Going Gluten-Free
Last month my doctor diagnosed me with celiac disease (via symptoms, not test results), a digestive disorder due to severe gluten sensitivity. I cannot eat any gluten.
Thanks to genetic engineering the wheat we eat today has four times the amount of gluten the wheat our grandparents ate—i.e., we are not eating the wheat God intended us to eat.
Most people can benefit considerably from a gluten-free or reduced-gluten diet. Gluten and wheat are blamed for a variety of health problems, including depression, fatigue, weight gain and behavioral problems.
Gluten is the common term for a group of proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is second only to sugar as the most commonly consumed ingredient in the American diet.
I used to bake wonderful artisan breads daily so this was quite a change for me.
Lack of Nourishment Leads to Heart Disease
When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying the tiny, finger-like protrusions lining the small intestine called villi. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food he eats.
Celiac disease would explain the past 30 years of IBS, anemia and other nutritional problems I’ve experienced. A camera video that went through my digestive system revealed several areas of damaged villi and bald areas inside my intestine.
It is my opinion that nutritional deficiencies, especially deficiencies of iron, magnesium and potassium, caused my heart problems.
Heart Disease Led to Internal Bleeding
My heart problems were treated with poisons—er, heart medications—that caused me to bleed internally for the last two years, requiring twelve blood transfusion in the last year!
I got off those deadly medications and started seeking alternative health answers.
My goal is to restore the villi in my intestines through a super healthy gluten-free diet and green drinks so my body will be able to properly absorb the nutrients from my food.
Health Timeline
- July 6, 2007: Open Heart Surgery: CABG (coronary artery bypass graft), left main artery.
- March 2008: Second Heart Surgery, two stents.
- May–June 2008: Weekly iron infusions.
- July 2008: Hemorrhage and hospital stay. See View from Back of Ambulance
- August–November 2008: Weekly iron infusions. Was told I have Chron’s disease—but another doctor said No.
- December 2008: Hemorrhage and hospital stay, blood transfusion.
- January 2009: Hemorrhage and hospital stay, blood transfusion.
- March 2009: Hemorrhage and hospital stay, blood transfusion.
- April–June 2009: Weekly iron infusions. Bone marrow shots.
- Aug 2009: Major GI blood loss, hospitalized, CCU, received four units of blood.
- Sept 2009: Stopped all heart medications—they were killing me.
- Feb 2010: Diagnosed with celiac disease (unofficial); began gluten-free diet.
A Typical G-Free Day
I’ve been gluten-free for almost a month. It’s not nearly as horrible as I thought it would be. I’m actually having fun experimenting with recipes. And my tummy is much, much better.
Breakfast
I make enough steel-cut gluten-free oats to last me all week, then heat and eat each morning .Not all oatmeal is gluten- free. I need to buy oats marked gluten-free that were made in a separate factory where no cross-contamination occurs.
I add various toppings. My favorite being pecans and cranraisins. There are several gluten-free cereals available (even Chex). For more yummy oatmeal toppings see ideas here.
Energy Drink
When a person has celiac disease, the villi in the intestine lay down flat and can ‘t absorb the nutrients from food (this is the reason I’m so anemic and have to have regular blood transfusions and iron infusions).
I drink this daily to rebuild a healthy intestine. It’s really a treat. Tastes like a smoothie. Ingredients; Boku, Limu juice, organic frozen fruit, ice, water, juice. Sometimes I throw in a banana.
Lunch
This Greek salad is a mainstay that I used to eat once a week and now have several times a week.
The ingredients vary, but I usually use romaine, chopped veggies, feta cheese, garbanzo beans, raisins, and pine nuts or sliced almonds. See recipe here.
Salad Dressing: I’ve made the same salad dressing for twenty years from Kraft Italian All Natural Salad Dressing Recipe Mix with Regina Red Wine Vinegar and virgin olive oil.
The salad is filling, but if I’m really hungry I’ll add a baked sweet potato or baked potato with cottage cheese.
Afternoon Snack
These vegetable chips and hummus dip are my favorite snack.
I make hummus in my Magic Bullet: drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, add a clove or two of garlic, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and mix. Yum!
I was introduced to Terra Exotic Vegetable Mediterranean Chips at the Blissdom 10 conference. They are delightful. Much better than potato chips! Delicious plain, and wonderful to scoop hummus.
Available at Walmart. Ingredients: A Seasonal Mix of Root Vegetables (Sweet Potato, Parsnip, Batata, Taro, Yuca), Canola Oil and/Or Safflower Oil and/Or Sunflower Oil, Seasoning (Whey Milk), Sea Salt, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Spices, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Autolyzed Yeast Extract.
