Gluten Free....Is It Just A Fad?
The latest and greatest in medical news seems to change weekly. We are told of recent studies that suggest new ways of dieting or exercising. Eat this, not that. Supplement with these, avoid those. Exercise this way, not that. It's certainly confusing as we are left with more questions than answers on what to do to be healthy.
Listening to your body is the best advice I can give. What works for one, may not work for another. But how does one listen to the body and how does that work? Those belly aches, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, or excessive gas pains is your body's way of telling you it's not happy. In fact, any digestive pain is likely related to the foods you've consumed. Many times, it's due to a sensitivity. Unfortunately, we tend to medicate when there is pain rather than think that our body is speaking to us about the damage we are causing. When we continue to feed our body foods it doesn't like, inflammation occurs and chronic pain is the result. As a matter of fact, chronic inflammation has been know to be the root cause of a number of diseases.
Celiac disease is a true gluten allergy. A blood test can be performed to test for the allergy, but false negatives are possible. The most accurate way to determine Celiac disease is a biopsy of the small intestine. While this will determine true Celiac disease, it will not show a gluten sensitivity. Many of us are sensitive to gluten, but not the actual ramifications that go along with true Celiac. Symptoms can include, chronic constipation, diarrhea, brain fog, stomach upset. What happens is the cilia in the gut are damaged because the body overreacts to the protein in gluten. The villi in the gut are damaged and the nutrients in the food cannot be properly absorbed. As a result, diarrhea, ulcers and severe pain occur with true Celiac. Because of the lack of absorption of nutrients, this can also lead to malnourishment. Those with Celiac disease need to be careful as even contamination with a wheat product can be life threatening.
In my own personal experience, I have found that consuming wheat products gives me brain fog. I didn't notice it at first. It wasn't until I stopped eating bread products for a while that I noticed I felt better. When I would consume bread or pasta, I noticed a difference. Sadly, the way I felt was normal and didn't know I could have felt better. It seems once someone has an autoimmune disorder, the body is vulnerable to other autoimmune diagnoses. Personally, I want to be mindful and proactive in my own health to set myself up for success. Research has shown that there is 100% correlation with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and gluten sensitivity. Since I have Hashimoto's and after learning this information, I have tried to abstain from gluten. I do feel better. I am not a forever, always or never person. I want to live and enjoy life, so occasionally, I'll have something that has gluten in it. I will feel the effects pretty quickly; my stomach will hurt, and I'll get brain fog. Knowing this, it has become much easier to say no to these foods. I just don't feel good and it's not worth it to me. There are plenty of other choices in foods that bring me pleasure without pain.
The gluten-free market has exploded, and while I applaud the efforts from the manufactures, it should not be viewed as an open table of foods to consume. They are still processed foods and the flours they contain will still spike insulin levels. Remember the fat-free craze? People were consuming an abundance of foods thinking they weren't going to get fat and gained an enormous amount of weight. I don't like to use the word "moderation" because that looks different to everyone. It's not specific enough. As I've said over and over...just eat real food. Listen to what your body is saying. We were designed to live well, but that requires a listening ear. What is your body saying to you?
I don't think that "gluten free" is a fad. It's very real to many people who suffer with the effects of it's consumption. I was heart broken when I learned the effects of bread on my own body. Not only do I love sugar, I really love bread...and still do! We all have choices in life. My goal is to live better longer and that may require sacrificing some foods that really aren't as pleasurable as they once were.
Health bite: Stop and listen....is gluten hurting you?
