My Gluten Journey

About 12 years ago in my early 20’s, I was living in Chicago. My curiosity was just starting to lead me to my journey into the healing world (pre-chinese medicine life). I was searching for help, feeling unwell, struggling with digestive issues and overall energy. I would literally pass out minutes after eating a sandwich for 6 plus hours! I suffered from heart palpitations, brain fog, puffiness, trouble losing weight and bloating, among many other uncomfortable symptoms.

During that time, a friend referred me to an acupuncturist, M.D who specializes in food and environmental allergies. I decided to give her a try. After a very detailed first visit going over my health history, she decided to give me a computerized food and environmental assessment test. In this test, a computerized machine tests the way our bodies react to foods, chemicals, additives, toxic metals, environmental substances and more by measuring the electrical response at acupuncture points. Apparently, this machine is very common in Europe and has been studied to be 99% effective, but due to laws in the U.S it is not very well known and they aren’t legally allowed to call it a test.

The day of the test I nervously held onto a little wand that was attached to a computer while this machine printed out pages of data on how my body was reacting to a wide array of foods and various other substances. The results were shocking! It showed I was 100% sensitive to gluten, casein (a protein in cow dairy), cane sugar and goose feathers! During those years, whole wheat was a staple in my diet; I thought it was the “healthy” bread to choose. And keep in mind this was way before gluten was a regular part of the food vocabulary. The word gluten felt alien at that time.

I was instructed to completely cut out gluten, dairy and cane sugar from my diet and report back in a few months. I listened to my new dietary orders and as overwhelming as it was at the time, it was one of the best things I could have done for my health, a real life changer! Within a few months I lost 10-15lbs (de-puffed!), had more energy and a clear mind, the heart palpitations stopped and I was feeling the best I had in years

Fast-forward 11 years of being gluten and casein free, now living in Brooklyn:  A new bakery opened up called Nine Chains, a few blocks away from my apartment, specializing in sourdough bread. A wonderful friend had already been telling me about the amazing health benefits of sourdough bread. I was skeptical but hopeful. When he sent me an article that discussed in-depth the benefits of eating traditional sourdough and how, in the writer’s experience, gluten sensitive folks were able to eat it with no health reactions, I was blown away: at that time, I had never considered eating a “real” bread again. After some more research and coercion from my friends, I decided to try it! After 11 years and healing my gut and my health, how bad could it be? Soon after, I found myself at a dinner party with a beautiful loaf of sourdough staring me in the face. I nervously sliced a piece and took a small bite–and then a second! It was delicious. And I had absolutely no reactions that night or anytime after. Since then, I have been able to add sourdough into my diet and it’s been a real life changer. I still eat gluten-free bread as well, but nothing beats real good sourdough.

To learn more about Sourdough, read my post MIRACULOUS SOURDOUGH: ITS BENEFITS, FASCINATING ORIGINS, AND THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

Medical Disclaimer: If you are celiac or gluten sensitive and are considering adding sourdough into your diet, please do so only under the guidance of your doctor or physician. Everybody is different and has different levels of gluten sensitivity. This blog post is from my own personal experience and research and for informational purposes only. Thank You!