Gluten Free Engineer - Making Gluten Free Easy

Oops, I Got Glutened! Now What?

• Carrie Saunders • Episode 11

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It happens to the best of us. You're careful, you read labels, you ask all the right questions at restaurants and yet somehow gluten still sneaks into your system. Maybe it was cross-contamination, a hidden ingredient or a mislabeled product, or maybe your server forgot to notify the kitchen staff. Whatever the cause, you're now dealing with the dreaded aftermath of being glutened. 

So what do you do next? How can you ease symptoms and support your body and get back to feeling like yourself again? 

In today's episode, we're going to explore several different options you can use to help you feel like yourself again, because everybody's body reacts a bit differently to being glutened and to the recovery of gluten. So let's dive in and find out some great options that might be able to help you. 


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Carrie Saunders:

Quick reminder before we get started on this episode this podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice. It happens to the best of us. You're careful, you read labels, you ask all the right questions at restaurants and yet somehow gluten still sneaks into your system. Maybe it was cross-contamination, a hidden ingredient or a mislabeled product, or maybe your server forgot to notify the kitchen staff. Whatever the cause, you're now dealing with the dreaded aftermath of being glutened. So what do you do next? How can you ease symptoms and support your body and get back to feeling like yourself again? In today's episode, we're going to explore several different options you can use to help you feel like yourself again, because everybody's body reacts a bit differently to being glutened and to the recovery of gluten. So let's dive in and find out some great options that might be able to help you. Welcome to the Gluten-Free Engineer Podcast. I'm your host, k Saunders.

Carrie Saunders:

In 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, a moment that changed everything, but I was determined not to let it hold me back. With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer the gluten-free lifestyle, breaking down recipes, safety tips, travel hacks and everything in between to rebuild a life I love. Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply choose to live gluten-free, this podcast is for you. Disease, gluten intolerance or simply choose to live gluten-free, this podcast is for you. Join me each week as we simplify the gluten-free lifestyle, make it fun and prove that you don't have to miss out on anything. Welcome back to the show.

Carrie Saunders:

Today we're talking about what happens when you get glutened and what to do, and, like I mentioned in the intro, every person's body is different. We all have different symptoms. Well, many times they cross over, but each individual person, everyone in our family, reacts differently to gluten, and so I'm going to go over first the signs of how to recognize that you've been gluten, because you may have some of these, but probably not all of them, but you'll probably have at least some of these, but probably not all of them, but you'll probably have at least some of these. And so some symptoms of gluten exposure, like I said, varies from person to person. Each one of my children reacted vastly differently from each other, but one of the most common ones and what most people equate to celiac or gluten intolerance is digestive issues. Now, this could include bloating, nausea, cramping, diarrhea or constipation. Some people don't realize that constipation is actually a gluten symptom, as about most people equate diarrhea to it. You might also have brain fog, you might have trouble concentrating, you might have fatigue and weakness, you might have headaches or migraines, you may have skin reactions like rashes, itching, you could have joint pain or muscle aches, you could have anxiety, irritability or mood swings. So, like I mentioned, we all individually in our family react a bit differently. My oldest son, for example, goes into what we call a gluten coma. If he gets glutened he will literally sleep for hours, if not days.

Carrie Saunders:

I still remember one time, you know, years ago, when he was still in Boy Scouts. They went on a trip I think it was a skiing trip. Boy Scouts, they went on a trip I think it was a skiing trip, and he wasn't real well-versed yet in expressing his needs for being gluten-free and he probably didn't think about what was going to happen next and his friends didn't think about what's going to happen to Caden next. Well, what did the kids do? Well, they were hungry, so they got pizza, and they had pizza in the hotel room. If anybody knows anything about pizza, honestly, pizza is one of the things when I'm in a public place, that, when we're eating is one of the things that scares me the most, more than like buns and things like that, because the grease of pizza carries that gluten everywhere. I have found in my experience and in this situation the Boy Scouts weren't being very good Boy Scouts and they were throwing pizza and they had pizza everywhere in the room.

Carrie Saunders:

My son went to sleep when, and then still, when I finally got him up, got him moving you know, tried to get, you know, some of the remedies I want to talk about in here, like food and water and things like that, he still couldn't even hardly concentrate. You know we wanted to get him back to school so he wasn't missing too much school because, you know, the Boy Scout trip was over the weekend. So here comes Monday and he can't go to school because he's been gluten and he's completely debilitated, and so he needed to get him back to school by Wednesday and he still couldn't even concentrate. He was like mom, I'm having a hard time processing anything at school. So he had the fatigue and the weakness, extreme fatigue and weakness, and he also had the brain fog and difficulty concentrating and of course he had the digestive issues too.

