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I began my Gluten Free diet five weeks ago. About 2 weeks ago, I began to fill achy all over (very similar to the flu) and the outside of my throat is equally achy. Not like a sore throat, more like someone punched me in the throat. I have a feeling that my body is reacting to the absence of Gluten. Just curious if anyone else has had a strange reaction at the onset of a GF diet? If so, how long did it last?

Hi! I didn't have any negative reactions to giving up gluten. Instead, my autoimmune thryoid disease resolved, my dermatitis herpetiformus went away, and in time I was able to digest lactose after being lactose intolerant my whole life (not that this matters now since I eat vegan, but it was more evidence to convince me that I had celiac disease.)

You might be going through a type of detox. Your body might be able to clean out lots of stuff that it couldn't before when being constantly stressed by gluten. So I would give it some time to see what happens. If it's detox, it should resolve on its own before too long and you'll feel great. If if doesn't clear up, I'd recommend going to a doctor.

Why are you going gluten free?

I have MS and my doctor recommended I try it.

Oh wow, I'm so sorry you're dealing with MS! I really hope this helps. It did for me with my autoimmune disease. I had had Graves' Disease for almost a year when I finally decided to try going gluten free. Within two weeks, my hyperthyroid symptoms resolved completely, never to return. At that point, I also had suppressing antibodies, and those took over and I was mildly hypothyroid for about 6 months or so, but eventually that normalized too. This way years ago at this point and neither have come back. In fact, last summer when I had blood drawn I tested for the antibodies as well as the usual levels of thyroid hormones, and they came back at undetectable levels, so I feel like I really completely healed from my autoimmune disease.

Just FYI, you must be extremely vigilant and cut out every last bit of gluten from your diet to see the results. Even a tiny amount will have your body reacting to it. One time I accidently ate a very tiny amount - a few breadcrumbs in a deviled egg (this way obviously pre-vegan, lol). And my dermatitis herpetaformis came back and lasted for 6 weeks from that very small one-time exposure. Whew. Thank God my autoimmune thyroid disease did not come back.

So in the beginning, check every label and call the manufacturers if they don't explicitly state gluten free on the label (like for tea and supplements and stuff like that.) I'm sure you probably know, but soy sauce, beer, regular oats and blue cheese also contain a small amount of gluten, so avoid those. And give it a good shot - I'd recommend several months at least, but hopefully you will notice a difference even sooner. The fact that you are experiencing something in reaction to giving up gluten, even if it feels negative right now, gives me reason to think that giving up gluten will improve your health.

Good luck!

Your reply is very much appreciated.
Thank you.

My pleasure - I hope some of that info is helpful for you. How are you feeing now? Have you gotten past that stage that you described in your post? I hope you are feeling good.