On November 15, 2010, I went gluten free. For over 3 months I never consciously ate anything containing gluten. (That’s not to say that I didn’t ingest any, but I never did it knowingly.)
I felt better almost immediately. Frankly, I think it was lowering my overall carb intake more than getting the gluten out that made me feel better right away, but I wanted to really give gluten-free a chance to heal my gut so I focused on how good I felt to keep myself motivated to stay gluten-free. For the most part, it wasn’t too hard, even through the holidays.
There are very few things that tempt me to cheat, and one of them is the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven.
Even though I am gluten free, my family is not, and I still bake sandwich bread every week for their lunches. Every time I make a batch, the smell of it baking is *almost* too much to handle. I spend the entire time it is in the oven thinking about how good it would be to butter a slice and take a huge bite — just. one. bite.
Surely one bite wouldn’t hurt.
But I am afraid that once I make an exception and take a bite, it will be the beginning of the end. If there are not immediate consequences that convince me that being gluten free is absolutely necessary, I fear that one indulgence will likely lead to another. So I stand firm.
I did, however, make one concession to myself. If there comes a day when I decide to intentionally eat gluten to see how it affects me – a test to see if eating gluten makes me sick or causes any other undesirable symptoms – I will eat a slice of fresh homemade bread. I won’t waste the opportunity on something unworthy.
A few days ago, the smell of homemade bread was too much. I snoozed while it baked, the enticing aroma becoming part of my dreams. When the timer buzzed, I got up, feeling groggy and lacking in self control. In the back of my mind, I had that caveat – I could try the bread to see how it affected me. It would be an experiment. An experiment is allowable, yes?
The kids had been waiting for the bread to come out of the oven so they could have a fresh, warm slice. We’d had a light dinner, and they needed a little extra sustenance before bed. So not only did I have to remove the bread from the oven, but I had to cut into it.
My husband was doing dishes nearby, and after I cut slices and buttered them and placed them on plates for the kids, I looked at that lone slice of heel – the kids don’t like the heel so I usually throw it away or freeze it and make bread crumbs when I get enough. Before I could think better of it, I quickly buttered it, turned my back to my husband and took a bite.
Now, if this was a valid experiment, I would have let my family know what I was doing. I was obviously cheating, even though I had convinced myself it was an experiment. Isn’t it ridiculous how we lie to ourselves? Or is that just me? ANYWAY.
It was good, but not as good as I’d imagined.
I took another bite.
I looked at the rest of the slice, decided it wasn’t worth it, and quickly threw it in the trash before anyone saw me.
The next morning was a snow day, and I made waffles – not the hearty whole grain waffles I often make – I made the old fashioned kind with white flour and fluffy egg whites folded in at the last minute. They. Are. DIVINE.
As they cooked, they smelled so good. I put them on plates and topped them with butter and syrup, and I was sooooo tempted to have some. If homemade bread is my biggest temptation, homemade Belgian Waffles might be the 2nd biggest.
The devil on my shoulder started in again, I already had gluten last night, and I didn’t feel bad. What’s one more bite?
As I predicted, one lapse in self discipline tends to lead to another. I felt myself slowly sliding down the side of the wagon.
But this time, I looked at that waffle, remembered how the homemade bread hadn’t tasted as delicious as it looked, and decided to shimmy back up onto the wagon before I completely fell off.
I’m happy to say that I haven’t had gluten since, and my resolve is firm.
So, what’s the verdict? Did those two bites of bread affect me?
It’s hard to say. I did have some rumblies in my tumbly as I laid in bed trying to fall asleep that night, but I felt fine the next day (waffle day). It was actually 2 days later (yesterday) that I woke with my stomach in knots. All day I had cramping and felt gassy (TMI, sorry!)
I find it hard to believe that those 2 bites of bread I snuck 36 hours before could have had that affect on me, but I don’t know what else it would be. I haven’t felt like that in many months, but it could still have been something else I ate, I suppose.
As I talked it over with a friend, she suggested that I stick to the gluten-free diet for a month and then do the experiment again. (Oh darn!) LOL. But seriously, that makes sense.
