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Comment by beebmam | Hacker News Reader

I do not have the allergy. I also don't have Celiac disease. (Yes, I have been tested for these, presuming the tests are accurate)

However I do have these symptoms after a few weeks of including wheat in my diet again:

- serious muscle tightness, especially my chest and diaphragm/intercostals

- joint soreness/pain, ankles/wrists/fingers

- constipation

- pimples on my shoulders and chest

- occasional stuffy noses

These symptoms mostly alleviate within a few weeks when I stop eating wheat.

My doctor thinks it's probably some kind of "sensitivity". I don't really know what that means, but she said it's fine to stop eating wheat if that improves my symptoms. So I did. But it tastes so good that every several years I reintroduce it to my diet, and I end up regretting it as the symptoms come back.

Have had this problem with wheat since I was a teenager. Started taking action about it as a young adult. I'm middle aged now.

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For me, the two that are so easy/obvious to me now that I've structured my diet dilligently... acne and joint pain/inflammation.

Besides getting to a healthy weight, the number one thing that keeps my back from hurting is avoiding gluten (or I should be more accurate, products that contain gluten). And to the GP, I spent years losing weight, getting a proper consistent diet going. It's not like the weeks that I cheat and have a slice of cake that I'm gorging myself. I OMAD, calorie count, and pretty much avoid anything with added sugar or preservatives these days. And yet, yes, absolutely, when I've been off gluten for a month I can tell from small isolated doses that its not good for me.

Granted, I'm not sure its actually "gluten" because "cheat" eating bread in Germany does not usually cause me the same problems as eating bread in the states. EDIT: someone in here is commenting about FODMAP. Whether here or elsewhere, you have my attention! Though the food lists I'm seeing don't super align with the symptoms I see, and I don't get IBS from it.

Try spelt products and peppermint tea. If you change nothing about your diet but wheat for spelt (spelt is not gluten free at all) and the problems get less intensive then you don't have gluten sensitivity, you have FODMAP sensitivity.

I believe buckwheat is most appropriate if you are gluten-free, as it isn't in fact a wheat grain at all. It makes very hard crumble though that 'squeaks'... it's a difficult grain to work with.

I think gluten is like lactose, fiber, fat, etc.: if you suddenly eat more than you usually do, your body will need a time to adapt your digestion to it. This looks like more than moderate discomfort, though.

How much time? I've given it like 6 months where I'm eating wheat again before I'm forced to stop because the symptoms become way too much to deal with.

I think I replied to the wrong comment, but I ammended mine. Your situation looks more serious than the expected temporary discomfort. Depending on the person, the adaptation shouldn't last more than a few weeks.

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