Yes, as a Nutritionist, Gluten comes up. Alot. So what is my stance on gluten? It's that every single person handles gluten differently. Those that have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease will greatly benefit from completely eliminating gluten, and generally speaking, all other grains. It is what it is. Celiac Disease means the microvilli (little finger like guys) in your small intestines no longer function the way they should. They've been attacked by your own white blood cells so many times that they are essentially just DONE. Celiac Disease IS an autoimmune condition, and at this point, much like Type 1 Diabetes, it does not seem to be reversible.
If you do NOT have Celiac Disease but you do seem to have effects from gluten, you may have gluten sensitivity or intolerance, which means it doesn't hurt to avoid or eliminate! Is gluten the worst thing in the world? No. But it CAN have side effects.
Believe it or not, I went out and tested my own reaction to gluten recently. I know it doesn't put me in the worst state ever, but this time around I noticed something more than just bloating that made me look like I was 8 months pregnant.
This past Friday we had lunch with two FABULOUS amazing wonderful people. A chiropractic student and his wife, a fellow FNTP. We had burgers. DELICIOUS burgers. I had a bun. A refined, processed, white bread bun. Friday night we saw Star Wars. And.....that's pretty much all I have to say about episode IX. Moving on!
Saturday morning I felt just fine, other than some mild bloating. Saturday got kind of crazy busy for me, and aside from some coffee and snacking on a little bit of ground beef balls (we always have meatballs on hand - it's great for grab and go without any crap in them!), I sort of forgot to eat.
Picture it now. It's the Saturday before Christmas. We're being productive, fixing things at the office, hooking up a new computer, then running errands for last minute Christmas shopping. I'm STARVING by 5pm due to lack of remembering to eat (not recommended, but it happens), and we decide on Freebirds. Guys, I love Freebirds. I'm an Aggie, and once upon a time the ONLY place you found Freebirds was College Station. I still love it over 20 years later. Nutritionist and all. You can totally get a salad and basically hopefully avoid gluten, but did I do that? Of course not. I got an amazing burrito, super loaded, super delicious, I ate the whole thing. And some chips and queso. And a chocolate chip cookie. #foodfreedom
By the time we got home and snuggled into our cozy living room and put on a Netflix movie (6 Underground - Michael Bay's most Michaely Bay film yet, staring the handsome Ryan Reynolds), I was a lil tired, guys. But we had a super active day! We finished the movie, headed to bed.
Skip ahead to Sunday morning. I felt like the dead. I was so tired. Not even brain fog. Just complete and utter fatigue. Literally exhausted to the point that Sunday was incredibly unproductive, and I had a bunch of stuff to do. I wanted to write this blog yesterday (Sunday), but the thought of sitting at my computer and typing out my reaction just made me even more tired.
You know what it was? Was it that I stayed out late? Partied hard like it was 1999? Had an amazing night out at a wild Christmas Party? No. It was. The gluten. I know, I know. Gluten isn't bad all the time and some people seem to handle it just fine.
I didn't have massive bloating (think 5 months pregnant instead of 8 - but it's JUST bloating). I didn't have some crazy anaphylactic reaction. I didn't have a headache. I was maybe a little irritable because I felt like I hadn't slept in 3 days. I. Was. TIRED.
If you have chronic fatigue, if you have fibromyalgia, if you have low energy levels, it may not be gluten. It may not be grains. But what's the harm in removing it for 30 days to see?
Did you know that's sort of what I do? I'm a Functional Nutritionist AND a Whole30 Certified Coach, meaning I'm actually TRAINED to help you identify food sensitivities that may not show up on an allergy test. Eliminating a suspect food for 30 days just isn't that hard, guys. Remove it, work with a professional who can coach you through a reintroduction, and if you don't have issues, great! You KNOW you don't have an issue with that food. But if you do, then you know that too.
Isn't it worth knowing....?
30 Days really could change your life. If you're ready to sign up, head over to my Whole30 page and make the commitment today.
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