Slight Gluten sensitivity? Any concern or can I just ignore

[PeakT]

Ok I've decided I am going to try this out. Going to avoid gluten/all grains and try to minimize dairy as well in an effort to restore my HPA and testosterone. Along with improving ferritin of course.

My baseline T isn't that bad nowadays at 500 so maybe this could be enough for a push.

Let us know how it goes...

[xrayguy]

Ya, going completely gluten FREE is very hard. If you are really not well however, you need to be disciplined to try whatever it takes to get better. If you have a more mild gluten sensitivity and aren't actually celiac, you can significantly REDUCE gluten and see what happens. Don't be worried about eating NO gluten, just cut out the obvious big hits of gluten. The best way to do all this is to prepare your own lunch for the day the night before. That way when you are busy during the day, you don't have to worry about it all when lunch time arrives. Things like sardines, fruit, fresh veggies, etc. Take carbs like rice or gluten free crackers and such can be added in.

I know a lady with MS who was basically house bound with her disease for many years. She then went on a paleo diet with no gluten just as a stab in the dark to see if she could get any better quality of life. Within a month or so, she can now walk without her cane and gets out of the house regularly to participate in things. You just never know what might work for you.

[electrify]

Yea minimizing gluten is basically what I am doing as it only presents obvious issues after a given threshold.

That basically means stuff like sandwiches, pita bread,regular pasta, noodles, etc is out of question but breaded stuff with just a little bit is still ok.

[croaker24]

Yea minimizing gluten is basically what I am doing as it only presents obvious issues after a given threshold.

That basically means stuff like sandwiches, pita bread,regular pasta, noodles, etc is out of question but breaded stuff with just a little bit is still ok.

I was put on a gluten free diet by my dietician about 2.5 years ago and have faithfully stuck to it despite a complete lack of evidence that is a culprit in
some GI issues I had at that time.   Note she suspect celiac, she does not believe in gluten sensitivity.  I've had multiple tests for celiac all coming back negative.   

There is NO test that can detect gluten sensitivity as gluten sensitivity is still something that is speculative and they have not yet identified markers for it.

So I was out of town this past week, at a bed and breakfast, and had asked them to prepare my breakfasts with gluten-free in mind.     The first 2
days she did so - then day 3 - I  was served pancakes and I assumed they were gluten-free.    Then next day, she served breakfast again and provided me
with a regular english muffin.    It then occurred to me that she may have forgotten I ate gluten-free and that the pancakes were not gluten-free.

I did not suffer any ill-effects from the pancakes.   I've always been skeptical that I needed to be gluten-free, and I am totally skeptical of the "gluten-sensitivity"
claims - I really think the nocebo effect kicks in here; you hear enough negative things about a certain food then you start to believe that eating it will make you
sick.   There's also other proteins in the wheat that could be the culprit.

[sifter]

Yea minimizing gluten is basically what I am doing as it only presents obvious issues after a given threshold.

That basically means stuff like sandwiches, pita bread,regular pasta, noodles, etc is out of question but breaded stuff with just a little bit is still ok.

Hi Electrify
I think after you got into it you would find that a GF diet is not as difficult.  I am a celiac and have been on a GF diet for 8 years.  I had a sharp wellness doctor that spotted it and I was quite a skeptic at first, but the evidence became irrefutable.
You can eat pretty well going gluten free. Think of it- all meats, all seafood, all vegetables, pretty much all fruits are available to you. IMHO, one could argue that the limitations of fast food options, while inconvenient, may not be in the best interest of your long term health anyway...whether you are sensitive or not...

And with some experience, you can even navigate the fast food places...

My .02 cents....

[cujet]

I have my share of autoimmune issues, and the "mandatory" intestinal related issues.

I mention this because it would, on the surface, seem that I am gluten intolerant. (not the case) . I am intolerant of too many carbs. It causes intestinal inflammation and results in bloating. Which, if left to run it's course, leads to a rock-hard huge belly resulting in pressure on my diaphragm and difficulty breathing.