So that is the plan. I’ve taken notes about exactly how I felt and when so I can compare.
I’d be interested to hear from some of you who are gluten-free. Have you ever had some gluten, either intentionally or unintentionally? How did it affect you?
Today is day 3, and so far I feel about 50% better but not 100%. I won’t go into details, but there are some lingering effects.
I wasn’t going to share this. I guess I was ashamed, although frankly, I’m surprised I lasted three months before caving! But then I read all the comments on Monday’s post (and please know, I read and treasured every. single. one. I never expected that kind of response.) And I realized that I needed to write this post.
I’m happy to say that I’m firmly seated on the wagon once again, and hopefully any lasting effects of my little indiscretion will soon be a thing of the past — that is, until I do a REAL experiment in a month or so.
Next time, I will do it right. No hiding.
And maybe I’ll try the waffle…
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I accidentally had gluten after I went gluten free and it messed me up for a good 2 weeks or more
It’s actually, from my reasearching, worse to eat gluten after you go gluten free – check out UW Radio sometime it’s fascinating stuff. But isn’t it cool how you decided it wasn’t worth it – though the dang mind games are so brutal, you will eventually get past them because feeling good will trump that emotional response and nostalgia that comes along 
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2010/07/08/gluten-sensitivity-and-celiac-disease-with-dr-thom
Thanks, I’ll check out that link. I was wondering if it might make me feel worse now, after being off it for a while, than it did before. I guess I’ll experiment again in a month or so.
I ssly do not know how you resist that bread, just looking at the picture makes me hungry! But seriously, maybe it was a good fall off the wagon… you’ve been drooling over it for months and after that bite you realized it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be? That’s pretty powerful! I can’t imagine that two bites would mess with your system but what do I know. Kudos to you for stopping & then having the will power to stop the next day before falling again!
Although I’m not gluten-free, I love hearing you talk about this topic, because it’s very similar to my decision to avoid processed sugar. (It’s a migraine trigger for me.) I have found the same thing. The thing that is SO tempting has been built up to grandiose proportions in my mind, didn’t taste as good as I remembered and it went in the trash.
I think waiting an re-trying the experiment is valid. But go into it KNOWING that you will be trying this again. Keep everything else in your diet as normal as possible so there won’t be any question if there are rumblies in your tumbly.
I’ve been trying to get up the willpower to try going gluten free for a while now. I have a lot of stomach issues that sound identical to what you were going through. For me, just the idea of taking out all gluten is so overwhelming that I say ‘maybe tomorrow’. After hearing that you immediately felt better and how you felt after just a few bites though, it’s making my tomorrow get closer!
I went through that before I finally did it. I’d try it for a day, decide it was too hard, and ditch it. I finally just made the decision to DO IT AT ALL COSTS and it’s really not so hard, especially if you make sure to plan ahead and not run out of gluten-free foods. Sometimes I run out of things to eat, lol.
While I have not intentionally ate any gluten since giving it up for my “Gluten Free Lifestyle” (It is a lifstyle NOT a diet) I have had the occasion to have some slip past me, mostly whaen eating out-who new they would cook brocolli in the pasta water! French fries are also a big no no (took me a while to figure out the whole cross contamination thing. I can figure it out pretty quickly when it has occured. (Not Pretty) This is probably why I would not even think about “cheating” I have always said if I did it would be for some piece of chocolate yumminess……
I had a similar experience, only the devil on my shoulder won. I began to eat gluten again, very moderately, thinking I had everything figured out. The second time around I developed an entirely different set of symptoms — much scarier than the first set. Eventually a few of the old symptoms began to reappear, I made the connection and stopped gluten for good. After I spent hundreds on doctor visits that were pointless.
I know what you mean about having one thing that is hard to resist. For me, it’s croissants. I don’t buy them, but they still sound oh-so good.
Mmmmm… croissants…
I have eaten GF for 4 years because I am allergic to wheat. I’ve never cheated, not even once, and it’s been tough. I can’t even touch gluten without having to wash my hands. If I get it accidently I have 3 days of sharp pains in my stomach and feel feverish and have virus-like symptoms. It’s not worth it.
