You’ve just finished a nice meal. Perhaps you’re at a restaurant, at a friend’s house, or maybe even in your own kitchen.
You’re basking in the pleasant glow of a full belly… but then its starts to feel a little too full.
Even though you have stopped putting food into your body, your belly does not seem to have got the memo. (See pic of me 30 minutes post cross contamination glutening)
Your belly keeps on growing.
And growing.
And (oh crap) its still growing.
It starts to feel uncomfortable… and the pressure continues increasing.
Ahhhhh gluten… you found your way into my steak and side salad… but how?
Even when you’re so careful, ask all the right questions and take every precaution it still happens to everyone.
Even worse than the indicator of the growing belly, and the increasing pain in your joints, maybe a little brain fog, or nausea, is the fear and uncertainty: how bad is this reaction going to be? How much gluten did I just eat? What kind of a wild ride am I in for?
If you are cross contamination sensitive to gluten, you know this feeling.
The relief when its just one or two bad days (minor cross contamination), versus a week or two of absolute misery (direct gluten hit) is very very real.
But there are so many people, both celiac and gluten intolerant, who don’t have a reaction from cross contamination.
And this can make a person jealous… very very jealous.
Especially in the throws of agony. Or when you see your friend confidently order gluten free, without looking at their plate when it arrives like it could be the enemy.
Even with the same diagnosis, when your body is extremely reactive, every meal that you’re not in control of can feel like a game of digestive Russian roulette.
This lingering jealousy is only really there until you stop to think… just because someone isn’t feeling the harm begin done, doesn’t mean that there is not harm being done.
This is certainly true for someone diagnosed celiac, but may also be equally true for many people who do not have an official diagnosis or have been labelled gluten intolerant.
It is estimated in Canada that as many as 90% of people with celiac are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed leading to a whole host of other health issues : autoimmune, cancer, infertility, and neurological disorders.
A negative blood test does not mean that you do not have celiac. A blood test is a screening tool, not diagnostic. However, if you have a negative test, generally doctors do not proceed any further in an attempt to diagnose.
Even though your gluten free friend doesn’t seem to suffer the same consequences as you with cross contamination (or sometimes even a direct hit) this could be a huge disadvantage to their health.
Since they feel ok, they are left assuming their gluten free meal was in fact gluten free.
You know better.
That gluten kicked your butt. It destroyed your day, week, or weeks.
But who is the worse for this?
Your friend could go back and relive the same dining experience over and over suffering internal consequences without an external reaction. Yikes.
You on the other hand know exactly what to avoid (or where to avoid)
Your cross contamination sensitivity is keeping you safer and healthier in the long run!
Even though it seems like its honestly just trying to destroy your life.
Though it might not seem like it, you are fortunate that your body has such an effective alarm system! It is doing its job to keep you safe. Congratulations!
It seems like a horrible curse, but it could be so much worse.
It is way more terrifying to not know.
How scary would it be to eat anywhere and not know whether the meal you had was truly gluten free? You could be suffering on the inside and not be the wiser.
Next time you have that cross contamination discomfort, remember that it could be much worse. You could have no reaction at all. No lesson. And no opportunity to avoid this punishment the next time.
And if you are NOT cross contamination sensitive, but are gluten free out of medical necessity… maybe you should find yourself a very cross contamination sensitive dining buddy to go out with.
Let them be your ‘canary in the coalmine’ to scope out any potential dangers with you… just maybe don’t tell them that in quite those terms… it might not go over so well.
Drop it in the comments…. are you cross contamination sensitive? Do you view this as a blessing or a curse? What is your first indicator that you have been glutened?
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