Carrie Saunders:

But that's just one child, my middle child, for example. He's actually palm sweat. He has digestive issues. His palms sweat and sometimes he gets headaches. My youngest he gets the digestive issues and he gets migraines. He gets irritable. Oh my goodness, if you were to ask him what he was like before he went off gluten, he would just tell you how mean he was. I mean he really was. Even as a mom I can say you know, my child was really irritable and rude before he went off gluten. He couldn't help himself. His brain was so out of whack from having the substance in his body that it was not compatible with. He was a completely different child when we took him off gluten and when we realized he had, you know, celiac too.

Carrie Saunders:

So don't think any one person will react the same. You know myself I have digestive issues, brain fog, I will get tired, sometimes I will get migraines, I'll have skin issues, I might have joint pains and muscle aches and I might be irritable too, like I literally have the whole getting caboodle now, probably because I didn't know I was celiac until my thirties. So I'm way more damaged. So a little bit does a lot more to my body, because my intestines, you know they can't quite fully heal. They'll heal a good bit, but they can't always quite fully heal. So I have pretty much all the issues and also note that not everybody reacts within the same time frame. Some people feel symptoms within minutes to hours. I'm one of those people. Sometimes when I'm eating I'll know that my food is not safe. My body just knows. I won't even have any symptoms yet, but I will just get this instinct on me. Oh, I need to stop eating. It's really weird. And then other people. It can take a day or two to really hit full force With the youngest child. It usually takes him longer than the other ones, but we figured out he had celiac at a younger age. So don't think, because you don't react right away or it takes a couple days, that it wasn't a problem. Look back a couple days in the previous few days if you think you might have gotten gluten, to see where that risk might have been.

Carrie Saunders:

Now there's some immediate steps you can take after being gluten and obviously any of these all the ones I'm going to recommend are pretty much pretty holistic and natural. But definitely talk with your doctor before you try any of these things, because they are the expert of you, know you and take caring of you as well. But one of the key things that you can do is hydrate. I'm talking drinking lots of water. We want to flush this out of our system. We want to rehydrate our system, especially if we're having the diarrhea and nausea issues as well. So we want to make sure we're drinking plenty of water to help flush out any of this contamination that you've gotten. You may want to add electrolytes too. You may want to add some coconut water, electrolyte powders that are safe for you, bone broth. If you eat meat and if you're experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, adding these electrolytes is usually recommended by many doctors. And then we also want to listen to our body.

Carrie Saunders:

Give yourself grace. Fatigue is so common after gluten exposure. So allow yourself to rest and prioritize sleep. Rest whatever you need and, when possible, completely reduce as much stress as possible to avoid overloading your brain. You know your brain needs to recover and your body needs to recover. It's almost like somebody asked me one time what's it like being gluten? I'm like well, it's. Sometimes it feels kind of like the flu, like for me. I will feel really tired, I'll have a headache, my body might ache. You know it almost feels like the flu to me, plus digestive issues, right. So reduce that stress to give your time you know your body some time to heal. And then another thing that helps me is, you know, again, listen to your body and talk to your doctor.

Carrie Saunders:

But for me, I also need to flush that out with food. So I need to eat foods that are easy to digest for me, as well as gut healing foods. So you're going to want to stick to gentle anti-inflammatory foods here. Don't go out and eat something really spicy. It's probably not going to do you very good because you're already, you know, damaged now. But go with what works for you. For some people that can be bone broth. For some people that can be steamed vegetables like zucchini, carrots and sweet potatoes. Some people might do really well with some bananas, applesauce or plain rice.

Carrie Saunders:

I know for me I can't take a lot of fibrous foods if I'm damaged, so I have to not do the veggies and anything with a lot of fiber in it. It really does bother me. I have to go to more simple comfort foods for me, which is usually something like a steak or hamburger. The way I was raised, I was very much a steak and hamburger type of person and potatoes. So I would probably go towards that because I know that's gentle on my body. So know what's gentle on your body, because we're all different, and go for those foods to help also flush it out. I also do find that herbal teas like ginger, peppermint or chamomile also can help calm digestion and can really help me. It also can help your mind too. Sometimes when you're eating these comfort foods or these comfort drinks, like some of these teas, it can also calm your mind, and our mind and our body are so connected together. So listen to your body, talk to your doctor and see what they recommend doing whenever you get gluten.

