Glutened

[michayla]

i am gluten free and usually very diligent about it, too - even avoiding any potential cross contamination issues. well i had a salad last night for dinner at a restaurant and it had wheat berries in it. i didn't realize till afterwards. i surprisingly felt ok with the exception of feeling extremely bloated and gassy, which went away by this morning.

i was just curious to what exactly happens to my body when i eat gluten in an instance like this? i understand what happens if it is consistent, but have i "undone" everything i did by doing gluten free? what happens to my intestines by eating the gluten?

thanks!

[Emilushka]

The antibodies bind to the gluten at the intestinal wall and cause an inflammatory attack on the intestines. It doesn't undo EVERYTHING but it does cause temporary damage again. Especially after having gone gluten-free again for a while, the difference between being healthy and having your intestines inflamed can be quite dramatic.

Exactly how symptomatic this makes you or how strong your inflammatory reaction is depends on your personal antibodies. Everyone is slightly different with this. The tests measure whether or not your personal antibodies CAN bind the gluten or the gluten + enzyme, but exactly what makes up the antibody or exactly how well it can bind is still variable.

[cap6]

Thanks for the info. I was glutened at a party last night after being gluten-free for 9 months. They had El Pollo Loco chicken which I have eaten in the past but someone packing the order must have touched something somewhere. I was first in the line to fill my plate but..... I was so sick last night & most of today. It almost isn't worth it to eat anything but your own cooking.

[Emilushka]

Thanks for the info. I was glutened at a party last night after being gluten-free for 9 months. They had El Pollo Loco chicken which I have eaten in the past but someone packing the order must have touched something somewhere. I was first in the line to fill my plate but..... I was so sick last night & most of today. It almost isn't worth it to eat anything but your own cooking.

I hear you. Just got over some major glutening last week ... took me almost a week to get over it! UGH.