Brenda Learns
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

​Writing
​what
​I learn.

My Top 3: Surprising Sources of Gluten

5/6/2018

 

Why Gluten Free?

I've been gluten free for a couple of years now. While it was a struggle at first (hello, donuts), I feel significantly better. ​Since I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which sounds awful, but is totally manageable, eliminating gluten is one strategy that can help immensely. I also find that when I have to make special effort to eat things like bread, pasta and baked goods, I make way better food choices consistently since fruits, vegetables and lean protein are all naturally gluten free. Ordering at restaurants is also significantly easier since "salad with chicken" is now my go-to meal.

As a side note, I know people who shudder at the though of being gluten-free--and I get that. I'm not one to foist my diet on others (my daughter and coworkers often call dibs on my gluten, which is all good.) For many, the though of giving up bread is unthinkable. Personally, I also hate being the person who has to pipe up and announce that I have dietary needs. (Can I please call extra attention to myself while also being perceived as difficult? Ugh.) While initially I was also in that camp of both loving cake and not wanting to rock the boat, I now realize that I'm willing to do a great many things if the benefit is that I don't feel terrible all the time. 
Picture
Donuts=gluten.

Sources of Gluten

So what is gluten? In short, "Gluten is a family of proteins found in grains like wheat, spelt, rye and barley." (See "Learn More" for additional details.) Here are the typical sources of gluten that are commonly present in the grocery store and on restaurant menus everywhere:
  • Bread
  • Pasta
  • Baked goods (cake, cookies, donuts)
  • Crackers
  • Beer
As a side note, many restaurants now have "gluten friendly" menus that skip these items or offer gluten-free bread, pasta or even beer. I've also personally noticed that just because they have a gluten-free alternative doesn't mean that it is as tasty as the gluteny alternative. I have personally suffered through a few gluten-free pizza crusts that resembled chewy cardboard and pastas that were downright plasticky. Ergo my predominantly "salad with chicken" default at most restaurants. 

Being "Glutened"

Some people suggest that "just this once" I should be able to eat gluten. That seems completely reasonable, but is not so much how it work. Upon the accidental ingestion of cookies and cream ice cream or a wayward crouton, bloating and a general feeling of yuckiness result. In cases where I have eaten something over the course of a few days that I later learned contained gluten, the condition intensifies to what I would ever-so-politely call "severe intestinal distress." It is not pleasant to say the least. 
Picture
Gluten = gastrointestinal distress.

Sneaky Sources of Gluten

I now read labels like crazy. Fortunately, most labels have "contains wheat" at the bottom of the ingredients list. Other items will be labeled as "gluten-free"--sometimes even things like carrots. (Really, carrots? You're bragging about being gluten-free? By that logic, shouldn't you also be bragging about not being made of meat? I'm dissappointed in you, carrots.)

​However, there are a few things I would have never have thought to check to see if they contained gluten. News flash: some of these are not even food. 
Picture
I love the wheat free and gluten-free labels .
Picture
The "Contains: Wheat" at the bottom is a huge time saver.
Picture
Gluten-free labels rock.

Food You'd Never Suspect

  • Soy Sauce: Here's one I would have never even considered. Fortunately my husband (now also a voracious food label reader) noticed this one and sought out a gluten-free alternative. This is also tricky since soy sauce is also a component of prepared food. Since soy sauce is an ingredient rather than an end result, the wee bit of gluten included may be missed. 
  • Twizzlers: I know not to eat candy bars that contain cookie-like ingredients. I thought licorice would be safe. I also love the Twizzlers--even when gluten-free wasn't an issue. While not all licorice contains gluten, Twizzlers (my very favorite licorice) does use gluten as a binding agent. This is my greatest product disappointment so far. 
  • Mixed Nuts: On some foods, like mixed nuts and even chewing gum, there is sometimes a powdery coating. As an extra added bonus, it might not be called out specifically on the label. This was the culprit of my multi day "why is my stomach all messed up" adventure where I kept on feeling worse, and finally narrowed it down to the ginormous bin of mixed nuts. 
Picture
Curse you Twizzlers in all your gluteny splendor!

