Apr 18 2012
Gluten – The Ticking Time Bomb
Gluten has proven to be my own personal ticking time bomb. Are you thinking of removing gluten from your diet? Know the facts first.
The Beginning
I know what you’re thinking. Not another gluten free extremist! What is up with all of these gluten free people lately?
I thought the same way just a few months ago. Everything in moderation. Moderation was key. Well, I was wrong.
Just a few months ago, I knew I had a gluten or wheat sensitivity, but nothing major. I could eat whole grains without any severe symptoms, just little things like indigestion or a bit of dragging energy. I noticed I performed better at sports and activities when I removed grains from my diet, so I would purposefully remove grains from my diet for about half of every month. Not because I had to, just because I noticed I felt better.
I didn’t buy special gluten free oats, or check the labels of soy sauce. I didn’t worry about what “natural thickeners” meant when listed in the ingredients of seemingly healthy foods.
I wasn’t gluten free. I wasn’t wheat free. I didn’t have any severe symptoms, just little nagging things that would pop up every now and then. Nothing like hives, or swollen lymph nodes, or any inflammation that I honestly noticed at all.
I thought that all of the hype about going gluten free was just that, hype. True Celiac’s patients were one thing, but going gluten free by choice was just something that alarmists or extremists did.
The Tipping Point
Now it’s completely different. Physically and mentally. My body seems to have hit a tipping point.
Gluten – The Ticking Time Bomb
Gluten – The Ticking Time Bomb
The Hives – Tick Tick Boom
Now my little gluten or wheat sensitivity has become a much larger gluten or wheat sensitivity.
Now I do break out in hives. Now I do have inflammation, throughout my entire body. Now I do have swollen lymph nodes from just a taste of gluten or of wheat.
Now I do have the check the labels. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I honestly just want to pretend that it simply couldn’t be. It’s crazy to think I have a gluten intolerance or a wheat allergy.
I don’t have Celiac’s Disease. I don’t have an Auto Immune Disorder. I’m healthy.
So I shouldn’t have gluten intolerance or a wheat allergy. It just couldn’t be.
And yet it is.
Acceptance
When the lump showed up in my breast, we took biopsies and ran several tests. After they came back negative, my doctor started talking about the possibility of diet playing a part in all of it. I honestly thought he was crazy.
My diet? My diet was amazing. I ate every 3 hours. I ate all natural, home cooked, well prepared meals. Lean protein. Fresh greens. Complex carbohydrates. Come on. Diet? My doctor is talking to me about diet?
I was a non-believer, but I complied anyway as an experiment. I took out all lactose and all gluten from my diet. The lump in my breast slowly became smaller and smaller. The lymph node started to appear normal again. We decided I didn’t need surgery after all. Great!
I became a skeptical believer. I believed that gluten or wheat may have caused that one particular lymph node to become enlarged. I would keep gluten and wheat out of my diet, but I didn’t really, truly, honestly believe I had a wheat allergy or a gluten intolerance.
I just didn’t have any other symptoms. I thought I had a sensitivity and I didn’t want the lump in my breast to flare up again, so I would comply for that reason alone.
Well, now I’m a full blown believer. My little gluten sensitivity became a full blown gluten intolerance, possibly a wheat allergy. Now I am going to read every label. Now I am going to have to be extremely careful when I eat at a restaurant. Now I am going to be vigilant. I have accepted it.
My body has a reaction to wheat or gluten. It doesn’t matter if it didn’t a few months ago. Now it does.
When it comes to gluten sensitivity or wheat allergies, I’m still obviously a rookie. You can come on my journey with me. I will share what I learn along the way, but I will also leave you in the hands of some wonderful experts. You can learn a lot about the differences between Celiac’s Disease, gluten intolerance, and wheat allergies through these links:
Gluten Questions Answered by Sarah Wilson
Being Celiac by Natalie Jill
Clues to Gluten Sensitivity in the Wall Street Journal
It is important to understand that wheat is not bad. Even though it’s on the rise, true Celiac Disease is still fairly rare. Whole wheat products and whole grains with gluten are healthy choices for a lot of people.
Just not me.
