Mocktail Minutes

Why Going Gluten Free Can Make You Feel Good

• Mocktail Minutes • Episode 107

Share episode

In this episode we are talking about why cutting out gluten can make you feel so much better. But, here the thing, it's not always the gluten itself! We are going to break down the different reasons why people feel good when they go gluten free, as well as talk about a few groups of people who could benefit from it.

If you have questions, or topics that you want to hear about, head over to our Instagrams https://www.instagram.com/bayleethedietitian/ or https://www.instagram.com/brianna.dietitian/ and send us a DM! You can also follow the podcast https://www.instagram.com/mocktailminutes/

Featured Mocktails:

Olipop - https://www.instagram.com/drinkolipop/

Kevita - https://www.instagram.com/kevitadrinks/

Click play, sip back, and be empowered.

Baylee:

Hello everyone. Welcome back to this week's episode of Mocktail Minutes. This is Bailey

Brianna:

This is Brianna.

Baylee:

This week I am drinking the cda Mota. Mota, aren't they? Aren't they usually mojitos?

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

It's Mota on here. I was like, that doesn't sound right.

Brianna:

Like, hold on. Maybe because it's like a, like a mocktail.

Baylee:

Lime Mota, mota, lime mint, coconut, probiotic, refresher sparkling drink.

Brianna:

Nice. I like those.

Baylee:

It is the only probiotic drink I will drink, and only this flavor. That's it.

Brianna:

The Maita,

Baylee:

Mota. Yeah,

Brianna:

I dunno if I tried that one. I'm gonna try it. I'm doing the Op Cherry Cola today and I mixed it with a vanilla core power. I don't love it as much as the orange one. The orange is absolutely delicious, but this is still pretty good.

Baylee:

It works. Gets the job. Get you some.

Brianna:

I'm getting a little bit of protein and fiber and a tiny bit of carbs. Oh, actually this one, this op has 15 grams of carbs. I feel like that's kind of high for them. They don't usually have 15, that's fine. Yeah. I'm getting some fiber, protein and carbs.'cause I definitely need to be eating around last time

Baylee:

Yes, Today we are diving into one of our rabbit holes that we started to go into last episode. We're gonna fully go in, oh, this. That sounds weird. We're going to dig into the rabbit hole, not go into the hole fully. That's weird. How would I say this?

Brianna:

Like, hold on. Yeah. We're diving into the gluten rabbit hole. Why do people feel better when they don't eat gluten?

Baylee:

Even if you're not Celiac, obviously, if you're Celiac, you're going to feel better But there are reasons why going gluten-free might make you feel better. Number one, I would say the top reason is because you're eating fewer processed. Foods, a lot of people feel better going gluten-free because they end up cutting out a lot of these processed foods like white bread, pastries, cookies, which spike your blood sugar and drain your energy. So that's the first thing that I point out to people. I'm like, well, you're just eating like more like actual Whole Foods. That's gonna change a lot of things.

Brianna:

Yeah, I think that's a big one because a lot of the gluten containing foods are like those, all the snacky foods that have a ton of sugar and stuff in'em too. The other thing is like gluten is sprayed here in America with, you know, glyphosate. That wrong glyphosate and glyphosate is inflammatory, and so. People have like reactions to it. And the thing is, is like it's a toxin and we kind of live in a big toxic world. So I think just for a lot of people, adding that on is just like pouring a little bit of gasoline on the fire every time you do it, and you're not gonna feel great.

Baylee:

And with that glyphosate, it is a gut health disruptor, so it may act like an antibiotic in your gut, killing off your beneficial bacteria and promoting more of that imbalance, which can also lead to. To inflammation for digestion and immune issues. But it is found in like Roundup or it's, I mean like it's used to kill weeds a lot of times, so what you can do there, just little side note, organic can be helpful. Organic foods looking for, they have gly, but why is this word hard? Glyphosate, residue free label just to kind of look at, but really your glyphosate hotspots are gonna be oats, wheats, cereals. So looking at different brands like Purely Elizabeth is great. Seven Sundaes, three wishes. I believe Simple Meals,

Brianna:

I think so. I know Bob Reds, mills was supposed to be, but they got into some trouble like a couple years back because it had some stuff, but. Typically, that would've been one that I like really liked before that, but I think simple Bills is,

Baylee:

Yeah, simple Meal Meals, lesser evil. That's another great brand. Thrive Market, a lot of their brands.

Brianna:

mm-hmm.

Baylee:

So just some different ways to switch it up where it's not gonna be the end of the world, but it's something that can be beneficial to look at.

Brianna:

Yeah, I just feel like if you're battling inflammation, not great and then especially if you're battling inflammation, but then you're having foods that are high in a lot of those like gluten, but then also sugar because those are the type of foods you're doing. A lot of dyes, a lot of, you know, additives. It's probably why you don't feel very great. Another thing that people have, or they feel better is like their gut. Their gut feels better, they have better gut health. So gluten can cause like some bloating, gas, irritable, like irritable bowel. Some people are more sensitive to it. This is why a lot of people say like, oh, I can go to Europe and I can have wheat there. Europe uses a different type of wheat, so there's different types of wheat and they have different gluten concentrations. The one we have in America is actually really high, and for some people it's just too much. And especially if you have any sort of leaky gut already, it just kind of exacerbates it. And so again, Glyphosate not great for your gut health. Gluten kind of being an irritant. You're just continuing to like pour a little bit of gasoline on the fire over and over and over again.