Thanks for sharing. I’m defniately interested in all your gluten free knowledge. I’m still debating going gluten free. I always have the tummy rumblings and gassiness. Dr wants to do an upper endoscopy since all gall bladder tests came back okay. I need to call and find out exactly what the endoscopy will tell us. Wondering if going gluten free would be a better solution. I hate to have more tests and pay all that money to find out nothing.
I had every test in the book and nothing was conclusive. On the other hand, it’s a nice peace of mind to rule out the scary stuff, and it helps to eliminate some possibilities so you don’t have as much experimentation to do.
I’d try going gluten free first. Try it for a month and see how you feel. If it doesn’t work, then try going off dairy. Usually the discomfort you describe is related to one or both.
I can’t imagine how difficult going gluten-free must be. It sounds like you’ve done an excellent job; I’m sure I would have had many more “experiments” than you!
I don’t have gluten issues, so maybe I shouldn’t say — but I’d take your friend’s advice. Avoid gluten carefully for a nice long time, and then decide to do a REAL experiment. And when you do, eat enough of it so that you’re certain it’s the gluten doing the damage — eat 2 slices of bread, or a plate of waffles, or whatever. And I’d research to find out how long it takes carbs like that to fully process in your digestion. I can’t imagine it takes them 36 hours.
It sounds to me like you need to know for sure whether gluten is the culprit. If the 2 bites of bread didn’t upset your stomach, then what did? And if there’s something else out there messing with you, you might not find it as long as you’re focused on the gluten alone.
Keep us posted!!
We like to know you’re human like the rest of us
I’m a little surprised it took 36 hours to effect you as well, BUT you do have miles of intestines so that could be why.
I’m pretty sure my 4yo has a gluten intolerance, but I’m too afraid to cut it all out. Also, it doesn’t help that the only foods he will eat with any regularity are gluten ones Heh. He’ll love me when I finally take the plunge LOL
Oh I am human, TRUST. ME.
I’ve read that it takes weeks to totally get gluten out of the system, so I suppose it could have been troubling me yesterday. I really HOPE that is what it was. I don’t want to give up anything else!
My husband and I are considering going GF together. We both have lingering health issues that seem to have no explanation and this is probably the only thing we haven’t tried. We’de like to see if there is something to it. Reading your blog has given me a kick in the right direction. We’ll see…
I think the experiment sounds like a good idea, then you will know FOR SURE.
Let me know if you give it a try and how it goes. I think doing it together would really help. I don’t have a ton of support. I mean, no one is trying to sabotage me, but we certainly have plenty of gluten around. Sometimes it gets hard to resist.
I’ve been gluten free for about 6 months, I do not have celiac but get very unwell after eating gluten, it all started after a parasite illness in 2009. I need to be eating it continually for about 3 days and then I get severe symptoms. A few bites like you had will sometimes give me headaches and so on, but not always.
You need to start baking gluten free food that you can eat, that should help the cravings! I make GF pancakes on the weekend, no-one can tell the difference. I also have made cakes and desserts that we can all eat. The rest of the family are not gluten free so there’s still a lot of gluten in my house.
I had bought the Food Intolerance Bible a while back, I’ve found it to be helpful and has a useful regimen of probiotics and supplements for gut healing, you might benefit from looking at it.
http://www.amazon.com/Food-Intolerance-Bible-Nutritionists-Headaches/dp/1573243590/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298558094&sr=1-2
Thanks, Sheena. Sometimes it’s nice to have a gluten-free treat, but I find I do better when I stay away from sugar and carbs totally. They seem to create more cravings than they cure. But everyone is different! I am going to look into that book. I think I need to get back to taking my probiotics.
