So apparently there is a “day” for, like, everything now. But what better day to post my thoughts on gluten than on this most festive and beloved of all holidays, National Gluten-Free Day!
Clearly I joke, but seriously, I haven’t knowingly eaten gluten for many years and I truly believe my gluten abstention has greatly contributed to my almost 11-year Ulcerative Colitis flare-free life. In this post I am sharing why I believe that many of us would benefit from, and should consider, going gluten-free.
Medically speaking, it is proven that people with Celiac Disease (another autoimmune disease) have a high sensitivity to gluten, and when ingested it causes an immune system response leading to inflammation that can quickly become severe. So obviously those with Celiac should most definitely avoid it.
However, over the years of my nutrition studies and real world experiences, I have come to believe that many people, whether they have Celiac or another autoimmune disease or not, can benefit from reducing or eliminating gluten in their diets.
But first….what the heck is gluten anyway? Well, It’s simply a protein that is found in wheat, barley, and rye, and therefore can be found in those types of whole or refined grains and in tons of processed foods.
As the term has gotten more and more trendy, I’ve been distressed to watch as somehow “gluten-free'' has in many ways become a buzzword; just another fad in a world of misleading diet plans and scams. I’ve come across people who seem to believe that “gluten-free” actually means “healthy,” as if a gluten-free cookie is a health food somehow. Spoiler alert: usually, it’s not.
Gluten-free processed, refined grains and other junk foods are going to be just as unhealthy as gluten-filled processed, refined grains and other junk food. In some cases they are even less healthy because of less fiber content.
So knowing all of this, and knowing that I don’t have Celiac Disease, why in the world do I choose to avoid it?
It seems that many of us, if not the majority of us, have developed varying levels of sensitivity to gluten. My personal experience, as well as hearing the experiences of many others, has led me to believe that gluten, particularly gluten in processed foods, can cause destructive inflammation in most if not all people. Especially those with ANY type of autoimmune disease, not just those with Celiac or other diseases of the digestive tract, but including those who have no diagnosed autoimmune issue at all.
(There are lots of theories as to why gluten sensitivity would be on the rise, but I’d place my bets on gut damage caused mainly by the ultra-processing of wheat, GMO’s, preservatives and chemicals, and lack of real food (AKA real nutrition) that has become the status quo in today’s modern society).
I’ve heard stories from non-autoimmune disease friends who quit gluten and suddenly the gas and bloating they’d had for years vanished, some who had persistent aches and joint pain vanish, and some who had chronic headaches and brain fog just go away. Not to mention many autoimmune folks I know whose disease symptoms improved or cleared up once gluten was gone. But of course my personal experience convinces me the most; staying flare free for as long as I have tells me I’ve got this one right, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
My theory was put to the test years ago after several years of being 100% gluten free. While on vacation in Chicago, I temporarily went insane at a Whole Foods hot bar. The hot bar didn’t have a lot of food that enticed me on this particular day, so, for some reason I still don’t understand, despite my firm belief that gluten harms me, I selected a regular, wheat-filled croissant and ate some of it. I guess I had been well for long enough that I was feeling a bit invincible in that moment perhaps? And hey, it was vacation right?! (Insert eye roll at my own stupidity)
That momentary lapse in judgement removed any feelings of invincibility pretty quickly. That night and for the next couple of days I had searing gut pain as my intestines filled up with trapped gas. I was nauseous, couldn’t sleep, and felt absolutely horrible. My body was clearly telling me, GLUTEN: DO NOT EAT!
Why do I think my reaction was so severe when in my pre-changed diet days I ate it often without any obvious immediate ramifications? I’m fairly certain it’s because when I was eating it all the time back before my diet overhaul, it was still harming me just as much by causing constant “silent” immune responses. Yet my body had adapted to dealing with it on a regular basis so I wasn’t noticing immediate effects. I think that going so long without it led my body to let it’s gluten guard down, and then TOTALLY FREAK OUT (for lack of a better medical term) when it encountered it again. That’s all a bit scary to think about, but I believe it to be true.
So do I think gluten is the sole cause of autoimmune issues or non-autoimmune gas pain, bloating, headaches, brain fog, and many other worse things? Of course not. Sadly, gluten is just one of MANY assault weapons that we as a society continually bombard ourselves with that lead to sickness and disease.
These other major culprits include a poor diet that is filled with highly processed foods (whether that includes gluten or not!), too much alcohol, too little sleep, lack of stress management and self care, lack of emotional connections, and lack of exercise.
If you already avoid or want to try avoiding gluten but are worried about the inconvenience, it's not as hard as you’d think! It’s also still super easy to eat REAL food. All veggies, fruits, legumes, soy, and high quality animal products in their natural, unprocessed states are gluten free. Though whole wheat is out, whole gluten-free grains are in, and these include brown rice, quinoa, corn, buckwheat, amaranth, and more! There are many processed but still high-quality foods that are labeled gluten free, though steer clear of processed gluten-free junk food with packaging that tries to masquerade as healthy. Also very helpful is that more and more restaurants are providing gluten-free labeled menus.
But again, it’s so important to remember, gluten-filled or gluten-free highly-processed, refined, sugary foods are still junk. Avoid all forms of junk and focus on real foods in order to achieve healing and continued health.
I sometimes wonder if I have achieved, or will achieve a level of healing that will allow my body to have no problem with gluten from super high quality, organic, whole gluten-containing grains. But for now at least, it's completely unnecessary, and I'm just going to let that sleeping dog lie.
Whether or not you have an autoimmune disease, do you have troublesome and frustrating symptoms that you just can’t shake?
I challenge you to try cutting out gluten for a couple weeks and just see what happens!
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