Going gluten free

[Aliciar]

Hi so I’m new here i just started gluten free last week. I have a autoimmune issue and my dr recommended i go Gluten free. Was wondering if anyone experienced withdrawals or dizziness, racing pulse when first starting gluten free

[Penel]

Hi Aliciiar

I didn’t experience any of the problems you describe. Have you gone very low carb because of cutting out gluten? That can certainly give you the symptoms you describe.

If the symptoms persist, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor about them.

[Regalbirdy]

Hi,

Withdrawal symptoms to gluten are fairly normal. Craving a slice of toast or cake is almost to be expected while your body adjusts to not eating it any more - in the same way a smoker misses nicotine at first. There is also the whole psychological 'what can I eat' and 'what should I buy' thing to get used to. But that also gets easier with time.

However, dizziness and racing pulse is not something that I've heard of before. It sounds possible that you may have some hidden vitamin deficiencies starting to make their presence felt (or something else that may need looking at).

Gluten free foods are not fortified in the same way that gluten foods are - so you could have inadvertently removed a nutrient that you really need. This may not be what you want to hear, but I would seriously consider going back to your doctor for advice and maybe blood tests.

I used to have a fluttering pulse. It went away once my vitamin D and a couple of other deficiencies were resolved with medical supervision.

Hope this helps.

[Peanut31]

Aliciar

Have you been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s?. This is an autoimmune disease relating to your thyroid.

I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and with the advice of the Thyroid forum on here, I’ve gone gluten free.

Hashimoto’s can cause gut issues, leaky gut. Have you had tummy issues?

I suffered terrible stomach cramps where I could hardly move, then my tummy felt very sore for the next 24 hours after eating wheat etc (normal bread, breakfast cereal) and never made the connection, until I came across health unlocked and then found it I had Hashimoto’s.

I’ve been gluten free since September and this has helped. I’ve embraced the change as I know it’s helping, I’ve also cut out fizzy drinks as well.

At first I went mad with gluten free bread, cakes, crisps etc to replace what I use to eat, but I’ve now tried to be careful on these items, and concentrate on fresh ingredients, vegetables, fruit chicken, rice etc. Rather than manufactured things.

There are plenty of restaurants that now have gluten free choices, but if you ever find a restaurant that doesn’t have a gluten free menu, I stick to steak and vegetable/salad no sauce, jacket potato’s.

There are more experienced people on here that may give you recipe ideas or further advice on this subject.

I did have a blood test to see if I had a gluten sensitivity, but it came back negative. Apparently this can happen.

Regardless of the test, once you have Hashimoto’s going gluten free can improve your symptoms and leaky gut.

Best wishes

Peanut31.

[Rachford78]

No I didn’t get these symptoms when I had to go gluten free 6 weeks ago. 😢

[Mathri]

Check the sugar content of your gluten free foods. Many of them (e.g. biscuits) are intensely sweet and cause a spike in your blood sugar followed by a hypoglycemic attack as your body over-corrects by producing too much insulin and your blood glucose goes too low. This can result in dizziness, feeling faint and becoming intensely hungry.

The answer may be to only eat foods with a low glycemic index such as fats and protein and avoid sugar and sweet foods like the plague.

If you feel that you must have something sweet with your food, try just a small amount of PURE fructose (e.g, fruit sugar from Tesco) in otherwise unsweetened food or drink. Fructose is three times sweeter than sucrose and, because it is metabolised in a different way, does not give you an insulin spike.

[Akybraky1]

Absolutely..it is proven

[Aliciar in reply to Akybraky1]

What’s proven? Have you experienced gluten withdrawals?

[Rmichelle]

I am celiac and i did have withdrawl symptons of dizziness and exhauston but i fo have a racing pulse due to thyroid disease and iron deficiency. But headaches are also a sympton of withdrawal. Good luck.😊