Was it Gut Flora?....Was I Wrong About Gluten? - Critical MAS

Was I Wrong About Gluten? - Critical MAS

Was it Gut Flora?

Why was I handling gluten exposure much better in 2013 than I did
from 2010-2012? Was my body more resilient? If so, what was going on?
Last month Chris Kresser did a podcast on What Are the Hidden Costs of Modern Hygiene? that helped me connect the pieces.

…it’s possible that if we still had the Paleolithic
microbiome intact, we could tolerate grains and all of these compounds
with no problem. And perhaps that explains why some people are able to
tolerate those foods with apparently no problems. But given that the
microbiome has changed so significantly because of things like
sanitation and hygiene and also increased use of antibiotics and decline
in the consumption of fermented foods and fermentable substrates that
lead to a better gut microbiome…

In 2008, I began taking a lot of antibiotics to deal with rosacea. Is
it possible that my gut flora was in a far worse state to digest gluten
because of the meds? And starting in early 2010 I began making kimchi
and sauerkraut, both fermented foods to support gut flora. However, I didn’t get into dairy kefir
on a regular basis until December 2012. Since that time, I haven’t had a
single incident where trace exposure has triggered ill effects.

Bring on the Bread?

I needed to do a test to support the theory that my gut flora was
destroyed by antibiotics in 2008 and healed via fermented foods from
2010 to present. So last Saturday, I went to a microbrewery and drank a 4
oz ale. Beer makes more sense than bread, since beer is fermented and
tastes better.
This was the first beer I had since 2010. I had no issues. No
headache, no stomach ache. I slept fine. Granted this is only one point
of data, but a very encouraging one.




I’ve read several accounts of individuals that have reversed their
gluten insensitivity, so this idea isn’t new. Although it is doubtful
this will help Celiacs, being less sensitive to wheat is a step towards
greater resilience.




This post is getting long, so I’ll explain in Part 2 why I do not have any plans to resume eating bread and what the new wave of gluten defenders have gotten wrong.