Wheat Intolerance - Paging Cari to the Gluten Phone!

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Hiya C;

Great pics from Aussieland.I sure could use some of that heat and sun hereabouts.

OK......follow me. Effective January 1st I decided to start eating smarter and much of my diet now consists of foods low on the Glycemic Index and involve lean proteins, more fruits and veggies and, importantly, portion control. As a result I`m feeling prime, keeping the winter weight off and just feeling better.

Today at work I realized my scalp was never better and, in fact, had been great the last couple weeks. Since I was young I had issues with dryness, redness, clusters of acne like rash and itchiness.Nothing ever seemed to help and the symptoms would fluxuate from ok to bad. I always kinda thought it may have been diet related. So I thought about the foods I have given up or substantially reduced and the underlying similarity were foods that contained gluten......primarily wheat flour. Since most refined grains are high on the GI I have essentially stopped eating breads, pastries, cookies, cold cereals,muffins and crackers. I have also stopped eating many refined, processed foods and(dare I say it) beer which all contain wheat as a bulking agent..

Well...my surprise when I googled Gluten Allergy and found out that you don`t have to be allergic to gluten but can suffer from a wheat intolerance...."Most people eat wheat(it`s a filler) so often their bodies adapt and cope and so they experience mild forms of the symptoms(known as a wheat intolerance)..."

Well....some of the less serious intolerance symptoms are....bloating(stomach),joint and muscle aches and pains,skin rashes,runny nose and digestive issues. Well...that`s pretty much me in a nutshell.....up to now that is.

I also discovered that folk with a wheat intolerance as opposed to a full fledged gluten allergy can eat oatmeal, rye and barley in moderation.....which is exactly what I have been doing cause they are all low to moderate on the GI.

Freaky huh? Sometimes it seems like life is just a question of connecting the dots and choosing the right path. A path you, sometimes, have to decipher.

Anyway...enough of the Zen talk. I was wondering if your gluten free diet is working and if you have any other resources(websites, books etc) you could reccomend?

Geo

Comments

Cari said…
Wow...that is freaky. I personally have found that as long as I stay away from all gluten containing foods, I don't get my usual after I eat stomach ache (including bloating and pain). I also find that when I eat gluten I get a red rash like thing on certain parts of my body, but it goes away as soon as I eat gluten free for a few days. Once I get a bit more settled here in Brisbane, I am going to get myself a doctor and see about offically being tested for food sensitivities/allegies. That way I will know for sure if gluten is the problem, however it does seem like a pretty obvious one. I have found many good gluten free recipes on the net and good gluten free foods in the health food section at the grocery store and health food store. The tough thing is that gluten is in EVERYTHING, even salad dressings and soy sauce. Depending on what your body can handle, small amounts might not bother you. I also find it depends on the food too. Small amounts of some foods are fine, while small amounts of other things are terrible! There seems to be a lot more info available here in Australia for gluten free eating. I have seen many books and I will look into them and if I find anything interesting, I'll pass it on. I also read that sometimes, it's just a matter of having a blood test done to see if your body has antibodies present, showing a gluten intolerance. Also, what I was told to do was omit all gluten free foods from my diet (which you have done), see how you feel (which you have done). Gluten intolerance is supposed to be hereditary...I wonder if anyone else in our family may have had it? Here are a couple of websites I bookmarked and you may find interesting:
http://www.diagnose-me.com/treat/T112792.html
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/wheatfree/
http://www.celiac.com/index.html
Keep me posted!
C.
5:18 PM
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