You know you need to act when you break wind and your dog looks at you in disgust before leaving the room. This was exactly my situation in 2013. The socially unacceptable emissions were a problem, but the almost constant pain and bloated feeling were the primary reasons to act.
Until 2013 I had no issues with food intolerance at all, quite the opposite. I ate whatever I wanted and suffered no ill effects. I will to cover three questions that I think are key for anyone else who might be suffering;
How did I find out / diagnose I was gluten intolerant?
How did I become gluten intolerant?
How did I become gluten tolerant again?
I have tried to keep this post away from toilet habits, but inevitably, given the subject matter, it comes up. If I offend your sensibilities in any way, then I am sorry.
How did I find out / diagnose I was gluten intolerant?
Apart from the pain, bloating and “wind”, I was generally in good health. I noticed a steady drop in energy levels and my stools were very different to normal (loose, etc. The classic symptoms of a leaky gut). I visited the doctor’s surgery a couple of times. I spoke to two different doctors, neither of which gave me any confidence or real clues as to what the cause was. On my third visit, the third doctor suggested that I might have a food allergy and that omitting certain foods from my diet might identify the issue.
Fortunately for me, I am not squeamish or shy about digestive issues, so I had spoken to several friends and family members about what was going on (occasionally my bowels made it all too obvious). Fortuitously (for me), one of my friends had suffered a similar issue i.e. food allergies. He put me in touch with a qualified nutritionist (note – not a dietician) and I arranged to get tested. I remember thinking it was quite expensive (£120). However, it turned out to be the best purchase ever.
The test was quick and simple, just a very small amount of blood is taken. Like the pinprick test when you donate blood, or you’re tested for Iron deficiency. Within a week the results came back in a traffic light form. I discussed the results with my nutritionist. The good news was the report had lots of green on it, showing I was tolerant of most foods. The bad news was I had a strong intolerance to gluten and mild intolerances to; eggs (both whites and yolks), coffee and cow’s milk (not lactose though). The nutritionist explained that she could create a plan that would enable me to become tolerant of eggs, coffee and cow’s milk but I was going to have to give up on having any gluten in the future. She said she had never been successful reintroducing gluten before. To me, this was simply not acceptable. Not because I was desperate to eat gluten, but because I was fine the previous year and now, I had an intolerance, surely it could be fixed? I started to do some research…
How did I become gluten intolerant?
The science is well studied and broadly agreed for Coeliac disease. However, for gluten intolerance or sensitivity there is plenty of disagreement amongst scientists about if it even exists. There is a healthy proportion of evidence both ways. I happen to be a chemist and could put you to sleep at this point explaining the intricacies of Coeliac disease. Instead, let’s go with an analogy (or model).
Imagine the gut as a border wall [say between Mexico (the gut) and the USA (the bloodstream)]. At a normal functioning border, only legal immigrants [of various types] are allowed through. However, due to various factors, the border wall has been damaged in several places and now illegal immigrants are sneaking through. Those sneaking through may damage the wall further to let some more illegal immigrants in. This is a very basic analogy for Coeliac disease. The leaky boarder causes all the symptoms of the disease and in serious cases even death. The two main factors causing Coeliac disease are thought to be 1) Genetics and 2) Gut environment.
I have very recently found out that I have an increased risk of Coeliac disease due to a variant of the HLA-DQA1 gene. Check out 23&Me for more details on this. So, I have a genetic predisposition to Coeliac disease. Looking back there were also some “environmental” issues. I had not long recovered from Clostridium difficile (C. diff) a nasty stomach infection. Also, work was particularly stressful at the time. Even though the C. diff was long gone I was still suffering from gluten intolerance “issues”.
My opinion is that the genetic “weakness” combined with the recent stomach infection and stress were the causes of my intolerance to gluten.
How did I become gluten tolerant again?
Time for the disclaimers. I am not a medical professional or qualified nutritionist. Before taking any action, you should consult a qualified healthcare professional. However, over the last couple of years, 5 other people who were suffering similarly have all got back to eating gluten. Each one discussed it with their doctor before attempting any of the steps below.
The whole process took me 12 months to complete and it helps to keep a diary. Here it is;
Abstain from consuming all gluten, eggs, cow’s milk and coffee for a minimum of 3 months or until symptoms stop.
Add back egg whites to diet. No more than 1 or 2 every other day. Minimum 4 weeks. Only move on if no symptoms
Add back egg yolks. No more than 4 eggs per week. Minimum 4 weeks. Only move on if no symptoms.
Add back black coffee. 1 cup in the morning at first. Minimum 4 weeks. Only move on if no symptoms.
Add back cow’s milk. No more than 25 mls per day. Minimum 4 weeks. Only move on if no symptoms.
These five steps were all created by my nutritionist. It took about four weeks for my symptoms to subside in step 1. I cannot tell you how happy it made me, my family and the dog. From there the whole process worked perfectly. I was back on four out of five of the foodstuffs – I was even happier!
Against the advice of my nutritionist, I decided to try gluten again; but I did prepare my gut based on my research. By this stage, I had been consuming all four of the five foods for three months and taking one high potency probiotic capsule [Lactobacillus Acidophilus – 6 billion CFU per capsule. You can find it most health food shops and online here] per day with breakfast. BINGO! No symptoms came back and four years on I have had no symptoms and continue to eat all the gluten I want.
I am reminded of a quote I heard recently, “A healthy person wants many things, a sick person wants only one.” Please share with anyone else who might be suffering. If you need any further information or help, then please get in touch…
Be happy, healthy and helpful
Paul
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Hi Paul! This is an interesting and inspiring article, however, the question that arises is whether Lactobacillus Acidophilus really played a part in you becoming gluten tolerant again. What made you choose this bacteria over others? Thanks for a well-written article!