Posted by Helen on: 12.04.2007 /
I’m trying a wheat-free dairy-free yeast-free low/no caffeine and low sugar diet to see if it helps with some (physical) health problems I’ve been having (a couple of weeks ago I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease).
I’m taking some supplements in case I’m deficient or what I’m eating is unbalanced (a multivitamin/mineral, plus separate iron, calcium and omega 3).
I’m on day 9 and it definitely seems to be helping. My most problematic symptoms went away on day 3 or 4 and as of today, haven’t come back.
My doctor didn’t suggest this. Actually the first time it came up was when I met Dawn at Off The Map Live. She told me my symptoms sound like Celiac’s Disease, which is kept in remission with a gluten-free diet. There does seem to be a lot of overlap between my symptoms and Celiac’s so I thought I’d try this, if I could be disciplined enough to do it. So far it’s going ok - the key is to think about how many things I can eat rather than what I can’t.
I’m curious - have any of you found a restricted diet i.e. abstaining from or avoiding certain foods necessary or helpful for your health?
Comment by: kay
1I work at a health food store, so I’m surrounded with plenty of information on what to do to improve my digestion. (I have IBS.)
I’ve seriously considered going gluten free, but haven’t gotten on the wagon yet. I ordered a couple of books last Friday - one a cookbook, one a nutrition book - in which most of the recipes are gluten free. I think everybody with digestive disorders would benefit from cutting gluten (wallpaper glue) out of the diet.
You have LOTS of options for gluten free baked goods. Email me if you want and I can give you some names. Or I can post them here if you want.
Comment by: Lucy
2My daughter is gluten free because she’s a celiac - has been for 10 years now. I tried it for a month, to see if it helped my psoriasis (it did).
But gluten free, dairy free, yeast free, caffeine free, sugar free? That is a challenge! I do hope it helps with the Crohns …
Comment by: Pam Hogeweide
3yes, i find that it necessary and helpful to abstain from brussel sprouts. my taste buds have a huge allergic reaction to them. but ever since i omitted them from my diet my salivary gland has been problem free. and that bad taste is gone from my mouth. :-)
(glad it’s working for you. i have wondered if wheat-free living would be helpful with some of my ailments…)
Comment by: Helen
4Thanks Kay. I might e-mail you; I’m feeling a little hesitant to venture into baked goods because a) they might have more sugar in than I want to eat right now b) I think I do better eating the foods I’ve always liked rather than ’substitutes’ which I’m afraid will make me long for the ‘real thing’.
Lucy, overall I’m not missing the foods I’m not eating as much as I expected. (I think I might when PMS next hits…but I don’t have to worry about that for a couple of weeks)
Pam, I actually like Brussels Sprouts but I found my taste buds had an allergic reaction yesterday when I thought I’d try soy milk again in case it wasn’t really as bad as last time I tried it. Maybe if I’d grown up on it it would be ok, but it just seems like a bad imitation of cow’s milk to me.
I’m amazed how many things diet restrictions are supposed to help, reading the Internet, but on the other hand it’s not always a reliable source. I think the only way to know is to try it and to be honest, I don’t think I ever would have, had I not been sick - because otherwise, where’s the motivation?
Comment by: Rachel
5Helen, I’m SO sorry to hear that you have Crohn’s. That sucks! (big hug) But I’m glad that at least you have a clear diagnosis now and that you are finding a diet that helps. Email me anytime you want to talk.
I have been on low-sugar diet for several years now. It helped me to lose some weight and keep it off and to manage my hypoglycemia. I didn’t even realize what a blood-sugar roller coaster I was on until I started limiting the sugar and simple carbs and eating more lean protein. I felt so much better right away!
Also - my 11 year old daughter recently decided to become a vegetarian. So I have been working with her to make sure she gets enough protein. We have found several products made with soy that she likes and she is eating dairy and eggs so that makes it easier. I have a list of protein items posted on the frig and she is supposed to eat two items off the list each day.
