Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disorder that occurs in an estimated 1% of the population. It is thought to occur in people who are genetically predisposed to the condition and considered to be hereditary. Those affected have an allergy to gluten, a type of protein in wheat, rye, and barley grains. But it also found in other foods, either by food-processing methods that contaminate equipment or as an additive in packaged foods.
People with Celiac disease who eat gluten can have a wide range of responses to the substance – from mild to severe – but their immune systems stage an attack on the small intestine in response to the protein. Celiac disease is on the autoimmune spectrum. Autoimmunity is when the immune system attacks its own tissue. There are three things required to for an autoimmune disease: a genetic vulnerability, an environmental trigger (food is the most common trigger), and intestinal permeability or leaky gut. In Celiac disease, gluten in the trigger.
In Celiac disease, gluten damages the villi, the finger-like projections on the small intestine that filters out larger particles of food. The gluten acts as an irritant and “wears down” the projections so that they can no longer act as a natural barrier. The continual irritation of gluten causes small “tears” in the intestine. Although the body naturally tries to repair damage from these tears, over time they can wear down the villi to the point that the tight junction of the gut weakens an allows larger particles to enter the blood stream. The blood then creates antibodies to these “foreign invaders” and cycle of autoimmunity begins.
This is called pathogenic intestinal permeability or commonly known as leaky gut. The intestines now can’t repair themselves and don’t heal. In addition to gluten, fructans and FODMAP foods are thought to contribute to leaky gut. All of this results in a compromised gut and the beginnings of the downward slide to poor health.
My own personal journey led me on a discovery that changed my life. It didn’t happen overnight but rather a slow decline in my energy, exaggerated pain sensations, and overwhelming fatigue plagued me daily. I got to the point where I was barely functioning. My life consisted of me pushing myself to my limits – dragging myself out of bed just to go to work. Struggling with what was later diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome literally had me down and out for years. Any energy I expended exaggerated the exhaustion I felt. I would get home and fall asleep on the couch until I got hungry, eat, and then off to bed. It was all I could to survive those days.
Then the pain points magnified with each passing day. When I reached the stage where I could no longer stand to take a shower because it felt like needles piercing my skin I knew I had to find a solution. That led me to unearthing the fallacies about “healthy foods.” And no matter what I ate, I seemed to gain weight. In just a few months, I ballooned to nearly 200 pounds. Now that wouldn’t be so bad if I was 6 foot tall. But at 5’3″ I was grossly overweight. After reading and listening to every possible thing I could find on healthy nutrition – and that was a challenge because there is so much contradictory information – I began experimenting with the food I ate. All the while I was still seeing doctors to find the source of my pain and lethargy, but all I received were pills. Each doctor would prescribe something for these phantom pains based on how they viewed me through their specialized field. I was up to about 20 different medications by the time I figured out the root cause of my decline – the food that I was eating.
The first thing I did was to remove gluten from my diet and although I didn’t just suddenly get well, but it was a start of the healing process for me. I saw a gastroenterologist who did an endoscopic exam, and even though I had discontinued eating gluten, the damage to my small intestine was visible on examination. That was the motivation to figure out this puzzle of healthy foods.
I sorted through every kind of recipe book, specialized diet materials, expert lectures, and everything I could get my hands on because I was determined that I was not going to grow older being fat, frazzled, and frumpy as I felt. But I just couldn’t do the diets where I had to count points or select certain foods from a list. It’s just too difficult for me to stay focused on those types of diets. I knew there had to be something better.
What I discovered is that I could eat what I wanted if I paid attention to the signals my body gave me about the food I was eating. It helped me develop a mindful eating habit that still serves me well. Determining the right foods for my unique biochemistry became my goal. There were some simple and straightforward things that we all know to do – eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, and stay active. But here’s the thing – with my chronic fatigue and exaggerated pain from what was diagnosed as fibromyalgia, I couldn’t be active. I could barely get off the couch! So, my plan was to let the food do the “heavy lifting.” Once I was able to determine what food provided my body with the right nutrients things began to change and quickly.
Within six months, my pain points receded, I felt re-energized and I lost 55 pounds! What I discovered is that food truly is medicine and it provides information to your cells. If you eat the right food for your unique biochemical needs, your cells get the right information and can perform their functions optimally. If you eat inferior quality food (low in nutrients or with toxic substances) then your cells get bad information and don’t perform as intended. Those toxic substances can be anything that your biochemistry doesn’t respond well to, like gluten for me.
Not everyone is going to have a reaction to gluten but be aware that wheat has changed over the last 50 to 100 years. The addition of preservatives and additives also contributes to the poor quality and nutrient loss in the food we eat. Gluten is just one identifiable piece in the autoimmune puzzle. So many nutrient-poor foods have damaging effects on our bodies and until we complete a self-discovery and remove the offending foods, they will continue to rob us of our vitality.
I encourage you to focus on developing a healthy gut. It is the root of all health. Whether or not you have Celiac disease, maintaining a healthy gut will keep you on the path to wellness. If you want to learn more about restoring your gut health, check out my 7 Days To Reset Your Gut. It is worth it to get started now and begin your journey to wellness.
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