Let me just say that you have a willpower of steel. I can’t believe that you resisted the waffles! Good for you! You probably would have felt 100 times worse had you indulged. That mental battle is so difficult….especially if you give in just once. That happened to me the day before Valentine’s Day. My friend had a dessert party on the 13th. Let me just say that she is no ordinary baker. I did O.K. at the party–mostly because of the accountability of 50 other people aware of what I put on my plate! But…we were the last people to leave and she sent us home with, “the box” filled with my favorite cakes and confections “for the kids.” I have seven so she sent us with a LOT. Holding it was like holding kryptonite. My strength for resisting sugar just completely drained from my body. I may as well have strapped it to my face like a muzzle. The mental battle that has ensued since then has been very difficult. I’m still trying to recover. I guess I can chalk it up to a lesson in humility. I was getting a little cocky with my ability to resist sweets and my steady weight loss. Having to see a gain on the scale and having to rebuild that “muscle” has NOT been worth it.
Also, I’m sure you know this, but some of my friends who have gone G-free began to have issues with dairy. It seems that is a pretty common reaction a few months into it. One trip to the acupuncturist and one of my friends has not struggled since. Maybe on the days leading up to your planned experiment you could journal everything that you eat to see if there is another culprit lurking in the shadows.
I’m thinking Lent will be a good time to go gluten-free. I just need to be prepared–my fear is that I won’t be prepared and not get enough to eat. I’m nursing so that’s not a good thing.
O.K. no more long comments…maybe I really do need to start a blog! (Musings on Musings of a Housewife
)
UGH. I’d have died with that box. I dont mind my family eating some stuff, but I’m more and more aware of the sheer amount of carbs they consume in a day, and I generally turn down even generous offer like the one you had from your friend. I figure, I don’t need the temptation, and they don’t need the sugar/carbs/whatever-it-is.
I have had dairy in the back of my mind as a possible culprit and I’m HOPING I don’t have to give it up. I probably should limit myself to organic, raw dairy and see if that helps. I eat a LOT of cheese.
I’ve been following your GF journey with interest. Starting late last year, Kyle and I have been low-to-no carb in our diet. Primarily, we both needed to lose weight, but secondarily, I have a STRONG history of diabetes in my family, and I was starting to have lots of pre-diabetes symptoms. Kinda scary.
I feel so SO much better with so few carbs in my system!
I have to say, though, that my love of bread is what kept me from ditching carbs a long time ago. I’ve cheated a few times lately and found the same thing you did – it didn’t taste as good as I remembered, and the effects on my system were SO not worth it.
I can completely relate to what you’ve shared here, and yeah, I think confession is good for the soul. It helps us stay in touch with authenticity.
I have a sneaking suspicion that a traditional low-carb diet would probably work just as well for me as this. But I’m the type of person that needs some hard and fast limits, and gluten-free seemed like a good place to start.
I’m glad you’re feeling better. And good for you for taking your health into your own hands! Gradual diet changes made before the problem gets severe enough for meds is the best way.
we went gluten free a week ago. honestly, i can’t tell any difference. all i know is i feel a LOT of guilt that this wasn’t the best choice for us….especially since i see no difference
so i’m not sure what is next, or what to do.
just want to do what is best for my family.
Hey Lisa. I’m sorry going gluten-free hasn’t helped. I will say this: some people take longer to see results. I think my immediate results were more due to the lack of carbs and the initial weight loss I experienced.
From talking to you at Blissdom, am I correct in assuming that you and your family went gluten free for different reasons? I believe bloating and gassiness would be alleviated a lot more quickly than behavioral and attention issues?
I also think that simply going gluten free isn’t the key. The key is in what you are replacing those gluten-full foods with. From what I’ve read, our bodies need a lot of fats (good fats – butter, coconut oil, lard and tallow from grass fed meats) and a good amount of protein to function properly. Sugary gluten-free foods are not much better for us than sugary gluten-full foods. I have no clue what you are eating, but I’m just pointing this out b/c the tendency is to go looking for carby replacements, and I think it’s better to focus on protein and fats and cruciferous veggies.
That said, gluten very may well NOT be the culprit in your case. Experimenting is a pain, but it’s really the only way to find out what is causing issues. I say give it a month at least, before deciding to give up on it. Then if you feel like you need to try something else, take a break, eat gluten again, and make sure that it doesn’t negatively affect anyone before moving on to another experiment.
