My Love/Hate Relationship with Wheat, and Why You Should Care
I have suffered from frequent stomach aches for as long as I can remember. I bought Pepto-Bismol from Sam's club a few times a year... I kept some in my desk at work, in my purse, in my car, and on each floor of my house. I had it in pill form so I could bring it with when I travel for work, since the Sam's sized bottles are obviously more than 3 oz.
I thought I just had a "sensitive stomach," but I never could figure out what triggered it. Maybe it was IBS, maybe something else. All I know is that stomach pain was a part of my life. And when I say pain, I mean pain... sharp, shooting pain all over my abdomen. Sometimes it woke me up at night it hurt so much. I asked my doctor about it at my physical in January 2012, and she goes "It could be a dietary thing. Do you know how to run a controlled experiment?" "Yes." "Ok, so do that. Testing one variable at a time, cut something out of your diet for a couple of months and see how it makes you feel. Start with Dairy or Wheat, then move on to soy, eggs, onions/garlic. No need to report back to me, just see what makes you feel better. If nothing helps, let me know and we'll start looking into if it's something more serious." I love that she trusted me and wasn't going to make me pay her several more office visit fees to tell me something I could figure out myself. Cheers, doc!
But I didn't do anything. All of the things she mentioned (except soy) are in some of my favorite foods. I don't know what my life would be like without Cheese. Hello, I went to the University of Wisconsin!!! And my favorite way to eat cheese is melted on something bread-based. Pokey sticks, grilled cheese, mac n cheese, brie en croute... I'm drooling now. And if you've ever eaten anything I've cooked, you know that I could not survive if I couldn't have garlic. It goes into EVERYTHING I make!! So I was in denial. I didn't want to think about my life without any of those foods, so I hunkered down and bought more of the pink stuff.
Drooling. Right now. Ugh.
Now back to our trip to CA. Aunt Diane heard me complain about my stomach hurting for the 3rd time, and she noticed a trend. Burger for lunch, stomach ache that night. Pizza for dinner, stomach ache the next morning. Panini with extra with bread at the table for lunch, stomach ache and intense headache that night. Pork chops, risotto, and salad for dinner... felt like a champ. So she mentioned what she had noticed. She asked if I ever considered that I might have a gluten sensitivity. I said no (see paragraph above re: denial and love of various cheesy breads).
Fast forward to the Clean Eating & Fitness Challenges I participated in during the summer of 2013 (see "About Me" for the rundown). Each meal was basically lean protein and veggies of some sort. I can't even articulate how fantastic I felt. I had more energy, no headaches, I was more regular (sorry for TMI, but it's true), and miraculously... no stomach aches. I attributed this to the overall better diet, the Shakeology I was drinking, and the daily fitness, all of which definitely contributed to me feeling like a million bucks.
But the following week when my diet went into a tailspin, I realized what the missing piece was. I had a tough week at work and stress-ate like crazy, and I felt like crap every night. I realized then that the biggest thing that had changed about my diet was re-introducing refined flour. I had a lot of sandwiches, pasta, pizza, cheese and crackers, etc... When I realized this, I decided to finally take my doctor's advice and do that experiment. So I cut out wheat flour for a few weeks, and it worked. I felt fantastic. Even when I wasn't eating particularly "healthy" foods, I still felt great because in my opinion, it was the wheat that was causing me problems.
There is a lot of controversy on this issue right now, so here is my take on it and also some background. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and some other grains. When developed, it becomes elastic. That's why you knead bread and pasta dough, to develop the gluten which gives these things their structure. That's why you don't want to over-beat biscuit dough or cake batter because you want the gluten to be relaxed, otherwise if it over-develops it will make your baked goods tough.
People with Celiac disease have a severe intolerance to Gluten of any kind. It's an autoimmune disease which is triggered when gluten is consumed, and it damages the lining of the small intestine to the point where their body cannot absorb the nutrients necessary for survival. It is a really serious condition and people with Celiac need to be meticulous about ensuring their diet is 100% gluten free. If a friend has it, don't be surprised when they grill the server about the risk of cross-contamination due to preparation techniques used in the kitchen. They need to do this to stay healthy!!
Then there are people with Gluten "sensitivities," which can vary in severity. Some people have reactions that are so serious that it makes them be as vigilant as someone with celiac about avoiding it. Then there is me. We know what my symptoms are... I get tummy aches. I also get headaches, fatigue, bloating, and some other unnamed GI issues. BUT, it's not life or death. So I am usually wheat free, but certainly not all the time. I just need to be prepared for the consequences.
I've read Wheat Belly. It's intense. I don't necessarily subscribe to that level of intensity for everyone, though I agree with some of its points about the fact that just replacing wheat with "gluten-free alternatives" is probably even less healthy for you than just eating whatever you were going to eat with wheat in the first place. This is because these gluten free alternatives are made from various other starches that are even more processed than wheat. I've read articles that say that people with a non-celiac sensitivity are actually reacting to the fibrous part of wheat, not the protein part of wheat (meaning the gluten alone isn't the issue, it's just actual wheat that causes problems) - this is the category that I believe I fall into. I've also recently read an article from "I F-ing Love Science" that says that non-celiac sensitivity is bogus. That any health benefits you feel from not eating wheat are actually attributed to eating a generally healthier and less processed diet that automatically occurs when you cut out wheat. That's probably a fair point.
But here's what this all has to do with you... eat what makes you feel good, don't eat what doesn't, and ignore the haters. I don't care that a website has potentially debunked non-celiac wheat sensitivity. I've never officially been diagnosed with anything, but I know that I feel fantastic when I don't eat wheat and I feel crummy when I do. I don't care if people think I'm just jumping on the latest nutritional band-wagon (I also love kale, so there is that). I just know what I need to cut out of my diet to feel my best, and you should absolutely discover this for yourself. Whether it's a certain type of food, not eating at a particular time of day, eating a few big meals or lots of little meals... do whatever makes you feel good.
And you know what sometimes makes me feel good? A fantastic spaghetti carbonara (I'll post a recipe soon). So once in a while, when I'm prepared for the calories and the consequences, I'm going to bust out the Pepto-Bismol for old time's sake and enjoy my all-time favorite pasta dish. The difference is that now I'm in control. I no longer am a victim to random attacks of abdominal pain. I stopped buying Pepto-Bismol in bulk. And when I do eat wheat, you better believe it's something delicious, and the consequences are worth it to me every once in a while. So, suck it haters.
Update: Just found this interesting read that corroborates what I've written above about my sensitivity being wheat-based and not gluten-based.
So, what are your diet quirks? What makes you feel crappy, what makes you feel great? Share below!
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