|

|

The Gluten Roller Coaster

There aren’t many foods that I miss, being gluten free. In fact, I took a slight, um, detour for a few months and started eating gluten again. I did it because I was curious how I would feel and if it was really necessary to stay off it.

I was shocked that at first, I felt okay. I honestly expected to be doubled over in pain within minutes of taking those first decadent bites of chocolate cake.

What? You didn’t think I’d waste my gluten trial on something healthy, did you?

This was back in October, and before I knew it, I was eating gluten daily. Eventually, though, my symptoms started returning — some I’d even forgotten about. In particular, I was nauseous ALL. THE. TIME. That reminded me that I used to often get nauseous after meals, before I went gluten-free in November 2010.

I had some other unpleasant symptoms that I will not share with the world-wide interwebs. You are most certainly welcome!

On December 10th, I started back on my strict, 100% gluten free diet and within 24 hours, the nausea was entirely gone and has not returned. Amazing.

Suffice it to say, when the gluten collects in my body, over time, it starts to bother me in various ways. Ironically, many of the glutenous foods that I indulged in during my 2-month hiatus didn’t taste nearly as good as I was expecting them to. It’s just not worth it. Except for pizza. Now THAT was every bit as good as I remembered.

I am a strange case, in that my doctor suggested 5 years ago that I might have Celiac Disease, and tested right away for it. When it was negative, I wrote it off, even though many of my friends made comments from time to time that my symptoms were suspicious. It took me 4 years after that negative test result to give the diet a try and found it to benefit me. I’m a classic case of “non-celiac gluten sensitivity”.

Many people have a long road to their diagnosis of Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity. I thought this discussion in our Udi’s Gluten Free Living Community was interesting, and if you are curious about gluten-free living and why people decide to subject themselves to it, you might find it interesting too.

It’s a shame that gluten-free foods have become somewhat of a “health fad” because for some, gluten-free living is essential to general health and well being, and their diet restrictions should be taken seriously. Eating gluten free is not necessarily best for everyone, though, and you shouldn’t assume that it’s automatically a healthier way to eat. (There’s a lot of gluten-free junk out there!) For those who aren’t sensitive to gluten, enjoy it! Eat an extra slice of pizza for me!

.

Disclosure: I’m a BlogFrog Community Leader for Udi’s Gluten Free Community.

Join The Conversation

9 Responses

  1. My son and I both have Lyme disease and just recently discovered Dash needs to be gluten free. We’re going gluten and sugar free. Wish us luck! 🙂

    Janelle
    GraceTags.com

  2. I’ve been thinking that I might have an issue with gluten, but I haven’t yet worked up the courage to ask my doctor to test me for celiac. I’ve been in the doctor’s office so much trying to get to the bottom of various issues I’ve been having, and we can never find any answers. It makes me feel like a hypochondriac or something. I get very tired after eating, and I do feel a vague sick to my stomach feeling a lot of the time. Pizza, which has always been my favorite food in the world, makes me especially sick now. I tried going GF earlier in the year, which lasted about a week. It was such a big change that I found it very difficult, and other than my husband I didn’t have any support – we eat weekly at my parents’ house, and I was made fun of like it was some kind new-agey fad I was trying. Ugh. Maybe going GF will be a good New Year’s resolution for me.

    1. It is definitely difficult at first and you need your family’s support. My husband was a bit skeptical at first, but when I tried gluten again, he was the first to tell me I needed to go back to the gluten-free lifestyle. He could definitely see the effects, even where I could not. Best of luck to you!

  3. Thanks so much for sharing all of your gluten trail and tribulations! I too have had some of the same issues and my test came back negative. The last month I had been working major hours and had catered food everyday and it was not the healthiest like my normal diet. By the end of the month I looked pregnant and my stomach was rock hard. I am all over your blog today looking at your wonderful recipes and committing to trying gluten free to relieve the pains I am having. Thanks for letting me know about all your post, it has helped so much!

    1. I’m so glad it’s helpful. I did dabble a bit with gluten for a few months but I’m back to 100% gluten free living. When I was eating gluten again, I was nauseous much of the time, my IBS episodes increased, and I got horrible acid reflux. Off gluten, those symptoms are mostly gone. I can also relate to the bloating. BLECH.

  4. I also thank you for sharing. I am a firm believer in healing yourself. Doctors can only do so much. With gluten, tests can be negative, especially the silly blood test, even if you are sensitive. We know how we feel using gluten, without a doctors diagnosis so why do it. Some people don’t even have symptoms that are classic and could benefit from a GF way of life. It is sad that it has become a fad but at the same time, it has made people aware of the issues gluten presents.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *