What is gluten sensitivity? Gluten sensitivity is a spectrum of disorders, including celiac disease and wheat allergy, in which gluten has an adverse effect on the body. Symptoms include bloating, abdominal discomfort or pain, diarrhea, muscular disturbances and bone or joint pain.
Gluten gives elasticity to dough helping it to rise and to keep its shape. It is found in many staple foods in the Western diet. It is a protein composite found in wheat and other grains, including barley and rye and processed foods thereof. Gluten is not naturally occurring in corn, rice, or oats, but may be cross-contaminated by facilities that also process wheat, barley, or rye products.
I started my food journey 8 years ago after Salter was born. I'd been getting migraines since my senior year in high school. After he was born, to keep my milk supply up, I ate a huge bowl of oatmeal with bananas, blueberries and maple syrup each morning. By midday, I felt like I had a brick on my head, tingly, achy, cranky and usually with some kind of aura in my left eye. I was sure I had a brain tumor and headed to several doctors to confirm. They were all generally dismissive and chalked it up to having a newborn but I knew better. It was something in that bowl and I had to find out what. After feeling the same way with Sunday pancakes which usually had blueberries and/or bananas, it was time to figure it out. TO make a long story short, I know today to avoid gluten and bananas are a migraine trigger for me as they are for many people.
This morning, after my lasagna last night, I lost all feeling in my feet and the big toe nails both looked blue. Was sure I was dying again. But instead, considering my divergent dinner the night before, decided to play Dr Google and found this article about peripheral neuropathy.
http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/CeliacNeuroSymptoms/a/Gluten-And-Neuropathy.htm
Did you ever let your foot fall asleep and suffer from numbness and then from a tingling, pins-and-needles sensation while it "awakened"? People with peripheral neuropathy suffer from those types of sensations — numbness and painful tingling — all the time. And there's growing evidence that peripheral neuropathy is linked with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.
Neurological symptoms such as peripheral neuropathy, migraine and brain fog are even more common in non-celiac gluten sensitivity, according to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research director Dr. Alessio Fasano, one of the lead researchers in the field of gluten sensitivity.
I have learned through trial and error that when I stay within a plant based diet, juicing and drinking smoothies during the day and eating a plant based dinner, I thrive. I have energy and creativity to work 18 hour days. I never have a headache. Even with stress I still sleep well. Feeling like I do right now is so not worth it.
The DTOX Box 3-5 Day is a great way to clean the slate and slowly add back to figure out food sensitivities. Don't overlook the food mood connection like I did. Just take a closer look at what you're eating and how it's making you feel.
So, about the lasagna. Tim and I were dating in college and I was going to break up with him after this dinner I owed him for letting me copy AutoCad homework. I made Ratatouille Lasagna and after that we were all better and happily ever after, hence Break Up Lasagna. We love it. We did make it all the time. At least once a month. Haven't made it in over a year and made it for the Fourth. It is a SLOW process to change the way you eat. We have emotional attachments to out mom's mac and cheese or to grandmother's casseroles. Find ways to recreate those dishes in ways that don't make you feel bad. In the meantime, here's that delicious recipe. Will make this one with gluten free lasagna noodles next time.
Break Up Lasagna (Ratatouille)
EVOO
3 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Onion
2 Squash
2 Zucchini
1 pint Mushrooms
1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Yellow pepper
2 Tomatoes diced
1 cup Spinach
Lasagna Noodles (Gluten Free)
pint Ricotta
pint Cottage Cheese
1 Egg
bag of Mozzarella
pint of Parmesan
7 leaves of Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Put a couple rounds of olive oil in deep pan. Saute' the garlic and then onion for several minutes. Add squash, zucchini, peppers, and cook until nearly soft, 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and tomatoes last. Cook lasagna to package instructions. In a separate bowl, mix ricotta with cottage cheese, parmesan, basil, pepper and egg. Layer noodles, then cheese mix, then veggies and repeat until used. Cover top with mozzarella and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
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| She and Salter both like this one. |
