Once again - Please try a gluten free diet - it cured me!

[shakey1961]

I've posted many times on this subject, but it's cured me.

I keep on looking into research into the link with Coeliac Disease, Gluten and anxiety and it keeps coming up time and time again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet

Coeliac Disease stops your stomach from digesting food properly and you can become vitamin deficient, especially the B vitamins and we all know that B vits help to keep a healthy nervous system.

I am calmer, relaxed, head clear, not dizzy, almost feel like I don't need to breathe, my pulse as I type this is spot on standard 72bpm.

It may cost a bit more, but isn't it worth a try to get better. It may not be the full answer to your problems like it is mine, but anything that helps is better than nothing.

Please send me a private message if you would like to try it and I'll try and help you as much as I can. I'd really like to know how many people will give it a try and if you get better.

[shakey1961]

I know it will help some of you, maybe even cure you.

Keep on taking your tablets then. I don't take any medication, I'm calm, panicked once in two years and have felt off quite a bit but can usually trace it back to something I've eaten.

https://www.google.co.uk/#q=Link+between+gluten+and+anxiety&spell=1

Take a look at all this research.

Is it not worth trying something to make you feel a bit better?

[almamatters]

I have read this thread and your previous about gluten free and this is going to sound silly but I am concerned that there will not be enough things I would like to eat that are gluten free . Perhaps I don't understand enough about the concept or am just lazy i'm not sure, I may have asked this question before but what exactly are the foods to avoid, I eat quite a lot of bread (wholemeal) but I know you can get gluten free bread and pizza , what about other foods?

[T*]

As great as this advice may be, you dont need to get so arsey about having no replies. Doesnt make people want to listen very much.

[shakey1961]

Suffering with a headache and tired, still no excuse really, my apologies.

I just want to share my good news with everyone and try to help people.

Gluten free diet - well to start with, it's not a diet you can do by reducing your gluten content - it's all or nothing.

Gluten is in wheat, barley and rye. Going round your favourite supermarket will entail taking a different route. Instead of getting your bread from the bread aisle you'll need to get it from the "Free From" Aisle. Pizza bases are there also.

I can only go from my experience of Tesco's, but they have ready made pizzas in their freezer cabinets. Look out for the purple topped "Free From" range. You'll so know where they stick them around the shop.

Making a change is always an upheaval, but once you're into it after a few weeks, you'll not notice the difference.

Fresh meat and fish is ok, as are fresh fruit and vegetables. Milk if OK, but watch out for lactose intolerance in the early stages.

Tesco Fish Pie is gluten free, but as a general rule if you're looking at a frozen pasta dish, don't go for it. You will also find gluten free pasta.

I had cause to go into Sainsburys and they also had a much better gluten free section too.

Try it for a month - you'll be surprised. If it doesn't work for you, then nothing lost.

If anyone does decide to give it a try, send me a private message please

[almamatters]

Is gluten free a lot more expensive ?

[shakey1961]

Unfortunately it is, and it's very annoying. It's not my fault I was born with this disease, then again neither is it the supermarket's fault.

I do feel however, the larger supermarket companies e.g. Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's etc make millions a year in profit, would it not be good PR for them to subsidise the cost of these foods to bring them into line with "standard" products?

To give you an example, last Xmas Tesco's were selling a certain size Xmas pud, priced £1.99. On the same shelf there was the gluten free alternative, same size pud but £3.99, double the price. The ones unsold after xmas were then reduced to £1.99. Why couldn't they have sold them at that price in the first place?

But it's only the carbohydrate stuff. Meat will be the same price as will fish and cheese etc. Potatoes are fine, but just have to watch certain packets of frozen chips as they have a coating on them. It's a question of reading all the labels when you 1st start. I get frozen chips now from a brand called "Country Store". I just go to the freezer cabinet and get them.

You can also have a lot of fun baking your own cakes.

Only last Saturday I had a friend round for a meal. Beef mince, Lloyd Grossman sauce and gluten free pasta. Earlier in the day I made some meringues and with that I put mixed fruit and some vanilla yoghurt. I was stuffed at the end of it. Easy, simple food, but filling.

[almamatters]

That is what worries me about any kind of specialised diet, I do think the supermarkets try and take advantage of the situation by hiking the prices up. Thanks for the info though Shakey.

[shakey1961]

Don't let it put you off please. As they say "What price your health"? You can make your own bread!! Now that will be very tasty.

[T*]

Making your own stuff is so much cheaper! You can find so mamy delicious and easy recipes on the net. Sundried tomato and goats cheese(check for rennet) muffins are sooo good! It doesnt have to be expensive, or difficult. :)

[Rennie1989]

I would like to see solid evidence of a gluten free diet actually reducing anxiety and depression. In my opinion a healthy, balanced diet is better then not, but I have yet to see evidence of gluten increasing anxiety. Gluten free food are also expensive and somebody on a low wage should take priority in eating enough fruit, vegetables and other nutrients then replacing them with gluten free foods.

