Thanks for your comment, Ladislav.

I know that farming is hard work, and that often problems in the food supply are blamed on the farmer.

This is not fair, and many if not most problems in the food supply have nothing to do with the farmer of the farm.

There is no doubt though, that some people react to certain foods and others don't.

Some of what seem to be food allergy symptoms could be confused with food poisoning I suppose.

I have some questions for you about your farm:

1. Are you selling raw, unprocessed milk, or has it been pasteurized?
2. The wheat you produce - is it organic? Is it a "main-stream" strain of wheat, or an "ancient" strain of wheat?
3. When you say "authorized laboratory", testing for what exactly?

4. What country is your farm in, and near what city?

Meanwhile, you might be interested in the article about allergies and food poisoning.

Good luck with your gluten-free diet, Shannon.

One the one hand, I hope it works for you, so you stop feeling "icky" all the time (great way of putting it, that is a perfect word for how I feel when suffering from "wheat poisoning").

On the other hand, it is challenging at first to stay off all wheat-free food; more challenging still to stay off gluten-free food (which includes wheat and other foods besides). It would be nice if you found something easier to be allergic to!

The fact is thought that no matter how restrictive your diet, it is well worth cutting out the foods that bother you in return for a clear mind and healthy body!

Feel free to leave a comment after you've been off gluten for a while and let us know how it goes.

Hi Jane,

I wish I could help you. I'm not a doctor for one thing. For another, I've never heard of weight gain being associated with allergies (although I suppose it's not impossible). Weight loss is a more common allergy symptom.

I do know that diet is important - not how much but what you eat.

Too much carbohydrates, sugar and alcohol are major causes of weight gain I believe.

Concentrate on a high-quality diet. A dietitian can help you with that. I don't know what you eat but a lot of people do eat too much junk-food - over processed, full of low-quality fats, highly processed carbohydrates and sugar.

A good diet has high-quality fats (fats are absolutely necessary in your diet, but they have to be high-quality), whole grains, and a minimum of sugar. No sugar at all is fine as far as your diet goes, although it takes a while to get used to.

I hope this helps a bit. As I say, it isn't really related to allergies as far as I know.

One more thing: chronic lack of sleep is also related to weight gain. If you are having trouble sleeping, check out www.asleepatlast.net

Hmmm...have you been tested for PCOS?
Sounds like you have a lot of the symptoms. Look it up online and see if you think this might be your problem.

Dear Jane,

I see many people with a similar disposition as yours. All of which have proven to be food related. Please have a look at my web page and if you are interested in me helping you resolve your weight condition, please give me a call, or drop me line. I only live in Kingston.

Kind regards,

Sue

Hi Jane,

It's like you are describing me. I have been trying to lose weight for the last two years, since having my last child. The last time that I had to lose weight, I did a protein diet and dropped a ton of weight. Since my babies, i have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, so I am trying to eat more whole grains. I am fine when I eat rice, oats, and corn, but whenever I eat wheat I start to swell (I have gained three pounds in one night) and feel extremely tired and terrible. I am going to stay on phase I of the Fat Smash Diet, except add in a little more meat (chicken and fish). I recommend it. When I was on phase I, I dropped six pounds in two weeks. Since adding wheat back in, my weight loss has reversed. I have been consuming the same number of calories and exercising five days a week, so there is no reason for the weight gain - except wheat.

My doctor told me it was my age too, but it's not. I even had the blisters on my elbow that's associated with this allergy. The doctor just didn't put it all together. Too bad we have to be our own doctors.

-Lisa

Has your doctor checked your thyroid tpo level? Do not let them tell you that if your tsh comes back fine, you are not having a thyroid issue. I suspect I have had hashimotos disease for nearly 11 years before my diagnosis. Your level is supposed to be under 35 and mine was 877. Finding a really good endocrinologist is key to your health. Keep in mind, all my thyroid tests were normal except tpo antibody.

Another thing is you should be checked for pituitary tumor. Most are benign, but can wreak havoc on your body. There is a 24 hour urine test for these as well as mri.

