Gluten Freedom

The sound of rain pouring down woke me up, kindly introducing me to a new day. Another day full of opportunities and time to pour our hearts out.
I wanna come back to the subject of going gluten free, which is neither quick nor easy - but many of you that try it, tend to feel allot better. And that alone makes it worth it. This is not just cutting gluten out of your diet, but embracing a whole new lifestyle. For example, where to grocery shop, what to order at a restaurant, or even facing social events and dealing with the emotional challenges specific to living a public gluten free lifestyle can all be new experiences to face. Gluten freedom gives you the opportunity to discover more about nutrition, to be a part of a growing community of fellow GF`s and to be in full control of the diet that your body needs.


Dear friends, eating is NOT suppose to hurt. It`s not OK to live in fear of how the next meal will make you feel. Food is supposed to give us energy and make us feel good.


Humans have one stomach, and that is the only chance food has to be digested. Wheat = hard to digest. Cows have four stomachs, four times to digest, and they thrive on eating wheat.
A little lesson for today: Our small intestines has walls of cells that material cannot pass through. When important vitamins and minerals are present, a protein called zonulin "tells" the passageways in the intestine wall to open up so those nutrients can pass into the bloodstream. This protein is produced when we eat wheat which produces too much zonulin and makes the gate open too wide. Now all sorts of stuff and in various amounts can get in the bloodstream, including toxins. This is called a "leaky gut".

"Allergic, sensitive or do I have celiac disease? - There is no such thing as being allergic to gluten, but you can be allergic to foods that contain gluten, wheat for example. As with any allergy, the affects are different from person to person (sneezing, nasal congestion etc).
Gluten sensitivity/intolerance is the in between diagnosis - basically your body is not reacting well to gluten. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where the immune system responds to gluten by attacking the molecule and in doing this, also attacks our body cells. 

"In Europe the average time between discovering symptoms and diagnosing celiac disease is six months. In America, it takes an average of 11 years (!!!!) after symptoms develop." - Excerpt from the book "Gluten free for dummies".

Why is this extremely common disease so miss-diagnosed? Other than the symptoms being numerous, can it be the fact that there are no drugs for it or maybe it`s because of the cost of proper testing? (On the subject of testing: a routine blood test will not pick it up. A proper testing includes looking at the levels of iron, potassium, bicarbonate and protein levels. Stool and urine tests are common. Furthermore, a endoscopy/biopsy read by a knowledgeable doctor will give you true results). Fact is that undiagnosed - it can severely compromise our health.

Gluten free does not necessarily mean healthy - what kind of foods you choose will determine that. For instance, going on a GF diet by replacing all the products you usually ate with a GF substitute is a start, but processed food is still bad for you, gluten free or not. As with any weight loss diet, snacking on gluten free brownies will not help you shed pounds  =)

Food has become an obsession that holds many people back from becoming everything they were born to be. Unhealthy cravings, compulsive eating, or an unrelenting appetite can all lead to crippling self image issues. In fact the thought of eating can turn into something extremely stressful in itself.

I believe that there is full freedom to be had in this whole area! The kind of freedom where food is "just" fuel, but it`s also enjoyable. The kind of freedom where you are healthy, thriving and pouring out your heart - whatever that looks like.

-Kathrine-