Why Go Gluten-Free?
Nothing to fear but food itself…
By Richard Lawlor
If you’re visiting this site, I am probably “preaching to the choir”. Please indulge me as I review some key points.
I am not a doctor. I do not play one on TV. But I do know of which I speak.
Not so long ago, at the ripe young age of 54, I became very ill. My energy level left the building. My intestines went south. The depression and fatigue were paralyzing. Parts of my body seemed to glow in the dark. And I itched like a sailor after Fleet Week.
Suddenly that summer, my world was asunder. I was in gut-wrenching pain: physically and emotionally.
Soon I learned: it was what I was eating causing the drama. The concept was as frightening as a Lifetime Movie trauma-for-all-seasons film.
I was Yasmine Bleeth being abused by a once kind-hearted friend called food.
My only escape was going gluten-free.
Clinically Speaking (with some editorial license)
The primary reason for embracing a gluten-free life is that you have no choice: you are suffering from celiac disease
Celiac disease is not an allergy. Celiac disease is not an eating disorder. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.
People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, barley and, often, oats. This notorious gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, toothpastes, shampoo and, even, makeup.
When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi: tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. If they are not healthy, the Villi go on strike. The person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food they eat.
Celiac Disease affects children and adults. It has no sexual preference: male; female, other: it does not discriminate.
It is estimated that 3,000,000 people in the America have celiac disease, but a shocking 97% are unaware they have the disease.
Tell-Tale Signs
Symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person. They may occur in the digestive system or in other parts of the body. They can include:
Abdominal bloating: Depending upon the severity, it can be a constant awareness of the region or the sense you should be floating down Broadway in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Abdominal pain: can be a constant irritation or like a sucker punch to the gut.
Chronic diarrhea: You may find yourself investing in Scott Tissues stocks.
Vomiting: When you can’t eat the Oreos, “tossing your cookies” takes on a whole new meaning.
Chernobyl-like waste products: Enough said.
An itchy skin rash called Dermatitis Herpetiformis : Depending on the flare-up, it can be as simple as a series of small eruptions, or more than enough to make you check Orbitz.com for a good rate on Leper Colonies.
Other Symptoms
Depression, anxiety, weight loss, fatigue and/or tingling and/or numbness in the hands and feet
Unexplained iron-deficiency anemia, constipation, bone or joint pain, arthritis, bone loss or osteoporosis and/or seizures
Missed menstrual periods, infertility or recurrent miscarriages, and/or canker sores inside the mouth
If any of these symptoms are far too familiar to you, it’s time to take a look at what you are eating.
Your top menu item now? A healthy portion of action.
It is time to find out for sure if you have celiac disease.
Gee…Thanks Mom and Dad!
Celiac Disease is inherited.
Information available suggests that 8 to 12% of first degree relatives (children, siblings, parents) have the potential to develop celiac disease. Relatives should be educated about their potential for developing celiac disease.
The onset of the disease has no age or sex restriction. There are cases showing celiac disease developing in infants after the introduction of grains. There are cases showing it manifesting in mature adults who have consumed grains for years.
But, Why Me?
That’s a question you will be asking yourself for a long, long time.
Various trigger factors have been reported. Some appear to have celiac disease triggered by the trauma of surgery. Women often develop symptoms after delivering a baby. Some celiacs reported having a virus infection which never recovers. The 'virus infection' continues for weeks until it is diagnosed as celiac disease. Severe psychological stress has also been reported as a trigger factor. Divorce, death of a loved one, or loss of a job can occur in proximity to the onset of the disorder.
Realistically Speaking (with some poetic license)
Let's face it... going gluten-free and/or maintaining the lifestyle is, to say the least, an incredible, life-altering challenge.
And it is not a simple case of ordering a plain plate of sandwich meat and holding the bread..
Gluten is everywhere. It can be hidden in all our everyday foods: from soy sauce to ketchup; candy to corn-chips; soups to nuts.
The gluten-free life can be isolating and frightening, too. Those invitations to dinner parties can be hard to find. Even dining out, with the fear of cross-contamination, can stop a celiac in their gluten-free tracks.
Yet, we live in an amazing world. Tremendous progress has been made in the very recent past. The marketability of our gluten-free world is now widely recognized by the business community. More restaurants are offering menu items. More stores are sporting gluten-free sections. Major manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon everyday. Progresso Soups has four offerings. General Mills now prominently marks their gluten-free products. Even the Queen of Flour, Betty Crocker, now has a line of gluten-free cake and cookie mixes.
The Internet, the books, and the support of others dealing with the disease are all tremendous resources to help you have a joyful journey
In conclusion, if you have no choice… dig in your heels and make your needs know.
Do not go gentle in to that gluten-filled world. Rage, rage against the wheat; the rye; the barley; the croutons, the cake mixes; the unsafe seasonings, the dressings made with malt vinegars...
Go ahead; get stirred up over what’s in your stir-fry. Don’t quell questioning how your quesadilla was prepared. Boil over if your boiled dinner is seasoned with harmful spice mixtures
Don’t be afraid to carry on a campaign to educate and enlighten family, friends and your local markets and restaurants
Be vigilant, but keep your sense of humor. You’ll need it as you travel on that long and winding road to a healthy and happy gluten-free life.