Don't listen to this doctor, find a new one! No one gains weight like that. I waited for years....I have only regret & weight I can't take off!
I will pray for you Jane. Sincerely, Patty

I, too, am bipolar. Many symptoms you discuss sound like problems associated w/ this disease. I hope you are on bipolar meds. (Bummer, one med side effect is weight gain.)

Hi Gretchen,

Wow, that is a lot of information and sounds a lot like me. Let me give you a little information on me. I am 27 years old; I am 5'3 and now weigh between 140-145 pounds. In a little over one year I gained 30 pounds. It drives me crazy that people say well you’re getting older like that’s the only reason, I know my body and how I’m supposed to look and feel and this isn’t it.
All my life since I was a little girl, I have had troubles with mainly constipation, it’s like whenever I want to go to the bathroom I can't, and then when I would it would be diarrhea. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 15 and was on birth control since my diagnosis until I was about 19. I had never been overweight in my life; I come from a small family, short and small body frame. If anything at times I was underweight. I went off birth control when I was 19 because I was a smoker. At that time I was put on an anti depressant by my family doctor. I was then in a relationship for 4 years where I gradually put on weight each year, mostly because I was drinking a lot of beer and eating poorly and sitting on my ass. (I was acting like my boyfriend), after I had put on this weight I started getting bloated and staying that way, it seemed my belly never deflated. The gas I would pass was almost unbearable for me and I felt bad for anyone who got a whiff. After I broke up with this man, I started going out all the time, I was drinking a lot, to the point of blacking out most of the time, and eating a lot of garbage, but I ended up losing weight and feeling like I did in high school. My self esteem was boosted; I had a lot more energy and was generally happy. In 2007 I started a new office job. I was happy in this job until I started having issues with my boss, then I dreaded coming to work. I started to get depressed and that’s when I started to gain weight again, in 2007 when I started working at this job I weighed 115 pounds by the beginning of 2008 I weighed 135 pounds and my family doctor said I had IBS because I was always bloated always felt full had horrible gas and barely ever went to the bathroom the weight just started piling on. After all my issues at work I took a temporary leave and started seeking diagnoses and treatment. My psychiatrist diagnosed me as bi-polar with ADHD and chronic anxiety and I also was diagnosed with mild Tourette syndrome by a neurologist. The medication that I was put on for bi-polar made me gain more weight and I stopped taking it. I still can't loose the weight. I was even going to the gym everyday and doing an hour of cardio and weights and had a personal trainer and I still did not lose weight. I had a colonoscopy and it came back clean, my uncle died of colon cancer and my older brother and my mom have both had polyps removed and I thought this was my problem.
I have been doing a lot of research on my symptoms, it keeps coming back to IBS, PCOS (my dad is diabetic so I'm thinking the metformin could help), depression, gallbladder issues (my mother had hers removed). Now my bf and his family are suggestion gluten intolerance. I am so tired of feeling like crap and feel like even though I am going to the doctors I am not receiving any help. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Starting a gluten-free diet can seem overwhelming.

You are absolutely right though, once you find the cause of your health problems, avoiding a food, even a common food like gluten, is entirely possible and well worth it.

You might want to check out Gluten Explained to help reduce the overwhelm factor.

It seems that one reason we can develop food sensitivities and allergies is due to a damaged gut. What you describe is more obvious damage than other causes - that could be the root of your problems.

Certainly you should try cutting out gluten. Do it religiously for at least a month.

Milk is also a common cause of stomach upset. Gluten intolerance (especially celiac) and milk sensitivity (allergy or inability to digest lactose) often go together.

Also, look at your stress level. An increase in stress adds to the stress of having an allergy. With a mild allergy or sensitivity, the symptoms may be minor until other stresses (at work for example) add to them and you get sick.

It could be that you suddenly developed allergies, or that the symptoms were minor, you got used to them, and never really noticed until they got bad enough. That's more or less what happened to me.

Anaemia and gluten sensitivity could point to celiac disease - which is much more common than many doctors suppose. Definitely get tested for that, with our without your doctor's support. Not only does celiac cause symptoms similar to what you describe, it also causes long-term complications.

