Gluten Withdrawal

Beginning a gluten-free diet can be physically challenging as you will experience withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully, the symptoms won't be too bad  and won't last long -- everybody is different and will experience different levels of discomfort. But be aware that whatever you go through is only temporary, and you will come out on the other end a healthier, happier person if you are able to stay on course. Plan your meals for that first week ahead of time so that it will be easier for you to stay gluten-free during that stressful withdrawal period.

When I came off of gluten five years ago, nobody warned me that I would feel like crap for a few days, but I could tell it was clearly withdrawal, and although I was tempted to eat something carby and sugary to feel better, I knew it would just prolong the process and I'd have to start all over. I suffered through and am so glad I did. The withdrawal symptoms only lasted about a week and included fatigue, irritability, upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea and a monstrous headache (if you take something for the headache, take Aleve rather than Advil -- Advil is not always GF. Aspirin is also GF but may upset your stomach even more). I didn't go totally carb-free, so that helped a little with my energy level. Rice and potatoes are naturally gluten-free, so I included both in that first week meal plan. 

Side note: if you want to feel really great, you should consider going totally grain-free and avoid rice and other grains as well as gluten. I haven't taken that step yet. I know I would feel even better if I cut out all grains, but I get so exhausted without carbs. So I'm still somewhat dependent on rice, although it  is only a small percentage of my diet.

Anyway, back to withdrawal...

The third day is the worst, so if you can plan it this way, start it on a Thursday (assuming you work a Monday through Friday schedule) so that the third and forth days land on a Saturday and Sunday. That way you can just stay in bed all weekend if you want. Remember, your body is protesting. It is addicted to a poison, like any other drug, and it is rebelling against your decision to deny it what it has become accustomed to receiving at regular intervals. This is normal, and it will pass in a few days, but you will be tempted to eat gluten during this withdrawal period, so be strong. You can do it.

Flawed biopsy-testing for Celiac Disease

http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/biopsy-testing-for-celiac-disease-completely-flawed/

Detrimental health effects of gluten

When you are sensitive to or intolerant of gluten, your body reacts as if it is being poisoned when you ingest it. Different individuals have different levels of sensitivity, and not everyone has the same symptoms. Below is a list of possible symptoms that some who don't realize they are gluten intolerant might be experiencing. Those people usually feel better within a few weeks of going totally gluten free, but they will see these symptoms start to subside within only a few days. I was so swollen that I lost half a shoe size within 5 days of going gluten free and my face looked 10 to 15 years younger as the swelling went down -- that's pretty drastic! If you are experiencing any of these issues, you may want to try cutting gluten out of your diet for about four to six weeks and see if gluten is the cause. 

Intestinal discomfort/bloating/gas
Heartburn/acid reflux

Nausea/Vomiting

Irritable bowel

Leaky gut
Anemia
Severe vitamin deficiencies

Blood sugar issues

Joint pain/arthritis

Headaches/Migraines

Depression and other mental health issues
Neurological conditions

Moodiness/irritability

Anti-social and Impulsive behavior

Memory loss/possible brain damage

Confusion/lack of focus/ADD

Auto-immune issues/Lupus/Fibromyalgia/MS

Weight gain/weight loss

Inflammation/swollen face, nose, throat, feet, and internal organs including your brain

Skin problems -- acne, hives, psoriasis, rashes, eczema, dermatitis herpetiformis (aka skin celiac)

Asthma

Fatigue

Dizziness/trouble with balance

Anxiety
Osteoporosis/bone loss
Infertility
Cancer
Dental problems/gum disease

  

I'm sure this is not an exhaustive list. Generally speaking, gluten weakens your immune system and the inflammation damages every organ in your body if you are gluten intolerant. As the inflammation persists and your immune system weakens, you will start to suffer from chronic conditions. For me, going on a totally gluten-free diet diminished and/or reversed many of my symptoms. 

The wrong way to go gluten free

I believe a gluten free diet is a healthier way to live even for those who do not have any gluten intolerance issues. 


However, recent news reports have recommended that going on a gluten-free diet is, at worst, not healthy for those who don't need to and, at best, a waste of money. And if you don't go about it the right way, then yes, I agree, it is not good for you and it is a waste of money. 


