Gluten in wine?
Believe it or not, this post was supposed to be written a few months back but it wasn’t until the events of last weekend that I finally got to the root of why I couldn’t seem to motivate myself.
It was gluten. Such a sneaky little thing!
Long story short, a friend of mine received a call from me early Saturday evening. Apparently I didn’t sound like myself so he came to find me. Next thing I know I was at home with no idea of how I’d got there (worrying, I know). I was convinced my drink had been spiked but that was not the case at all.
Turns out I’d had a severe allergic reaction to gluten. From wine. Of all things why did it have to be wine? And red wine at that. Not ideal. I’d like to say I was shocked to learn this. But quite frankly it was a relief. And after taking a step back, it was painstakingly obvious.
Effectively I’d been poisoning myself for the best part of 7 months. You see celiac is an autoimmune disorder, one in which the body begins to attack itself if the person ingests gliadin, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats.
What stumped me the most was that my body always reacted the same way following my diagnosis seven years ago – tummy pains, tiredness, swelling, nausea, rashes etc. All very physical symptoms.
Prior to my diagnosis my symptoms were somewhat different. I was in a constant dreamlike state (think Inception), suffering from terrible ‘brain fog’, memory loss, anxiety. And generally acting out of character.
The difference between then and now?
Over a long of period of time, gluten begins to effect you in different ways. It can become more psychological as opposed to just being physical. It is a neurotoxin after all.
For anyone who has experienced this or is currently experiencing this, I genuinely feel for you. There’s nothing worse than knowing there’s something wrong but not knowing what it is or how to stop it.
Some of the symptoms of celiac or a gluten intolerance can be quite unusual. And not always something that your doctor will pick up on. For example, I recently found out my white blood count was elevated, which should’ve raised alarm bells considering I’ve been diagnosed with celiac. This is why it’s so important you’re aware of the symptoms, particularly some of the more unusual ones.
Possible symptoms of a gluten reaction
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Insomnia
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Brittle fingernails
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Panic attacks
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Acid reflux
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Shortness of breath
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Being disconnected
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Extreme exhaustion
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Memory loss
As ridiculous as it may sound, memory loss is quite an interesting one. One of my friends is gluten intolerant and this particularly symptom plagues her quite badly. I do admit that unless you’ve experienced this firsthand it does sound questionable.
Let’s be honest, who hasn’t used the excuse “I was too drunk, I don’t remember’. But when a gluten reaction occurs, it genuinely is the case. I remember having a few glasses of red over dinner just before the New Year and I couldn’t tell you a thing about that evening.
Let’s be honest, who hasn’t used the excuse “I was too drunk, I don’t remember’. But when a gluten reaction occurs, it genuinely is the case. I remember having a few glasses of red over dinner just before the New Year and I couldn’t tell you a thing about that evening.
Obviously, this is less than ideal. And it’s extremely important to remember that gluten can and will find its way into the strangest of places. So always check the label and do your research as it’s only your health and general well-being that will suffer.
