# Gluten free (or wheat free) diet?



## lisaaanoel (Jun 15, 2009)

About a year ago I was diagnosed with IBS-A. To be honest, my doctor was not terribly helpful. I have been reading a lot about how some many people have success with cutting wheat (or gluten) from their diets. I am planning on trying this. I'm aware that everyone is different, but I was wondering, for those of you who have had some success with doing this, how long did it take for you to see some improvement? (Basically I just want to make sure I have the motivation to continue long enough to see some improvement)Any advice on doing this would be great too!







Thanks


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well some people with celiac (have you been tested for that?) have a hard time getting every last bit of wheat out of the diet so don't see full remission. It can take a month or two for things to start healing up well from that.If you mostly are reacting to the starches in the wheat (which is what most of the IBSers seem to have problems with) you should see things get better in a week or so as you really don't have to heal up anything, just stop the gas from the starch).Some of the starch issues will depend on what you replace the wheat with and how well you tolerate that starch. Rice tends to be the best, but you could do completely starch free.If it is wheat starch rather than the gluten protein then you don't have to work to get every last bit of wheat contamination out of the diet. If you have celiac you may not be able to eat anything if wheat is processed in the same building with the food you are eating.


----------



## lisaaanoel (Jun 15, 2009)

Thank you for your reply.No, I was never tested for celiac (like I said, my doctor was not the most helpful) He pretty much told me to try a fiber supplement, didn't mention any helpful diet information, and prescribed an anti spasm medicine. (Which I rarely take. I feel that the negative side effects are worse than the IBS pain itself most of the time) And unfortunately, I do not have insurance right now so going back to the doctor for further testing is not really an option at the moment.Thus, I figured I would do some dietary trials and see what happens.


----------



## Patman75 (Mar 9, 2008)

I have been on a no gluten diet for 1.5 years. It helps. It is not the reason or cause. It usually take more than just one thing to turn things around. I made major dietary changes, added supplements that promote a healthy gut flora and removed-removing enviromental toxins. It all adds up and it all depends on how bad your problems are.


----------



## Kes1 (Jun 17, 2009)

Lisaannoel, My nutritionist advised me that I try a wheat-free and dairy-free diet at the same time, as well as avoid foods that cause gas (there is quite a long list, it includes apples, cabbage, onion, garlic, potatoes, leeks, beans, lentils and quite a few more). If you are trying a wheat-free diet you migth as well do an exclusion diet like this and see what the results are. Cut out the caffeine and alcohol, fizzy drinks, sweets and honey, spices.. just boil and steam things as much as you can, reduce the amount of fat you take in. KEEP A FOOD DIARY to see how you go - note down ALL food, any symptoms, BMs, the amount of water you drink, supplements, etc. I tried this diet partially several months ago and I was symptom-free for a whole month. WOW! Then I went travelling so dieting was not an option, and I truly suffered with pain and irregular or almost bizarre BMs. Now back home, I am on the strict version of the diet properly and will be on it for 2 months to identify intolerances. It is very early days, day 3 for me, but I had a very good BM two consecutive days now, no pain whatsoever, and only a little gas - normally the amount of gas gives me very painful cramps in the afternoon, and I lean towards IBS-C. We'll see how this goes but I am optimistic. I take no supplements at present to see where just a pure good clean diet will take me. I have tried a wheat-free diet before on its own and it was not conclusive, hence it was advised to me to go all the way and exclude anything potentially irritating, then slowly introduce foods back in when I am happy. It's worth a shot, although does sound drastic - like, what am I going to eat? WIth a little research, it is quite possible to have a nice clean diet, and I am not going too hungry - I promise! Small frequent meals is also key - 5 meals a day!


----------