Dinner
Salmon, vegetables stir fried in olive oil, and an avocado. Wild salmon is much better for you than farmed salmon. Read the packages.
Avocados are a wonderfully nutritious super food. Read the heal benefits of avocados here.
Here is another sample dinner: Roasted cabbage, turkey Kielbasa, potatoes, and carrots. See recipe here.
Night Time Snack
Tonight I had bruschetta and mozzarella cheese on gluten-free crackers.
I’ve been experimenting; bruschetta is wonderful on gluten-free pizza dough (available in health food stores in the freezer section, or in a gluten-free pizza dough mix). Today I had it on these crackers.
I’m trying to lose weight so I’m staying away from sugar, but there are some really good gluten-free cookies and cake mixes available.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck is G Free
Elisabeth Hasselbeck couldn’t figure out what was making her so sick. She consulted doctors and nutritionists but no one had any answers.
While starving in the Australian outback on the TV show “Survivor,” Elisabeth’s symptoms vanished. She later found out that she has celiac disease and wrote The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide
Here is a clip:
Not as bad as you thought, huh?
Gluten-free Links
- Gluten: What You Don’t Know Might Kill You
- Celiac Disease
- Celiac.com
- The Gluten File
- Wheat Free Zone
- Gluten Free Girl and the Chef
- G-Free Diet
I have a new Twitter handle for gluten-free stuff. Follow me at GFheartofwisdom if you are interested.
Are you GF? Thinking about going GF? Share your blog link in the comments.
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Comment by fibrohubby :
My wife’s been gluten free for just over 2 weeks now. Similar story to yours. She’s also having a hard time adjusting her diet. Thank you for posting these suggestions!
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Comment by Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads :
We’ve been gluten free for nearly 3 years. I’m having a gluten free month on my blog where I’m featuring lots of gluten free recipes, gluten free product reviews, and giveaways.
The gluten free lifestyle takes work, but the benefits outweigh the difficulties.
Heather @ Marine Corps Nomads´s last blog ..Baking with Wilton Giveaway
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Comment by Tammy :
Robin, you are so blessed in a way. My autistic daughter went gluten and casein free in 1995. There was practically nothing on the market and what did exist looked pretty gross. Right now there is so information and so many products available, it really is amazing!
That is probably not what you want to hear. Adjusting to the diet is difficult at first. In time, it becomes second nature.
Tammy´s last blog ..Don’t Talk about that Future!
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Comment by julee :
Dear Robin, I have read your stuff/blog for years abd followed your health battles. Praise God that your were diagnosed with celieac. I resisted giving up gluten for years even though family members kept telling me that it might help my cronic migraines. We have a super large family I am was concerned about $ and what i would do if I could not make 4-6 loaves of bread every morning. Anyway Jan. 1st 2009…I gave up gluten to just see if it helped migraines. I noticed after a few weeks “yes” it was helping! That alone was worth it! But after about 6 weeks I noticed that i was not in constant pain in my joints. I am 50 and have had RA (arthritis) for 10-15 years. I took two Aleve twice a day just to function. Six weeks off of gluten and no more acheing joints and back. Wow. Now if I accidentaly get a little gluten is something (like salad dressing at reastaurant) then I feel really sick. So watch out…once you body is totally clean it may be that even a speck of gluten could make you feel aweful. I am pretty sure I am not celiac but sure have a allergy to gluten. Side note: I thought I could still grind wheat and make bread for my family…but even breading in that flour makes me ill. I have since put three of our sons (ADHD and allergys) on a GF/CF (gluten and cassien free) diet. It has done wonders for them too. It is hard to affrod grocerys with 14 kids still at home but I have found some good homemade (and cheaper!) recipes for GF bread products. I am thinking of trying the GF stuff on my Down Syndrome kids too and see how they do. Have heard that DS people are often celiac. Anyway, just wanted to say i am so happy you finally discovered what you need to be healthy! God bless you (and I know He has!)
Julee
wife to Mike
blessed mommy to 25
those born in China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Vietnam and U.S.
julee ´s last blog ..No Longer MIA
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Comment by Jen in Colorado :
Robin,
After a lifetime of numerous health issues without explanations I too found I was gluten intolerant just 5 months ago. Dr. told me it was a ‘genetic syndrome’ so I immediately put my kids on the GF diet & this is the healthiest winter we have ever had! God is so good!
