Written by: Katie Ladner, L.E
I will take you back to the day after prom where I had gotten terribly sick. My mom took me to urgent care and the doctor gave me penicillin. I began taking the meds and I was getting worse. Antibiotics were suppose to make you feel better, right?! I was suppose to be graduating from high school in a few weeks and I didn’t know if I would be able to attend and walk. I was in bed for weeks my eyes swollen shut, fever, and everything that I ate made me more ill. So I gave up on eating. (For those of you that know me I LOVE FOOD, so for me to pass up food I was pretty dang sick.) My mother was at a lost. So she contacted my great aunt, a Shaklee consultant. She explained that the penicillin probably destroyed the good bacteria in my gut and I had a overgrowth of bad bacteria, thus candida raging in my gut. My great aunt instructed me to go on the candida diet for almost 2 years to get my gut right again. She also recommended pro-biotics and other supplements as well. Another factor about my health is that I have hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is considered an auto-immune, which can add more fuel to the fire with an already inflamed body. The next 2 years of my life were interesting. At age 18 I began my journey of nutrition and health. I was so inspired that I started college with my major being in nutrition. These nutrition classes gave me hope that I could heal myself and I could to help others on their health journey. I learned about many diets and what foods cause inflammation. I also discovered what gluten is and why some of us are more sensitive to it than others. So my friends lets get you educated on what gluten is and why it affects us.
WHAT IS GLUTEN???
Gluten is a protein found in wheat (wheatberries, durum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, KAMUT, khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley,and triticale.Gluten acts as a glue that holds foods together.
SO WHY IS GLUTEN SO BAD FOR YOU?
Individuals that have Celiacs or that are gluten sensitive it triggers an immune response that damages the lining of the small intestine. This immune response in a person with Celiacs and sensitivities can cause numerous issues such as hindering the absorption of nutrients, cause a whole variety of symptoms, osteoporosis, infertility, nerve damage and seizures.
SYMPTOMS OF GLUTEN INTOLERANCE
Bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headaches, feeling tired, skin problems, depression, unexplained weight loss, anemia, anxiety, auto-immune disorders, joint and muscle pain, leg or arm numbness, and brain fog.
Over growth of yeast (which is a fungi) and gluten sensitive go hand in hand. So back when I was 18, my body was done. It was so sick of the bad bacteria raging inside me and it was sick of the gluten. Looking back I had all the warning signs, but it took my aunt educating me to see the light. Over the years I would dabble in trying to eat gluten but eventually the sensitivity would rear its ugly head. Now if I eat something that has a small amount of gluten I start to break out in hives and it takes my body a week to recover. So this my friends is why I stick to a no gluten policy. I love the way my mind and my body feels when I am rid of this toxin.
With this knowledge, I now help my clients with their skin and help guide them to a clean eating diet to heal from the inside out. For the clients that are willing to swallow this info and want to change I guide them through the transition. With little tips and tricks & sharing great gluten free meals. Life doesn’t have to be boring. I still eat bread and make chocolate chips cookies and drink alcohol. But first I always do my research on what is gluten free. You would be surprised what has gluten hidden inside of it. Spices, dressings, and alcohol to name a few. I always google ingredients and I make sure if I am out to dinner that I tell the kitchen I have a gluten allergy. So one of my secrets I do for social events at a restaurant I call or look up menu prior to arrival and decide what I can have so I don’t have to be “that person”. Going to someone’s home for a BBQ can be a little tougher. I always say no seasoning on my meats but salt and pepper or I just bring my own food. This is just life for me but I try to manage it the best I can. Sometimes my friends razz me about my food issues, but I just laugh and know that if they were in my body they would understand. I don’t expect anyone to really understand what this sensitivity feels like unless you have it. But I just think to myself my body is protecting me from harmful toxins. Now I know what my warnings signs are before my body goes down in a ball of flames and I use that to check myself and rethink my diet.
Diet is so important for not just your health, but your skin & brain as well. When your gut is unhealthy it will show on your skin as well as your mental state. (***teaser*** 90% of your serotonin is made in your gut & your intestinal tract!!!) Keeping a healthy clean diet will keep not only your body be happy but your brain and who doesn’t want to be happy all the time!!! When I have a client lay on my table who has suffered from acne or skin disorders I always tell them “ I can help topically control what’s going on. However, your problem is internal and until you make the choice to clean up your diet, I am just going to be your band aid. It will be your choice to fix your problem.” This is really hard from most people to accept, but when they finally decide to make that leap, they finally realize what the have been missing out on. Health, wellness & Happiness.