A Surprising Discovery From ‘Gluten Week’

Sourdough Bread

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #00adef;”] I[/dropcap] have a policy that it’s good to question everything. Especially one’s own beliefs.

When two of my aunts were diagnosed with coeliac disease a few months apart, I decided it was time to question my decision to (mostly) avoid gluten.

I got myself tested.

The current testing here in Australia looks for antibodies which indicate your body is having an immune response to gluten. But if you haven’t been exposed to gluten then you can get a ‘false negative’ result.

So to be tested properly, you need to eat some gluten before.

Great!

An excuse to bring out my neglected pasta maker and get some good quality sourdough bread.

Ooh and to cook up a pot of farro, one of my favourite favourite grains.

I was also curious to see what the extra carbs would do for my blood sugar.

So I made sure my ‘gluten week’ happened when I was wearing a continuous blood sugar monitor. Which tracks your glucose levels 24/7.

What was my ‘discovery’?

There was bloating and higher than normal blood sugar, as expected.

But the thing I found fascinating was the impact on my hunger and satiety levels.

Intellectually I know all about the blood sugar roller coaster.

However, it was amazing to observe how out of whack my appetite became.

Since I’ve been eating low carb and getting into Mindful Eating, my hunger is pretty in control.

When I eat I feel when it’s time to stop before I’m over-stuffed.

But during Gluten / Carb week, I was ravenous many times.

And unable to stop myself.

It wasn’t pretty.

Long story short, I couldn’t wait to get back to my normal Low Carb ways.

It’s good to question everything.

It’s also nice to confirm what you’re doing is the right thing for you!

More special diet experiments

What about you?

Have you done any dietary ‘experiments’ lately?
I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

With love,
Jules x

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6 Comments

  • I gave up wheat 1.5 years ago due to stomach pains and bloating. I’ve eaten barley with no problem, so it doesn’t appear to be gluten, just wheat. I find myself having to explain it to people “WHY if you aren’t celiac??” “Because it hurts and I’m curled up in a ball on the couch in pain for hours.”

    On a side note, I finally made the broccoli sandwich bread! It’s very broccoli-y. Nice toasted with some cheese on top.

    Reply

  • Dear Jules,
    I have gone gluten free (mostly) for several years. I say mostly, because I had been having a weekly indulgence – a breakfast sandwich on a fresh baked croissant (heavenly) at my local bakery/coffee shop.
    The eczema wasn’t too bad, so I continued for months. Then, I decided to experiment with some delicious sour dough bread (two loaves). During that time, due to circumstances while travelling, I consumed a pita wrap sandwich and two pizza slices.

    Well, the eczema flare up was really bad. And ringing in my ears. But, the worst effect was the depression and brain fog. I spent one day just sitting in my chair.

    Should know better by now :) As the saying goes; no fool like………….

    Another recent incident: Dairy – I have identified all dairy consumption to result in very uncomfortable inflammatory colitis. Again while travelling, I consumed an omlette containing cow’s milk feta cheese – bad news. I had previously been able to tolerate sheep and or goat milk feta. Now I experience some discomfort after eating those cheeses.

    I am 72 years old and in (otherwise) excellent health. It does seem to take many decades of living to figure out how to operate one’s body.

    Thanks for everything that you do. I appreciate all the help that I can get.

    Reply

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