I’m Human
I’m just a flawed human being, just like anyone else. It may seem like I have super powers when it comes to discipline, exercise and nutrition, but I also have my own versions of kryptonite. Gluten (and wheat) is just one of many.
My skin is not usually red, mottled, or bumpy. Those are hives. Very itchy hives.
A Spoonful of Sugar
And now let’s just talk just quickly about sugar. When I reached for the Cliff Bar and the Cliff Mojo Bar, I knew I was basically eating 2 candy bars. I wasn’t under any false impressions, but that’s because I’m a Nutritionist and it’s my job to know these things.
It is hard for the average consumer to know what is healthy and what isn’t. There are so many choices available to us, which choices are best?
I want you to only understand the facts. I don’t want to tell you that it’s wrong to eat a Cliff Bar, Lara Bar, protein bar, granola bar or any other nutrition bar. I simply want you to understand what it is that you are actually eating.
The fact is there is more sugar in “health” bars like a Cliff Bar than there is in several typical candy bars. Luna Bars too. Lara Bars. Promax Bars. They may be wrapped in a different package. They may say, “All Natural Ingredients,” or “Energy Bar,” or “Sustained Energy,” or “Long Lasting Power,” or “Protein Power,” or “Low Glycemic,” or even “Organic.”
I want you to look beyond the marketing. I want you to look beyond the gimmicks.
I want you to look only at the grams of sugar. I want you to understand that sugar is still sugar, even when it comes from a “healthy” source, even when it comes in a “healthy” package.
The bright pink packaging of Nerds candy signifies to our brains that it’s more fun and probably has more sugar than the natural brown color and look of the Cliff Bar packaging.
Look beyond the packaging. The truth lies in the grams of sugar. The Nerds have 14 grams. The Cliff Bar has 23 grams.
The sugar in a “health” bar is not healthier than the sugar in Nerds.
Beyond that, the sugar in fruit is not healthier than the sugar in candy.
Fructose is different than glucose, but it is not healthier. The body breaks it down differently, but it is not better. I want you to understand it. I want you to accept it. I want you to make your future choices knowingly.
The pictures below are listed in order of lowest sugar content to highest sugar content, according to their nutritional labels.
Knowledge is Power
Arm yourself with knowledge. With knowledge comes the true power of choice. Not pressure. Choice. Don’t feel pressured to never eat a “nutrition” bar again. Just choose. Choose knowingly. Lift the fog of innocence and ignorance and go forward feeling confident that you understand.
I usually choose raw veggies and lean protein, with a few complex carbohydrates. But on some occasions, you may find me downing a box of Nerds… wait… are they gluten free?
xoxo ~ Cori
Did you like this post? Tell me in the comments!
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments. Don’t be shy! Your comments may help to inspire another. Your questions may help someone else who has the exact same question, but is too shy to ask. I love hearing from you!
Apr 22, 2012 @ 22:31:17
It’s interesting that you posted this as I am having a similar experience with gluten lately. Luckily, I don’t break out into hives but my stomach hurts sooo bad when I eat it. Then I get super sluggish, cranky, bloated, and I get a mild fever. I just started noticing all these symptoms in the last year and decided to try an elimination diet to see what was going on. The first thing I eliminated was gluten and I immediately felt better! I was mad because I didn’t want gluten to be what I was sensitive to and so I ate some bread after a week because I had convinced myself that my feeling better was a total fluke. Yeah, no. Symptoms came back immediately. Ugh. It’s funny though, part of me still feels a little ashamed about the whole thing because I’ve always scoffed at fad diets and since gluten-free has become a “thing” recently I really don’t want to be associated with fad dieters. Anyway, I will be checking here often to see what kind of posts you have on your experiences being gluten-free.
Apr 22, 2012 @ 23:56:08
Laurie it is honestly so very HARD! Gluten is in everything! I didn’t used to get hives or swollen lymph nodes when I ate wheat or gluten. Just a few months ago I could eat wheat and gluten and have just minor annoyances.
I used to just have some stomach upset, feel slugglish, cranky, bloated… all the same things you’re mentioning. It was easy to just blame it on eating too large of a meal. Doesn’t everyone feel that way after they’ve eaten a large meal? That was what I thought and what I told myself.
