accurate. And try to go to someone that knows what they're talking about. When my mom and I asked for the blood test (for me, just to make sure), the doctor didn't even know what celiac was

The treatment for it really isn't that bad. As vegans we already check labels like mad. It's just a matter of checking for a few more ingredients (and those lovely "gluten free" labels)

[Veli]

The reason you may get acne, is because processed grains (unsoaked) contain phytic acid that block absorption of 4 key minerals, zinc, calcium, copper and iron. Most notably, zinc (which regulates skin health and acne).

I had to learn the hard way.

When i became vegan, i consumed alot of processed wheat.
I suffered from acne, gluten intolerance and malabsorption.

(I am finally, starting to recover after making changes to my grains.)

Wondering early-on why I wasn't benefiting from a meat-free, vegan diet, I researched and learned about the importance of soaking grains, nuts and seeds and how our ancestors avoided modern day allergies, simply by soaking their grains. Now i can feel and see the difference. I get more nutrition out of my food, by preparing it properly, not buying packaged quick-cook store grains, but instead going to the bulk bins and taking them home to soak, dehydrate and make my own home-made foods, etc.

Grains get a bad reputation because of their association with today's celiac, IBS and allergies, but these symptoms are a product of modern processing. In the plant world, the phytic acid in grains, protects the plant from animal invaders, so that it can germinate and sprout once conditions are favorable (when the soil and conditions are favorable, the grain will sprout, and shed the phytic acid, becoming completely digestible).

The problem is that store-bought grains are harvested before germinating and are still bound by phytic acid.

Simply soaking them increases their nutrition and protects the gut from inflammation and immune system from getting over-protective, (which usually over time results in celiac, intolerances, etc).

Grains require soaking in acidic water in order to neutralize phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. Our ancestors did this and did not have the allergies we experience today.

A good book to check out is "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmwVV...eature=related

In her book, she gives soaking times and type of water needed to consume grains properly.

You can find lots of links online about the benefits of soaking, fermenting and/or sprouting grains.

[Daffodil]

^ Thanks very much for that info - i'm just reading up about that book now.

[angelamc]

i am allergic to wheat. i recently had blood work done to see if i had celiac and the results came up inconclusive. the dr said it might be because i hadn't eaten any gluten in a long time. has anyone heard this before?

[mjnewbould]

Yes -basically coeliac diesase is an inflammatory condition involving the duodenum and jejunum in which the inflammation causes a loss of the normal architecture of the lining of the intestine- what we call "villous atrophy". the only way to see this is by looking at a small sample of the intestine underneath the microscope. This has the effect of causing a failure to absorb nutrients so you get diarhorrea and get iron deficient etc. little children fail to grow.
Now the way that we screen for it is to look in the blood for a protein called "antiendomysial antibody" - anyone who has this positive - in the UK- has a biopsy (it varies from country to country - in some places they just screen and then suggest you start a gluten-free diet if the protein is there and see if you feel better).
The inflammation heals if you stop gluten and the protein goes from your blood - so it might be normal in a person with coeliac disease who did not eAT gluten!

[Saul]

The reason you may get acne, is because processed grains (unsoaked) contain phytic acid that block absorption of 4 key minerals, zinc, calcium, copper and iron. Most notably, zinc (which regulates skin health and acne).

I had to learn the hard way.

When i became vegan, i consumed alot of processed wheat.
I suffered from acne, gluten intolerance and malabsorption.

(I am finally, starting to recover after making changes to my grains.)

Thanks for the info,i've suffered a lot of weight loss in the last 3 months and have been ill,when i increased my grains bread and weetabix.I am a vegan but don't like the food,but i won't eat meat dairy etc.The weetbix are going because they can't be soaked and i've read that cereals are virtually junk food because of the process of heating them.I only read this from one source online though and there's a lot of incorrect info online.I could be wrong about cereals,the weetabix are the only grains i eat at the moment and i have an addiction to them being the only food i like alot so they are going i do think they make me ill,i think my body has had enough of grains or unsoaked ones.