Last summer I enjoyed 2 pieces of gluten-filled pizza for the first time in 25 years. I had been feeling well and curious how gluten would affect me after 25 years of healing. The perfect opportunity arrived and I found myself at a table with a beautiful hand tossed Pizza and a Caesar salad with croutons. Well, here goes?
The medical research concludes that I should never ever ever eat gluten in order to prevent further autoimmune disorders. The problem is that I don’t live in a research lab. I live in the real world and I’ve done everything possible to strengthen my own body in the last 25 years. That day I wanted to be a part of this special dinner without interfering.
Fifteen years ago I would have ordered a separate Caesar salad - no croutons, not mixed in the same bowl and not cut on the same counter as the croutons or Pizza. Fifteen years ago I had to order separate or I would suffer symptoms too foul to list here.
Gluten elimination
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and any products made with these grains. To find out if you’re sensitive to gluten you can do a simple elimination diet to remove gluten. Many people discover that their body, energy, mood and sometimes very bizarre symptoms are greatly improved after removing this one ingredient.
Most people stop here – don’t eat gluten and the immediate problem goes away. It’s an important first step, but just removing gluten doesn’t heal the underlying problem that allowed you to react to gluten in the first place. You may still be suffering from suboptimal energy and vitality.
Healing the underlying problem
Don’t stop here – removing gluten stops the immediate inflammation from happening, but in order to truly heal the body, we can heal the digestive process that allowed gluten to become a problem. We can strengthen the digestive system that was unable to break down the gluten; heal the gut lining that allowed gluten to leak into the bloodstream; strengthen the liver that has been burdened by gluten particles in the bloodstream; and heal the tissues in your personal bizarre symptom.
Not everyone will be able to enjoy two slices of beautiful hand tossed Pizza, but everyone can improve their health and reduce the damage that an accidental exposure can cause. I worked with a woman recently who was severely allergic to gluten and had days of diarrhea due to a dash of beer in a drizzle of sauce. After a few months of strengthening her system, she had another accidental exposure- this time to real bread crumbs and suffered only indigestion and bloating.
Well, how’d it go? Pretty darn good! I enjoyed those two beautiful pieces of Pizza and ate the croutons along with my salad and had no reaction at all, monitoring and eating very carefully over the next few days. I haven’t eaten gluten since. I’ll continue to enjoy a healing diet that will keep my digestion, gut, and liver healthy. This way if I am offered a fabulous homemade carrot cake I can say yes, please!