Baylee:

And if LU is something that is causing some like minor damage, that gut lining, removing it can actually help your gut absorb nutrients better, which I. Better energy, clear thinking, so it can improve that nutrient absorption and seeing, okay, how is this impacting me? And then, yeah, the reduced inflammation part because some people are sensitive to balloon containing grains like wheat, barley, rye, even if they don't have that celiac. But again, it's hard to say'cause I don't, I wouldn't say that it's necessarily, necessarily just that gluten-free component that is. Making that big change. I truly think it's the less processed foods that you're including, more. That's the main reason you're feeling better. But again, yeah, some people are maybe a little bit sensitive to gluten, but then I see what happens is like now we're buying all gluten-free processed foods like

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

are really better. I don't know.

Brianna:

No, I, I, I mean, like we've talked about that before, like just because the food has like a lot of health claims or they're clean or gluten-free or whatever, if it is a processed food, it is still a processed food and trying to cut out highly processed foods is always gonna be a good idea, right? I think, you know, instead of finding, finding gluten-free options for all of the carb foods that you like, like maybe try different carbs.

Baylee:

A potato potatoes are great.

Brianna:

beans, potatoes, like, you know, Other things.

Baylee:

So really you can include gluten and still feel good. I will say, honestly, I think I've unintentionally just like lowered my gluten intake because of less processed foods. It's like most of our starchy carbs are Quin beans, potatoes, and. It just kind of naturally happened, but I mean, including whole grain options, you're gonna have more fiber, less sugar, you're gonna digest it a little bit slower, just watching for your portion sizes where maybe again, it's not just like the gluten itself. Maybe it's just that overload of carbs. Uh, One meal. Where are you having pasta noodles with white pasta Plus. Some garlic cheese bread and like you're just gonna have a blood sugar spike, so that's why you're not feeling good

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

using fermented or sourdough bread. So like real sourdough breaks down gluten and vitasin, making it easier to digest. So be helpful as well with that. I mean, I get a lot of questions like, what's better? What's the best spread sourdough or whole grain, I mean. They both play different areas, so digestion and gut health, sourdough fiber, nutrient, whole grain. but you can also get the both the best worlds, I mean the best of both worlds. I was like, that doesn't sound either. And do like a whole grain sourdough. Your sourdough itself, it's going to be easier to digest because of that fermentation process. Has a lower glycemic index. It supports that gut health, again, due to that natural fermentation. And I would say, I mean, those are kind of the main things, but you can also be inconsistent. So not all sourdough are fermented long enough to offer digestive benefits. You want the real good stuff. I have sourdough discard and I've kind of played around with making my bread. I haven't done just like. I guess it's like sourdough discard loaf bread. I don't know, but you can like smell when it's fermented.

Brianna:

Oh, like, yeah, it's actually sour. Like that's where you. And that's what I try to tell people is like, a lot of your store-bought sourdough bread probably isn't fermented long enough or goes through the fermentation process like it would if you were like making it at home and like, you know, letting it go through like multiple different fermentation cycles or whatever you wanna call it. So, you know, just kind of be like knowledgeable of that too. But I mean, sourdough, I, I get that question a lot too. Like, can I have sourdough and I feel like for blood sugar. If it's true sourdough, a lot of people seem to have an easier time with it again'cause it's lower glycemic. But whole grain, same thing.'cause it has all that fiber in it. I actually went down a really intense rabbit hole like a day or two ago about like why wheat is not great for us anymore. And it's because of how we mill it and what we do to it and how prior to like 19 something like bread was like so much better in nutrient wise. So. There's always that you can always play around with milling your own wheat. I don't know how to do that. But I'm gonna look into it. It's, it's a hyper fixation now that I'm gonna do, so I might come back and share with you guys.

Baylee:

Yes.

Brianna:

And sometimes it's a placebo effect. So, and we talk about this a lot, like sometimes it's like, oh, I cut out gluten and I just feel so much better. And I never like to discount that, you know, like if someone's like, it really was the gluten, I feel so much better. Fantastic. Like, whether it is. Factual or not? It doesn't really matter If you feel better. Excellent. Like you've benefited, you know?

Baylee:

Yeah, and that's, again, it goes back to the mindset piece of things. Whatever you kind of talk to your brain about, you're probably gonna start believing that. So whether it is or not, I mean, if you're feeling good, continue, but I feel like things still aren't right, but I need to do gluten-free. Like is it actually helping or is it causing more stress? So you can include gluten and still feel really good. It's all about how you include it. What are you exactly doing, or what are you doing when you're cutting it out and feeling good as well. So making sure you're pairing it with fiber and fat, eating gluten containing foods with healthy fats and fiber so that digestion keep the blood sugar stable. Those are all different ways to kind of see, okay, how do I do with including gluten, but also feel good so that way you don't have to feel deprived.

