Last summer, my husband Josh discovered he has a gluten sensitivity, may possibly even have silent celiac disease. Due to family connections to celiac disease, Josh’s medical history and his mother’s intuition, we had the DNA cheek swab test done and the results indeed showed that he has a double marker (two DQ2s) indicating a predisposition to gluten sensitivity.
As a physical therapist as well as my own desire to be healthy, I am interested in health related information. I do like to bake, especially at holidays and until a year ago, I had never even heard of gluten. After Josh and I were married, I tried to encourage healthy eating habits including eating whole wheat pasta and breads. Endless magazine articles, talk shows, doctors and the highly promoted Food Guide Pyramid all encourage eating whole wheat grains. Little did I realize that wheat could be harmful!!
Josh is 32-years-old and his medical history includes skin cancer (melanoma) on his shoulder (in an area not routinely exposed to the sun), bloating, weight gain, and allergies. Since becoming aware of the existence of gluten, I have learned that each of these ailments place Josh in a high risk group for gluten sensitivity. My medical history includes childhood asthma. Interestingly, my mom told me that my pediatrician recommended a soy based formula and abstention from wheat as a toddler.
When we received the test results, I was pregnant with our first child. We quickly decided to take on a gluten free diet but were somewhat apprehensive since we live overseas. We have visited many grocery stores here in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and much to our surprise, there is quite an awareness of gluten sensitivity. It seems to be more widely recognized among Europeans, especially in Britain and Ireland than in the States. We have also been able to try a few products from your website. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten free baking flour and really liked Arrowhead Mills Wheat free chocolate chip cookie mix. As I said, I have enjoyed recreational baking for years and I do love chocolate.
It can be a challenge sometimes to go out to eat, but any challenge associated with going gluten free is more than offset by the comfort of knowing we are being healthy. Since going gluten free, my husband has thinned out, is less bloated and I don’t feel sluggish after eating a carbohydrate heavy meal. Thanks for educating all of us. Your site is informative, helpful and easy to navigate. Best of luck to you and anyone else confronting celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
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