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| Cheating on your GF diet?...is it really OK? |
My daughter has wished on a number of occasions that she could cheat even just once in a while. However her extreme reaction to gluten exposure is enough of a deterrent for her. She is particularly sensitive to gluten, with a single crumb causing more than enough discomfort that she is now gluten phobic (much like germaphobe fears). For that reason I do not worry about her cheating.
However, I have met Celiacs who believe that cheating once in a while is OK- that the indulgence is worth the discomfort they will experience later. In this viewpoint, the only reason to be on a gluten free diet is to avoid intestinal discomfort (and need I say, just feeling blah too). Really? Is that what being a Celiac is?...going gluten free because it upsets your tummy?Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition with no cure, but can be controlled through diet. A gluten free diet. Autoimmune refers to a condition in which an individual's immune system launches an attack on the body because the area under attack is seen as foreign. Much like a virus is a foreign body, in the case of autoimmunity in Celiac Disease the villi of the small intestine are seen as a foreign body when exposed to gluten. Villi are a hair like carpet that cover the interior walls of the small intestine. Instead of protecting the body, the immune system of a celiac attacks these villi and causes damage. This damage can take a significant time to heal- possibly taking up to a year to completely feel symptoms subside once going gluten free after diagnosis. The villi are responsible for absorbing the nutrients from food we consume- so are very important to our overall health.
Blah blah blah...so what, you may say- "I"m gluten free most of the time." While this is better than your previous diet of eating wheat and other problematic grains, this cheating still causes damage. Firstly and most obvious, this damage affects your absorption of vital nutrients to important to health. So depending on how often you cheat, the risk for osteoporosis for example will increase. Celiacs are more at risk for this condition because they are not absorbing calcium as well; and if one considers that many Celiacs go undiagnosed for 10 years or more, that is a huge void in calcium intake. Bones are not rebuilt overnight. So now that you are gluten free, imagine how long it will take your body to play catch up... Cheating just defeats and sets back your optimum bone health. There are also many other nutritionally dependant celiac conditions to consider too, osteoporosis is only one of many.
OK OK you may say...but... No buts! There is more yet to consider! Having an autoimmune condition is no matter to be taken lightly. Having an autoimmune condition automatically increases your risk of having other autoimmune conditions appear. Celiac Disease in my opinion is the the warm fuzzy one of the bunch. Ever heard of Type1 Diabtetes or Thyroiditis? How about Rheumatoid Arthritis? If those sound boring, how about Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Scleroderma, or Sjo¨gren’s syndrome? Then there is Autoimmune Liver Disease or Addison's Disease. This next one is not too bad though if you are into wigs...Alopecia Areata (hair loss in patches). All of these conditions listed are known to be potential partners in crime with Celiac Disease, especially if you are undiagnosed...or cheating. It is thought that part of the relation (other than genetics) of Celiac Disease to these autoimmune disorders, is that a celiac ingesting gluten then also causes the gut or small intestine to leak, allowing the antibodies attacking the villi to cross into other areas of the body and wreak havoc on other systems. So do yourself a favor- lower your risk and don't cheat. Ever!
At this point I am feeling a little like the Dr. Suess Cat in the Hat, telling the children..."that is not all!" But alas there is more you face if you do not keep strictly gluten free. Want to have children?...yes infertility possibly awaits if you cheat. So does cancer- but who wants to live a long and productive life of living to your fullest potential?!
If you're young at heart and body still, not having reached puberty quite yet, I'm sure you're looking forward to your growth spurt. Well if height doesn't bother you, then welcome to potentially remaining the height you currently are. My daughter has had to deal with this reality, since her disease was not detected until she was too far along into puberty. It bothered her for a long time- but if she was a boy, I'm sure she would be still struggling with shorter stature.
If you still need more reasons of why you shouldn't cheat, I have more. Some individuals more than others struggle with depression. Celiac disease can cause depression as you may or may not know. So protect your mental health and enjoyment of life by being proactive- just refuse to cheat.
Lastly, if the above aren't scary enough...Refractory Disease. This is one that I was not familiar with until I started researching to write this post. This is gem is essentially Celiac Disease that doesn't respond to a gluten free diet. This can be a result of years of going undiagnosed and having the small intestines so ravaged that their ability to heal is undermined. The other is a result of cheating. To treat, steroids are often used as well as immune suppressants. Some individuals however, still do not respond to this treatment and must be "fed" intravenously. And you thought your current restricted gluten free diet was bad!!!http://www.medicinenet.com/celiac_disease/page7.htm
Sadly, though I have mentioned most of the demons that await if you don't remain gluten free, there are a few more. These again are related to malabsorption and the havoc that being deficient can cause to one's health. Some of these issues of deficiencies I will save for a later post, but I hope you get the point. Cheating is not worth the brief indulgence when it comes to what the risks involved are. Adapting is hard when going gluten free, mostly psychologically speaking. But if you continue to give in to your gluten laden desires, you are 1) sabotaging yourself into continuing the cheating cycle, and 2) risking your overall health and life potentially. So next time you see that donut calling out to you, ask yourself..."Is it worth my life?"
