Eat Well & Breathe Easy while honoring your Food Sensitivies
Should you remove gluten from your diet?
I get asked this question a lot.
And the short answer is “It depends”.
It depends on what’s going on in your body.
It depends on the signs and symptoms you’re experiencing.
And it also depends on your test results!
Of course, if your tests come back negative, then you’re in the clear – at least for the time being – more on that later.
But it’s super important that you get the RIGHT tests!
And you don’t want to stop there, either.
Sounds like a lot of drama, doesn’t it?
Halloween, or not – these mimics, marauders and masqueraders are present in your body all the time!
And even though your body is beautifully designed to deal with these pranksters at a moment’s notice, sometimes your immune system does make mistakes.
Or rather, we think of them as mistakes, but in all actuality, your immune system is simply doing what it’s designed to do – which is to protect you.
So, what’s really happening is that some of these invaders are actually very clever – mimicking or masquerading as something other than what they really are.
And the immune system gets confused.
Let me explain.
Cross-Reactivity
As you know, gluten is a protein found in certain foods.
Many of the foods you eat contain proteins, all of them different. And this is why the immune system can get confused – because the proteins (even though they’re different) can look very similar.
For example, the proteins in dairy products – more specifically casein, – look almost identical to the proteins in gluten.
The bigger question, of course, is “Do you have Celiac Disease?”
Or, “Do you have a gluten-related disorder, most often referred to as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity – or Gluten Intolerance?”
Did you answer “yes” to either question?
In that case, gluten certainly is a toxin, at least to you.
If you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t appear to have a sensitivity to gluten – that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re completely off the hook.
According to Dr. Tom O-Bryan, who refers to himself as the Gluten-Free Doc, “Everyone should be checked for a gluten sensitivity. And if you have the celiac gene, you definitely want to be checked every two years or so. You might be fine now, but at some point you will likely cross the line.”
Why is that?
I’ve been eating a lot of blended foods over the past few months – things like smoothies, soups and purees.
At the same time, I’ve cut waaay back on raw foods and salads, unless they are blended into said smoothies or soups.
Why?
This little foray into an alternate way of eating has been in the interest of my own health issues, and also on the advice of my nutritionist.
Yes, I do work with a nutritionist.
The way I see it, it isn’t any different from working with a coach. In both cases, their job is to help keep you on track, and offer plenty of support along the way.
Just knowing you have someone on your side can make a huge difference to your success!
Truth be told, while I’ve been to a number of Frat Parties in my day, I never actually drank the beer.
That’s because I never acquired a taste for it – not even to this day.
(As you can imagine, I was the life of the party.)
Perhaps this was my body’s way of telling me that gluten wasn’t my friend – long before I knew the first thing about Celiac Disease or gluten-sensitivity.
As you likely know, Frat parties have a reputation for being a bit on the wild side, with lots of drinking and misbehavior.
So, what does a Frat Party in your gut look like?
The key word, here, is “misbehavior”.
With that in mind, let me share with you 3 things I’ve learned about my own body over the past year:
Sounds like a Frat Party for sure, doesn’t it?
Well, here’s the thing.
The very words “leaky gut” sounds scary, I know.
In fact, for most of us the first time you heard those words, you probably recoiled in horror.
“Leaky gut? No way – not me!”
Well, guess what?
The very fact that you have Celiac Disease, non-Celiac gluten-sensitivity or multiple food sensitivities means you probably do.
It’s actually that simple.
And it’s also very common.
The medical term for leaky gut is “intestinal permeability”.
What that means, quite simply, is that over-sized molecules of undigested food particles are leaking through your gut wall into the bloodstream – wreaking havoc along the way.
(And the reason why, is because those all-important villi that line the digestive tract, aren’t able to do their job).
Of course, this is when you immune system kicks into overdrive, in an effort to vanquish the unwelcome intruder.
An important note, here: this does not mean that your immune system has gone haywire – quite the contrary.
In fact, it’s the job of your Immune System to protect you from anything that doesn’t belong in your body.
So in that sense, it’s simply doing what it’s designed to do.
Manners aside, I’d never given much thought to whether I was eating “correctly” while growing up.
