Gluten-Associated Cross-Reactive Foods
During my healing journey, I have discovered my body has developed non-celiac gluten sensitivity. When I eat gluten, I become very ill with joint pain, headache, stomach ache, constipation, extreme eye and sinus pain and numerous other symptoms. When I was diagnosed, I began to live a gluten free lifestyle which included gluten free grains. I started to feel better, but I still was having symptoms. I decided to go totally grain free and started to feel better but still not 100 percent better. I am still having gut irritation, inflammation, joint pain and other symptoms. I still feel like something I am eating is causing these symptoms.
Some people with gluten sensitivity who do not eat any gluten are still getting symptoms while consuming gluten free foods. Science is revealing that some foods have similar proteins to gluten, so when you eat those similar protein foods your body thinks your eating gluten. Cyrex labs has a blood test to test for gluten-associated cross-reactive foods. This test confirmed for me that indeed when I was eating foods like dairy, rice, oats, quinoa, tapioca, soy, and other foods my body thought I was still eating gluten and that was causing my symptoms.
On my healing journey, there always seems to be hurdles to jump over. I thought I was coming to the end of my hurdles when a surprise came when reading these test results. I had been telling my doctors that there is still a missing puzzle piece because I still do not feel well. I an still having joint pain, lethargy and other symptoms after learning about all the food sensitivities I have developed through the MRT blood test and removing those foods from my diet. I did see a lot of improvement but still not 100 percent feeling of health and wellness. As I was reading the cross-reactive blood test results, a positive for eggs jumped out on the page. I eat a lot of eggs daily for breakfast and also in baked goods. My heart started to beat fast and tears started streaming down my face. Thoughts started rushing into my head. Is the eggs why I am still not feeling well? Are the eggs causing my body to think I am still eating gluten? How can I give up eggs because they are so much a part of my diet? Why is God giving me another suffering? Haven't I suffered enough?
I do believe God gives people suffering as a teaching opportunity to move you in a place he needs you to be for your own good, growth and opportunity. So I will pick up my cross to bare and do what needs to be done. I will give up eggs to see how my body reacts. Will the remaining symptoms go away? Will my body be able to handle no more eggs forever, or will I be able to have an egg now and then with no symptoms? It is all a mystery right now, but the hard work of giving up eggs must be done. I have to get into the kitchen and reinvent my diet where I have to omit the eggs.
As you go through your healing journey, you will find times you really have to get in the kitchen and educate yourself on how and what to cook. This can be very overwhelming, so my suggestion is to focus on one recipe at a time. I went to the library and took out some recipe books and started to make 1 recipe at a time. I started collecting recipe books, so now I have many many years of recipes to try at my finger tips. Everyone has collections, so I collect cook books. Now I am also trying to create my own recipes to meet my dietary needs and share with all of you on my blog.
Learning how to cook and make new foods can be challenging but it is very rewarding. Think of working in the kitchen as a challenge because what you create can be very rewarding. We can heal our bodies through what we cook and eat. This is so powerful! I love to go to the farmers market and get fresh organic whole food ingredients and come home and create a delicious meal. Food has such healing powers for the body and it also brings people and communities together. Just remember when you get overwhelmed to focus on one recipe at a time and focus on each cooking success as a pathway to healing. Saint John Paul II said, "Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you".
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