Gluten-free

To say that wheat is a big part of my life would be no exaggeration.  I eat whole wheat pasta, I regularly make my 100% honey whole wheat bread for my family.  We even eat cooked wheat berry for breakfast.  Per half cup, wheat packs 15 grams of highly quality protein, 12 grams of fiber, is loaded with vitamins and minerals, and provides loads of long-lasting energy.  I will forever support wheat (whole wheat) as one of the most nutritious foods we can put into our bodies.....

....and then there are the increasing number of naturopaths, chiropractors, etc who are adamant that wheat and other gluten products cause more harm than good.  At a nutrition seminar that my husband attended, one practitioner went as far as to say that upwards of 70% of Americans are intolerant to gluten and would be much healthier if they went off all gluten products.  Okay....well, it is true that many people with health (particularly digestive) issues begin to experience relief and feel better when they go off gluten.....but does that mean that all those people are intolerant to gluten and should go off these products for the rest of their lives? 

I was just tested for "celiac sprue", or gluten intolerance.  Results came back negative, which didn't surprise me since symptoms of those who are truly gluten intolerant include horrendous diarrhea (which I thankfully don't have).  Plus, I've been eating wheat my whole life without experiencing the symptoms I currently have until just the last 6 months.  However, I decided to perform a little experiment and go off gluten just to see how I feel.  It's been about a month since I said goodbye to my wheat bread.  My symptoms fluctuate, but overall, I DO feel a lot better!  So shouldn't that be my answer to the gluten debate?  Why would I still defend the nutritional value of my whole wheat bread!?  Well, I have kind of come up with a little theory of my own.....

I believe that gluten is a potential allergen for many people--just like eggs, peanuts, strawberries, dairy, chocolate, etc.  However, I don't think that potentially allergenic foods are synonymous for "bad foods that we should all avoid".  I believe that when the immune system is run down, when a body is not working as well as it should or normally does, then not only is the body susceptible to disease, but that it also reacts with greater sensitivity to potentially irritating food (like gluten!).  At times like these, avoiding these potentially allergenic foods is probably a good idea until the body is whole again. 

I just can't get on board with the idea that all Americans' diets should be void of gluten, potatoes, corn, peanuts, all sugar, eggs, dairy, citrus, and whatever the current "bad food of the month" fad happens to be.  These foods are packed full of nutrition and I believe that God put them on the earth to do exactly that: nourish us.  These may be foods to avoid while going through the healing process (if they do indeed help your respective symptoms), but I don't believe that we need to live off of rice and lentils, either.

I still don't know what's going on with my body and my health; I'm still working on that.  Cutting out gluten has not made me "all better", but it's helped me to feel a whole lot better while I work on healing my body.  So I'll avoid gluten and limit my dairy and refined sugars until I'm feeling 100% again.  However, once I get back to my normal, healthy self, you can bet I'll be making my honey whole wheat bread and eating an occasional chocolate chip cookie, and I highly doubt it will be the ruin of me.