I will look more into this.

[shakey1961]

Rennie - thanks for your reply.

I have put the link to Google I used in my second post here

https://www.google.co.uk/#q=Link+between+gluten+and+anxiety&spell=1

My panic and anxiety symptoms were linked to hypoglycaemia (Low blood sugar), but there is no history of diabetes in either of my parents families. So why should I be suffering from it.

It was only when I stopped eating wheat that I noticed a reduction in my hypo attacks. They became less, and when I did get one it wasn't as severe. I have since found one of the symptoms of coeliac disease is Hypoglycaemia.

Sadly, both my parents are no longer with me, but... I can say for certainty that I strongly suspect my father's side of the family suffered with coeliac disease, all the signs are there. My father was one of 4 boys. Two of his brothers were alcoholics (only anecdotal evidence that it's linked to gluten, but you find gluten in barley - which makes beer) and his other brother had epilepsy in later life which has a link to Coeliac. Also the daughter of my father's nephew has been diagnosed with coeliac disease, once again on the male side of the family. My father also suffered terribly with "wind" (or Gas as the Americans would call it). He permanently suffered with very loose stools and had GERD. Once again all symptoms of gluten intolerance / coeliac.

As a young teenager I was doubled up in pain after an evening meal, which looking back was probably the start of it - sadly my parents never took me to the doctor about it.

I am living proof that following a gluten free diet works. I am CURED!!!!

I am now left with rebuilding my self confidence. This is coming on.

Because of the way the body attacks the gut with gluten it prevents vitamins being absorbed, especially vitamin B, which as we all know helps with nerve function.

Please have a look on the internet - it works. Try it!

Also, last Xmas I went out with a friend for her birthday party. I had what I thought was a gluten free meal as the rest of the menu was a nightmare. Three quarters of the way through the meal I started passing wind, up and down, and started to feel bloated. I realised the chips had a coating on them. I felt dreadful the following day and it took me three days to get it through my system and feel well again.

From the outset I always felt "something was doing this to me" and 35 years later, I've eventually been proved correct!

[almamatters]

Just had a look at the link Shakey, can I just ask you ,do you need to discuss starting a gluten free diet with your GP, is it safe for everyone?

[shakey1961]

I would suggest discussing it with your GP. I have no medical training whatsoever.

However, removing gluten from your diet I would suggest is like changing the type of bread you buy from white to brown, just this time you're changing from standard bread to gluten free.

You are not stopping, starting or changing medication and I would STRONGLY IMPLORE ANYONE WHO IS READING THIS OR COMTEMPLATING ANYTHING NOT TO STOP TAKING ANY PRESCRIBED MEDICATION YOU HAVE AT PRESENT.

Did you know, you can also be gluten intolerant with negative coeliac tests?

[inCOGnito]

Just had a look at the link Shakey, can I just ask you ,do you need to discuss starting a gluten free diet with your GP, is it safe for everyone?

gluten is the crap in wheat based products that acts like a 'glue' (that's my technical description :)). Try a regular oat cake then try a gluten free oatcake and notice the difference.

there's a lot of growing evidence that suggests wheat in general is pretty crap food, and has been linked with a lot of health problems.

it's totally safe not to eat gluten. it's not 'essential' or even desirable nutrition.

[oldtime]

If you had diabetes you would have high blood sugar not low. The insulin injections can cause Hypoglycaemia.

Fluctuations in blood sugar are more likely to be caused by carbs than by gluton. So by avoiding gluton you are inadvertently also reducing your intake of carbohydrate specifically simple carbs that your body rapidly converts to sugar. This leads to blood sugar high, followed by a low when your body compensates by increased insulin production.

Sudden drops in blood sugar can make you feel anxious. The answer is to eat a healthy diet with lots of fresh vegetables and complex carbohydrates. Avoid sugar, white bread, and cakes!

[HoneyLove]

I would caution against self diagnosing with coeliac disease to be honest, it seems to be a fad in the last decade. To be diagnosed coeliac you need to have a positive blood test or a stomach biopsy that shows evidence of damaged villi in the stomach. It's this damage that can cause malabsorption which leads to health problems. This is what a gluten allergy does to the body, and coeliac disease can be incredibly damaging to those who suffer with it. The malabsorption usually leads to very obvious symptoms that most doctors should be aware of, and while anxiety is one of them there are usually many more that go with it.

In saying that, going on a gluten free diet isn't very hard not expensive (if you make meals from scratch they're mostly gluten free anyway!). My CBT instructor told me that she had a client who was totally cured of his panic attacks by going on a gluten free diet, but he wasn't coeliac.

