Heart racing from gluten exposure - reactive hypoglycemia?

[Korven]

Same here, and it’s not only wheat - but all grains (oats, etc) - they are worst health offender for me (worse than pufa). 10 years free :)

Good job !!

I struggle with "bread creep" where I cut out the offending foods and start feeling really good. After a few weeks or months I forget why I stopped eating for instance gluten and start indulging in beer and pastries. Symptoms come back and I cut out them again and the cycle repeats.

It's not just the heart issues I get from wheat, I get body acne and my mood gets really dark, it's difficult to explain but it's a dreadful feeling that I would rather avoid.

 

[Blossom]

Late reply but thanks Blossom, I now realize that undiagnosed celiac can really wreak havoc in the body if not detected early. I hope you continue to heal from the damage caused by gluten exposure.

Update:

I did get an antibody test done and I had normal-low levels of IgA antibodies, i.e. not indicative of celiac. However I had been eating gluten only sporadically, e.g. couple beers on weekends, some bread here and there, occasional pasta dishes, experimenting with wheat bran, and I don't know if that is enough gluten exposure to produce antibodies. Perhaps it was a mistake not going "all-in" on gluten and then getting the test, since I still have doubts whether I actually have celiac or not.

I decided to stop eating all gluten and the heart issues completely went away. I recently went on holiday and (foolishly) indulged in some pastries, bread and beers and predictably the heart palpitations/chest discomfort came back again. Could it perhaps be that wheat-containing foods causes GERD for me? I know that can cause chest discomfort.

Anyways, I think I can conclude that wheat doesn't seem to agree with my body. I very much do enjoy wheat but I enjoy being healthy even more.

I’m glad you figured out that being gluten free helps. There’s also non celiac gluten sensitivity which from my understanding won’t impact antibodies. It’s basically a catch all for people who know they have problems with gluten but their tests are normal. Another issue with wheat can be the high fructans for some people. Since my own process of getting diagnosed properly (to please my family) I ended up thinking/hoping I wasn’t really celiac for years and toying with eating it and then researching why it was causing me problems. It was a relief when I first discovered Peat and he wasn’t a huge fan of grains in general (or at least that was my impression). My health improved a lot by eliminating most grains besides occasional rice. The GERD idea seems plausible to me.

 

[Blossom]

Good job !!

I struggle with "bread creep" where I cut out the offending foods and start feeling really good. After a few weeks or months I forget why I stopped eating for instance gluten and start indulging in beer and pastries. Symptoms come back and I cut out them again and the cycle repeats.

It's not just the heart issues I get from wheat, I get body acne and my mood gets really dark, it's difficult to explain but it's a dreadful feeling that I would rather avoid.

You could try gluten free beer or even low gluten beer for those times that you’d just like to enjoy a beer and see if you feel any different. Pabst and Coors Light are low enough (under 20 ppm) that they should be fine. I’ve had one of those occasionally without any symptoms.

 

[LadyRae]

@Korven @jet9
Welcome to the club! But I have found that my healthy and lean body composition is so much easier to maintain as I get older when I fill my diet with nutritious whole foods. Most grains are part of a processed food item anyway. Mainly empty calories. Now you'll have more room for other delicious foods!

Trust me you're not missing out on anything except for better health

 

[LadyRae]

You could try gluten free beer or even low gluten beer for those times that you’d just like to enjoy a beer and see if you feel any different. Pabst and Coors Light are low enough (under 20 ppm) that they should be fine. I’ve had one of those occasionally without any symptoms.

I discovered my gluten intolerance when I noticed that the morning after having Bud light or Coors light, I would have the worst body odor.

I never use deodorant and so that was a real tip off for me that something was wrong.

Body odor is a sign of endotoxin for me, and I know that if I get any body odor whatsoever, I am eating something that I shouldn't.

 

[Blossom]

I discovered my gluten intolerance when I noticed that the morning after having Bud light or Coors light, I would have the worst body odor.

I never use deodorant and so that was a real tip off for me that something was wrong.

