Give gluten free a try for your health

Originally written July 2013

I’ve been hypo/Hashi for nearly my entire life.  I was on Levothyroxine for over 10 yrs.  In early 2012 I had a food allergy panel done.  I was allergic to dairy (cow casein) and egg whites, but no reaction to gluten.  I immediately eliminated the eggs & dairy and started noticing I was feeling better but could tell something was still holding me back.   After a lot of research and learning there is a gluten/Hashi connection, I told my ND I was thinking of eliminating gluten.  She encouraged me to do an elimination/provocation and the results were amazing to me.  She suggested all kinds of other foods, but by golly I wasn’t willing to give up all those other things too.

So, I stayed dairy & egg free and removed gluten for about 2 weeks.  On a Friday (knowing I could just lay low on Saturday if needed), I had pancakes for breakfast, sandwich & cookie for lunch, and lasagna with bread for dinner.  The next morning I thought I’d been run over by a train!  My entire body hurt and I felt like crap.

Since then I’ve started listening to my body and now I can actually hear it.  Reactions to foods our bodies think are toxic can be anything from a mild tummy-ache to a full blown rage-fueled fit.  I have been happily gluten free for a year and a half now and have a very clean diet.  My symptoms are nearly gone and if I cheat (not gluten but something else, like grains or legumes) I will ALWAYS reap the consequences.  Sometimes they’re worth it, but for the most part they’re not.

I’d highly recommend an elimination/provocation for anyone (Hashi or not) to help them learn to listen to their own body and figure out which foods agree and don’t agree with them.  After all, everybody is an individual body and therefore no two of us will have the same intolerances with the exact same reactions.  This process has helped me reduce my thyroid medication and I’m hoping I’ll continue to do so until I can completely wean from my Nature Throid (which I love so much more than the Levothyroxine).

I guess my philosophy in life is “what’s the worst that could happen?”.  Generally that answer is benign and it helps me give something a try.  To me, the worst that would happen for someone trying no gluten for a few weeks is a little annoyance at trying to stick to a diet without any benefits.  If that’s you, then no big deal… you’re out a couple weeks.  But, if it’s not, you will be on the road to a healthier, happier life.  I wish you the best!!