What a mean little protein!

So what exactly happens when some with a gluten sensitivity ingests that little protein?

Quite frankly it depends on the person, everyone reacts differently because...well, no one person is the same (duh)

Alot of the problems I have today are a result of my eating gluten for 19 years. I'll just list off the things I attribute to this: asthma, allergies, really red face when I work out and an extremely high heart rate while working out (like...way too high), spider veins and vericose veins (at age 14 I shouldn't have to feel embarrassed when girls make comments about the "purple things" on my legs), and red bumps on the back of my arms and tops of my thighs. These are all things that I am highly self conscious of, even now.

When I eat gluten now, whether purposefully (that Pazookie at BJ's was far too tempting...a giant chocolate chip cookie all warm and gooey covered with vanilla ice cream!?! mmmm) or accidently (Caesar dressing...) I react in a few different ways. Either my asthma and allergies kick into full gear, so i'm gasping for breath in between each spine breaking sneeze and watery eyes, or I have, shall we say, indigestion. My thoughts get cloudy and fuzzy and I just feel awful in general. All that is only what I NOTICE happening. Inside something entirely different is going on. The gluten i've eaten is causing an all out civil war of sorts in my body. My body doesn't recognize the gluten protein as something good, and since the gluten attaches itself to my Villi inside my intestines my white blood cells begin to destroy those Villi.



Why do I need these Villi? What do they do for me? They are little hair like receptors that absorb the nutrients in the food we eat. So when the Villi are gone, I can't absorb the nutrients I need. As a result those senstive to gluten/celiacs often are malnurished and have deficencies.

OK, so what happens to me when I eat gluten isn't all that bad, thank GOD. Some people get terrible diarrhea, weight loss, inability to lose/gain weight, allergice reactions, mild weakness, bloating, bone pain, etc. These are just the immediate results that can happen.

Celiac and Gluten-intolerance is a LATENT genetic disorder. I'll talk more about the long term affects. This post is getting far too long.

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Today's Plate!

Breakfast: Apple Raisen Walnut Granola made by Bakery on Main mixed with Craisens and Apple Cinnamon cheerio-type cerealGlutino brand(all gluten-free of course) and Tazo Chai Tea.

Lunch: Mexican Rice and Earl Grey Tea. [[granola is filling]]

Dinner: Grilled chicken on a bed of spinach with red and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, and carrots with a drizzle of balsamic vinegarette and olive oil.

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Think of all the chocolate that doesn't have gluten in it.

A start.

Like I said in my last post, I just discovered I was gluten-intolerant this past summer (while on a road trip across country where my food choices consisted of fast food restaurants). I made the resolution to go Gluten-Free once I got back to school. However, I had NO idea what it really meant to be Gluten-Free. When I got back to my dorm, for the first two days I didn't know what I could eat. I remember one of the days I was starving but being so unsure of what contained gluten and what didn't (knowing that chocolate was most likely a safe bet) I ate a bag of raisenets and then bought a yogurt smoothie from Starbucks. That was it. All I ate all day. After that I decided I needed to do some research to find out what was safe for me, because I could not survive off of yogurt and chocolate (no matter how much I loved either).

I googled "gluten-free" and the first website that came up was www.celiac.com. This site has tons of information, including: recipes, outside links, store, etc.

I began to realize there was a whole world of foods i could eat. There is no gluten in rice, potato, or corn. This means that a lot of Asian noodles are gluten-free and a good deal of Mexican food is gluten-free, but one always has to double check. A good thing for those of us that are sensitive to gluten to be aware of is all the basics seasonings that may have wheat as an ingredient.











This for instance....
The second ingredient in Kikkoman Soy Sauce is none other than Wheat. Why on earth does wheat need to be in soy sauce?





It doesn't have to be! La Choy, a cheaper soy sauce, contains no wheat or gluten of any kind! Now I just need to convince my school's cafeteria that more expensive isn't always better



Ok folks. It has been suggested to me that I ought to include in each post a food diary of what I consume each day to prove that being gluten-free, while inconvenient, isn't impossible.

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Today's Plate:

Breakfast:I woke up too late to have breakfast

Lunch:Grilled Chicken Tacos on Corn Tortillas with Mexican Red Rice

Dinner:Left overs from my dinner last night of Grilled Chicken and Mixed vegetables with Steamed white rice and some San-J Soy Sauce (this is a self-proclaimed gluten-free soy sauce that can be found in certain health food grocery stores)

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sometimes i really do wish I could just have a turkey sandwhich on wheat.

Gluten? Isn't that one of the seven deadly sins?

Up until this summer I had never heard the word "gluten." Up until this summer I had no idea such an unopposing word could be so destructive. Little did I know, that such a little word meant so much.

According to several books such as Living Gluten-Free for Dummies (you know from the delightful little series) and Gluten-Free 101, gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, and tritcale. First off, what on earth are the last three? Spelt, kamut, and tricale? I just looked up spelt and it is an ancient grain used by the egyptians, a grandparent of sorts to wheat (according to www.spelt.com). However, what got me the most about gluten is wheat.

WHAT?! you mean i can't have ANY wheat products? no bread? beer? cake? pasta? What the hell am i supposed to eat?! Salad all day?

That's pretty much how i reacted when my mother told me she was gluten-intolerant and that this problem was genetic. I've been living my life for nineteen years enjoying delicious bread products and pasta and all sorts of exotic foods that are all made with things derived from wheat, rye, or barley. Ever since then, I've dedicated my time to learning more about this little problem i have. I'm still learning. I will continue to learn about the food i put in my mouth and how it affects my body.

In the upcoming posts I'll be discussing problems associated with Gluten intolerance, sensitivity, and celiacs disease, and what the difference between each of these things is. As I learn what it means to live a gluten-free lifestyle, I plan on sharing my experiences and thoughts. Recipes, anecdotes, and facts should be expected from this blog in the upcoming posts.

If any question or comment comes to mind, please don't hesitate to leave a note.