I am not sure if I should call this article “confessions of a natural health care practitioner” or healthy habits of gluten.
There is so much information about going gluten free, having wheat sensitivities or being totally wheat intolerant. There is a difference between having sensitivity and being completely intolerant of a certain food. A sensitivity means you can tolerant a certain food but not in great quantity or on a regular basis. Whereas being totally intolerant of a food means just that, you can’t tolerate it at all.
Since I expect my patients to give up any foods they have an intolerance to and wheat seems to be high on the list for many of my patients, I decided to give up gluten for a week. You might decide to give up gluten for a week or longer if any of the following applies to you; 1) do you have achy, stiff joints? 2) Are you bloated? Do you have stomach pains or cramping on a regular basis? 3) Is diarrhea a common occurrence? 4) Are you fatigued on a regular basis, even when you get enough sleep? 5) Do you have a hard time losing weight or in fact continue to gain weight? 6) Is your skin dry, flaky, itchy, with or without redness? You could have a gluten sensitivity. It’s worth a week to find out.
Personally I didn’t think I ate a lot of wheat/bread on a regular basis but during the week of wheat/gluten free I realized bread is my go to food when I am in a hurry. The hardest day I had was when I was out and about running errands. All the normal fast food places serve about 99% wheat/gluten based menus. You really need to prepare your food ahead of time when you go gluten free. Another hint, gluten is in a vast majority of prepared foods. Gluten free means you don’t eat anything with wheat. What has wheat in it? Bread, bagels, buns, cereal, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, pasta, bread crumbs, gravy if it has flour as the thickener, pastry just to name a few food items.
Even if you don’t think you have sensitivity to gluten, going gluten free for one week is good for the body. After your week free to gluten, take stock, how do you feel? How are your joints? Are you bloated? Any stomach pains or cramping? Where is your energy level after the week? When you start to add gluten back into your food intake, what happens?
Gluten is just one of the many food sensitivities that are more prevalent then years past. Soya and whey which is dairy are in a tremendous amount of foods as well as gluten. Maybe a week of soya or dairy free are next to try.
If we truly are what we eat and if our food is making as sick, isn’t a week worth taking to possible feel better.
Diane Elms D.H.M.H.S., CCI, CCII, Homeopath, Specializing in Drugless Cancer Care, 2006 Iridologist of the Year, if you have any health related questions contact diane@choicesforhealthandharmony.com or 905 768 0848.