Gluten Free Connection to Mental Illness

Today, I'm going to venture off my usual parenting topics a bit, but not really. I'm going to talk about something near and dear to my heart: gluten free eating.

Don't roll your eyes at me. I've been doing this since the beginning of the craze and not because it's a craze, but because I discovered my body can't handle gluten (wheat, rye, barley, malt) as well as oats, corn, milk and a whole slew of other things (such as iceberg lettuce and carrots and celery).

We also discovered Honey Bunny and Boo Bear don't do well with it either. Whereas I end up the hospital due to severe stomach pains or passing out while having such bad diarrhea on the side of the road, crouched down leaning against my mini-van tire praying no one will drive by, that I can't even risk literally a crumb coming into contact with my food, Honey Bunny presents different side effects of gluten contamination and so does Boo Bear. Boo Bear gets migraines from hell.  Personally, I don't know any migraines from heaven. All migraines are from hell.  Honey Bunny, on the other hand, becomes suicidal.

Yes, you read that right, suicidal. For us, having gluten is something that must be avoided at all cost. Boo Bear will be uncomfortable with a migraine. She will cry. She will hurt. But ultimately, it will pass. She will have an upset stomach, she will poop her brains out. She'll have bloating and all those "wonderful" gastrointestinal discomforts, but it won't be the end of the world for her.

Honey Bunny and I? It's bad and when I say bad, I mean bad. For me, life stops for at least 3 weeks while it processes fully through my system. You read that sentence right, three weeks. It is extreme pain, worse than kidney stones and child birth combined (and that's saying something). For Honey Bunny, we are usually checking her into a psych ward within 72 hours of digested gluten for suicidal attempt or want to attempt.

I'm sure you're shaking your head thinking I'm nuts. Am I really? The following are taken directly from www.celiacdisease.com: (http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/CeliacNeuroSymptoms/a/Gluten-Neurological-Symptoms.htm)

 "Finally, there are some hints that conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also may be affected by gluten intake in a few individuals."

" In fact, one study found that about one-third or more of celiacs suffer from depression, and 17% may have an anxiety disorder."

"Nearly half of those with bipolar disorder carried the celiac disease genes (i.e., the genes that predispose you to celiac disease)"

Now, you tell me, am I nuts? Major medical research is finding a connection between the brain and the gut. Major medical research is finding a connection between gluten and mental illness, NOT just gastrointestinal discomfort. Doesn't that make you stop and wonder what the hell you are eating? What are you doing to yourself and your children, your family, when you feed them that sandwich, Friday night pizza, or mac-n-cheese?

Gluten is also known to have connections to the following disorders: depression, anxiety, sleep issues, brain fog, ADHD, epilepsy, neuropathy and vertigo. It's not just bloating, gas, fatigue, anemia, joint pain, rashes and diarrhea/constipation. 

Remember those ads with the two eggs? One said: "This is your brain" and they turned on the burner and the eggs began to fry and the narrator next said: "This is your brain on drugs. Get the picture?" THAT'S how I feel about gluten. It fries our brains. Did you know NO ONE on Earth is actually able to digest gluten? Our bodies aren't made to break down the protein structure of it. 

On top of that wheat is so modified through genetic engineering it isn't even considered a plant! It changes OUR DNA in ways we can't even begin to track. Doesn't that scare you? Did you know that? Did you know they now add opiates to wheat so you want to eat more and more of it? Yes, you get addicted to the bread you are eating, to the breading on your chicken nuggets, to the pretzels and the Hot Pockets and the crackers and almost everything that has a coupon for it!

Sorry. It's something I am very passionate about. Let me calm down and talk about food for a moment. That's my true passion. I once owned a gluten-free bakery. I figured out a lot during those days. 

First: Combining my own flours was expensive. Buy pre-made mixes. They spent millions of dollars figuring them out. You don't have to.

Second: Bread batter is supposed to look like cake batter. Don't freak out. It also only needs one rise!

Third: It CAN be flavorful, delightful and exciting.

Now, onto what do we eat. I sometimes buy the processed stuff for the girls to eat, but it is expensive. Bagels are $7 for 4. Pretzels $7-$8 a bag. Those are rare and exciting when I do get them. Aldi's has come out with some decent processed stuff, but it's still processed and full of crap. I have a few websites I run and I will mention them now. Feel free to stop by and take a look.

1) www.homemadegfmeals.com 
Here, I offer classes, recipes, even concierge shopping for your first few times after you go gluten free. It's a scary world in the grocery store if you don't know where to go and what to look for. 

2) The corresponding Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HomemadegfMeals?ref=hl
TONS of recipes there. Meal plan ideas, etc.

3)For the Vegan meals: https://www.facebook.com/6weekvegan?ref=hl
I can't do dairy, so doing vegan is just as easy as doing Paleo.

Here's the answer to what we eat: Here is last week's menu plan:

Bkfst:
Freezer Oatmeal Cups
Eggs & Sausage
Crustless Quiche w/Bacon Bits
Eggs and Avocado
Cinnamon Quinoa Bkfst Bars
Smoothies
Pancakes

Lunch:
Tuna & Salad
Grilled Cheese (Vegan for me, Cheddar for girls)
Quesadillas for the girls
Leftovers whenever

Dinner:
Sweet & Spicy Roasted Chicken Legs and Sautéed Garlic Kale
Crockpot Apple Pork Loin w/Whipped Taters and Green Beans
Grilled Steak Tacos in Bibb Lettuce & Grilled Squash
Fiery Jalepeno Buffalo Burgers w/ Sweet Potato Pancakes and Roasted Garlic Sauce (thinking of doing pancakes as the bun)
Red Bean Chili w/Salad
Leftovers

That doesn't look too bad, does it? It doesn't look like we are missing out. Oh, and as for the sandwiches you see. I bought Canyon Bakehouse Bread. The best GF bread out there. It's only $5.00 a loaf, whereas to make bread myself is over $7.00 a loaf. :)  Why make it if I can buy it for less?

Basically, my Dear Reader, begin to question what you put in your body and your family's bodies. Educate yourself to what you are truly eating. Do you remember how you made glue in school for those paper mache projects? You mixed flour with water. Guess what happens to the bread/cereal/etc. you ate does in your intestines? Yep. It makes glue....

If you are eating organic, why are you eating  wheat? If you aren't eating organic, why aren't you doing the "Dirty Dozen" (that's what I do. Eating GF can be expensive, so I pick and chose). Truth be told, my loves, I only spend $200 or less on groceries a week for our specialty diet. 

How much do you spend on groceries? How much is your health worth? 

Honey Bunny's health is worth her life to us. No more than I would allow a loaded gun in my home, than I allow gluten to step foot inside my home. She follows through with this even at friend's houses because she knows it means something horrible for her.

Our next step as a family? Removing all grains to see how that effects our family. I've been doing it slowly for a few weeks now. I'll let you know how it goes next month. The past 3 weeks have already gone well. We are down 85% on even gluten free grains. Another 15% left to go!  Wish us luck!

I ask you: Do you or someone in your family suffer from any of the symptoms above? If so, change your diet. Don't know how to or where to start. Contact me. I'm happy to help: maryherrington0401@gmail.com.  Put in your heading line: GF Blog Question.

I'm going to leave you with an action item: Go to your pantry/cabinets and read your labels. If you see anything with wheat/barley/rye/spelt/flour on it, write it down on a  list and then see how much you are serving your family. Think about it. Do your own research. Then come back, leave me a comment below. Say how you feel about what you now know. Ask me a question.