Comment by: Karen
6Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, Helen. :-( I suppose if you were feeling ill and didn’t know why actually getting a diagnosis might have been a relief, however.
An aunt of mine had Crohn’s and suffered quite a bit with it. I also have a friend with celiac disease and he has to restrict his diet quite closely. He has found he can tolerate a number of items made with rice flour, such as pastas.
I’ve been off caffeine for about a year now (took a week to get over the withdrawal headaches!) and I’ve been cutting down on sugar gradually over the past couple of months. I didn’t think I even ate a lot of sugar, because I don’t eat a lot of processed foods or drink sodas, but it has been a lot harder than I anticipated!
Comment by: Randy
7I went on the Atkins diet a couple of years ago, mostly to lose weight. Turns out that for me carbs are not all that good for my digestive system, in general. Sugar seems to have the most negative effect.
I lost 40 pounds over a six month period and kept most of it off for about 18 months (I’ve gained about 20 back since then), but I noticed that some arthritis in my hands went away and a 25 year problem with peeling skin on my fingers completely cleared up as well. Those symptoms have returned on occassion when I have endulged myself with sweets, and I’ve sort of experimented to see if there was other foods that had a similar effect. So far it’s mostly carbs and sugar in particular (I quickly bloat up which is the first indication, but not the last).
I don’t think this is a diet for most people, but for me eating protien and fats and staying away from sugars and empty carbs in particular has had some major health benefits besides weight control.
Brocoli (and anything green, for the most part, except lettuce) makes me gag and fart like a horse, so I avoid it.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
Comment by: Helen
8Hi Rachel, thanks for being so supportive. Thanks for sharing how sugar affects you. At some point I’d like to find out which of the things I’m not eating is making the difference - is it the sugar and/or dairy and/or wheat/yeast? - but for now I’m just glad something is!
I love how you’re helping your daughter be vegetarian. It’s awesome that you’re being a Mom who helps her figure out how to be successful at this rather than being a Mom who worries “how will you get enough nutrients?” Anyway I think she’s at or near the age she’d probably do it anyway even if you disapproved - so it’s very wise to join her team rather than try to stop her :).
Karen, I find I do much better going almost sugar-free than ‘cutting back’, because a small amount makes me crave more. At first it’s hard not to eat anything sweet unless it’s naturally sweet, but after a while I stop craving it. Although as I think I mentioned, that might happen at PMS time - my cravings for anything and everything often go crazy then, so it seems.
Anyway in general it seems like after a few days (aside from PMS time) I ‘adjust’ to the foods I’m eating and as long as I keep my diet varied I don’t tend to crave the foods that aren’t on it. If I really want something sweet I’ll have dried fruit.
Randy, thanks for your comment and for sharing your experiences (it sounds like your choice to avoid greens is quite otherly). Congratulations on the weight loss even if you’ve backtracked a bit (I am an expert at post-diet backtracking so I am the last one to judge anyone else for that!)
When I’ve dieted to lose weight I’ve also felt it made me healthier because I tried to make healthy food choices as well as eating less. At first this felt worse than that, but then I realized it was better. Although ideally I should be taking this opportunity to try to lose weight also, as long as I am careful to get enough nutrients.
Comment by: Rachel
9SOMCATS!
(Spitting Out My Coffee At The Screen)
Comment by: Dawn
10As I have told you via email, you are heroic for doing all of this. I want to let everyone know that publicly. This is a great thing you are doing for yourself and your family. I am sure you are finding more energy and more interest in things now that you have been doing this. The gastroenterology problem is such an issue for Americans who eat too many carbs, too much red meat (man, I LOVE red meat), and way too much sugar. The imbalance of our omega fatty acids also really harms our bodies. If we all had our blood tested and saw what vitamins/minerals we are missing and what happens to us when we are out of whack, we would think about changing our lifestyles. One thing at a time for me. Taking gluten out was HUGE but now I think I am close to being ok with no dairy. Almost. Then sugar. Then caffiene. Like I said, you are heroic.
