Let's Talk Gluten

Oh my goodness you guys, it has been a LONG time between blog posts! I apologise!


I have been hard at work creating my online program, The Healthy Hormone Method! While it has been fantastic, and the women going through the program currently are loving it and smashing their goals, it has also been time consuming.


Truth be told, I am not a writer. I never have been. Give me a book and I will dive into it, but ask me to write something and I will put it off. 


All of my writing capacity has been dedicated to The Healthy Hormone Method -- but I have finished writing all 60 lessons and filming nearly 15 hours of content!! Which means I am back to writing blogs...whoo hoo!  


I thought we would get reacquainted by talking about gluten.


If you have ever heard me speak or worked with me, you know that I bang on about ditching gluten. It is something that I am a big advocate of eliminating...and not just for me, but for you as well! 


Ditching the gluten can help your bowel motions, your gut health, your energy, your mental clarity, your hormones, autoimmune conditions...and even your mood!! Say what?!


Yep, if you are dealing with depression or anxiety, they are, in part, inflammatory conditions. Guess what? Gluten is inflammatory, so it could be contributing to or exacerbating those conditions!

I worked with a woman a few years ago who had chronic depression. We are talking 20 years! She saw doctors, counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. 

She couldn't afford any supplementation, so I told her to remove gluten for 2 weeks and see how she felt. 13 days in, she called me crying, saying that this was the best she had felt in 20 years! We still keep in touch and she has remained gluten and depression free! Tell me that's not life changing! 

Now, you may be thinking, how is that possible? How can gluten impact so many different things? Well, let me explain what it is and what it does. 

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.


It is a two-part sticky protein that contains gliadin and glutenin. 


Now, I have heard so many people say that their parents and grandparents ate gluten and had no issue with it. That may be totally true because the gluten they were eating then is not the same gluten you are eating today! 


Today’s gluten has been hybridized, which allows it to grow faster and become bug and drought resistant. 


Not only that, there are proteins in today’s wheat that weren't in the wheat ÿour parents and grandparents ate. While they only make up about 5%, these proteins are thought to be the cause of the increase in inflammation associated with gluten and also gluten intolerance. 


Another issue with today’s gluten is that is has been deaminated, which allows it to be water soluble. The problem with this is that deamination has been shown to trigger an immune response in many people. Not good if you have a hormone or autoimmune issue going on! 


Something else to consider is that we are eating far more gluten than ever before. I highly doubt your parents and grandparents were having cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner! Oh, and we can't forget the muffins and other baked goods for snacks...Just sayin'!


Alright, let’s talk about what gluten does to the body when you consume it.


Whenever the toast you had for breakfast hits your intestines, transglutaminase breaks the gluten down into gliadin and glutenin. 


Now, as things pass through your digestive tract, the immune system in your gut, known as GALT - the gut associated lymphoid tissue - checks to see if anything is harmful. 


If you have a gluten intolerance or Coeliac disease , then your GALT system will see gliadin as harmful and release antibodies to attack it. 


In Coeliacs, the antibodies also attack the transglutaminase. This is not good because one of translutaminase’s jobs is to hold the micro villi in your gut together. You know, the finger-like projections in your small intestines that absorb your nutrients? Yeah, those things. If they are attacked by these antibodies, then they can break down and get destroyed! Not good, right?!


It decreases nutrient absorption and can lead to a leaky gut -- which is the root of every single autoimmune condition!


But guess what? It’s not just Coeliacs that can have this issue. 


If you have a gluten intolerance, the gluten can cause the gut cells to release zonulin. This is a protein that breaks the tight junctions in your gut apart! Yikes! When this happens, leaky gut is a given.  


Leaky gut is definitely not something you want as it allows toxins, microbes, undigested food and other things to pass into the bloodstream -- and they aren’t meant to be there!


On top of that, the gliadin attacking antibodies also pass into the bloodstream, giving them access to other body systems and organs that they can then attack! Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me!


