FODMAP diet and lactose and gluten intolerances

[Graham3196]

I have been praising the benefits of the FODMAP diet but I have been overlooking a part of my history. I started on the diet path by choosing gluten free foods and this became a habit. When I started on the FODMAP diet I found a big improvement but I continued on the gluten free diet as well, just automatically.

Recently I have had a couple of weeks when the symptoms were re-appearing and I was quite scared that something had changed permanently. THings had been going well before then so I had become slack in keeping my food diary. This made it difficult to see what had changed in my diet. I have found two things that seem to be to blame. I discovered lactose free ice cream. I didn't really trust it so I limited myself to a couple of table spoons per day on hot days. I failed to read the not-very-fine print on the label that told me it contained gluten. To add to the gluten intake I found a supplier of FODMAP friendly bread which I foolishly assumed was gluten free. It was really delicious bread but I just found out that it also contains gluten. These two together were enough to prove to me that I am still gluten intolerant. I had about 5 nights with a couple of hours sleep and then one night with no sleep. It wasn't as uncomfortable as it was in the old, pre-diet days but it was still pretty bad. I now know that I am gluten and lactose intolerant and that, for me, things are improved by adding the low FODMAP diet and continuing the lactose and gluten free diets at the same time.

I now have to recommend to anyone looking for a food based trigger to test for lactose and gluten intolerance. My apologies in advance to anyone who has tried the FODMAP diet and been disappointed. I suggest that you repeat the experiment and exclude lactose and definately exclude gluten. Lactose intolerance is apparently not very common but many people who are not celiacs claim that they feel better without gluten. If you have RLS then try gluten free eating and see if that helps with the RLS

One lesson I have learned is to maintain my food diary, even when the RLS seems to be controlled.

Good Luck

Graham

[Hishoney]

Hi Graham3196! I totally understand your issues with gluten. I have celiac disease. In one of our blogs I read that there’s one bread that you can have and there are no side effects. It’s sourdough. I’ve tried it, and am doing fine. It’s so nice to have real bread again!

[BoldMove]

I have Celiac which is very hard to diagnose. RLS is a frequent neurological component of latent Celiac. Mine did not resolve on a GF diet. It is always wise to get checked for CD before starting a GFD so that it can be diagnosed. If you aren't eating sufficient gluten you it cannot be detected by the tests. I have 2 gluten intolerant friends; having a small amount of hidden gluten does not bother them, but it is very harmful for me.

[beady3]

Graham I like your information, I to am trying Gluten free and lactose free The bread is not very nice but ok toasted, you can get every thing in those products, I don’t know if it works but I am trying it x

[Graham3196 in reply to beady3]

Give it a go. I hope its just the step you need. Hishoney's comment on sourdough bread is interesting. I have heard that sourdough bread is gluten free but I haven't trusted any baker to keep his floury hands off the sourdough as its manufactured. If my RLS stays sorted then I will try the sourdough.

Good Luck

Graham

[Eryl]

I have found that sugary foods trigger my rls, but now I think about it, I had lowered my gluten intake a couple of years before, mainly for dietary reasons. I have one slice of gluten free toast with my breakfast, which is the only meal I eat with sugary foods. Other than that, I only eat bread with soup, which isn't very often.

I think that rls has multiple causes and we may not notice if we only cut out one.