It is so very interesting how something that used to just give me mild little annoyances, nothing I would really call “symptoms,” has now changed my life completely.
I completely understand your refusal to believe what your body is telling you. I was the exact same way. I thought all of the “gluten-free” people (who weren’t diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease) were honestly just way too extreme. I thought they were just as you said, “fad dieters.” I didn’t want to be associated either. Moderation, moderation, moderation.
Well, moderation just doesn’t work sometimes. Sometimes, moderation gives you a bunch of lumps that get mistaken for cancer, a bunch of biopsies, and itchy hives all over. Sometimes moderation just isn’t worth it.
Even after my doctor talked to me about it, I still didn’t want to fully believe it. I complied as a temporary experiment, but I didn’t honestly believe I was going to have to eat that way *forever.*
So now I’m eating my gluten-free crow when it comes to scoffing at the gluten-free “fad dieters.”
I am definitely a complete noob when it comes to being gluten free. Gluten is in absolutely everything and goes by so many names. It really is hard to keep it out, even with all my experience and knowledge with nutrition.
I’m a little afraid to eat at restaurants, even gluten free restaurants, due to cross-contamination. I’m a little afraid to add any spice blends or liquid seasonings, since most of them have gluten in them. I’m afraid to take vitamins in case they have gluten in them or were in a plant that could have any cross contamination. I’m honestly a little afraid to eat anything that I don’t make myself at home from scratch.
Gluten goes by so many guises. It can be named “natural seasoning” or “natural flavoring” or “natural thickener” or “natural coloring.” The list goes on.
For now, I’m playing it very safe.
I even took out my beloved gluten free oats, which really were my favorite meal of the day. I took them out just in case, since some people have reactions to oats even when they’re gluten free.
I replaced it with gluten free cream of rice. My other carbs are potatoes, sweet potatoes and veggies. No risk of gluten there.
I make everything at home from scratch with my own seasonings that I either grow myself or that I buy separately (not in a blend).
As time goes on I’m sure I will get to be a little more adventurous, and probably pay some consequences. For now, the reminder is front and center, so it’s easy for me to take it seriously.
The hives are still hanging around a little. They should be gone by next week. Some of my lymph nodes are still swollen and hard. The lymph system lags behind, so they might even last a couple months.
The reality, like it or not, is right in front of me. I am willing to play it extremely safe for now.
Apr 23, 2012 @ 13:46:56
I found out last summer that I have celiac disease along with allergies to beef, pork, lettuce, spinach and rice. I had been sick my entire life and never known why. It took me having to kids to take care of for me to finally try to figure out what was wrong with me. I used to think people with food allergies of sensitivities were so weird too! Anyways it totally has made me change my opinion about food and listen to my body more. I love your videos, you are very inspirational! I found you on pinterest. Keep making them and I will keep watching!
May 01, 2012 @ 14:06:57
Thank you so much Camilla! Now that you know what it is that has been affecting you, don’t you feel empowered? I know I did when I first realized I could actually control it by simply choosing what I put into my body. It is so important to listen to our bodies, but sometimes can be hard with all of the “background noise.” It’s fabulous you learned how to change your opinion about foods and listen to what your body is telling you. I’m proud of you and you inspire me to keep going.
Keep it up!
May 11, 2012 @ 07:08:20
Cori Ann this is amazingly helpful. I have been working tracking down the culprit that is causing me to feel bloated ALL of the time. Before workouts, after etc. As a a fitness coach and nutrition consultant I thought I had it all answered:) This article opens my eyes big time! So now to research my intolerance to gluten.
By the way Congratulations:) You are a blessing.
May 18, 2012 @ 10:43:45
Awesome Tamika! I’m so glad my own experiences could help a bit! Keep me updated on what diet changes you make within your own life and how it affects your performance, your energy and how you feel!
