When you have gluten intolerance, there’s not anything that is stopping you from eating gluten. You’re worried about digestive issues, not causing long-term harm to your body as a person with Celiac would. This made it tempting for me to try gluten in a way that went against my dietician’s advice. So, this blog post is a how not to reintroduce gluten into your diet.
Disclaimer: Please note that every person’s journey with gluten intolerance is different. What happened to me may not be the right choice for everyone. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet.
Advice for Re-introducing Gluten
While working with my dietitian, I asked her how I could re-introduce gluten into my diet. She reminded me that doing so might trigger my symptoms, so I should choose a day when the symptoms could inconvenience me. In other words, pick a day you don’t have to go far from a private bathroom. Then, she explained the importance of starting with an organic flour item due to concerns about glyphosate in non-organic wheat flour. She also mentioned that sourdough is easier to digest for some people, has beneficial bacteria, and is generally low glycemic. Lastly, she suggested starting with a small serving.
This was my intention to do. I already knew the bakery where I could buy an amazing sourdough loaf, and I had a plan to make either an egg sandwich or avocado toast—both things I’d missed having since becoming gluten-free. While some places in my area make good gluten-free versions of these dishes, they don’t compare with the real thing. However, this is not what happened. Instead, something landed in my fridge that I couldn’t resist.
How I Actually Re-introduced Gluten
A neighbor bought his wife my favorite store-bought cake: the Berry Chantilly Cake from Whole Foods. The exact cake I had at the dinner when I celebrated passing my dissertation. The berries are fresh and not overly sweetened; the cake is a feather-light white cake with mascarpone Chantilly cream and almond extract. It’s just amazing. It has to be refrigerated, and my neighbor didn’t have room in his fridge for the cake, so he asked if he could store it in ours. He came and got it later in the day, but at 8 pm, he brought over a large slice as a thank-you for letting him use the fridge. You know where this is going, right?
I made it all the way until the next morning when I decided just to eat the berries and cream off of it. Yes, knowing that the cake crumbs would be stuck to them. I avoided much of the cake and took a digestive aid. It tasted just as good as I remembered. Then I worked from home the rest of the day.
Within thirty minutes, I started getting that overly-full feeling even though I hadn’t eaten much food. I took one gas-x. Then I started to feel pain and bloating. I took another gas-x. I grabbed a hot pad and put it on my tummy as I worked from home. That didn’t help, and I couldn’t take any more gas-x as I was at the maximum amount. I laid down for ten minutes with the hot pad. That didn’t help, but my workday was over. I changed my clothes so I didn’t have to zip up my pants and got the kids from school. I was generally miserable while parenting the rest of the evening until things finally resolved in the bathroom. Humbled and grumpy, it still took another couple of days until my digestion was back to normal.
Key Points
- Always consult your healthcare provider before reintroducing gluten.
- My dietician suggested organic sourdough is often easier to digest and may be a good choice when reintroducing gluten.
- When reintroducing gluten, it’s important to start small and choose a day when you can manage any potential symptoms.
Reactions and Next Steps
What did you think when you read about my experience with reintroducing gluten? Did anyone else fail to heed similar advice and pay for it with digestive consequences?
By sharing my learning experiences, I hope I’ve sparked something positive in you. Maybe you felt like, “I’m glad I’ve never dealt with that,” or “I’ve had this same issue,” or “my experience is way worse.” Whatever your experience is, if you feel comfortable sharing it, please do so in the comments. Let’s keep this space one of empathy, respect, and support. We’re all learning from each other here, and your story could help someone else in their journey.
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Additional Information
Disclaimers: At the time of writing this post, no financial compensation was derived from any of the sources, products, or people mentioned in this post. For more information about the financials of this blog, please go here.
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hi