Good luck! And feel free to email me any time!
I am so glad I do not have a gluten allergy b/c I don’t think I could do it. By the way can you send me your bread recipe – it looks wonderful? Do you make it with white or whole wheat flour?
Sure! Here it is. http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2010/01/homemade-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread.html
Now I want some bread. I have got to try to make this at home.
Ok I have been on and off gluten for a while. Recently for our corporate fast at church I dropped gluten as one of my fasting items. I felt great for the month and was starting to have more energy and less stomach bloating. Well needless to say when the fast was over, I ate gluten again but I realized that it totally bloated me after just one serving, so since I have been gluten free and loving it! It is definately worth testing to see how your body reacts after sometime away from something, and yes sometimes it is hard to resist. Especially when the kids and hubby are eating it, but it is worth it! I am proud of you for only having two bites and realizing it was not worth it.
About the bread, I really love the idea of making bread at home, so I know what is in it instead of buying it from the store. We are a family of 6 so even if I am off gluten , bread is a must in the house for the rest of the crew. I would love your recipe and any tips you can share about making bread. Thanks
Oh I just saw you posted the recipe , thanks again!!
This is not about gluten so much as it is on whole food. Ok, so Monday I went to a group event where they served dinner and there was absolutely nothing there but junk – no lie. In fact there was so much junk it didn’t even HIT me what I was doing (I ate a sauce that had Velveeta in it for pity sake!). I did not sleep well that night, I tossed and turned (hello starch/sugar high anyone?) and the next day I was in a haze. It took me until noon to figure out I was coming out of a starch/sugar induced state of mind. Lesson learned on that one.
I still don’t know what I was thinking. After all my months of being diligent and packing food everywhere we go I just completely fell off the wagon.
I can not do an experiment on myself. I discovered 19 years ago that I am lactose intolerant. The only way I could be really sure is if I managed to consume the trigger foods without knowing. My mind will make my body react so I would have to be unaware.
Beleive it or not I went GF the day after you b/c I was inspired by your decision to do it. Lydia is my good friend and she told me how you had decided to do it. I had been wanting to go for it myself so knowing someone else was a newby helped me start. I have 2 kids with Celiac’s and if they get gluten they have extreem reactions to it. Extreem vomitting and more…I stayed gluten free myself until two weeks before Christmas when I made cookies. At first it was just a nibble. No reaction. So for the next few days I went gluten crazy. After one day I felt fine, the second day not so good and the third day was too gross to write about. I still wasn’t convinced so I kept experimenting over the next couple of weeks. No doubt about it. If I ate gluten I got an immeadiate headache and the waiting time inbetween bathroom trips were getting shorter and shorter. I don’t even want gluten anymore. I, too am trying to eat very low starch so I haven’t replaced my gluten loss with gluten free products. When I do I feel bloated and gross and I tend to gain weight pretty quickly. Now I have taken a week off of dairy and I reintroduced it today. Not good news. Only tried heavy cream but I’m a mess inside. So, it’s gluten free and dairy free for me! Thankfully there’s coconut milk! I really like your blog, by the way!
Oh, my STARS I glutened myself this week. The ahem…digestive issues…are still lingering, and fibro pain came out of the corner like Rocky Balboa to kick my hind end thanks to that “just a little bite”. Not again. I’ve been GF since November 4 of this past year.
I’ve had Celiac for 4 years, however I’ve been cheat free for only 5 months. It was SO hard for me to leave gluten behind. I consider it almost an addiction. Anyhow, when I eat it sometimes I get the typical symptoms (bloat, cramping,, etc.). However, other times I don’t feel the affect. Since I have Celiac, every time I eat gluten, whether I feel it or not, I am causing damage to my body. This wasn’t more evident until a month ago.
We tried for 4 years to have children. Last month we got pregnant. I truly believe that being gluten free played a big part. I never took seriously what it was doing to my body. I will never cheat again!