Additional Reading:
http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/10/3/172.pdf
http://customchoicecereal.com/blog/cheating-on-a-gluten-free-diet/
http://www.direct-ms.org/pdf/LeakyGutMS/Fasano%20Celiac%20other%20autoimmune%20disease.pdf
OK OK you may say...but... No buts! There is more yet to consider! Having an autoimmune condition is no matter to be taken lightly. Having an autoimmune condition automatically increases your risk of having other autoimmune conditions appear. Celiac Disease in my opinion is the the warm fuzzy one of the bunch. Ever heard of Type1 Diabtetes or Thyroiditis? How about Rheumatoid Arthritis? If those sound boring, how about Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Scleroderma, or Sjo¨gren’s syndrome? Then there is Autoimmune Liver Disease or Addison's Disease. This next one is not too bad though if you are into wigs...Alopecia Areata (hair loss in patches). All of these conditions listed are known to be potential partners in crime with Celiac Disease, especially if you are undiagnosed...or cheating. It is thought that part of the relation (other than genetics) of Celiac Disease to these autoimmune disorders, is that a celiac ingesting gluten then also causes the gut or small intestine to leak, allowing the antibodies attacking the villi to cross into other areas of the body and wreak havoc on other systems. So do yourself a favor- lower your risk and don't cheat. Ever!
At this point I am feeling a little like the Dr. Suess Cat in the Hat, telling the children..."that is not all!" But alas there is more you face if you do not keep strictly gluten free. Want to have children?...yes infertility possibly awaits if you cheat. So does cancer- but who wants to live a long and productive life of living to your fullest potential?!
If you're young at heart and body still, not having reached puberty quite yet, I'm sure you're looking forward to your growth spurt. Well if height doesn't bother you, then welcome to potentially remaining the height you currently are. My daughter has had to deal with this reality, since her disease was not detected until she was too far along into puberty. It bothered her for a long time- but if she was a boy, I'm sure she would be still struggling with shorter stature.
If you still need more reasons of why you shouldn't cheat, I have more. Some individuals more than others struggle with depression. Celiac disease can cause depression as you may or may not know. So protect your mental health and enjoyment of life by being proactive- just refuse to cheat.
Lastly, if the above aren't scary enough...Refractory Disease. This is one that I was not familiar with until I started researching to write this post. This is gem is essentially Celiac Disease that doesn't respond to a gluten free diet. This can be a result of years of going undiagnosed and having the small intestines so ravaged that their ability to heal is undermined. The other is a result of cheating. To treat, steroids are often used as well as immune suppressants. Some individuals however, still do not respond to this treatment and must be "fed" intravenously. And you thought your current restricted gluten free diet was bad!!!http://www.medicinenet.com/celiac_disease/page7.htm
Sadly, though I have mentioned most of the demons that await if you don't remain gluten free, there are a few more. These again are related to malabsorption and the havoc that being deficient can cause to one's health. Some of these issues of deficiencies I will save for a later post, but I hope you get the point. Cheating is not worth the brief indulgence when it comes to what the risks involved are. Adapting is hard when going gluten free, mostly psychologically speaking. But if you continue to give in to your gluten laden desires, you are 1) sabotaging yourself into continuing the cheating cycle, and 2) risking your overall health and life potentially. So next time you see that donut calling out to you, ask yourself..."Is it worth my life?"
Additional Reading:
http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/10/3/172.pdf
http://customchoicecereal.com/blog/cheating-on-a-gluten-free-diet/
http://www.direct-ms.org/pdf/LeakyGutMS/Fasano%20Celiac%20other%20autoimmune%20disease.pdf
Wow. This was the answer I NEEDED! I have been gluten free for just about 9 months now after being diagnosed with celiac. Of course, like everybody else with this condition, the first few months are difficult, frustrating, and life-changing. However, once you get into the swing of things, gluten free becomes a lifestyle change instead of a problem. It doesn't matter how long you have been gluten free though, to understand that sometimes you crave something that has gluten in it (I once cried during a Papa John's commercial, no joke) but we have to push on and keep living GF. I have never cheated or ate something that I knowingly understood had gluten in it but as I am coming up to a year of being gluten free, I thought to myself, "I would do anything for a sandwich from my favorite sourdough bakery in San Diego." Yes. I thought about it. Can one little sandwich, just once, do anything to me!? People with celiac disease mistakenly eat something with gluten in it all the time, could I consider this a "mistake" and enjoy my sandwich? And as I was seriously considering this wonderful sourdough sandwich, I google-search cheating on a GF diet. And that's where your blog popped it. And this the only thing I read that actually made me stop in my tracks and reconsider. You are so right. You are so right about everything. Thank you for this fabulous blog. You saved me from a big mistake.
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