I’ll admit, when I first heard about people going gluten free, I didn’t understand it. It did cause me to look into Celiac Disease, however, because those were the only people who in my mind, legitimately had a reason to cut gluten from their diets. Everyone else was just jumping on the “popular, trendy” bandwagon. They wanted to look cool and maybe drop a few pounds.
Years ago, going gluten free often meant you would lose weight because you didn’t have the option of gluten-free processed garbage that is found in abundance nowadays. You had to eat real foods without labels on them ( a good indicator of foods that aren’t processed.)You often had to prepare meals at home so you could be sure of the ingredients, which is almost always healthier and less caloric than eating out.
I’d become annoyed that it was all just another gimmicky diet. I’ve never liked diets because to me that’s some quick, temporary solution to fit into a wedding dress or look good for some special occasion- then go back to how things were and the weight inevitably returns. Needless to say, I was not a fan.
Fast forward to January 2015. I started the Paleo lifestyle with my husband-albeit bingeing like a mad woman in the weeks leading up to it. Grains are frowned upon in Paleo, so gluten-free was already an accepted transition. Not easy by any means, but accepted. The mindset behind this is that grains have anti-nutrients that actually do more harm than good and can leach nutrients from other foods we eat. In addition, they bind to vitamins, thus dramatically reducing their effectiveness and resulting in “expensive” pee. Also, it’s largely believed in the Paleo community that our digestive systems are not equipped to handle grains and thus, we suffer from an array of symptoms when consuming them, which I’m about to mention. That includes good old whole grains, which in my opinion, were touted as being a necessary part of our diets to fuel the economy (Industrial Revolution), rather than to nourish our bodies.
We agreed to give this new lifestyle 21 days to see if it was for us.
The irony is that on April 30th of 2015, I was diagnosed as having a gluten allergy by my functional practitioner. Functional practitioners have the education of a regular MD, but with the added extensive knowledge of nutrition. Anyway, he was already approving of our Paleo lifestyle, though he did want us to include legumes and carbs such as potatoes in moderation.
He strongly felt I was gluten intolerant because of my symptoms: bloating, acid-reflux, inflammation in my neck and forearms, mental fog, allergies and hypothyroidism. I had a plantar wart and toenail fungus (attractive) as well, that he assured me would go away on their own. Which is possible because instead of my body constantly fighting this toxin (gluten), it could rebuild my immune system and attack the virus causing the wart and the fungus. Basically, if I quit putting crap into my body that’s making me sick, my body will have the ability to heal itself. It’s a similar concept to headaches aren’t caused by an aspirin shortage- it took some time for me to wrap my head around that!
So, it’s October of 2015- what’s the verdict? After two weeks of being Paleo, all my pain/inflammation in my neck and forearms went away. I used to have to wear forearm bands because the pain was so bad- now the bands are a thing of the past. Also, I’m no longer experience bloating or acid reflux, so I’m missing out on a lot of discomfort- which is fine by me! I feel more mentally alert, which could also be caused by some supplements that I’m on and bulletproof tea, but I’m not complaining! My plantar wart, which I’ve had surgically removed twice only to return, and which I had a cancer treatment injected into, and had frozen literally hundreds of times, is now finally gone! My nasty toenail is being replaced by a healthy new nail. My allergies, for which I had shots for years, took Claritin and Benadryl, and used nasal spray and nasal irrigation, are now kept at bay with only nasal irrigation- so no more pills/prescriptions! I’m still on thyroid meditation, but I’m hoping in time to be off of that as well. Turns out, our bodies can mistake our thyroid for gluten and attack it, causing a host of thyroid issues- who knew?
Gluten-free may not be for everyone, but if you are willing, I say give it a try for 21 days. It obviously changed my life, though I should note I do indulge in grains, beans, and potatoes on occasion -but never gluten.
I’m providing a link which is very informative in regards to gluten-free living, and a good read- I hope you enjoy it! Marks Daily Apple Article
When it’s all said and done, it doesn’t mean jack sh-t what studies have shown or what experts say- what matters is how you feel. Somewhere along the line, we quit listening to our bodies and allowed other people to tell us what is best for us. It’s not about buying a product or buying into a gimmick, it’s about allowing our bodies to heal themselves. Modern medicine is great for trauma- don’t get me wrong. But in many cases, our bodies will cure what ails us if we just listen. Are you listening to what your body is telling you right now?