Going about it the right way means eating healthy, fresh, unprocessed foods and avoiding anything that contains gluten, which is mostly processed food. 


The wrong way is simply substituting bread, pasta, cookies, brownies, etc. with the gluten-free version. This is what most people seem to think a gluten-free diet is, and that's what generated the need for those recent news reports. There is more fat, sugar and overall calories in the gluten-free version of anything than in the regular version. These are not healthy foods and you will not lose weight or feel better if that's all you're doing. So if you take that route -- what I call the wrong way to go gluten free -- you will not be doing yourself or your health any good.

Unexpected Reactions

I had the worst reaction to Amy's brand gluten-free pizza last Monday night. It made me question whether I suddenly have trouble with rice as well as wheat gluten. That would be terrible. I love rice. I would hate to have to give it up. Since I don't eat a lot of gluten-free pizza, pasta or bread (because it's not really good for you), I didn't have a lot of experiences to compare my reaction to. But I did remember that I'd had a reaction before to rice flour about a year ago when I'd used it to bread some chicken (because I miss fried chicken really badly!). So I'm not sure if rice flour is the problem or if these two instances are just cases of cross-contamination in the manufacturing process. I've eaten sushi since that Amy's pizza reaction and had no reaction what-so-ever, so I'd like to take that as evidence that rice is not a culprit. I'll have to try a different brand of GF pizza and see if maybe it's just a brand issue and I should just avoid Amy's -- but so far I haven't found another brand of frozen GF pizza to try in Panama City. There just aren't a lot of GF options here. Has anyone else had trouble with rice flour? Please share your experience, so that we can all learn from it. 


Update 6/3/12: I've since learned that there are lots of different varieties of rice with different types of gluten proteins, some of which you may react to and some that may cause no reaction in those with gluten sensitivity -- and there is no way to know what type of rice was used to make the flour that some gluten-free products are made from. So there you go, people. That's all I know.

Crab Cakes Recipe

In addition to pizza and fried chicken, one of my other favorites that I can never order out again since having to go on a gluten-free diet is crab cakes. So here is my attempt at gluten-free crab cakes.    

Ingredients
6 tablespoons coconut oil,* divided (virgin coconut oil will taste sweet, refined coconut oil will not -- your choice. I like it sweet!)
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 (6 ounce) cans of real crabmeat,** drained
1 egg
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon of paprika
4 tablespoons of crushed gluten-free crackers
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons of chives, chopped
1 teaspoon of parsley (fresh or flakes)
a pinch of salt to taste
a pinch of ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
hot sauce, to taste
1 cup gluten-free panko-style bread crumbs (if you can't find panko-style, regular gf bread crumbs will be fine -- you can always make your own bread crumbs from crushed, toasted gf bread)
* Coconut oil is much better for you than other oils and has numerous health benefits.
**Do not use imitation crab. It is not gluten free.

Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over high heat. Saute chopped onion briefly until tender; cool slightly.
Combine crabmeat, sauteed onions, egg, mayonnaise, dry mustard, paprika, crushed crackers, hot sauce, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, cayenne, salt and pepper. Form into 1/2 inch thick patties, no more than 2 inches in diameter.* Coat the patties with bread crumbs. Refrigerate patties for 1-2 hours, up to 24 hours, before frying.

Heat 4 tablespoons coconut oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry patties until golden brown on each side. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.

* If you make the patties too big they will fall apart when you try to flip them. Remember gluten is what holds food together, so without it, there is really not much to keep it from falling apart.

For a simple sauce try mayonnaise and picante sauce. Or check out my shrimp sauce recipe in the previous blog.

Shrimp Sauce Recipe

I have made shrimp sauce! (Read that first line in the voice of Tom Hanks from "Cast Away" when he triumphantly announced "I have made fire")

I love that sauce they serve in Japanese restaurants, (sometimes they call it shrimp sauce and sometimes they call it yum yum sauce -- which is a perfect name for it). So I took a stab at creating the same sauce at home. What I came up with is pretty close. If I later tweak it and get it closer, I'll update the recipe.

1 and 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
dash of cayenne
1/4 cup of water
10-15 splashes of hot sauce

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. It will not taste like shrimp sauce until the next day.

I plan to make gluten-free crab cakes tomorrow to eat with my shrimp sauce. I'll post the crab cakes recipe later this week.