I can tell you it is not.
It is as real as any intolerant like to peanuts, or eggs or dust, any many other allergies people may suffer from.
The different is, sometimes it is not straight away visible. Sometimes we are so used to it, physically and mentally, that we don’t realize that our body reacts negatively to gluten.
I started notice that I have a reaction to gluten only a few years ago. It started with heavy bloating and constipation after I ate pizza or pasta, or too much bread.
Yep, those yummy baguette, focaccia, sweet bread, monkey bread, toast bread, farmer’s bread, dinner rolls, pao, name it. I love them so much that even after I found out what sorts of cruel thing they did to me, I still love them. Like a forbidden love, I quit my regular interaction with them, but once in awhile, I couldn’t resist their presence.. So I had a bite or two… or five.
And noodle! Gosh, how Indonesia have so many hard to resist noodle dishes. Plus that dry noodle with roast duck in chinese restaurant. And cold soba and pastas!
Okey, let’s stop walking down the memory lane.
After consuming gluten free product, I used to be very bloated, very uncomfortably gassy, and worse still, accompanied by constipation for about three to five days.
Imagine when your tummy is growling and giving you all the hints that you need to do number two and you sit in the toilet until you get pins and needles in both legs, but mission has to be aborted, coz it just couldn’t happen. Three days of that, you started feeling all toxins built up in your body. Five days, it’s torture.
But I was still unsure that it was caused by gluten, until I did a 30 days Autoimmune Protocol diet (AIP).
In January 2017, I was diagnosed with autoimmunity. My tither was low positive, but my symptoms were obvious. I immediately find all information I could find on how to reverse it with food.
Back then, I have been living for almost 9 years without pharmaceutical medicine, curing myself with ingredients in my fridge and pantry. For eight long years, all my common cold, headaches, digestion problems, asthma, etc have been tamed with zero medicine. I went through those eight years quiet effortlessly.
Curing myself with food has been my choice, so I went with AIP diet.
In AIP diet, I had to let go so many different types of food for at least 30 days, including gluten products, grains and nuts, and sugar.
After that period, I gradually brought certain food back into my diet, and it became clear that my body reacts badly to gluten. I vomited after my first bowl of noodle. Second try, I had calamari ring and chicken wing with batter and a few bites of burger. I was nauseous, dizzy and imbalance within half an hour after I finished eating those. Third try, I didn’t vomit, I had diarrhea. Fourth try, (that’s how stubborn my love is to gluten), I didn’t reacted immediately, but then I suffer from headache for one week long!
What is gluten?
Gluten is a complex mixture of protein found in certain grains, such as wheat, rye and barley. These proteins are usually classified as glutenin and gliadin. Glutenin is what makes your dough elastic and gliadin is what makes your dough rises and expand, making beautiful bouncy texture in your bread.
When these proteins get into your digestive system, it holds your food together. Which is fine, unless you have gluten intolerance. When you do, it may disturb your digestive system, prevents nutrition from being absorbed properly by your body, and even can damage your intestine.
There are also certain thing that does not naturally contain wheat, but interact with wheat in its production, for example, oats, therefore they are risky to be consumed by people with gluten free intolerance.
So what are the symptoms?
If you often have either one of these:
1. Bloating
2. Constipation,
3. Diarrhea
4. Headaches,
5. Fatigue
6. Brain Fog
7. Skin problems, such as Eczema and Psoriasis
8. Joint and muscle pain
Notice if any of those symptoms happen after you eat gluten. If you think so, try to eliminate gluten for a couple of weeks. After that, try to have gluten again and see if the symptoms come back. Consult your doctor. Gluten intolerance may cause Celiac Disease, Iron deficiency anemia, ADHD, Hormonal Imbalance, Low Immunity and Autoimmune Disorder.
And even, the not so physical symptoms like anxiety and depression.
Heighten your awareness for your body sensitivity. It will save you a lot of troubles.
Recommended sources for more info on gluten intolerance:
Comments