I thought I would post up about being GF.
Now GF is Gluten Free. I found out that I was gluten intolerant and yeast intolerant about half a year ago and it has been a very eye opening experience.
Essentially needed to omit 98% of foods eaten and eating out. Nothing of the normal kind of food chips crackers and biscuits. Not that I did eat those anyway. I already stayed clear from them already, but now it was even more essential for me to omit if from my food intake. Apparently there is a “de-sensitisation” method that some immunologists are trying, but that has not worked so well for me as I still have a little bit of hay fever when I get close to my dogs.
Gluten is a substance that is derived from wheat products or grains. Wheat is processed into flour and it is then it is used extensively in making foods. Whether or not the wheat is of organic origin remains to be seen as most of them are genetically modified these days. Not that it makes any difference or not to the gluten that it results as, but it just speaks of the worsening evil this substance is.
Think breads, pastas, egg noodles, cake bases, biscuit bases, 95% of thick sauces, some soups, desserts, the list goes on and on. Being a naughty cake monster I loved a good cheese cake and what really sucks now is that when ever I go to Green n Co in Leederville the cake display teases me and it makes me just a little bit angry.
So you can build an intolerance to Gluten in your later life. You can actually build an intolerance to a lot of foods in life. Some of you notice to bother you because of the discomfort it puts you in, some don’t even notice as you believe that the symptoms of what you feel after you eat a meal is supposed to be normal.
As a coach and holistic trainer, one of the most interesting things I have seen with gluten is that it makes you fat and can affect you for longer than you expect, up to 3 months in some people. Not only do you eat a ton more cakes and rubbish, it saps your energy levels after a meal and causes you to burp and fart a lot more. One of the causes of these symptoms is that in some cases, gluten can cause a burn on your stomach lining that is similar to a grade 2 sunburn. If you have had a major major sun burn that you are in agony for days, beetroot in the mirror and painful to the touch, that is what it is like, on the surface of your small intestine. The stomach cramps and pains can be sometimes unbearable, it may debilitate you and you feel drowsy and tired. You then pop a few panadols or ponstan to kill the pain and gulp down a mouthful or Gaviscon or Antacid to cure the “heart burn”. Band aid solutions work to a certain extent, but the root cause is something that needs to be acted on as most have not really identified the root cause of the situation. And then you head for the pick me up coffees, coloured bulls and energy drinks, so that you can keep yourself awake for the rest of the day.
Well all that should not happen. Eating food should not make you feel like that. You should feel re-vitalised and energised. It should re-vive your energy levels, allow you to function better and to also continue your day at 100% capacity, mentally and physically.
When we look at Paleo diets which is popular among the community, it is nothing fancy, meats, veg, fruits, seeds, healthy oils (olive, coconut, walnut, avocado, macadamia, flaxseed) and seafood. The Paleo diet is a diet that was eaten by our ancestors back in the days when we did not process foods, in the good old days when we had to hunt and gather foods. You had to stay away from gravvy, dips, salt, legumes, peanuts, cereal grains, dairy, refined sugar, potatoes, processed foods and refined vegetable oils. Make no mistake, changing our ways of eating by going this type of diet is life changing and sometimes incredibly difficult. It does however trim away all the rubbish that we do put into our bodies. Which in turn will translate into a massive reduction in body fat.
You can train like a beast, but like they say, you cannot out-train a bad diet. This is very very true. Crossfit is not going to make you look like a shredded beast unless you take into serious account what you put in your face. Too many times I have seen the likes of people working so damn hard in the gym only to mess it all up by spooning too much food into the plate. You do not have to eat your everest of foods, if you are not doing too much in the day in terms of physical training.
Probably on the verge of side tracking now, but the crux of the story is this. Eat less shit, eat more quality. If you cannot afford to eat better outside (where some places charge and arm and a leg for a simple meal), eat it at home. It is not too difficult to prepare. There is life outside of gluten. Go the raw foods, green smoothies and protein balls.
Food is a personal thing. It is very individual to every single person. You may or may not have allergies. Your body will react differently to different ingredients. There is no one perfect diet that will suit 100% of the population. It is a trial and error situation for many and the only professional who can tell you what you eat is you. Only you know how you feel when you eat certain types of food. If it feels good, keep eating it, but dont eat too much of it. If it feels bad, stay away from it. However the general rule is if it tastes too good, it probably is bad for you.
Rant Over,
Bjorn Voon
CrossFit Fibre
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