Brianna:

Yeah,

Baylee:

I would say there are some people that should avoid it completely. Number one, celiac disease.

Brianna:

yeah. You have an autoimmune, you literally cannot tolerate the protein and bread.

Baylee:

Yes.

Brianna:

Don't eat.

Baylee:

Do that. I would say gluten sensitivity because if you are sensitive to something, and this is always tricky because sensitivity tests aren't that accurate, but okay, let's say you cut it out for six weeks. You feel really good, you start. Eating whole grain bread again. You're like, oh, I feel like crap again. Okay, well then just don't eat it. it's not anything crazy. Just keep going.

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

So that can also be, Hashimoto's is another one. It's often triggered by gluten. So if you have Hashimoto's, I recommend going gluten-free. And then just if you have a lot of chronic gut issues going on, like IBS or leaky gut, gluten and dairy can be really tough on the gut when you have some.

Brianna:

Already like stuff going on. Yeah.

Baylee:

Oh, with that, I mean, I would say you don't have to necessarily get rid of it forever. It could be let's repair the gut and then see how you do introduce.

Brianna:

and like for that one,'cause there is, you know, certain like, you know, supplements that you can kind of take like glutamine is one. It kind of helps repair the intestinal lining. But if you are continuing to eat small amounts of stuff that irritates the gut, it does not matter how many supplements you take or what testing you do. Like you have to take it out. Then fix the gut and then slowly add it back in and see is this something I can tolerate now? But I see that a lot. I do that, but like I'm still going out and doing this, and I'm like, well,

Baylee:

It works.

Brianna:

it doesn't work

Baylee:

I mean, in general, if you are actually wanting to change things, you want to see the needle move, whether it's weight loss, whether it's gut health, energy, sleep, you have to actually do something. I have so many people, I wouldn't say so many. I have a lot of people that have fantastic results and are doing everything, but I do have a few that are like, I want to see this weight loss. I'm like, okay, we have to do the things you can't expect change if you're not going to change.

Brianna:

Yeah. And sometimes it's hard, like sometimes it sucks. Like any sort of elimination diet sucks, but it's gonna be worth it. And if you do it correctly, it doesn't need to be like that forever. Interesting enough, with the Hashimoto's, you, you can have flares sugared by gluten. It's also because of what the wheat is like added what's added to the wheat. So specifically sodium bromide. Is added to wheat that actually interferes with iodine uptake. So if you have Hashimoto's, that's another. So there's multiple things going on there. And so that's why so many people, like if you've ever heard any like thyroid dieticians talk, they're like cut out gluten. Like you have to cut out gluten. There's multiple reasons why. So I would say if you're really trying to get ahold of your, like your thyroid health. We shouldn't be doing anything that's gonna interfere with already an underactive thyroid, you know,

Baylee:

Would you say just for Hashimoto's, or would you say like overall hypothyroid.

Brianna:

overall hypothyroid, like for sure with Hashimoto's'cause it's autoimmune and it's, you know, inflammation driven is not like inflammation driven. And just knowing glyphosate itself. Can increase inflammation. But I think if you're having an underactive thyroid and you're already having a hard time like taking up iodine, utilizing it, don't do it. And I think that's why some people do feel better too, like people that may not have Hashimoto's but they have like a underactive thyroid. That could be why they feel better as well. Yeah. But it's worth playing around with, and I know it sucks, but.

Baylee:

It is not the end of the world. And I mean, I've shared before like I'm dairy free due to a dairy allergy. I know what dairy tastes like it. Yeah, it sucked at the beginning, but. Yeah, well, what sucks a lot less is to not have to take any medications, not have migraines, not be exploding on both ends. So

Brianna:

great. Like not feeling like crap all the time. That also is great.

Baylee:

yeah, so it's all, like we talked about, choosing your hard, and I mean, any change is gonna be hard at first.

Brianna:

Yeah,

Baylee:

Again, we're not saying everyone needs to go gluten-free. We're not saying that everyone should include gluten you. You just gotta find what works for you, and this is something that we help our clients decipher as well.

Brianna:

yeah, yeah. Quality. Yeah. And figuring it does, does it work for me? And if it does, what kind? Hopefully that's helpful.

Baylee:

Yeah, that was your rundown on why going gluten-free can actually make you feel really good. Experiment with yourself, kind of decide where you feel best at and what's going to work for for you. Just do that. If you want to experiment with going gluten-free for six weeks, do it. I mean, it's not gonna really hurt anything. But again, don't feel like you need to go buy every gluten-free cookie out there. Eat a potato,

Brianna:

Yeah.

Baylee:

naturally gluten-free.

Brianna:

A hundred percent. Don't just find all the gluten frail alternatives. That's not really helping much. Maybe a little bit, but not much. You're missing the point if you're doing that. Yeah.

Baylee:

All right. Yeah.

Brianna:

So expensive, my gosh. But yeah.

Baylee:

it is very expensive. We hope this episode was helpful as always, and we'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Talk to you later. Bye.

People on this episode

Contributor

Baylee

Host
Contributor

Brianna

Host