Until recently, I didn’t know that two of my older siblings (Shirley and David) suffered from celiac disease. I didn’t even know they were gluten intolerant until I spoke to my sister over the phone after many years.
Plenty of people suffer from gluten intolerance without having celiac disease. Certain foods give me similar symptoms, but I’m positive I’m not gluten intolerant.
Celiac Disease Is a Reaction to Gluten
I knew that David had suffered from some kind of thyroid condition for years. Shirley clarified his condition, which also included celiac disease. She told me I could have the disease as well, but I might not know it unless I’m tested for it. I know I don’t suffer from it, and I consume all kinds of food containing gluten.
From what I gather, if one sibling suffers from a genetically predisposed disease, at least one other will also suffer. I haven’t suffered yet, and I really don’t think I ever will. I suffer from flatulence, but only when I eat beans, mushrooms, and potatoes.
One of my daughters-in-law, Diann, avoids gluten, but I don’t know if she’s intolerant. She doesn’t have celiac disease.
A Keto Diet
I eat cold cereal for the fiber. The cold cereal I prefer contains either oats or wheat. If I ever attempt a keto diet, I’ll have to think of other things high in fiber. It seems like everything that contains gluten is high in carbs.
So, my theory goes like this: If I cut out all the high carbohydrate food items from my daily diet, I would automatically cut out most, if not all, of the gluten in my daily diet.
Gluten Is Safe for Everyone Else
Diann says it’s in everything. I think she exaggerates. To me, it seems like high fructose corn syrup and sugar is in everything. I’ve already been trying to cut as much sugar from my diet as I possibly can. Soft drinks have a lot of either sugar or high fructose corn syrup in them. Diet soft drinks probably contain something worse.
Unless I’m avoiding gluten because I’m avoiding carbs, I won’t avoid it at all. Even if I have the gene that causes intolerance, it doesn’t seem to affect me. I like to eat sandwiches on occasion and I like the taste of bread, something gluten intolerant people avoid.
I’m not intolerant at all. If breads, cakes, and donuts don’t bother you, you probably aren’t either. Don’t avoid the foods you like just because someone says it isn’t good for you. I won’t. I have plenty of other reasons to avoid some of them.
If you really think you suffer from gluten intolerance and haven’t been tested, get tested. It’s very easy to imagine a condition or disease that may or may not exist. When you eat food you normally wouldn’t eat, it can cause symptoms more like diarrhea than anything else.
You can view this YouTube video for some good information: What’s the big deal with gluten?
Image by Carlos Carlos Alberto from Pixabay