Vitamins, Medications and Pills

I would have never expected to have to look for gluten in medications. (I'm not sure what I thought "pills" were made of, but it never occurred to me that it might be something I need to check.) Now, when I shop for vitamins or supplements, I make sure that they are listed as gluten-free. At one point, I bought melatonin in chewable form--which I now know not to take since "chewable" often equals "gluten."  It's also worth asking your pharmacist to clarify that medications are gluten-free. Who knew? 
Picture
Yes. Pills can contain gluten. Huh.

Makeup and Personal Care Items

Now I feel like the glutens are just out to get me. After doing a bit more reading, even though personal care products (like shampoo, makeup, and lotions) sometimes contain gluten, they probably aren't going to have much of an impact (see "Learn More" for additional details). The main concern is ingestion gluten, not having it absorbed through the skin. Since gluten-free has become a buzz word, I'm sure that putting "Gluten Free" on items enables companies to charge more for them and promote that they are possibly better. Regardless of whether this is a legitimate concern, personal care items like cosmetics, hair care products and lotions may contain gluten. There are also companies, like Jason, who promote their products as Gluten Free. 

Personally, I tend to use products that contain less (for lack of a better term) crap, many of which also do not contain gluten. See "learn more" for additional details on what to avoid in cosmetics. 
Picture
Even makeup and other personal care items could contain gluten.

What Do You Think?

Were you surprised by any of the items possibly containing gluten? What other gluten-containing products are available? Include your thoughts in the comments? 

Learn More

  • What Is Gluten, and Why Is it Bad for Some People?
  • What Can I Eat (On a Gluten-Free Diet)?
  • What Foods Contain Gluten?
  • Personal Care Products: Do you need to worry about gluten? UPDATE
  • Gluten Free Beauty: Who Needs It?
  • Gluten Containing Ingredients List For Personal Care Products 
  • Dirty Dozen: 12 Ingredients to Avoid in Cosmetics  

Thyroid Issues: Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

8/27/2017

 

My Lazy Thyroid

Like many women, I found out that I had thyroid issue, specifically hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis,  when I was having a hard time losing weight. At that time, in spite of a more-healthy-than-not diet and increased exercise, I was tired and the scale wasn’t moving. It took me a couple of years to get from feeling generally awful, to feeling more like myself again. Here’s a once over on hypothyroidism, causes and basic treatment options.

Hypothyroidism Defined

In my mom’s day, people whispered about their plump aunt who couldn’t help being overweight because she had a “glandular problem.” Now, we call that hypothyroidism. In short, the thyroid (a butterfly-shaped gland around the throat) isn’t doing its job of creating sufficient thyroid hormone to keep the body running smoothly. Thyroid hormone impacts most of the body’s systems, including metabolic rate.

​Ergo, the aforementioned heavy aunt had a body that was out of whack and made it difficult (or nigh impossible) for her to burn off those nagging extra pounds.
Picture

Commonality and Causes of Hypothyroidism

According to the American Thyroid Association, in the United States, as many as 20 million people have a thyroid related disease, and of those 60% may have no clue there is an issue. As an extra added bonus, women are way more likely to develop a thyroid condition (like 5 to 8 times more likely) and 1 in 8 women will develop a thyroid disease at some point in their lives.  Thyroid conditions can include hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland), hypothyroidism (an under active thyroid gland) or thyroid cancer. Yay womanhood!
​
As for causes, no one really knows for sure. (That’s not particularly comforting.) Like with most illnesses, stress is certainly a factor, as is genetics—and being a woman makes it more likely, too. Some will say that toxins in our environment—including our personal care products and cleaning supplies--put us at higher risk. Increased gluten in our food isn’t doing us any favors either. 

