The Gluten Debate

A very interesting read today in the Globe and Mail on the ongoing gluten and wheat debate.

The gluten debate: cutting the wheat from the chaff

I was told in January that I had a wheat sensitivity, so for over a month I abstained from all things containing wheat and gluten. It was painful. Gluten is in everything. After about 6 weeks of being off the ever present wheat/guten, I slowly started re-introducing it to my diet again.

Now, keep in mind I never had any of the following to begin with, and the reason my Naturopath asked me to test my diet was because of my ever present adult acne (I have been plagued with acne since I was 13 years old and this was an attempt to get off the proactive and on to a chemical free regime)

abdominal pain
eczema or other rashes
headaches
a “foggy” mind
fatigue
diarrhea
depression
anemia
numbness (arms, legs or fingers)
joint pain


While I was wheat/gluten free I never noticed a change in my skin, not even the slightest. It simply stayed the same, no better no worse. When I started adding wheat/gluten back in, it again did not change, no better no worse.

So this little experiment makes me beg the question: How much of an "sensitivity/intolerance" must one have before symptoms start showing?

Clearly for me, my system was not all that fussed by wheat/gluten and I am happy to not have to aviod it any longer (though there will be no bread binges happening).

That being said, I do not discredit the gluten issues others may face and feel for them, as I would anyone who has to avoid anything for fear of pain and suffering.

Hopefully science will start to look at this issue a bit more seriously in the future and at some point a solution will be found.