You know what sucks? When you go gluten-free and don’t feel better. You’re doing everything right so what gives?! Today I’m going to dive into why this is happening and how to get to feeling normal, finally.
There are foods that mimic gluten in the body. On a cellular level, they are similar and the body can’t tell the difference. Since the body is still in attack mode and you still don’t feel 100%, these cross-reactive foods might be the reason. Studies have shown that there are between 16-24 foods that appear to cause the same reaction as gluten does in the body. Not all of them will affect you. Every person is different and different factors can cause foods to do this including intestinal permeability, the level of inflammation in the body, nutritional deficiencies, and individual food sensitivities. We’ll dive into how to figure out how to figure out what the issues are next, first let’s dive into what these foods are.
19 Cross-Reactive Foods That Mimic Gluten
- Milk (including Alpha-Casein, Beta-Casein, Casomorphin, Butyrophilin, Whey Protein and Whole Milk)
- Oats
- Buckwheat
- Sorghum
- Millet
- Amaranth
- Quinoa
- Tapioca
- Corn
- Rice
- Potato (and possibly other nightshades)
- Hemp
- Teff
- Soy
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Yeast
- Sesame
- Eggs
As you can see, these are a lot of gluten-free replacements on this list. Don’t be overwhelmed though. A healthy gluten-free diet shouldn’t rely on any of these grains and should focus on being produce heavy.
How to figure out which foods are impacting you
To figure out which food(s) are impacting your health, I suggest starting with getting an IgG/IgA panel done with a Naturopathic or Functional Medicinal Practitioner. This will likely mean you won’t have to eliminate all of the foods listed above, and you’ll have more insight into how permeable your intestines are, and how your body is responding to what you are eating. They will also be able to help you figure out how inflamed your body may be, if you have any nutritional deficiencies and other root cause issues to your symptoms.
An Easy Way To Minimize These Foods
If you would like to minimize these foods in general, I suggest a Paleo model of eating. This is a healing way of eating that focuses on produce, gut healing foods including bone broth and fermented foods, sustainably raised and humanely slaughtered meats, being connected to the earth and moving your body in a way that is natural and enjoyable.
I have over 130 recipes here, a cookbook, facebook group, meal plans, detox, and coaching program all available as ways to get started on your path to healing and feeling good again. I hope you’ll take advantage of them.
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