Leaky Gut, Constipation and Gluten Free?

Clemlaa, I'm tagging fellow Connect members who have also turned to a gluten-free and dairy-free diet to help manage symptoms. @johnbishop @meemer @mieke @michellecrcrn @ambrose @uneeq1 what advice might you have for Clemlaa?

@clemlaa - My situation is a little different. I started the basic Wahls Protocol Diet - no dairy, no gluten, no sugar, no processed food to see if it would help with my peripheral neuropathy. I don't follow it perfectly but have greatly reduced all of them and have pretty much given up fast food/processed foods. The author of the book Dr. Terry Wahls who has MS did her own research on diets impact on autoimmune diseases and she has an amazing story to tell. More info here - http://terrywahls.com/about/about-terry-wahls/. I do struggle on and off with constipation and take a fiber supplement Metamucil to help with the daily movements...:-) The big benefit I have had from her diet is 20 lb weight drop and feeling a little better. It did take some getting used to having green smoothies for breakfast. I do think diet plays a big part in a lot of illnesses that are difficult to diagnose. Lots of toxins out there and unfortunately not all of them are known. Just ran across an interesting story "The Real Reason Wheat is Toxic (it's not the gluten)" - http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/. Hoping you are able to find an answer!

The gluten-free dairy free better diet - just can't go wrong with it. In addition I'd recommend some research on antifungal's and probiotics. Because while the diet helps starve of the Yeast ( like candida overgrowth - a bi-product / side effect of antibiotic use and yes poor diet) and bad gut flora - anti-fungals and probiotics help restore and maintain the balance of the good flora and the fauna in the gut. Believe it or not beans are the number one best thing to encourage the growth of good gut balance. Whole flaxseed or ground flaxseed can go along way towards ending constipation. Lentils are huge, huge good nutrition, good gut balance food. One of the best anti-fungals I've found is Diflucan. But olive leaf extract is a lighter Antifungal and can be obtained without a prescription. Probiotics and nondairy Kiefers or another wonderful way to balance the gut and end constipation. My husband and I put flaxseed and everything absolutely everything cereal meatloaf shakes are we just eat it - put a spoon for my mouth and chew it. It balances blood sugar, takes away hunger and on and on. Last but not least let's keep on encouraging each other to keep fighting the fine fight. It's really not our fault - not all of it. All of these things we're doing, I believe, is a tiny little chip in a huge block of what causes autoimmune disease. I believe we are very close to multiple revelations on how we all got here - in this frustrating world of auto immune disease.<br><br>

I deleted foods slowly as I didn't want to shock my system. But I deleted processed, dairy, nghtshades(mushrooms), certain nuts, refined sugars, junk foods, and it took some time but in my case the AIP (auto immune paleo) has helped me tremendously. I suffer Hashimoto's thyroiditis and my liver enzymes were elevating, hematocrit/ hemagoobin/ thyroglobulin/antibodies. My body felt like it was fighting a huge inflammation attack and symptoms were fatigue, joint pain, IBS-D, headaches, mood swings, abdominal pain, irritable, tremors, sweating, heart palpatations. I had a few things going on. Over medicating of synthroid can cause most of those symptoms as well as the elevated liver enzymes. I've gone from .125mcgs now to .075mcgs of levothyroxine. Certain medications along with poor diet can contribute to a whole slew of intestinal issues. I haven't cut out gluten 100%, but have cut down dramatically. I eat more lean meats, fruits, veggies and fish. Almond milk, Brazil nuts, walnuts, almonds, avocados, lettuce. Have you had your thyroid levels checked??? Constipation is a very common symptom of hypothyroidism, also vitamin levels are crucial like vitamin D, iron, ferritin. I cannot stress enough how uneducated many Drs are when it comes to thyroid. And tsh is not the only test to check. There are important others like t3, reverse t3, t4, antibodies. Hope your doing much better

Wow Ambrose thanks for taking the time to help me. Meatloaf shakes. Oh I've got so much to learn. Been eating SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) and that helps. Will look into if flaxseed is a good option for me. Thank you so much. I appreciate the reply

Thank you so much John B. I appreciate the help.

