Pasta, pizza, deli sandwiches. It’s not normal to feel stuffed and sleepy after eating these?
For the longest time I thought imbibing a caffeinated beverage of sorts was the simplest defense against pesky afternoon lethargy. I’d heard people refer to “food coma’s” and one sluggish afternoon mentioned to a coworker that I had one. This solicited a puzzled expression and “But we just split a bagel and minestrone soup!” Hmmm… mental notes: 1.) soup and bagels (for others) do not a food coma make, and 2.) lest it have a precise definition of which I’m unaware, look up “food coma” before claiming to have one again…
In any case, thanks to mum’s insistence, I recently met with a functional medicine practitioner and discovered that I have a gluten allergy. After a lengthy questionnaire and a series of tests, the doctor informed me that my body was producing a high level of anti-gliadin antibodies. Yikes! She told me to treat gluten (the protein in wheat, rye, and barley — the “glue” that binds pasta and baked goods) like a poison attacking my immunity. For a surprisingly high number of individuals, gluten can mean poor digestion, inflammation and skin irritation in the short run; and chronic diseases over time. Yikes²!
Well, sobering news as that was, I’ve spent the past six weeks diligently avoiding “poison”. And as ubiquitous as wheat may seem in this highly-processed society of ours, there’s a surprisingly tasty world beyond it! Ok, some gluten-free food is downright disgusting, but there’s no gluten in corn, potato, rice, tapioca, arrowroot, carob, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, lupin, lentils, or quinoa.
I’m trying to be as strict as possible and have definitely noticed increased energy levels. I haven’t had that yucky feeling after any meals… you know, where the food seems to’ve drained rather than revitalized you? I’ve also actually felt hungry at regular intervals — which might seem like a strange thing to celebrate, but when gluten messes with your metabolism it can often be tough to listen to your body.
What’s proving tricky, though, is the fact that (especially in the United States) gluten lurks in lots of unexpected places. For example, you find gluten in:
- soy sauce
- teriyaki sauce
- blue cheese (which comse from mold grown on… bread)
- malt vinegar/extract/syrup
- bulgur and couscous (used in tabouleh)
- semolina
- udon (wheat) noodles
- licorice
- pickles
- imitation crab
- elsewhere?
Gluten is also often used in fillers in many processed foods (like soups, yogurt, snack foods, lunch meats, sausages, ground beef, ice cream, etc.). Check the labels for words like: “stabilizer”, “starch”, “flavoring”, “emulsifier”, “hydrolyzed”, “binder”, “maltodextrin”, and “enriched”.
I’ve heard from friends about gluten-free menu’s at a few restaurant chains — like PF Changs, Legal Sea Foods, Outback Steakhouse , Maggiano’s Little Italy (yes, pasta!), and Amici’s Pizza (gluten-free crusts 
).
If others have tips, insights, or personal experience regarding any of this, please share!
