Going Gluten-free to Heal: How to Do It and Why

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and spelt, farro, semolina, triticale, kamut and from a Medical Medium® perspective, it is considered a Level One troublemaker food. This is because gluten can feed a vast range of pathogens and create an inflammatory environment in the body, making it a common trigger for many chronic symptoms and conditions.

What makes gluten particularly challenging is how pervasive it is. It shows up not only in obvious foods like bread, pasta, and baked goods, but also in sauces, gravies, candies, cereals, and even in foods that appear gluten-free due to cross-contamination during processing, such as oats. It is good to remember that it is not gluten containing foods that are inherently inflammatory to the body, but that gluten is a fuel source for pathogens that create inflammatory conditions within us.

If you have any ongoing symptoms or chronic health concerns, avoiding gluten altogether can be a powerful and worthwhile step. I know that the idea of going gluten-free can feel overwhelming at first, especially if it’s something you’ve relied on for years. But with a few simple changes in your kitchen, a couple new recipes, and the addition of some healing foods, living without gluten becomes manageable and eventually second nature.

The key is understanding why you’re making the change. When you connect your “why” to your health and healing, the process becomes much easier. The Medical Medium® books offer a deeper explanation of gluten’s impact on the body, and below I’ve compiled some of the major reasons gluten is best avoided, along with practical guidance on how to replace it, and 10 of my gluten-free recipes I recommend.

My hope is that this helps you feel informed, empowered, and inspired as you explore a gluten-free path to better health.

Here are some poignant reasons why you should go gluten-free:

1. It is a top food for pathogens. Gluten is a level 1 troublemaker food, along with eggs and dairy. Pathogens consume gluten, and then eliminate it via “going to the bathroom,” transforming the food into something unrecognizable by the body. This causes inflammation in the body.
2. This food is behind so much autoimmune sickness due to its ability to feed the pathogens that cause major autoimmune illness. Chronic inflammation becomes an autoimmune illness.
3. Feeds EBV which can release neurotoxins that cling to nerves, inflaming them, and creating a host of problems for people: bodily pain, tingling and numbness, tinnitus, Lyme disease, depression, bipolar behavior, anxiety, hypoglycemia, adrenal fatigue, brain fog, blurry eyes, and more.
4. Feeds cancer
5. Fuels the flu virus
6. Weakens the immune system due to increased pathogenic load
7. Feeds pathogens inside the liver. It takes 90 days to remove from the liver completely when you start cleansing it.
8. Contributes to constipation. Gluten feeds pathogens in the digestive tract, harboring chronic low grade viral infections.
9. This lowers your immune system and triggers conditions like Crohn’s, colitis, SIBO, child liver, and IBS
10. Streptococcus often accompanies ADHD or autism in children, this bacteria feeds off gluten raising inflammation levels in children’s bodies with this diagnosis
11. Increases acne by feeding the bacteria strep, the major contributor to acne in the body
12. Pathogens feeding off of gluten drives up the presence of Candida
13. Can trigger migraines
14. Pathogens feeding on gluten increases mucus in the body, stopping the proper assimilation of nutrients in the digestive tract
15. Reduces your ability to heal and greatly prolongs illness

Why Eliminating Gluten Heals

Taking gluten out of your diet starves bacteria and viruses allowing your body to heal from chronic inflammation and autoimmune illness. There are so many different symptoms and conditions caused by eating gluten because of its ability to feed such a wide swath of pathogens, as opposed to some inherently wrong quality it holds as a food source.

Because of this, as a health practitioner, the first thing I look for are troublemaker foods in the diet- level one is eggs, dairy, and gluten. If there are any remnants of these left, I recommend people take them out of their diet right away.

This often leaves gaps in people’s diets, which I would encourage them to fill back up with more productive foods AKA foods that won’t feed pathogens. If they want to continue eating grains and they are strong enough to handle them, I recommend oats and millet. There are other grains you can add like organic short grain brown rice or quinoa, these are OK for people who don’t have any digestive issues to heal from.

The best scenario would be adding in more healing foods like potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, fruit, peas, fresh juices, smoothies, vegetables, wild foods, and herbs. These foods will help you heal from autoimmune and chronic inflammation that gluten was helping to cause.

If trouble maker foods have been a mainstay in your diet and you are finding them hard to let go of, these tools might  help you:

• Cravings Shifter Therapy Shot: Listed in the book Medical Medium Brain Saver By Anthony William, this shot helps shift cravings on a physiological level. This is especially helpful when you are trying to change your diet for the better. 
• Giving Up Your Favorite Foods- Is It Forever? In this blog, I offer more support on the topic of giving up troublemaker foods, based off of my own experience supporting clients through this transition.  
• Life-Changing Foods Expanded by Anthony William: In the chapter Food for Soul he goes over what cravings for sugar, fat, and caffeine mean, cravings triggered by detox, and how to coexist with them.

When going gluten-free make sure to double check packages because manufacturing processes and ingredient formulas change over time. If something says it is made in a factory that also processes wheat, it is best to assume that item is not gluten-free anymore, such as with oats. Ideally, when buying packaged goods it will say “gluten-free” or “celiac safe” on it, but it is always best to be your own detective especially if you are highly sensitive.

Gluten-free Recipes

I am very passionate about cooking and creating recipes in the kitchen because I also know what it is like to stop cooking with troublemaker foods, and how hard it can be in the beginning. So I have a great collection of gluten-free recipes you can choose from. This includes favorites such as stuffing, cookies, pancakes, cupcakes, and stir fry. There are so many recipes, proving that you don’t have to go without when you start eating gluten-free.

Here are 10 of my gluten-free recipes I recommend:

1. Festive Bread Stuffing
2. Banana Muffins
3. French Crepes
4. Rayyaan’s Banana Pancakes
5. Plant-based Grilled Cheese
6. Pakora Waffles
7. Curried Potato Burger
8. Mushroom Pasta
9. Veggie Lasagna
10. Holiday Apple Cake 

My Ultimate Clean Food Guide

If you are looking for even more inspiration on your healing journey from the Standard American Diet I have created The Ultimate Clean Food Guide, a FREE DOWNLOAD. This is a compilation of all the Medical Medium® friendly foods I recommend. I cover everything from burgers, bread, pancakes, to dessert, canned food, pre-made meals, and more. Everything that I recommend in this food guide is gluten-free, Medical Medium® friendly, and free of level 1, 2, 3, and 4 troublemaker foods.

To your health and happiness,
Muneeza