Chick peas

[FlissFloss]

I've recently gone gluten free on the advice of a doctor. I've been doing really well apart from 1 aspect. Chick Peas. I react really badly to them which is awkward as gluten free bread crumbs use them in gram flour.

Is this normal?! I have EDS which does cause bowel motility issues.

[Penel]

Hi Fliss Floss

Unfortunately it's possible to have problems with almost any foodstuff and as chickpeas are high in fibre they can be difficult for many people. Perhaps you need to be cautious of all legumes?

So, yes, this is normal. If you have problems with gluten it's not uncommon to have problems with other non-gluten foods, the most usual are dairy, eggs and soy.

Glad to hear you are doing well on the gluten-free diet.

[FlissFloss in reply to Penel]

Thanks @Penel. That's what I thought, just wish it wasn't so! I love humus too!

[Penel in reply to FlissFloss]

This type of food problem may not be permanent. It's worth leaving it for a few months and then try again. I had a problem with the nightshade group of veg, but can now tolerate a little tomato and potato.

[FFNick]

As yet I have not found naked chick peas. They are always mixed. Could it be the other ingredients? Not everything appears to be listed on ingredients. A trace ingredient might not be listed.

[FlissFloss in reply to FFNick]

They come in tins with water like kidney beans. Gram flour is made using chickpea. So now I have to check for gluten, chickpeas and gram flour.

[gooseberryrose]

Firstly, I've noticed that bags of dried pulses in some supermarkerts say they're not suitable for gluten/wheat allergies due to processing methods. That makes me wary of tinned pulses too, but they're boiled in water so maybe they're ok. The damage to your villi which means your food isn't absorbed in the small intestine leaves lots of it undigested when it reaches the large bowel, which can cause nasty symptoms. That might improve over time as your small bowel heals, but there's no way of telling other than to keep eating them and see if you improve, but you might also be intolerant to FODMAPS and foods like beans might remain problematic even when your gut is totally healed, and then again, the damage to the bowel might never totally heal in some people. You can take digestive enzymes with difficult to digest foods which can also help- they often contain lactase and enzymes to break down fats, protein and hard to digest carbohydrates/fibres. A lot of the problems coeliacs have with other foods might be down to the poor absorption rather than other allergies, although that's a possibility as others have pointed out. Years of undiagnosed coeliac disease is disastrous for your gut bacteria, which can be part of the symptoms you are having- the bacteria have either constantly been flushed out by diarrhea or else pathogenic ones are feeding on undigested carbohydrates. You could try a probiotic which might help restore the balance but the science is still shakey as to how much you can improve things with capsules. For what it's worth, I take BioKult.

[FlissFloss in reply to gooseberryrose]

Thank you @gooseberryrose. Keeping gluten out of my diet is certainly helping. I've had fodmap recommended for my Hypermobility issues. We're well known to have ibs and other digestive issues, plus my father had bowl cancer when I was 10 so I'm very keen to get things sorted!