I highly recommend glutenfreehomemaker.com
She has a terrific pizza dough recipe. I find her recipes cost effective & yummy.
2 months ago I went sugar free & it too has made a difference. May I also suggest simplysugarandglutenfree.com
Thank you for sharing your journey! May God bless you on this adventure.
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Comment by Cathy :
Have you checkout the Weston Price Foundation website in reference to eating food that is nutrient dense? There are food answers to gluten intolerance that will bring healing to the underlying problem.
Blessings!
Cathy
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Comment by Terri Layne :
So glad this is helping you! There’s another woman who decided to do a crockpot recipe every day for a year. All her recipes are gluten free I think. Can’t find the link but maybe you can google for it….God bless! All these things look delish!
Now back to taxes!
terri
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Comment by Rhonda :
My hubby was diagnosed 2004 and it ended up being the first step towards forever changing our entire family’s eating habits. We thought we ate well until you go back to God’s way. My husband and I are now vegan. Our kid’s our not totally vegan but they are making awesome progress! I have chronic health issues which God used to open my eyes to many things (like God knows more than most doctors about our bodies), but I’ll just say, if you properly feed your body then your body will take care of you. Period. Focus on strengthening your immune system regardless of how “good” you think you feel or how “healthy” you think you are. According to everyone, including doctors, I was the picture of perfect health.
No, thanks to doctors, I am working my way off multiple medications (I am now 40 yrs. old) and the nutritional changes were HUGE in helping with withdrawal symptoms and other horrible things you suffer through in coming off meds.
Good for you that you are on your way to better health than you could ever get by continuing with traditional medical care that treats symptoms and disease and almost NEVER look to the CAUSE of the symptoms in the first place.
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Comment by Jenny, Home is Where :
Robin,
thanks for sharing this. We’ve talked a bit in the past, I’m anemic and don’t know why, not bad enough for shots but have to take iron twice a day at times. I’m suspecting now that I have a dairy allergy, and I am wondering about wheat, too. I’m going to go in and get tested. I started eating ezekiel break and pb for breakfast and it helped my tummy some, but still having some problems, so that makes me think wheat. I’m going to go look for the gluten free oats, I like oatmeal. thank you for sharing all these yummy meal ideas!
Jenny
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Comment by smilinggreenmom :
Wow, I am completely impressed with you! This is amazing that you have been through so much and have made a firm decision to really help support your body through whole foods! I am a mom of two and one has food allergies. When he became steroid dependent and weak at two yrs old, we too knew we needed to change things. That is why we are living green and eating healthy whole foods too! Our son has been greatly helped by taking a probiotic and can now tolerate so much much more.
I don’t know if you would be able to try this, but maybe others with this issues. We recently tried Kamut Khorasan Wheat and I saw on their site that it said many with gluten intolerance can actually eat Kamut bc it is an ancient wheat which is apparently much different than wheat today. Just a thought
Love what you are doing here – please visit me at smilinggreenmom.com if you would like!
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Comment by JG :
Robin,
Thank you for sharing your testimony with us! It is so encouraging to hear about your breakthrough! I’ve battled with health issues for years now and have recently tried to go gluten free and I already feel better. I struggle with doing it 100% of the time. Your testimony has encouraged me to keep going and give it 100%! Thanks
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Comment by jeff elohim :
The doctor lied, it’s not right to consider gluten difficulties [a] ‘genetic syndrome’.
Tangent – all of the so-called genetic diseases discovered in the last century are actually caused by the dpt shot, mmr, etc immunizations.
As it is written, “In the last days, pharmakea will deceive the whole world.” (that includes all of the ‘church’es)
Email me for references. The evidence and proof is unshakable.
[Reply]
Comment by melanie Spahr :
Thank you so much for the article. I majored in nuturtion in school, and still would have problems. I had an eating disorder as a young adult and since had had terrible symptoms. It kept getting labels as IBS. I would notice that I did better with no carb’s but knew how dangerous this could be. I rarely ate bread and was eating Ezek. Bread.(not gluten free) I had gotten so bad that I would bloat up 8-10 inches, the clothes I wore in the morning would not fit in the evening. I would exercise regularlly and get discouraged…every doctor and friend would tell me exercise more eat less. I consistently gained weight on very little and with exercise…Little did I know is that I was living in a malnurished state even as I was eating healthy, my body would store everything and not use anything. Since going gluten free I have lost 10 pounds and and still actively working on readjusting my hormones and metabalism that is completely out of wack.
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