My Gluten Hangover Detox

By Eva Medcroft | August 9, 2021 |

Being gluten-sensitive or gluten-intolerant can be a buzz kill. Most of the time, I enjoy my healthy, clean diet. I love how feel when I listen to my body and give it what it wants.

But then there are the other times. The brief periods of oh-what-the-hell. The splurges of comfort food favorites that nourish emotionally but leaves me with a serious gluten hangover. Sometimes I binge on junk food when I'm emotionally drained and others I do it out of nostalgia.

The last few weeks was both. I relocated suddenly. I'm moving to a location I love but my new apartment wouldn't be available for another two weeks. I found myself "homeless" in my sister's luxury RV in Fort Wilderness in Walt Disney World. It was fully stocked with every comfort food I could remember from our childhood. On top of way too many trips to McDonald's during the flash move the week before, I spent another week snacking on pop tarts, spaghettios, and Entenmanns plus the all-you-can-eat extra gluten Disney resort breakfast with 5 different types of pastries and Mickey Mouse waffles.

While it was enjoyable spending time with family and taking a dietary trip down memory lane, my body is now revolting with all the typical gluten hangover symptoms:

Low energy
Bloating / edema / weight gain
Brain fog
Anxiety / depression / panic attacks
Joint pain
Increased allergy symptoms
Headaches
Autoimmune flare ups (in my case, Hashi)

One would think it would be no big deal splurging once in a while, but as a health coach I'm tuned into the real damage it can cause.

I know that when I eat gluten, my immune system overreacts and damages the tiny, hairlike projections (villi) that line the small intestine. Villi absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from the food we eat. If the villi are damaged, the body can't get enough nutrients, no matter how much food is consumed. This is one of the ways the cycle of overeating begins.

Additionally, when the digestive system isn't in balance, it also reduces immune health and brain health. Our gut is often referred to as our second brain. One reason is because our gut bacteria produce hundreds of neurochemicals that the brain uses to regulate physiological/mental process such as learning, memory and mood. It manufactures about 95 percent of the body's supply of serotonin, which influences both mood and GI activity.

So I invite you to join me on my journey to detox from gluten (and other foods like dairy and sugar). Today is step one – shopping!