I am often asked why I am gluten free. Some people ask me if I am a celiac. When I tell them I am not they then ask why I avoid gluten and whether or not a medical professional has advised me to remove it from my diet. This is my health story and why I choose to be gluten free.
Growing up I had a relatively healthy childhood. I don’t remember taking regular doses of antibiotics or having any major illness besides a double dose of chickenpox. Then things began to change. At age 15 I came down with glandular fever and tonsillitis at the same time. This required hospitalisation for intravenous antibiotics and fluids. It occurred again when I was 17 years old and again required a trip to the hospital after weeks of taking liquid penicillin that saw no improvement. Over that year I was hospitalised two more times to have my tonsils removed and then a week later when they hemorrhaged.
Throughout my 20s and into my 30s I was regularly taking medication such as pain killers to combat headaches, anti-histamines to control a constant nasal drip, heart burn tables (especially in the middle of the night when I would wake up in pain) and antibiotics for sinus and urinary tract infections. My allergies would get so bad that I was also prescribed Ventolin for wheezing and shortly after would go on daily medication in the form of an asthma preventer and reliever. I never really thought there was anything out of the ordinary with all these complaints as I was so used to seeing advertisements for all the different products to combat the symptoms. I assumed it was normal to take them and with some available at the super market I never considered any potential side effects.
During this time I also suffered from weight gain, digestive issues and gynecological issues. After having a couple of kids I spent years wondering around in a daze of motherhood with sleepless nights and relying on caffeine and sugary treats to pep me up.
In August 2015 I had a cold for a couple of weeks that would not go away. I remember being at work one day with one of the worst headaches of my life. It got to the point where the headache was causing so much pain white spots appeared in my vision. I was still breast-feeding at the time which required waking 2 or 3 times a night. Because of this I was hesitant to take anything that would be passed onto my little one. After a trip to an after hours GP I was prescribed antibiotics for a sinus infection. Within a few hours a rash appeared across my whole body. My skin was on fire and extremely itchy. Touching it or having any clothing rub it caused the rash to get worse. After another trip to another GP I was prescribed steroids, antihistamines and other antibiotics to get everything under control. At this point I was advised that I was now allergic to penicillin and it was recommended that I didn’t go through the process of further testing and to just avoid it for the rest of my life. I was shocked that having taken antibiotics regularly throughout my adult life that I had suddenly developed an allergic reaction.
Over the following weeks the rash slowly went away and I continued with the same diet and exercise program that I had followed previously. This included a weekly trip to the gym to run on the treadmill and to use the weight machines. In regards to my regular diet it consisted of toast for breakfast or sugary sachets of porridge or cereal. If it wasn’t sweet enough I would add more sugar or drizzle on some maple syrup. For lunch there was leftovers or a toasted sandwich. Dinner usually consisted of meat and vegetables with pasta, rice or potatoes. There was a lot of coffee with milk and sugar and normally a sugary treat after lunch or dinner.
In January 2016 I developed pain in both my hips. There was no obvious injury and I ignored it for about 4 months before the pain got so unbearable I would cry getting in and out of the car. On a bad day I would have joint pain in my hips, knees, ankles and wrists. When I finally took myself to a doctor to get checked out I was referred for x-rays which showed nothing of concern. Blood tests showed that I had a possible autoimmune disease. More blood tests, an MRI and referral to a Rheumatologist showed that there was nothing physically wrong with my hips and that I did not have Arthritis. There was no answer to what could possibly be causing the pain. During this time a rash appeared in patches over my stomach, hands and face. I discussed my stomach pain with my Rheumatologist as well as digestive issues, headaches and listed other complaints. I was referred for more blood tests but nothing concrete could be diagnosed. I was prescribed an anti-inflammatory called Celebrex which stopped the pain but caused more stomach aches, worsened my digestive issues and also resulted in my hair thinning.
Enough was enough. I could no longer continue to take anti-inflammatories and pain killers every day. I decided I needed to look at other possible causes. Having read a lot of articles about the effects of wheat, leaky gut and non-celiac wheat sensitivity I approached my GP to ask her opinion on the issue. She advised me that several of her patients who experienced joint pain had had success in treating it with a gluten-free diet. While she couldn’t explain the reason exactly why, she had been reading up on non-celiac wheat sensitivity and had seen very positive results from studies into eliminating wheat from people’s diets.
As a result of this information I began to remove wheat based foods such as bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits and so on, the products that you would expect to have wheat in them. To my disappointment there wasn’t any pain reduction. I then started reading every food label and was shocked to find out how many things had wheat or gluten hiding in them. Everyday items such as sausages, many commercial marinades, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, vegemite, salad dressings and tinned tuna can all contain wheat. Treats such as marshmallows, M&Ms, Twisties, Maltesers, some of the flavoured Doritos, Smarties, those cute little Lindt bugs you can buy at Easter time, cake sprinkles and some instant coffee contains gluten. I also removed gluten free replacements such as gluten free bread and thankfully began to feel a lot better. I kept a food diary and started identifying other food items that caused me pain such as rice, potatoes, foods heavy in grains and diet sodas. I also found that anything that is high in sugar can also cause my hip pain to return.
Nowadays I am very cautious about what I eat, reading every label and trying to limit too many sweet treats. There are still days that I struggle to resist the urge of those sugary treats and still have days that I wish I could eat whatever I want. I don’t, however, miss the consequence of eating gluten and continue to work out what works for my body. I have also managed to find gluten/grain free alternatives that I can enjoy while my family still eats grain based products such as zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, mashed cauliflower and mushroom or sweet potato toast to replace a burger bun. Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour and baking powder are wonderful alternatives to wheat based flour. I have been gluten free for the past 9 months and during that time I haven’t needed any pain killers or anti-inflammatories for hip pain. There has also been no need for heartburn medication, antihistamines or any asthma medication during this time. I have managed to take up Pilates one day a week and get to the gym on at least three other days.
I look to educate myself by reading many books, published research and blogs that discuss people’s experience with gluten and autoimmune healing. I learnt a lot from Cindy O’Meara’s Changing Habits website, her movie What’s with Wheat? as well as her Hunter Gatherer protocol. I also read Primal Body, Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas, Sweet Poison by David Gillespie, Diet Myth by Tim Spector, Missing Microbes by Martin J Blaser and Grain Brain and Brain Maker by David Perlmutter. I also found inspiration from Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain. While I don’t advocate a gluten free diet for everyone all of the time, I do advocate listening to your body and trying an elimination diet with a slow re-introduction phase to allow you to determine if gluten or any other foods may be disagreeing with your body. I think it is also important to find a great GP who takes the time to listen to you and is able to look at treating the cause rather than just treating the symptoms.
This month I am participating in the Whole30 Program. If you haven’t heard of it you can check out their website and obtain a lot of great information. I also borrowed two books from my local library and highly recommend Food Freedom Forever by Melissa Hartwig for anyone who struggles with their food choices. Oh, and a quick apology to anyone in Western Australia who borrows the book from the library as my cat nibbled on the cover! I don’t ever remember having a problem with my weight or trying to lose weight until my mid 20s after several years of binge drinking, emotional eating, eating out of boredom and over indulging on comfort food. I managed to lose weight through different methods (the over processed shakes and soups, frozen meals, points systems and calorie counting) but always put it all back on and more when I finished the diet. I am hoping that the Whole30 will further teach me to slay that sugar dragon once and for all.
To see all our recipes that are gluten free or have a gluten free option click here.
xx
Marina
