On my drive home this evening from visiting a dear friend, I heard something that really upset me. And made me mad. I really dont care if I offend people quite honestly. Apparently Charlize Theron made the remark that the gluten free thing is bull[crap] (except she used a different noun than crap). Here are my thoughts..... I do believe that elimination of certain foods and food groups are not the answer for a lot of people. I do believe a balanced diet consists of all the food groups- which include whole grains. I dont necessarily believe that things like Paleo, Atkins, etc. are bad things because it may work for one person and not another- because everyones body is different. Due to my autoimmune disorder, I am not a normal case. This is what I DO know: last August I had my thyroid antibodies tested. For my autoimmune disorder to be considered active the level must be above 9. My number WAS 9. At this point I had started to put on weight that made no sense at all. I was working out (teaching classes and training for races), eating healthy, and doing everything right. I gained over 25 pounds in a matter of months. We changed my meds and I attempted to continue to live my healthy lifestyle. NOTHING. In November I made the decision to go gluten free under the consultation of my doctor. For a person with an autoimmune disorder, gluten is one of the primary causes of inflammation. We dont exactly know why, but one of the theories of autoimmune disorders is they originate from leaky gut, which in itself is highly discussed in both traditional and alternative medicine circles these days. Interestingly, gluten is similar in structure to the thyroid, which has led to debate regarding if people with the autoimmune disorder which I have (Hashimotos) are sensitive to gluten due to the similar structure because our bodies attack our thyroid. Regardless of the etiology or debate, the following is what I know: I went from running a sub-2:10 and even a couple sub-2 hour half marathons to struggling to pull out a 2:30 half. I went from a marathon goal of 4:30 to struggling through to a 5:38 marathon on New Years Day due to unexplainable pain. I am still struggling to lose the weight- with no reason whatever to be struggling. I feel tired. Sometimes I feel depressed and down. My body is how I make a living right now. I am constantly in motion. And it scares the heck out of me to know that my body could perhaps shut down. That one autoimmune disorder could lead to another. Gluten free definitely isnt the full answer to the treatment of my autoimmune disorder (thats still a puzzle we are attempting to figure out), but I do believe it has helped me to keep going when I could give up, eat crap, and stop working out. Its not everyones answer, but it has been a piece of a big puzzle for mine. And I dont need a celebrity attacking my lifestyle. Heck, sometimes Id just like a breadstick from Olive Garden or a cupcake. ;)
Posted on: Tue, 27 May 2014 23:59:54 +0000
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