Body odor is a sign of endotoxin for me, and I know that if I get any body odor whatsoever, I am eating something that I shouldn't.

Awesome, yes I’m the same. I literally haven’t needed deodorant since around 2018 or 19. It’s fantastic. It’s probably been that long since I had beer as well but I don’t remember any gluten reactions from those particular ones.

 

[Korven]

I’m glad you figured out that being gluten free helps. There’s also non celiac gluten sensitivity which from my understanding won’t impact antibodies. It’s basically a catch all for people who know they have problems with gluten but their tests are normal. Another issue with wheat can be the high fructans for some people. Since my own process of getting diagnosed properly (to please my family) I ended up thinking/hoping I wasn’t really celiac for years and toying with eating it and then researching why it was causing me problems. It was a relief when I first discovered Peat and he wasn’t a huge fan of grains in general (or at least that was my impression). My health improved a lot by eliminating most grains besides occasional rice. The GERD idea seems plausible to me.

Thanks again. Yeah since quitting gluten my resting heart rate has dropped by 10-15 BPM so I figure wheat/gluten must have caused some serious inflammation in my body.

@Blossom when you write that you eliminated most grains, does that include oatmeal too? I have been eating certified GF oats for breakfast and I suspect that I may even be reacting to those. I don't get heart issues but if I eat oats every morning for breakfast I start feeling yucky, like a endotoxin poisoning feeling , headaches and some CFS symptoms flaring up again.

I am going to remove oatmeal as well and see if I feel better.

 

[Blossom]

Thanks again. Yeah since quitting gluten my resting heart rate has dropped by 10-15 BPM so I figure wheat/gluten must have caused some serious inflammation in my body.

@Blossom when you write that you eliminated most grains, does that include oatmeal too? I have been eating certified GF oats for breakfast and I suspect that I may even be reacting to those. I don't get heart issues but if I eat oats every morning for breakfast I start feeling yucky, like a endotoxin poisoning feeling , headaches and some CFS symptoms flaring up again.

I am going to remove oatmeal as well and see if I feel better.

I only have them very occasionally and if I make them a regular part of my diet it doesn’t go well. I’ve had them once this year for example. I haven’t quite figured out why to be perfectly honest because they should be fine but they’re not. I’ve noticed that when it comes to gluten free grains/starches in general I definitely have to rotate them in and out to feel my best. I can tolerate rice (white or brown), masa flour and other nixamalized corn products more frequently than oats or potatoes. This is probably more than you wanted to know. Long story short is that I don’t get along great with oats either unfortunately.

 

[LadyRae]

Thanks again. Yeah since quitting gluten my resting heart rate has dropped by 10-15 BPM so I figure wheat/gluten must have caused some serious inflammation in my body.

@Blossom when you write that you eliminated most grains, does that include oatmeal too? I have been eating certified GF oats for breakfast and I suspect that I may even be reacting to those. I don't get heart issues but if I eat oats every morning for breakfast I start feeling yucky, like a endotoxin poisoning feeling , headaches and some CFS symptoms flaring up again.

I am going to remove oatmeal as well and see if I feel better.

@Blossom
Hey guys! Me too! Even certified gluten free... No major reaction right away, but they seem to slow things down for me.. generally takes away from my clean and vibrant and alert energy.

That said, last summer when my daughter and I were hiking 300 miles of the Pacific Crest trail, we used the instant oatmeal packets to make overnight oats with coconut flakes and a scoop of collagen powder and that breakfast always felt great. We were usually able to add some huckleberries from the trail as well. I think because I was hiking 15 to 20 miles a day with a 40 lb pack I was burning through pretty much anything.

 

[Blossom]

think because I was hiking 15 to 20 miles a day with a 40 lb pack I was burning through pretty much anything.

Wow, I’ve noticed something similar. If I’m super active outdoors my gut and sleep are both phenomenal. It’s too bad it’s nearly impossible (for me anyway) to replicate that in everyday life. I hate to appeal to nature so to speak but it does seem like a more natural way to live and my body certainly responds well.