Carrie Saunders:

And, like I already implied, we want to stay away from irritants. We want to stay away from dairy if possible. Processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, sugar we want to stay away from those while your gut heals. Now for me, I'm a little bit odd. I do actually feel better when I eat dairy. I don't really drink milk but like cheese and some seed crackers would probably do really well, and I know actually I know it does really well when I'm nauseous.

Carrie Saunders:

So again, look to what you know. So for me, dairy isn't a problem. I can tolerate a grass-fed, raw dairy really well. So for me I'd probably do cheese and crackers gluten-free, of course. That are really nice and gentle, but for some people they need to stay away from dairy because, if you don't already know, gluten damages the biliary, which is what helps you digest dairy, and so some people can't produce the lactase to digest the lactose and so they, you know, can't do the dairy.

Carrie Saunders:

But for me I thankfully don't have that problem and when your digestive system is inflamed, just give it time to recover and eat simply and gently and go with I want to say go with your gut, but really we're kind of going with our gut here. You know, when you feel like eating, eat to help flush this out, eat to help flush this out, drink to help flush this out. And when your body says, oh no, we need to wait a little bit, listen to it and wait a little bit. Don't force anything on you, because it's kind of like getting legit sick, but it's an autoimmune response, so we just need to, you know, pay attention to it. There are also some supplements that can help support recovery and again, always check with your doctor with supplements or anything like that. But I've heard and I've not tried this on myself that activated charcoal may help absorb the toxins and this is best if it's taken shortly after exposure. So if you're wanting to react quickly, this might be a good option for you, but again, check with your doctor or primary health person.

Carrie Saunders:

For our family, digestive enzymes really help break down the lingering gluten proteins for us and it's something that we go to a lot and we find that it helps our family. And many times if we're eating out and it might be risky I think I've already talked about this in the podcast and it might be slightly risky we'll take digestive enzymes before and after our meal to help with any potential cross-contamination if we're in a situation where we're not confident that we can eat safely. But we do need to eat something. So we will do that, and I have actually taken digestive enzymes after the fact when I knew I got gluten too and it did help get rid of that lingering gluten that's in there. Also, a lot of people find that probiotics can really help them heal and it can really support their gut health and restore balance.

Carrie Saunders:

Now, in my time of trying probiotics, there are some that do not do well with my digestive system, so I recommend finding one that you already know is gentle on your digestive system and use that one. Talk to your doctor, see what they recommend. But there's a specific brand I don't want to mention on the podcast, but you're welcome to message me and I can tell you which one it is, because I don't know whether I'm legally allowed to. But it is the most gentle probiotic I've ever had and it works really well for me. So I like to use that when the day is following and the day of getting isodine and gluten to help repair my gut again.

Carrie Saunders:

Also, magnesium can help muscle cramps, headaches and digestive distress. Now I do want you to caution you on magnesium and again, like I said, I keep repeating myself, but please talk to your doctor. I'm not a doctor, but magnesium can help. But you want to make sure you're using magnesium glycinate the other magnesium can cause the opposite problems and cause digestive distress. So make sure you're using the one that's gentle on your digestive system, that is meant for brain function and muscle function and bones, not the other one that can cause you to have diarrhea, because we do not want to exasperate the problem. So talk to your doctor to make sure any of these suggestions are safe for you and your body because they know your medical history and all those things.

Carrie Saunders:

And then we want to manage our symptoms as needed. So for bloatings and cramps, I find peppermint tea, ginger tea, can really help. Some people really like a heating pad that's not one I would go to myself personally, but I know some people really like that and for brain fog, hydrating, resting and, like I said earlier, giving yourself grace, resting in. Like I said earlier, giving yourself grace your mental clarity will return when your body is recovered and help you gauge when you feel better. And then for headaches, that magnesium we were talking about. Hydration. Also, avoiding bright screens might help Avoiding stress. It's usually good to be in a quiet room, maybe a less well-lit room, a darker room, making sure that if you are looking at screens you've got that blue light filter on so that it's easier on your brain and your eyes. So make sure you're managing your symptoms nicely.

