I am the Queen of stomach aches. It's rare that a day goes by where I don't get some sort of discomfort which can range from bloating to full on I-can't-stand-straight-up stomach pain. I've never been able to narrow it down to what causes it but I do know that I can NOT eat sour dough pretzels. I figured this out through marathon training as pretzels were my carb load food of choice the day before a race. That and twizzlers. :-) Anyway, within minutes of eating pretzels I'm in such pain I walk around hunched over and usually end up in the fetal position moaning. Andy and I did a little experimenting and while all pretzels bother me, sour dough are definitely the worst. So sad, they were my favorite.
After doing some reading about food allergies and knowing some friends who are gluten free, I saw a connection between some of the symptoms of gluten intolerance/allergies and what I was experiencing. On top of the stomach aches/bloating, I also have extremely dry, itchy skin that no lotion can help and some days it's all I can do to not scratch my skin right off. And every now and then I get waves of nausea out of no where after eating and on most days I'm dog tired. Now the tiredness could be training but even on light workout days, I'm still pretty exhausted. There are tons of sites out there citing different symptoms but here is a general list of symptoms of a wheat/gluten allergy:
• Abdominal pain & cramps (check)
• bloating (check)
• headaches
• foul smelling stools (hmmm, TMI??)
• vomiting
• osteoporosis
• diarrhea (probably more often than the normal pooping person)
• allergic rhinitis
• anemia
• muscle cramps (hell yea!)
• eczema (check)
• swelling around the mouth
• tingling in the feet and legs
• irritability (what? not me!)
• depression (check)
• hives (check)
So, I figured, what do I have to lose (besides not being able to eat bulgar which is by far my favorite grain)? I'm going to try a little gluten free experiment and see how things go. I'm not doing this for training purposes or anything thing like that because honestly I don't understand the connection between gluten free and performance. I'm simply doing it to see if the stomach aches subside and if there's any change in how I feel overall. I'm going to attempt no gluten all this week with the exception of Saturday since we're going to a beer festival. Come on, it's not a life or death situation. I can deal with the beer induced stomach ache for the sake of having fun!
I'll update mid week on how I'm feeling and post an example of what the food intake in a gluten free day looks like. I really hope this solves the stomach ache mystery and if it does, I'm going to be crushed I can't eat twizzlers anymore the day before a race.
9 comments:
Good luck - I hope this gets you some answers one way or another.
I would be really interested to know what you are eating in replace of your gluten staples!
Foul-smelling stool? bahaha, mine smells like roses!
I've had a few friends experimenting with gluten free eating recently, to varying results. Hope you get some answers!
I hope it works for you!
The gluten-free selection in the stores around me seem to be exploding - waaay more options than even last year.
I know a few people with this allergy - hope you can figure it out! Stomach aches are the WORST. I used to get them consistently then triggered Go Lean Crunch with them (soy and/or fiber)... now I rarely get them Good luck!
Hope it helps! Dad Wonder has issues - not that extreme. So interested to see how it goes.
Try doing a plant-based diet for 3 weeks. Without worrying about gluten. I bet it makes an even more profound difference. Dr. Neal Barnard has a good new book out specifically for a 3-week kick start.
i kind of cut gluten out without realizing it on the new way I'm eating because i'm not doing grains or processed foods. I had been wondering the same thing as you, but i think at this point i am pretty sure I don't have a gluten issue...which means it is probably something else I am eating...boo
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wow this is really interesting. It will be good to see what you find out.
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