It is why gluten intolerance is associated with autoimmune conditions. I have no doubt  my many years of bread and pasta eating contributed to the development of my Hashimoto's thyroiditis.


Given what gluten does to the body, I sincerely believe everyone can do better without it.




1 Comment

  1. Sasha Andersson  02/25/2021 02:43 AM Central
    This is such a great article! Clear cut and to the point. I'll be looking for it on your IG so I can share it everywhere!!!

    And dw, HHM is messing with my ability to blog too 😂❤

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MEET JEN

 
Hello! Thank you popping by! I’m Jen. I'm a wife, a furmama to two gorgeous dogs, a Naturopath, Nutritionist, and an advocate for natural ways to support physical and emotional wellbeing. Oh, and I’m a CEO! 

My journey originally started in Psychology. You see, when I was 16 my father took his own life after suffering years of a debilitating gambling addiction. I did a Bachelor’s in Psych as I wanted to understand why he made the choices that he did. I also wanted to ensure that I never went down that path and also help those suffering as he did. I loved it so much I went on to do a Masters.

It was during that time I got sick. I’m talking woke up one morning and couldn’t get out of bed, sick. For many years I felt helpless and frustrated!

Let me back up for a second. Prior to this life consisted of pain and fatigue. I had digestive issues and IBS from childhood. Through my teens and early 20's I was getting 2-3 migraines a month around my cycle and headaches more than half the month. My periods we very painful – I had to miss work or school the first 1-2 days. I would literally lie on the floor or the bed curled in the foetal position and cry from the pain. I could easily talk a full packet of Ibuprofen and still not get much relief.

Then, at 26, my period stopped altogether and things went downhill fast! For the first time in my life I was feeling apathetic and overwhelmed. Over the course of the next two years I was diagnosed with a host of conditions – are you ready for the laundry list? The first diagnosis was PCOS. I was told that I was infertile, that I would never have children, and that IVF wasn’t an option for me. I was also told that I was pre-diabetic, that my liver was worse than an alcoholic’s (and I don’t drink), that I had migraine disorder, vertigo, and adrenal fatigue. The cherry on the cake was a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s at 28.

I was in complete and utter shock. I couldn’t fathom that a 28-year-old Personal Trainer, who looked fit and healthy on the outside, could be in such disarray on the inside.  

Over the two years I saw five doctors and a Naturopath and nothing improved.

And then one day a friend and I got in touch. She told me to change my diet and take specific supplements. I figured I had nothing to lose, and so I did! I went onto a low-carb diet and was taking upward of 30-40 pills a day…and guess what?! Three months later my period started!! How incredible is that?!

Over the next two years all of my health ailments rectified! Well, all except my Hashi’s – more on that in a minute. My cycles became clockwork, they were manageable, the migraines and vertigo disappeared and my liver and blood sugar levels returned to the normal range! How exciting is that?! The best part, I can now have children should I choose! Having that option is incredible!

Of course I was so excited and inspired that I had to go to school and study Nutritional Medicine and Naturopathy.

Now, let’s talk about my Hashi’s. That only went into remission when my toxic load was decreased. That was a lightbulb moment for me and the moment I got fired up to share with others the importance of leading a low-tox life. I love educating people where toxins are found, what impact they have on physical and emotional wellbeing, and what products to replace them with to support your wellbeing. 

I sincerely believe that many of my health issues would not have presented if I were living a low-tox life. My Hashi’s has been in remission since I was 31 and I am so proud to say that! Praise God!

Life is so different to what it was 10 years ago. I have the energy and the mental capacity to engage in life! I am present and am thriving. Oh, and I laugh! I actually laugh out loud, something that eluded me for many years.

I am happy and healthy and it is my mission to help YOU be the happy, healthy person you are meant to be!
I would love for you to join our exclusive community and learn how you too can find freedom from physical and emotional barriers. I look forward to seeing you there!
 

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