Gluten ~ Making Me Sick!

Gluten was never a problem for me when I was on the standard American diet. I could eat food containing wheat, gluten, flour and dairy and not be affected at all. It's been years since I ate anything with gluten in it until yesterday. A friend brought over a loaf of raw rye bread that was absolutley delicious! Two slices and 18 hours later I woke up with stomach pains. I didn't make the connection with the bread until I started feeling nauseous, dizzy and just "out of it". My whole day was spent lying down, in pain and feeling awful.

Gluten is a special type of protein that is commonly found in rye, wheat and barley. Therefore, it is found in most types of cereals and in many types of bread. Not all foods from the grain family, however, contain gluten. Examples of grains that do not have gluten include wild rice, millet, amaranth, quinoa, and teff.

Experiment: The best way to know if an ingredient is making you sick, remove it from your diet for 1 month, then slowly re-introduce it and see how you feel. I did this with cashews, agave and cacao. The results: I experienced funny symptoms like nausea, heart palpitations, lack of sleep and overall discomfort so I stay clear of these ingredients whenever possible. Occasionally I'll have a little cacao, but earlier in the day and only a small piece so I can rest comfortably at night.

I won't be eating any home made raw breads made with grains, that's for sure!