Carrie Saunders:

Maybe get out in nature. If you feel good enough, go outside for a walk. Sometimes when we reconnect with nature, it can just really help heal our bodies. Obviously, you got to feel well enough to do that, but it's definitely a good option. Or even sitting on your front or back porch if you have a nice porch you can sit on, just something to like, give you some you know gentle nature and surroundings to just kind of uplift your spirits. And sometimes distraction really helps. So if you feel up for it, maybe play a game or two with your family, get some board games out or some card games out and get your mind off of your body symptoms. Because our mind and body are so well connected together, we need to do the things to heal the mind and our mental state as well as our physical state, because they're just so well connected and recovery time can vary from person to person.

Carrie Saunders:

Some people feel better within a day. Others might have symptoms for a week or more. For my oldest, he typically will have symptoms for several days. It just depends upon how bad it is. For myself, I'm usually through my symptoms within 12 hours and for my other two kids they're generally better within 12 to 24 hours, and so it really varies person to person and if they're severe or prolonged, obviously check with a doctor or a nutritionist for support. I do have a one friend who's celiac and she many times has to go to ER Like that's how severe her celiac is and she has to get special medicine, a special hydration and she will be sick for several weeks. So know your body, know your body well, talk to your doctor about you. Know, obviously, preventative measures, but also measures to do when you actually accidentally do get gluten, because it unfortunately sometimes happens.

Carrie Saunders:

And then let's go over real quick some preventing, you know, future gluten exposure, some of the key takeaways for that we always want to double check labels, especially for sauces, seasonings and processed foods, and there's been times before when a product was safe before and then it later was not safe. And I figured it out because I was noticing I was getting gluten symptoms. And then I started doing some digging and reading all the labels of things I'd eaten, always ask questions at restaurants about cross contamination and, as I said in one of my previous episodes you know there was this one restaurant. There was a hot dog shop here locally and I could eat there just fine, but then they decided to start frying jalapeno poppers in their oil and I noticed I was getting a little bit gluten and then figured out via, you know, via looking at their menu and talking to them that I was getting cross contaminated in their fryer, when previously they'd only fried fries in the fryer.

Carrie Saunders:

So always ask detailed questions. Don't assume that since you've eaten there before and eaten there safely before, that you're still going to be safe. It's something I've learned over and over again and so hopefully I can help you not make the mistakes I did there. So always ask, no matter whether it's like the same restaurant you go to all the time. Double check you can carry a gluten-free dining card too when traveling. That can really help, especially when going out of country, especially if you have the dining card and the foreign language. If you're going to a foreign place, that can really help that language barrier there. And always have a backup plan.

Carrie Saunders:

Keep safe snacks with you just in case of uncertainty. I know we have done this before. There's been times I've gone to a restaurant, talked to the person and decided to eat my gluten-free granola bar that's in my purse instead of eating dinner there, because it was just too risky to even try it. So don't feel badly if that's what you have to do and if you're unsure, trust your gut. Just really trust your gut.

Carrie Saunders:

It is never worth getting sick over eating something that is iffy. I know I have early on been like, oh, it'll be all right. No, no, it was never all right. I regretted it. Sometimes I regretted it for days. So if you're unsure, just skip eating.

Carrie Saunders:

If you need to, and, you know, find soon someplace safe to eat so that you're not hungry, of course, but sometimes that's just the best option, because getting gluten is never fun. But the most important thing is to listen to your body, support your recovery and take steps to minimize your discomfort. Hydration is some things we talked about rest, gut healing foods, foods that are comfort to you, that are safe, and key supplements can help your body bounce back faster. And remember you're not alone in this. We've all been there and with time you'll be able to start feeling better again. And if you have your own tips on how to recover from being gluten, we welcome your tips too. Just click on that text carry button in your podcast player and you can send me a text message and let me know how you have helped yourself become better and feel much better after being gluten.

Carrie Saunders:

Thank you for listening to this episode of the gluten-free engineer. If you found value in this story, please share it with someone who might need encouragement on their own gluten-free journey. For more tips, recipes, resources and even links to my YouTube channel. Head on over to theglutenfreeengineercom. It's your one-stop hub to make gluten-free living simple, fun and full of flavor. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out on an episode, and we will see you next week. The Gluten-Free Engineer podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I share my personal experiences and stories about living with celiac disease and navigating a gluten-free lifestyle. This podcast does not provide a medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical questions, concerns or advice specific to your health.

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