How Hypothyroidism Feels

The quick answer is--not good.

​For me, I was just generally tired and run down. (Which, unfortunately, can just be caused by adulthood and the pressures of raising a family, going to work and trying to carve out time to do something for yourself that doesn’t involve the other two.) In addition to having issues losing weight, I started gaining more weight around the middle.

Since I was in my early 40s, I originally assumed that my symptoms were menopause related. To my surprise, as I researched, I discovered that there are 300+ possibly symptoms of hypothyroidism including  hot flashes, excessive sweating, having issues concentrating and trouble sleeping. I also realized that depression, like the days when it was all I could do to force myself to complete routine tasks, were hypothyroidism related. On the weirder end, excessive crying (which made work an absolute joy for my poor, mostly male coworkers), sensitivity to light, being easily startled and having a hard time breathing deeply, were all due to my under active thyroid. Again, yay womanhood! 

The Trick That Is Diagnosing Hypothyroidism

Getting diagnosed with hypothyroidism is often difficult. For one, many doctors are resistant to testing for it—partly due to what seems to be a general bias against women saying that they don’t feel well and writing that off as invalid. Having a family history of hypothyroidism (which I have, but didn’t realize I had until after I was diagnosed) can help persuade doctors to run tests. Fortunately, I have a supportive doctor who was willing to give me a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test during more than one annual physical exam.  In the end, it was nice to at have a for-real diagnosis and the validation that something was actually medically wrong. I was happy to have a specific problem to solve.

Treatment: Medication

As for treatment, prescription medication replacing your missing thyroid is diagnosed, and is a must to get your body working properly. For most people, taking medication for the rest of your life is the treatment plan.

The current go-to drug is Levothyroxine (often as the name brand, Synthroid), which is a synthetic hormone. Another treatment option, which was standard prior to synthetic thyroid, is natural desiccated thyroid (often as name brand Armor Thyroid or Nature-Throid). Natural desiccated thyroid is derived from pigs, and has shown to have more favorable results for many women.  On an ongoing basis, the TSH test, and additional tests, are completed on a regular basis to make sure that levels are in line with the reference levels. 
Picture

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

In some underdeveloped nations, hypothyroidism may be caused by an iodine deficiency. In the United States, given our sodium laden diet, most people who exhibit symptoms of hypothyroidism actually have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease where your body’s immune system decides that your thyroid is the enemy and must be destroyed. Hashimoto's is the underlying cause of hypothyroidism.

Advocating for Your Own Health

A family friend of mine battled cancer successfully for several years--much longer that her health care providers through possible. From her struggles, I learned the importance of being my own health care advocate. While I'm sure my doctors care about my health, I am also certain that I care about my own well-being more than anyone else can. Fortunately, my pre-disposition to researching and learning helped me to seek out a specialist, change medications and take additional steps to make my life better above and beyond just the medication.

What Do You Think?

Have you been diagnosed with hypothyroidism? What was your experience like? Share your thoughts, opinions and experiences in the comments section below.

Learn More

  • What does your thyroid gland do?
  • ​300+ Symptoms of Hypothyroidism
  • Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

    Author

    Brenda is a dynamic training and development leader and an innovative learning experience designer. Brenda also enjoys learning all the things.

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    July 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017

    Categories

    All
    Adulting
    After Action Report
    Budgeting
    Career
    Career Transition
    Finance
    Health
    Hypothyroidism
    Inline Marathon
    Inline Skating
    Job Interviews
    Knitting
    Music
    My Top 3
    Parenting
    Resumes
    Retirement
    Roller Derby
    Roller Skating
    Running
    Self Defense
    Skating
    Social Media
    Time Management
    Training
    Travel Tips
    Twin Cities
    Values
    Vegan
    Vegetarian
    Wellness
    WFPB Diet
    Yoga

Proudly powered by Weebly