Meals were served to me three times a day, and I ate them dutifully.
This didn’t change much until 7th Grade, when I took my first Home Economics class.
(Back in those days, it was a requirement for all female students).
That’s when I first learned there were RULES to eating food.
Things like – it’s important to vary color throughout a meal, so you should never serve a meal that is “all-white” like chicken, white rice and cauliflower.
(I like to think that those first lessons on color have served me well as an interior designer).
We also learned the importance of including the four food groups at every meal – meat, dairy, grains, plus fruit and vegetables.
(My, how that one has changed!)
This was my introduction to the basics of nutrition, and many years later those early lessons have served me well.
However, the older I get, not only do the basic rules keep shifting, but new ones are introduced all the time.
For example, I now know that it’s perfectly OK to avoid dairy – even though it’s one of the basic food groups.
In fact, if you continue to eat the food you’re actually allergic to, chances are you will be… [Read more…]
Have you ever had a doctor tell you that you had inflammation?
The first few times I heard that word bandied about, I didn’t know what the doctor was talking about.
Inflammation?
What exactly did that mean?
Well, it turns out that inflammation inside your body is not much different from an inflamed wound on the outside of your body.
(Except for the fact you can’t see it).
You know how – if you cut yourself – the area around the wound becomes red and sore?
We recognize this as a sign that our body is trying to fight infection.
What’s surprising, though, is that you can have a similar kind of ‘injury’ inside your body – the equivalent of a bruise, or sore that has gone unchecked.
And just like anywhere else, your immune system kicks in and sends a bunch of fighter cells to the injured spot, to do their hard work.
Even more surprising, it turns out that 70% of your immune system is in your gut!
Let me ask you a question.
Has the following thought crossed your mind in recent weeks, while celebrating the holidays?
“I wish I could eat whatever I want – gluten included – and not have it impact my body!”
OK, let’s be honest here.
While that would be good news indeed, for most of us it isn’t the reality, is it?
Sure, it would be great – fantastic, even – to be able to eat gluten-containing foods again, but at the same time, doesn’t your body feel really good based on what you’ve chosen to eat instead?
I, for one, am not even wishing for a cure.
Why?
As daunting as it might be (especially in the beginning) the most impressive thing about Celiac Disease (and it’s sister condition “Non-Celiac Gluten-Sensitivity”) is that better health requires nothing more than changing your diet.
There are no medications to take. (Seriously – this is a good thing!)
No surgery is required.
Which is why I’m suggesting that you jump up and celebrate your sensitivity this holiday season.
Because being sensitive is NOT a bad thing!
Let me explain what I mean.
Sensitivity 101
When you react to something – whether it’s something you ate, or something in the environment – it’s your body’s way of communicating with you.
In short, your immune system only kicks in when it’s been triggered.
So, while you might feel uncomfortable in the moment – because of a headache, stomachache or other discomfort brought on by the offender – it’s only because your immune system is doing exactly what it is supposed to do.
It’s trying to protect you!
Have you ever accompanied a friend, or family member to a doctor’s appointment?
Last week, I did just that, in the role of official note taker.
As luck would have it, the discussion eventually came around to the subject of gluten; by reviewing some of the lab work and test results, the doctor made some key observations and suddenly announced that my friend was likely highly sensitive to gluten.
When I heard the word “gluten” my ears instantly perked up.
I couldn’t help it.
I suddenly found myself glued to every word the doctor was saying, and incredibly grateful for what proved to be a unique opportunity to hear his opinion.
I particularly loved the following analogy.
The doctor was comparing the human body to a used vehicle, traveling along the Road of Life.
Along the way, he said, we encounter many potholes – especially once we’ve reached a certain point in our lives.
And having an autoimmune disease like Celiac Disease, or gluten sensitivity, is one them.
The solution is simple, though.
Just like a car, our bodies need to be properly maintained and require the occasional tune-ups for dealing with those potholes – so that’s what we’re talking about here:
The occasional tune-up!
Understandably, the doctor was quite insistent about eliminating gluten from the diet – completely.
“Otherwise,” he said, “You are shooting yourself in the foot.”
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