Something as simple as a turkey sandwich can send me over the edge (or pizza, pasta or candybar) . Especially if I don't perform exercise shortly after eating the sandwich. Where as, a salad with fish causes me no trouble. I typically do well on a "low carb" meal of some sort.

Or more accurately, I do well on foods that have a low glycemic index. And, I am not alone. I can eat a small quantity of bread with no issues. If I eat a Subway sandwich, I'm about 2 hours away from the onset of intestinal bloat. And if I do it again, I will have trouble.

Maybe you could try fresh foods with a low glycemic index. It's easy to eat this way, and it has other health benefits.

[explorer]

cujet, does it happen with every carb? Have you tried it with homemade, naturally sweet orange juice?

[croaker24]

I have my share of autoimmune issues, and the "mandatory" intestinal related issues.

I mention this because it would, on the surface, seem that I am gluten intolerant. (not the case) . I am intolerant of too many carbs. It causes intestinal inflammation and results in bloating. Which, if left to run it's course, leads to a rock-hard huge belly resulting in pressure on my diaphragm and difficulty breathing.

Something as simple as a turkey sandwich can send me over the edge (or pizza, pasta or candybar) . Especially if I don't perform exercise shortly after eating the sandwich. Where as, a salad with fish causes me no trouble. I typically do well on a "low carb" meal of some sort.

Or more accurately, I do well on foods that have a low glycemic index. And, I am not alone. I can eat a small quantity of bread with no issues. If I eat a Subway sandwich, I'm about 2 hours away from the onset of intestinal bloat. And if I do it again, I will have trouble.

Maybe you could try fresh foods with a low glycemic index. It's easy to eat this way, and it has other health benefits.

Did you look into FODMAPS?    A lot of people who suspect carbs or gluten very well may have a FODMAPS issue.

[cujet]

cujet, does it happen with every carb? Have you tried it with homemade, naturally sweet orange juice?

In essence, yes. Anything with a high glycemic index can be trouble for me. I have orange trees in my yard and make juice every year. I keep the quantities consumed to a minimum.

Yesterday's lunch was, you guessed it, a garden salad with blackened Mahi. And a couple of little snacks. I did well all day and worked in the yard well into the night.

My snacks included Broccoli wrapped in Filo dough with cheese. The minor amount of bread does not cause me trouble at all. However, larger carb quantities would be trouble. Especially if I were sitting in the office without performing exercise.

[cujet]

Did you look into FODMAPS?    A lot of people who suspect carbs or gluten very well may have a FODMAPS issue.

I was unaware of the "FODMAPS" diet. So, thanks for the info. I've been reading about it and it's rather interesting. While I have some of the symptoms of IBS, it's mostly small intestine problems that I have. Not bowel.

It's interesting that my diet is rather close to the FODMAPS diet. With a few exceptions. I can eat cashews and cheese/milk without any issue. I've discovered that coffee is a big problem, as it makes me so tired, (I know, weird) and I so love it. So sad.....

[explorer]

I've discovered that coffee is a big problem, as it makes me so tired, (I know, weird) and I so love it. So sad.....

Coffee increases sugar requirements. Have you tried having it with sugar, or after eating something? Maybe you can process sugar this way.

[cujet]

I've discovered that coffee is a big problem, as it makes me so tired, (I know, weird) and I so love it. So sad.....

Coffee increases sugar requirements. Have you tried having it with sugar, or after eating something? Maybe you can process sugar this way.

Of course, I love coffee with sugar! It's bizarre, but quite often coffee makes me tired. In fact, I've found that eliminating coffee from my diet has resulted in significantly less fatigue.

[PeakT]

Croaker had an interesting post that coffee may be tied to genetics:

http://www.peaktestosterone.com/forum/index.php?topic=8540.0