Living your entire life without ever being exposed to gluten would be miraculous! Especially if you eat at restaurants, they don’t have the same level of accountability as packaged foods.
I have seen many menus that say gluten-free and then when you order it they ask you if it’s an allergy because, well, it contains a bit of gluten.
Food allergies are not a hot topic in food safety courses. If you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity and you completely avoid gluten and cross-contamination, you may notice within hours of eating at a restaurant or at someone else’s house that you are not feeling great. Here are some things you can do:
Digestive Enzymes
I keep an enzyme in my pocket when I go out to eat as a preventative measure for gluten and dairy exposure. Dipeptidyl peptidase IV(IVDPP) is a protease which aids in the breakdown of the peptides gluteomorphin (from gluten) and casomorphin (from casein). This is not at all a cure for celiac. This is a layer of security for people with food sensitivities when eating food prepared by someone else.
Herbal Tea
There are many different teas you can turn to if you are feeling crummy from a restaurant experience and that will depend on what you are feeling. Ginger, turmeric and peppermint are great for helping digestion and also managing pain.
Chamomile tea can help with an irritated stomach.
Marshmallow root, plantain leaf, mullein leaf and slippery elm bark are mucilaginous and can help temporarily create a barrier in the intestines to stop more proteins from entering the bloodstream.
Epsom Salt Bath
Pour a hot bath with 2 cups of unscented magnesium sulphate to soothe sore muscles and joints and help detoxify.
Focus on motility
The only thing that makes you feel worse after eating something that causes a reaction, is constipation. When your bowel movements aren’t regular, your body works so hard on detoxifying and the toxins end up being reabsorbed into the bloodstream through the large intestine. This is autointoxication. Drink lots of water, move your body, and take some magnesium citrate if you need extra help.
Download the “Find me Gluten-Free” app!
This app is a game changer. When you register your account, you state your reason for eating gluten-free, whether it is celiac, Hashimoto’s, sensitivity, preference, etc. People leave reviews on their gluten-free experience at restaurants which can help you weed out the ones that are not being careful.
It will give you a list of all the restaurants in your vicinity and arrange them in order of the highest ratings. People will leave reviews either saying something like, “I am celiac and I have eaten here 100 times and never had an issue”. Many others say “I left here feeling very sick.”
I have dodged a lot of bullets thanks to the reviews and also found places I would have never considered!
To Summarize the Gluten Series
While it is important to go beyond removing foods that cause reactions, it’s also important to make sure your body gets a break from allergens while you are working on a restorative protocol. The end goal is healing the gut so that one day these foods may be reintroduced.
Other forms of allergy testing are more of a band-aid solution. If you are not healing your gut, you may find that your list of food sensitivities continues to grow. At that point, you may start to develop sensitivity to soy, eggs, sulphites, corn, and so on.
Are you dealing with unmanaged autoimmunity? HELD is my 12-week one-on-one supported journey that includes testing, a custom protocol, and ongoing support. It is packed with educational content and recipes. Learn how to get on top of our food systems and take back your power.
Testing for Celiac https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/professionals/clinical-tools-patient-management/digestive-diseases/celiac-disease-health-care-professionals
Gut-Immune Connection https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3337124/
Gut Health and Autoimmunity https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6854958/
The Role of Bacteria in Building the gut barrier https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6089582/