If cutting out wheat solves your problem, you could assume you have celiac and follow a completely wheat-free and gluten-free diet. If you find this difficult and lapse, then get tested so you know if it is just the immediate symptoms you want to avoid, or major health issues later.

Good luck. You will feel so much better when you find out what is making you sick!

My blood test came back negative, but I had so many symptoms shown on several sites, that I decided to try the gluten-free diet. It's not that difficult, really. There are gluten-free breads, mixes and already baked, gluten-free crackers (really good!) and just about anything gluten-free that you want to eat. You just have to look carefully at ingredients, and some stores offer gluten-free product lists, or have stickers that mark gluten free products, or entire gluten-free sections. Since I have started the diet, I've gotten rid of several very annoying symptoms, and have more energy, and a clearer mind. I've also started loosing some weight. Try it! See what happens! Adkins had worked well for me too, years ago, but I never made the connection either.

What do you mean, is it temporary???? Do you mean gluten allergy or autism? (I sure hope you didn't mean Autism... of course not, it's a life-long condition, you are born with it and you die with it!).... Anyways, I had an operation a year ago and was asked to lose as much weight as I could beforehand. I was already slim but said ok, no prob. So I cut all carbs out (except in fruit & veg) and of course I lost nearly a stone in a month. Problem is, since then I have been diagnosed with IBS, because of the multiple symptoms I suffer from. So, for the last 6 months I tried to have as much of a stress free existence as possible and avoid anything that might upset my tummy. Well, it hasn't worked and it got worse.

So then I started thinking that either I suffered some complication that has led to this (I had a mini tummy tuck to remove excess skin after a c-section) or I developed a gluten intolerance. Is any of this related though, the surgery, the diet before that??? Well, I decided to give it a go and the nasty carbs off the diet about 2 weeks ago and I'm starting to feel much better already (no lots of trips to toilet, no trapped wind, sleeping better and less fatigued).

But I would still like some opinions about the possible connection to my surgery or weight loss diet, please!

Hi,

Im due for a coeliacs blood test on tuesday. Ive been diagnosed with IBS but have just recently developed urticaria and dr just wants to rule out coeliacs. Of course like a mad person Im researching coeliacs online, and in all cases and from the main UK coeliacs website it says DO NOT cut out gluten before any test, only when ceoliacs is confirmed you will be seen by a dietician and advise given on a gluten free diet. If you are coeliac then when eating gluten antibodies will be present, if however you cut out gluten before the test the antibodies disappear and will therefore give a negative test.
If your test comes back clear and you want to try cutting out gluten and this makes you feel better it could be that you have a gluten allergy or intolerance which is completely different from coeliacs.
If my test comes back clear, Im gonna cut out gluten to see if its that causing my ab pain, constipation, nausea and nettle rash. Cos I believe IBS is caused because of allergies or intolerance to certain foods.
Hope this helps,
Shell.

Hi Stephanie,

The most definitive test is to completely remove gluten from your child's diet.

If he gets better, you have a strong indication that gluten is the problem.

The main challenge of this method is that it is hard to be sure a child is sticking to the diet when at school or at a friend's house.

Tests are not 100% accurate, and do not necessarily cover every type of gluten sensitivity, which is why an gluten elimination diet is the best test, if you can eliminate 100% of gluten from his diet for 3 to 8 weeks.

To get a celiac test, you could visit an internist and get a biopsy. This is no longer considered to be the best test.

Many experts recommend https://www.enterolab.com/Home.htm

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Hi George,

From your short comment, I assume you have many of the gluten allergy symptoms listed in the main article, plus you have ataxia.

You can certainly try a gluten free diet and see if it helps.

Let us know how that goes for you.

Good luck!

Thank you for sharing your story.

This should be helpful to others who are wondering about removing gluten from their diet.

For those interested in the DVD, here is the link to Amazon where you can buy it:

Unlocking the Mystery of Wheat and Gluten Intolerance

Good luck with keeping gluten out of your diet in the future.

Hi Tony,

If your only problem if phlegm, it could be the milk, depending on how much you drink. Milk can cause phlegm.

As for wheat, gluten or the sweetener (sugar or artificial by the way?), you could try cutting them out and see what happens.