I've been tested for coeliac disease because of health problems, but I definitely don't have it. I do have trouble digesting wheat products and they can make me feel bad so I tend to avoid them - this isn't the same a coeliac disease though. I have a young cousin who is coeliac, she was having seizures and lots if health problems, there was one occasion she went into anaphalactic shock before they diagnosed her.

If you decide to try this diet just make sure that you're still getting enough carbs in your meals, a good balanced diet is the key to good mental health.

[shakey1961]

If you had diabetes you would have high blood sugar not low. The insulin injections can cause Hypoglycaemia.

Fluctuations in blood sugar are more likely to be caused by carbs than by gluton. So by avoiding gluton you are inadvertently also reducing your intake of carbohydrate specifically simple carbs that your body rapidly converts to sugar. This leads to blood sugar high, followed by a low when your body compensates by increased insulin production.

Sudden drops in blood sugar can make you feel anxious. The answer is to eat a healthy diet with lots of fresh vegetables and complex carbohydrates. Avoid sugar, white bread, and cakes!

I have taken this from a Diabetes UK factsheet in conjunction with Coeliac UK. You can find the link here and read the whole factsheet if you don't believe me....

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Guide%20to%20diabetes/Food%20and%20recipes/Coeliac%20disease/CoeliacdiseaseanddiabetesFeb10.pdf




What are the symptoms of coeliac disease?


The symptoms of coeliac disease range from mild to severe, vary between individuals and
can present at any stage in life. Not everyone with coeliac disease experiences gut-related
problems. Symptoms can include bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, excessive wind,
heartburn, indigestion, constipation, weight loss (but not in all cases), hypoglycaemia (low
blood glucose levels), tiredness, any combination of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency,
recurrent mouth ulcers, hair loss, headaches, defective tooth enamel, osteoporosis, depression,
infertility, recurrent miscarriage, joint or bone pain, neurological (nerve) problems such as ataxia
(poor muscle co-ordination) and neuropathy (numbness and tingling in hands and feet).



It was this factsheet that confirmed the missing piece of the puzzle I had been looking for as to why I got hypos. Gluten free diet - fewer hypos and less severe when I get them. I've had blood sugar readings of 3.5, 2.8, 2.3 and the worst I ever recorded was 1.8!


Do people believe me now? You are correct for common diabetes Oldtime, but not where Coeliac disease is the underlying cause of stomach problems.


I'm living proof it works!


---------- Post added at 22:57 ---------- Previous post was at 22:54 ----------


I would caution against self diagnosing with coeliac disease to be honest, it seems to be a fad in the last decade. To be diagnosed coeliac you need to have a positive blood test or a stomach biopsy that shows evidence of damaged villi in the stomach. It's this damage that can cause malabsorption which leads to health problems. This is what a gluten allergy does to the body, and coeliac disease can be incredibly damaging to those who suffer with it. The malabsorption usually leads to very obvious symptoms that most doctors should be aware of, and while anxiety is one of them there are usually many more that go with it.

In saying that, going on a gluten free diet isn't very hard not expensive (if you make meals from scratch they're mostly gluten free anyway!). My CBT instructor told me that she had a client who was totally cured of his panic attacks by going on a gluten free diet, but he wasn't coeliac.

I've been tested for coeliac disease because of health problems, but I definitely don't have it. I do have trouble digesting wheat products and they can make me feel bad so I tend to avoid them - this isn't the same a coeliac disease though. I have a young cousin who is coeliac, she was having seizures and lots if health problems, there was one occasion she went into anaphalactic shock before they diagnosed her.

If you decide to try this diet just make sure that you're still getting enough carbs in your meals, a good balanced diet is the key to good mental health.


From the British Medical Journal - can't argue with this...

http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e7982

You can still have a problem with gluten even with negative coeliac tests!

I am careful what I quote from, only using established scientific / medical sources. This frim the back of the sheet in the link above...




The definition of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity goes back to 1986, and there are sporadic reports of this entity but not as strong as in the past few years.
Interest has increased after recent advances enabling us to make a clear differentiation between coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity.1-4

It is now becoming clear that, besides those with coeliac disease or wheat allergy, there are patients with gluten sensitivity in whom neither allergic nor
autoimmune mechanisms can be identified.5 6 It has been estimated that, for every person with coeliac disease, there should be at least six or seven people
with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity may therefore affect 6-10% of the general population. This means approximately 4-7 million people in
the United Kingdom have this condition, and the vast majority are unaware of their sensitivity to gluten.5-15

Patients with gluten sensitivity have negative immuno-allergy tests to wheat and negative coeliac disease serology; normal endoscopy and biopsy; clinical
symptoms that can overlap with those of coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and wheat allergy; and they show a resolution of symptoms when started
on a gluten-free diet.16

[HoneyLove]

I'm aware of the article you quoted already, it particularly interested me because I tested negative for coeliac disease (both blood test and biopsy) but still have obvious problems with wheat products. The idea of a spectrum of the disease is starting to make more sense these days.

