My dad follows a gluten free diet even though he has not been diagnosed with coeliac disease. He really believes that gluten is his bodies enemy because of how it makes him feel. He doesn’t not eat gluten because he is trying to keep up with the most recent trends. He is a socks and sandals kind of man!
Below my dad tells us about his love of bread and cakes and the battle with fatigue, stomach pains and possible gluten neuropathy over the years (burning feet).
My problem with wheat flour. I am 74 yrs old and my digestion is now settled and good, I eliminated wheat flour from my diet. Although after tests, including tube down my throat endoscopy in Yeovil hospital, maybe 25 years ago? It was determined that I was not Coeliac. My digestion since early years has not been robust, and I have suffered from sore stomach at times of stress, indigestion as well. It is well to note that my Dad also suffered stress related stomach problems, suspected an ulcer, never got to the bottom of it ! Makes you wonder ? Ok how did I pinpoint wheat as a source of my gut disturbances ? I love bread ! A nice crusty loaf would have both ends cut off and eaten by me as a youth; Cake as well, pastry, pies, just great; Imagine realising it was causing problems ! The denial ! Blame everything but the stuff you love. I am not a “faddist” .. detox etc. RUBBISH! .. But I had to solve my problem. So the denial thing went on for years …leave cake and bread alone for a while and ok .. take a slice of cake or two hmmmm , got away with that! But continue and stomach ache, time spent in the loo. Eventually I bit the bullet … a diet as per a Coeliac sufferer, it had to be ! This flirtation with wheat flour had to stop… it must be close to ten years now , I try to stay completely off of wheat polluted foods, there are so many food products containing it. Result ? Hardly ever get indigestion , toilet stab regular. Have I slipped up at all ? Of course, sometimes knowingly …. antidote being immodium, seriously ! Otherwise laid up with stomach ache for a day. A side effect of eating a good dose of wheat is raised heart rate, noticeable. Thinking back to wheat eating days, in my early 50’s I suffered from fatigue and burning feet.. would fall asleep in a bean bag … the burning feet thing was bad, I don’t get that now to the same degree, I feel fit generally for my age .. pain levels were high back then.
My Dad has (like many coeliacs) discovered that gluten free bread is expensive, the slices are half the size of a normal slice of bread and often resembles cardboard. As mentioned above he loves bread, especially a nice crusty loaf which is why he makes his own. I haven’t made my own bread yet. I like the idea of trying out the bread mixes that you can get.
This is one my dad made yesterday using tapioca, gluten free bread flour and buckwheat flour mixed.