Posted on August 02, 2017 by Jenny Cromack

Louis here again, here to talk some more nutritional nonsense and macro magic.

Today I’d like to talk about gluten and my experience with it over the last few years. As some of you may know I suffer from a severe gluten intolerance and have lived gluten free (GF) for over 2 years now which has been tough but also made a huge difference to my health, training and general wellbeing.

How Did I Know I had An Allergy To Gluten?

Unfortunately I had been suffering for a while with various symptoms which unfortunately had just become the norm for me. Things like irritable skin, poor sleep, severe bloating and weight fluctuating up to 4-5kgs throughout the day. Thankfully I had been to the GP and a doctor had been able to link all these symptoms to a potential allergy and suggested trying going gluten free, as I would have to wait for a couple weeks for an official coeliac diagnosis.

As I began to reduce my exposure to gluten my health and lifestyle improved within the week and therefore from that day my diet has been gluten free and all my symptoms have gone, reduced or become a lot less frequent. However due to me eliminating gluten from my diet before any blood tests, I do not know if I have the official diagnosis of Coeliac as I would have to start eating gluten in order for my body to show the correct antibodies.

What Changes Did I Have To Make?

Going from a sports performance diet of primarily high carbohydrate foods such as pasta and bread to a more balanced approach was pretty tough initially however after feeling the benefits it was well worth it. Otherwise changes were religiously reading labels to check ingredients, becoming familiar with more gluten free restaurants and also awareness in cross contamination.

What Do I Miss The Most?

The easiest answer is simplicity and affordability of a non-gluten free diet, but other simple things like certain condiments and foods which people just assume to be gluten free, which can obviously make social events slightly awkward

Should Everyone Be Gluten Free?

No not necessarily. I would never condone avoidance of a food group without suspicion of a food allergy or intolerance. While gluten isn’t great for the gut, the actual danger is in the dose so just be careful not to hammer it like there’s no tomorrow if you don’t suffer any symptoms. If you do have any concerns then you need to seek the advice of your GP or dietician.

Is Gluten Free Food Healthier?

Whole foods are obviously great for you and, often, naturally gluten free, however just because it is labelled gluten free doesn’t mean it is any better or worse for you in the long run. A gluten free food has just been labelled to not have an allergen present which can also be done for most healthy and less healthy foods, so just be wary of that. For example you can get gluten free pizza….this doesn’t mean it is healthy!

If you have any questions with regards to gluten, please just grab me in the gym or email me and I’ll be sure to try point you in the right direction.