I have read never whole wheat but whole grain??

Hi Deena - I'm am not really an expert (not even a farmer!) but have a few friends that forward me food health related information which is how I saw the topic that it might not be the gluten but the wheat itself that is toxic. Think they were really just pointing out that on some farms the wheat fields are not ready for harvest at the same time - the plants have to die before being harvested. So it was referring to the fact that some farmers will spray the green live wheat with roundup when a majority of the crop is ready for harvest so that it kills the live wheat plants and they can harvest it all at the same time. The problem being the part of the field that was sprayed with roundup gets some toxins up into the parts of the plant that is harvested and made into flour, etc.. At least that's what I took out of reading the article above.

Thats really intresting in the 90s I would read cooking light and other healthy cooking books and magazines they were pushing whole wheat! I bought into this because it lead us to believe it was not bleached flour like white bread!! Thanks for sharing your info ! The FDA should be ashamed of themselfs and do not believe any thing they say!! Deena

I should have been more careful with the "comma's" - I meant to say "We use (Flaxseed) in everything, meatloaf, shakes (smoothies), cereal, etc." (not meatloaf shakes! ha!)
For a gluten free diet, a Dr. once told me to remember "B.R.O.W.". Gluten is found in Barley, Rye, Oats, and Wheat. Many of those that I dearly love. Another natural Dr. advised that healing the gut is roughly a 6 week process (more or less depending on the severity of the auto-immune disorder, and how strict one is with obeying the dietary guidelines). So, an easy dietary experiment is (for 6 weeks) no diary, no gluten, no meat, no sugar, no alcohol. Cleanse the gut with juicing, vegetables, fruits (organic as much as possible), and lots of "healthy water". (no chlorine, no fluoride, etc.) We can still have whole grain rice, organic corn, beans, (I made a lentil stew with tomatoes, spinach, garlic, onions, rosemary and thyme that my husband DEMANDS to have again!) There is a world of fresh food that we re-discover when such restrictions are in place - and anybody can do that for 6 weeks! Supplements can come into play if we begin to become anemic, or get low on B-Vitamins. Eggs are a good source of protein, as are Avocados. (We CAN have the healthy / vegetable fats!) Inflammation goes down and we lose inches from absence of bloat, if not actual weight loss - another perk. I keep reminding myself, (as I gaze over at the fried chicken the rest of my family has....: ) it's not a calorie plan, it's a "heal the gut" plan. I can do 6 weeks, it's just 6 weeks.
So far, in my second week, I have tons more energy (still taking NatureThroid) clear headed, lost inches (belt is on the 3rd notch instead of the 2nd!), and am so excited to see how good it can get. I may never (or rarely) go back to eating meat!
One other thing that I must do (in the way of supplements) is to take "Digestive Enzymes". I am over 50 and Dieticians tell me that it is not uncommon for us to lose our natural digestive enzymes as we grow older. I used to have heartburn on a pretty regular basis. Not anymore. The cure for heartburn (indigestion!) is not ANTI-Acids, but INCREASE-Acids / Enzymes. Digestive Enzymes are also a wonderful remedy for constipation. (Along with the healthy water and the increased fiber from a diet based on vegetables - raw and cooked, and fruits, and nuts - yes, we can have all that fat in nuts too!) Buy a good brand of Digestive Enzymes, from a Health Food Store / Provider, and not the cheapest, like what might be available at Wal-Mart. Even the good ones are not that expensive, and you don't necessarily have to take them every day.
Yes, do keep reading anything and everything you can find on HEALING THE GUT. I do believe, some day in the not too distant future, we are gong to hear that Dr.s have discovered that "Leaky Gut Syndrome" is the root cause for most, if not all, auto-immune disorders. (Hashimotos, Fibromyalgia, Raynauds, Chronic-Fatique, and on and on and on).