The Gluten Free Diet Resources for PWN Image: Asher Roth Asleep in the Bread Aisle album cover
What is Gluten? Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye and all foods made with them Wheat flour, cookies, pizza, bread, beer, macaroni and cheese Sadly, these are many of our favorite foods!
Celiac Disease and Non- Celiac Gluten Intolerance Celiac disease is an immune reac(on to gluten, which causes intes(nal symptoms autoimmune disease affects about 1:100 people Can be diagnosed with an intesenal biopsy and blood tests
Celiac Disease and Non- Celiac Gluten Intolerance Non- celiac gluten intolerance is a recently recognized condieon, and is a dis(nct disease (Sapone et al. 2012) It is es(mated to affect as many as 1:10 people It omen has extra- intes*nal effects, many of which are neurological There are currently no blood tests or biopsies which can be performed to diagnose non- celiac gluten intolerance. The only way to determine if you are gluten intolerance is to undergo an eliminaeon diet.
Symptoms of Non- Celiac Gluten Intolerance (Similar to celiac disease!) Acid reflux and heartburn Headache Flatulence Anemia Joint pain BloaEng and cramping FaEgue skin rashes Sleep disturbances Anxiety Brain fog Depression Migraine Diarrhea consepaeon IBS
Before you try a gluten free diet: If you have symptoms of gluten intolerance, it is important to visit your doctor to rule out celiac disease
Safe foods Meat, pork, fish, seafood, hamburger (no bun) Any fruits and vegetables you want! Eggs and dairy are safe! Gluten free baking mixes and flours (Udis, Bob s Red Mill) Presenta(on by: Chris(na L. Graves
The 3- week EliminaEon Diet At least 3 weeks of a strict gluten free diet is necessary to determine if you have gluten intolerance A[er that, you will noece a difference! Gluten is extremely s*cky and literally secks to the lining of your intesene (that s why it makes good bread!) If you accidentally eat gluten, or cheat you MUST start the 3 week Emer over from Day 1! If this happens, don t despair. EaEng gluten free is a difficult adjustment in the beginning, but over Eme it becomes second nature!
How to do it? 1. Read labels! This is the most important step. Many products clearly state whether it contains wheat. In the beginning, try to avoid foods that are also manufactured in facili(es with wheat. S(ck with unprocessed foods or foods that have a gluten free label un(l you get the hang of it. 2. EaEng out is dangerous! There are few truly safe op(ons when ea(ng out. Try to avoid it during the first three weeks. If you must eat out, s(ck with unseasoned meats and vegetables, and ask for a gluten free menu. 3. Don t just take the bun off. Some people try to just take the bun off of an otherwise gluten- free burger. DON T DO THIS! If it touched it, it s covered in invisible gluten! 4. Get a new dish sponge. Gluten can hide in your kitchen in sneaky places. Avoid cooking in muffin (ns, bread pans, or cast iron cookware. Get new sponges. Be par(cularly careful if you are also s(ll preparing gluten- containing food (use separate serving and mixing utensils, etc.) 5. Google Gluten Free. There are a lot of great websites out there!
Gluten SensiEvity and Narcolepsy No studies have researched a link between gluten sensievity and narcolepsy A few people with narcolepsy have anecdotally reported symptom improvement when following a strict gluten free diet. While there may be some symptom improvement, a recent survey of members of a gluten free PWN facebook group found that most PWN who adopted a strict gluten free diet noted between 20-80% improvement in dayeme sleepiness. A gluten free diet will not cure narcolepsy
Resources for the GF PWN Facebook group: Gluten Free PWN CeliacDisease.about.com GlutenDude.com GlutenFreeNarcolepsy.com GlutenFreeGoddess.blogspot.com
Gluten Free PWN Several GF PWN have blogs, which tell personal stories and relay gluten free and other narcolepsy resources Keep in mind, as with ALL blogs, the informa*on you find may not necessarily be accurate! glutenfreenoc.blogspot.com Yawnireland.blogspot.com madcapmissadventures.blogspot.com zombieinsetute.net Note: all of the above blogs are structured in such a way so that there is no financial gain by the authors