Nov 05, 2012 @ 13:51:16
Hi Cori, I am experiencing most all of the symptoms that you describe. I have had itching burning skin for 12 weeks now along with hard swollen lymph nodes including a lump in my breast, rib cage and collar bone. I have had multiple mammograms, an MRI, a CT Scan and PET scan to rule out cancer and lymphoma along with skin biopsies and blood work of every kind. My 53 year old brother was just recently diagnosed as a full blown celiac but he had all of the intestinal symptoms. (which I do not have) It actually almost killed him as it was destroying many of his internal organs. He has been off gluten 100% for over a year and is much, much better. He is now at that stage where if he has the slightest amount of gluten he gets very, very sick. When he was first diagnosed I had the blood test and it came back negative so I never gave it another thought….until recently when I had the blood test again and once again it came back negative. So I thought that maybe I could be gluten sensitive but it wasn’t until I found your post that I realized you could test negative but still have sensitivity. Yes, like you I am finding it really hard to believe that I have been able to eat anything and everything I wanted my whole life and now suddenly I might be sensitive to gluten? Say it isn’t so! But when you started describing your multiple hard lymph nodes and breast lump I knew I might have to take this seriously.
So I have a couple of questions for you: Did you ever test positive for Gluten in your blood tests and did you ever have an upper GI to test for gluten intolerance? Were you given any steroid medications like Prednisone or antihistamines to try and get rid of your hives? They have given me every kind of steroid and antihistamine both orally and topically and NOTHING has helped. They have even given me Vicodin and Valium to try and calm the itch. No help. I am truly at my last resort now as I can barely wear any clothing without itching myself into a bloody mess. I am used to working out every day and it is getting harder and harder to even leave the house. I am seeing an allergist for the first time tomorrow and will see both my GP and Dermatologist tomorrow afternoon. I am going to really push the whole gluten theory and am wondering if there are any antibiotics they can give me to jump start the healing. I would be most grateful for any help, suggestions or answers to my questions you can provide.
Thank you JJ
Nov 06, 2012 @ 09:01:15
JJ…. that’s awful! I’m so sorry! Definitely make sure you are talking to a doctor who shares your perspective and point of view. My only advice is simple… take out gluten! That’s really the best way to see if your symptoms get better without it. There are no meds that are going to help your body process gluten if you have an intolerance. If that’s what it is… you need to simply eliminate it.
That’s what worked for me. My doctor gave me all the options…. eliminating common allergens like gluten and lactose, going to Stanford and doing full panels, going through months of allergy tests…. but when it came down to it, it simply made more sense to just eliminate gluten and lactose from my diet for a period of months to see what happened. He and I both agreed that was the best solution for me. What you want to do is determine what the right solution is for you.
Elimination diets are the simplest, most direct way to start to figure out if it could be something in your diet that is causing the problem.
Feb 15, 2013 @ 18:36:26
Glad I found your page. 4 1/2 years ago I ended up in the emergency room and then the hospital. 20gs later I was released with no diagnosis. The next 3 years passed with my believing I could check out at any second because of how bad I felt. Dizziness so bad I felt like a clown walking (when I could walk), constant nausea, brain fog, diarrhea… Sometimes I would wake at night gasping for breath and other times I had to concentrate on breathing where as it normally happens without thinking about it. Inflamed joints so bad that sometimes it felt like my arms were coming out of the sockets of my shoulders…the list goes on an on. It was only about 6 months ago and somewhat by accident I found the cause. My cousin is gluten intolerant and I had hear he had digestive issues to include diarrhea if he ate even the smallest bit of gluten. So, thinking to try and at least help with my digestive issues I went on a gluten free diet. After 3 weeks or so almost all of my issues had cleared up and remain that way today. I still am dizziness but reading about it, Gluten ataxia suggests that damage can be done to the brain for some. Gluten is basically a poison. I am sitting here tonight wonder what I ate because my legs hurt and my skin is prickly. The past couple of days my heart beat has been messed up, I know because when it happens I can feel it. Its really a horrible feeling that can last for weeks. I think I know what I ate now but it can take a month of being completely gluten free for the effects to go away. Like some of you here, it doesn’t make since but I suspect a combination of genetically modified grains to be at least a partial cause. More and more people are finding they have a gluten issue, most it seems without diagnosis from their doctors. Could be that we are on the verge of an epidemic.