Going gluten free is a success story in my household, particularly for my wife who has suffered from stomach cramps, indigestion, migraines, nausea and occasional belching most of her life.
For years, doctors explained away her condition as a result of bouts with bulimia during her formative years. To be bulimic throughout adolescence often means permanent damage to the esophageal lining, stomach and healthy GI tract function. At least this is what we were led to believe. One day, after reading an article in a well-known nutrition magazine, Sabrina decided to stop eating bread, pasta and other ‘wheat-based foods' that contained gluten.
Voila! Her migraines all but disappeared. Cramps now only during her period and nausea only after eating something extremely distasteful like my mother in-laws cooking. Now this doesn't mean everyone will achieve the same result by going gluten-free, but it's surprising how gluten-free helps balance metabolism, bring order back to body functions, replace fatigue with needed energy and, in the case of Sabrina, lose weight.
I agree. I suffered from being an "itchy person" for most of my life. The symptoms began to get worse and I went to my allergist to get retested. Not much showed up on the scratch test and he told me that some people are just "itchy"! I found this extrememly irritating and began doing my own research. My husband actually made the connection to wheat/ gluten and when I stopped eating it, I quit having headaches, I wasn't itchy, and I dropped 20 lbs in a little over a month!! We were not created to eat the vast amount of grains that are common in the American diet. I recently had a blood food allergy test done and it confirmed our suspicion that I am not only allergic to wheat and gluten but also yeast. I suggest to anyone that is having digestion problems to go get an ELISA test or to try an elimination diet to see if food allergies could be causing your problems.
Posted by: Michelle | May 05, 2009 at 08:54 AM