BTW–SOMCATS from me too, Randy.
Comment by: Helen
11Thanks Dawn - it certainly is wonderful to feel better. I very much appreciate what you shared with me at Off The Map Live. If it weren’t for you I still probably wouldn’t have even heard about Celiac’s and I don’t know that I would have tried dietary restrictions. (I haven’t tested positive for Celiac’s so far but I’m not sure I’ve had a ‘definitive’ test for it yet)
Yesterday in searching online I found a local doctor’s group that focuses on Gastroenterology and Nutrition. They’re currently running a clinical trial to study the effect of diet on Crohn’s disease. I made an appointment to see the dietician in their group next week.
Comment by: Eliza
12Helen,
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, though as others have said above, I’m glad you’ve found the cause for symptoms that sound like they’ve been going on for quite a while. And I’m super glad that you’ve found dietary changes to be helpful - while it may be hard to figure out to find tasty substitutions for the foods you used to eat, it’s great to find a way that YOU can control, and that might help reduce the long-term use of medications. You go, girl!
While the diet sounds pretty restrictive as you list what you are avoiding, it sounds like fruits and vegetables are A-OK, & that’s a healthy approach that more of us could stand to follow! And, there are more options among gluten-free, lactose-free, and (I think) yeast-free foods than there used to be. I hope there’s a well-stocked natural foods store near you..! Sounds like the visit with the dietician at that specialty clinic might have some useful information, too - that sounds like it could be a great resource.
Comment by: Eliza
13I avoid peanut products, as going into anaphylaxis is SO inconvenient ;-)
I also have Oral Allergy Syndrome, a relatively recently named & validated condition only described in the medical literature in the past ~7 years. (Wikipedia has a page on it, but I can’t link to it at present, this site says unh-unh.) The allergist I saw 20 years ago about the symptoms thought I was a total nut-case. While the reactions are not dangerous, dang! they are annoying - intense itching of mouth & throat, sometimes also nasty GI upset for hours later, takes all the pleasure out of eating the trigger foods. Unfortunately, my triggers include maybe 20 different kinds of fruits & vegetables all together, as well as sesame seeds, hazel nuts, almonds, & walnuts. Luckily, cooking the fruits or vegetables denatures the protein so the reaction doesn’t occur. (That doesn’t work with the nuts.)
The foods I miss most are cherries and all kinds of berries. They are so wonderful raw, but give me such an intense reaction that I really have to make sure they are cooked to death before I can eat them. (We have cherry trees & raspberry bushes in our back yard, & blackberry bushes grow wild everywhere in Seattle…sigh!) It’s also frustrating that more and more foods give me trouble, as the years go by. That feels very limiting.
Cooking for myself, I can find ways around the OAS; I’m sure other people with dietary restrictions also find this to be the case with their conditions. It’s amazing how many fruits you can microwave & sprinkle cinnamon on top for a tasty treat, and stews are a great way to knock the reaction triggers out of a smorgasbord of vegetables. But in social settings it can feel awkward: Look at Eliza, how unhealthy, she’s avoiding the fresh fruits & vegetables, turning down Waldorf Salad (raw apples & celery, & walnuts, *shudder*) or picking her way around some of the vegetables on top of her salad, and aiming for the fruit cobbler or pie instead of the fresh fruit for dessert - tsk, tsk! (Do you suppose she’s an atheist?) ;-)
Comment by: Helen
14Thanks Eliza. Speaking for myself, I can’t think of a clearer sign of atheism than eating an unhealthy diet in public :-)
Seriously, I hadn’t heard of OAS. I’m sorry you have that to deal with. What you wrote is a good reminder not to judge people on their food choices - who knows what foods they might be avoiding when they ’seem’ to be opting for what’s less healthy? On hearing about me having Crohn’s a friend told me that someone else we both know has Crohn’s and has to avoid gluten and dairy or he gets very sick - but he can eat lots of fries. Ironically perhaps this is ALL he can eat in some situations.
