Somebody turned the navigation of this body over to a nimrod.

No hurts or aches. Full range of motion. Sure, there are digestive/heartburn issues that are being worked on, but other than that … things were working. Pain free.

Until …

That nimrod flexed her muscles and, in a fit of pouting, declared she wanted just a smidge of normal life.

Normal, meaning eating gluten.

That Oktoberfest I recently wrote about? Well, whoever took over my body ate two – TWO – pretzel bites full of gluten – dipped in that delicious German mustard – while we sampled various Oktoberfest-ish beers, for a total of probably one whole, gluten-filled, yet fermented beer.

Fermented foods can often blunt the gluten factor. I occasionally eat Sourdough bread because it’s fermented.

But, you can’t fool Mother Nature.

So, here I am at Nimrod’s Anonymous:

“Hello. My name is Deidre, and I am a nimrod.”

“Hi, Deidre.”

“I ate and drank gluten, and I had to pay a terrible price. My hips hurt so badly, I could hardly walk. I powered through an evening stroll in slow motion, hoping I could iron out the pain if I just went slow enough.”

… and so, my confession continued as I explained how returning to the gluten-free life for three days of ‘purity’ has, so far, blunted the hitch in my step, but has not taken it totally away. I am, at least, not reaching for the Aleve anymore.

Several years ago, when I was teaching my first Designed for Health class, an attendee remarked how staying away from gluten had revolutionized her well-being. The swelling in her knuckles had gone down and she was able to, once again, wear her rings. Her other health issues were improving as well.

A person does not have to be deathly allergic to gluten to benefit from giving it the boot.

If you have hurting joints or a sense of things being ‘off,’ take thirty days away from gluten to see how you feel.

It has a lot to do with the kind of wheat grown in America. It’s a dwarf variety, not your grandmother’s wheat, and very high in gluten.

In fact, a friend of mine who is gluten sensitive, recently returned from a cruise in Europe. She ate ALL the breads and desserts while on vacation! You see, in Europe, they grow a different kind of wheat – the old kind which is more user-friendly.

Certainly, someone with Celiac Disease could not do that; but those of us who are gluten sensitive might give European baked goods a try.

Book me a cruise on Viking, please! Now!

In the meantime, I must admit to having feet of clay. Sigh.

Pain is a great teacher.

I will remember this pain next time that nimrod starts whispering in my ear.

In health –

Deidre

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