All I'm saying is to ask people to be cautious about self diagnosing (as with any restrictive type of diet) - I've met people who've claimed to be coeliac without talking to their doctor about it or any real evidence/symptoms of the disease, and people who spoke about gluten as if it was some kind terrible substance that's bad for everyone.

Anxiety alone does not make a coeliac diagnosis, it may not even be gluten related - it may just be a wheat sensitivity which may not mean a life dedicated to living completely gluten free, or maybe going on a gluten free diet cuts out a lot of processed foods and leads to better overall health as a result. This kind of diet does not come without it's stresses or problems (eating out for example), so before an anxiety sufferer decides they need to be gluten free for life it would be good to have sound reasons for doing so.

[shakey1961]

Honey - I fully agree with you. As an example I went to a different restaurant last year and I was ill, I stay with my local pub and I know the food I can have.

Always best to see your doctor, but isn't going gluten free worth a try. If it's not the answer, then go back to eating your normal stuff. All you'll lose is a bit of money and maybe a few pounds off the waistline.

I just have a feeling it could be part, if not all, the answer to a lot of peoples problems. It's cured me.

[HoneyLove]

I'm glad I tried the diet myself, it made a big difference in how my digestion works. And I lost a load of bloating weight from my stomach when I did it, always a bonus :) But I have to note that it didn't seem to affect my anxiety levels at all.

When I was tested for coeliac disease and it came up negative I still had a chat with a nutritionist at the hospital about how I felt wheat affected me and she talked to me about the gluten free diet - it was well worth a chat with her before starting.

[Rennie1989]

It maybe something I'll experiment but as I work unsociable hours it's easier to eat foods with gluten as it's hard to find anything gluten free and it's not cheap.

---------- Post added at 10:23 ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 ----------

This is from a reliable source:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-breakthrough-depression-solution/201105/is-gluten-making-you-depressed

Basically, physician tests his patient who has ADHD, anxiety and depression to find out he has antibodies to the protein found in wheat, biopsy confirms coeliac disease. He later confirms the connection of coeliac disease and depression. Makes interesting read.

[blue moon]

Everything that is good for you is so expensive.To buy gluten free,spelt!qqQuinoa all in bulk you need to take out a small loan,same with Krill oil and other vitamin supplèments,Organic fruit and veg is the same, I can see why the food chains are popular so cheap,I do not eat it but lots out there do. An apple a day,keeps doctor away.

[shakey1961]

Why do you need to buy organic? Bog standard fruit and veg is fine unless you want to go down the organic route.

Packets of gluten and wheat free flour are only £1.70 in our local supermarket, not that much more expensive than standard flour.

It's more labour intensive by making your own food, but there are alternative flours to be had for not much more money.

[blue moon]

I do not buy organic,just saying too expensive.Gluten free in packets does not go far when you have families gluten intolerant,that is a fair price you pay. Over here flour outside the norm is expensive..What is Bog fruit and veg?excuse my ignorance.

[Rennie1989]

'Bog standard' is an expression that means something is ordinary and common.

[HoneyLove]

It really only gets pricey if you start replacing processed products with gluten free processed products, when really there's not huge need for that. Meat, vegetables, fruit and pulses are all gluten free naturally and should be the main part of our diets.

BTW spelt is not gluten free, so it's best not to use it if you're doing this diet!

[Kez_miller]

I'm going to give this guy some credit. I emailed him and he couldn't do more to help. Absolutely top guy. Anyway into the diet. I started today. Without any tests etc...and already I'm feeling to difference after just two gluten free meals. I'm not going to say I'm cured because I'm not my mental anxiety still creeps back in frequently BUT compared to how it was, it's a start. I personally think it will work for some and not for others the same as a lot of things. I think it all depends where your anxiety came from. On a personal level I know mine started when I moved out and the lifestyle I lived. Eating junk and lots of it on a daily basis. So I think if your anxiety stems from your lifestyle then this diet works a treat. But if your anxiety stems from trauma at some point during your life it may not be as affective. I'll keep at it and I'll check back in with everyone further down the line.

[Jemsss]

Making your own stuff is so much cheaper! You can find so mamy delicious and easy recipes on the net. Sundried tomato and goats cheese(check for rennet) muffins are sooo good! (https://weightloss-en.com/gluten-free-diet-plan-for-beginners/) It doesnt have to be expensive, or difficult. :)

Thanks for the offer :yesyes: