GF / dairy / soy diets

[junebug7]

Hi all,

So I'm giving the GF diet a go and despite a couple of slips early on I've so far managed to stick to the Gluten bit (woop!), but I'm also trying to cut out Dairy and Soy which I'm finding more difficult...

I know for Gluten it is important to go all-out and totally cut it out, but does the same strict approach also apply to Dairy/Soy? I can manage it fine at home but keep getting caught out when I've got limited options eating on the run (which unfortunately I often have to do in my job).

Tests confirmed I don't have Hashis/coeliac, but I definitely know I'm intolerant to caffeine and red meat so in an effort to raise my iron levels I'm giving this a go as I figure there's a good chance I'm intolerant to other stuff. I decided removing nightshades was a step too far for now though, there's only so many nuts and raisins a girl can eat

Thanks

P.S. Incidentally I was convinced to give this a go after catching up with a friend who looked amazing after a month on a similar diet!

[greygoose]

Not a terribly good idea to start all these 'free' diets at the same time, because you won't know what's working and what's not. You should give 100% gluten-free at least three months to know if it's helping or not. If not, then don't bother with it. Try the next one.

Unfermented soy is not a good thing for anyone to eat whether they're hypo or not. It impedes the up-take of thyroid hormone by the cells. Personally, I would say yes, it should be 100% soy-free, but I know how hard it is to avoid - they shove the ghastly stuff in everything!

Dairy... well, surely you know if dairy affects you without being on a dairy-free diet. But, with dairy it's more complicated because it depends what you do with it. One of my doctors told me to cut out milk and yoghurt, but butter, cheese and cream were ok. In a spirit of enquiry, I cut it all out. It did nothing for me, so I went back to consuming dairy in all forms. But, as a gesture, I changed from cows milk to goats. Not that I consume much milk, anyway, except in cooking.

Actually, I've tried gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and soy-free diets, and the only one that makes me feel better is soy-free.

[metamorphica in reply to greygoose]

So glad someone else did the gluten free trial and found it changed nothing. I often see gluten free touted as the holy grail here and on so many thyroid forums and wonder why i felt no different after 6 months trying it out or when ever i eat anything with gluten in it. Glad because it got very expensive to do.

[greygoose in reply to metamorphica]

So, now you can feel 'free' to stop it! lol

[metamorphica in reply to greygoose]

Oh i did!!

[junebug7 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks for the response, interesting comments on soy.

I had understood from research that it was best to eliminate the potential culprits and once feeling well then gradually reintroduce them one-by-one (my friend was given similar advice by her nutritionist). Logically that makes sense, as unless you've removed potentially troublesome sources it would be easy to get confused between reactions (e.g. GF could be amazing but might be missed due to bad reactions to soy).

Dairy... well, surely you know if dairy affects you without being on a dairy-free diet.

I don't know what foods are causing dietary issues, that's why I'm trying it. It took me a long time to connect red meat with bloating & constipation, so I wouldn't presume to know what the problem sources are any more. Dairy is the first thing I would hope to gradually add back in.

My main question was do Dairy/Soy have to be treated exactly the same as Gluten? Does a Dairy/Soy reaction cause the same autoimmune inflammation (like an allergy) or is it more of a cut-back strategy like I have found with caffeine/meat?

I know how important it is to go totally gluten free. I just don't want to ruin the assessment of Dairy/Soy if I've spoiled the whole experiment by the odd small slip.

Thanks

[greygoose in reply to junebug7]

My main question was do Dairy/Soy have to be treated exactly the same as Gluten? Does a Dairy/Soy reaction cause the same autoimmune inflammation (like an allergy) or is it more of a cut-back strategy like I have found with caffeine/meat?

Well, I told you what say does. I don't think it causes inflammation, just makes you more hypo. So, personally, I would say yes, avoid it 100%.

I'm not terribly sure about dairy. But, if your approach is to do an elimination diet, then you would be cutting it out 100% to begin with, anyway.

[Star13]

You sound very similar to me. I started with Gluten and quickly found that if I got “glutened” I knew about it! After the initial improvement I found symptoms returning so was advised to do an exclusion diet. I started with soy and on trying to re-introduce it was so ill that I now find soy worse than gluten. I then went on to lactose and again had improvement. The one good thing is you can cheat if out with lactase tablets. I also found I had SIBO and after treating that I have found I can tolerate dairy a lot more.Gluten is an inflammatory agent so if you have any autoimmune condition then it’s best avoided. Soy is just horrible too. As has been said, start with those two and see how you get on.

[junebug7 in reply to Star13]

Thanks for the response, much appreciated!

I'd understood that the best tactic was to eliminate all the likely culprits and then gradually add them back in again, but if you assessed Gluten/Dairy/Soy individually then how did you know which one was causing the problems? Or did you try the Soy/Lactose elimination whilst also GF?

Thanks so much

[Star13 in reply to junebug7]

You try gluten first, see how you are and if it improves symptoms, if so then you can chose to stay off it or gradually reintroduce and see what happens. If symptoms return then you know to cut out. If you decide to stay off then cut out soy and see if you have further improvements and then again you can try to reintroduce. I found I had an immediate reaction so I knew it was an issue. Basically that’s how you test.

[SecondAngel]

Everyone will be different, there is no magic diet, although there are things that are common triggers. As others in this thread have said, do an exclusion diet testing one thing at a time by cutting it out for 6 weeks before eating plenty of whatever it is.

[junebug7 in reply to SecondAngel]

That's great thanks. My friend just sent me a well-timed food parcel from Italy stuffed with pasta, biscuits and soy products so I have a feast of bad stuff to experiment with!