February 6, 2013
Jackie Johnston†(left) presents Melody Henry with a fruit and†vegetable gift basket for being named NTCC?s Fittest Employee†of the Month for January. To receive this award, an employee must†be caught practicing overt wellness behavior and attitude.†
The Wellness Committee is on the lookout for a February recipient!†
Here are a few words from Melody about her personal wellness plan?
From the time I was a teen, I relied on one method to keep my weight in check?exercise more, eat a light, early dinner.††Each time I gained a little weight I would go back to this and it worked without fail?.
until about three or four years ago.††What seemed like all of a sudden, I began gaining weight.††The old tried and true was getting me a few extra pounds every few weeks and in a matter of months, I gained about 38 pounds!††I also began to notice some other strange symptoms?water retention, swelling in my fingers and ankles, fatigue, mild joint pain, and stomach problems.
Many months and tests later, I was diagnosed with two autoimmune diseases? Hashimoto?s (a very common thyroid disease) and a form of rheumatoid arthritis.††Whew!††What a relief to know and begin treatment?
Over time, though I saw improvement, the weight and the stomach issues persisted.††I kept going back to my doctor and asking questions.††After three years and no real answers?I was beyond frustrated! So I began to read a lot and do my own research.
From my research, I decided to try food elimination starting with those that tend to cause people the most problems.††The first round?no change.††The second (GLUTEN) and I got immediate results.†††I began on the day we left for the 10 U World Series (and vacation) in Florida.††Bad timing?I know?and I ate a lot (this was a vacation).††Amazingly, I did not get sick the whole time?10 days! AND, I lost 6 pounds, WHAT?
Now, almost six months later, I realize the broader implications of going gluten free.††I have almost no joint pain, no swelling (I can wear my rings again), my energy is back, I rarely have stomach issues, and even my hair and skin look healthier.††Best of all, I have lost 21 pounds and I am still losing.††Now if it would only get rid of these laugh lines!
In the US, we are far behind many other countries in our knowledge of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity/intolerance. These are grossly underdiagnosed health issues that are not very well understood even today.††This is unfortunate because, especially with celiac disease, going undiagnosed/untreated can lead to several life threatening problems including cancer.
I am still very new to this and I am learning more each day.††However, if you have concerns about gluten, I would be happy to give you more info about my experience and point you to some resources and books that I have found helpful.
Some interesting things that I have learned?
- You know yourself better than anyone else does!††Physicians are great resources but you have to trust your own instincts.
- The latest research is showing a link between gluten and other autoimmune diseases (in addition to celiac disease).††If you have any autoimmune issues, look into the gluten connection.
- We are not eating the wheat that our ancestors ate.††Genetically speaking, this is a whole other animal (or plant). Through recent hybridization, backcrossing, and induced mutations, wheat has been transformed and the proportion of gluten protein in wheat has increased greatly.
- There is much debate over gluten being absorbed through the skin.††Products like lip balm and shampoo (that are inadvertently ingested in small quantities) are known to cause problems but the impact of the absorption of gluten in lotions and soaps is unclear.††I am currently experimenting and creating some of my own products that are free of gluten and other harsh chemicals.
- The reaction to gluten creates inflammation throughout the body and impacts all organs including the brain, heart, joints, digestive tract and others.††There is a strong brain/gut††connection which contributes to anxiety and mood disorders that some people experience with gluten intolerance/celiac disease.
- I have purchased a few ?gluten free? items to substitute when I really crave a gluten containing food.††However, when you replace one high carb item with another, you don?t reap the weight loss benefits of the gluten free diet. For the most part, I eat regular food that does not contain gluten.
- Eating out is usually risky because even when you order foods that do not naturally contain gluten, many have gluten added in the form of spices and marinades.††Also, many processed foods contain gluten?.binders, anti-clumping agents, stabilizers, fillers, natural flavor, and enriched products may or may not have gluten.††I still eat out quite a bit but I am much more comfortable in places that I am familiar with and have not gotten sick from.
- A slice of whole wheat bread raises our glycemic index (spikes our blood sugar -glucose) higher than table sugar.††This is how I justify one of my gluten free favorites? peanut M&Ms?with a glycemic index of less than half that of whole wheat bread. I?m just now figuring out this whole gluten thing?you don?t really expect me to give up chocolate yet, right?
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