I am so glad I have a lifestyle where I can mostly prepare my own meals. It would be much harder otherwise. My family is not interested in diet restrictions but happily many of the things I cook for dinner already had no gluten in - or all I had to do is switch to a more organic and basic ingredients stock base. The internet has been a super-helpful resource.
By the way, it’s not just the lactose in dairy that I’m avoiding. I’ve read that it’s unclear whether lactose or casein (protein in milk) is what people tend to have problems with, so I thought I’d avoid dairy altogether and see what happens.
I did switch over to almost lactose-free after I was first diagnosed and put on meds because the doctor did say “avoid dairy” then later said “yes” over the phone when I asked “Is it lactose I’m avoiding?” That switch by itself didn’t have any discernible effect. When the short-term of the two meds he prescribed me ran out, my symptoms were back in a few days.
Comment by: Karen
15Helen, has the doctor advised you to take supplements (such as extra calcium) along with this diet? It would seem that restricting so many items might leave a void somewhere in your nutrient intake.
I’m glad you found a connection to a clinical trial - that sounds interesting!
Comment by: Helen
16Karen, actually I mentioned in the post that I’m taking some supplements, including calcium. Maybe you missed that line.
When I see the dietician next week she said we’d have an hour, so I’m figuring there’s time to discuss all the details with her and see if she has any concerns.
Comment by: Elaine
17Helen - that’s great you are seeing a dietician - my friend, Debbie the dietician has really raised my awareness.
Just a suggestion - if you have time before you go make a list of all the foods in your house.
Before I met with Debbie for the first time - I went through my fridge and pantry and made a list of all the foods in our house. It gave her a sense of what foods we normally eat and enabled her to target the specific things to reduce or eliminate from the pantry.
It helped customize/personalize what might have been more of a general conversation on eating healthy.
Hope that is helpful.
Comment by: Karen
18Whoops, sorry - I did miss that! Glad to know. (I’m on deadline with a project that’s been in works for six months, so I’m not reading as closely as usual!)
Comment by: Helen
19Thanks Elaine. Karen, no problem - good luck with your deadline!
Comment by: Heather Fischer
20Helen,
My husband struggled with his metabolism for years, last May he went gluten-free and sugar-free and has lost 75 pounds since then and his reflux has completely gone away.
My father-in-law has had severe Crohn’s for over 30 years. He went gluten-free and this is the first year he has not been in the hospital with an attack.
Also, our church office manager had severe Colitis and was just about to quit due to her illness when she tried gluten-free. She since has been in total remission.
I suggest reading “The Gluten Connection”, it was very helpful. It will explain about how to cut gluten totally out of your diet and about cross-contamination. Also, “Gluten Free Girl” has a book and a very helpful blog.
Elizabeth Barbarone has been a valuable resource for gluten-free baking. She is here locally in my area but has written many great books and has a subscriber website.
I also suggest giving it a serious shot and go totally gluten-free for 2 weeks. I have many products I can recommend and tell you which taste best if you decide to go forward with it. My e-mail address is hcfischer1(at)gmail(dot)com. Or feel free to post on my blog again and contact me that way.
Hope this helps!
Comment by: Helen
21Thanks Heather! It’s great to hear about all those people that have been helped by going gluten-free.
Actually I am doing my best to eat gluten-free - I’ve been reading food labels to avoid ‘hidden’ gluten and I’ve been reading web sites to see what has gluten in. Today is day 14. I found that my symptoms were much better by about day 4 and they’ve stayed better since then.
I’m also going dairy-free and avoiding refined sugar so I don’t know exactly what diet change is making the difference yet.
I’ll look up the books you said.
Comment by: Elaine
22Helen -
How is the diet going?
Have you seen the dietician?
Comment by: Helen
23Hi Elaine, thanks for asking!
I’m still on it, it’s still helping and I’m seeing the dietician this afternoon.