Gluten and the Brain: Why Brain Fog Is a Real Thing

Have you ever felt foggy, forgetful, or like your brain just isn’t firing the way it used to — especially after being glutened? You’re not imagining it. 

There’s growing research showing how gluten can affect the brain and nervous system, even in people without obvious stomach issues. In today’s episode, we’ll unpack what ‘gluten brain fog’ really is, why it happens, and what you can do to clear your head and feel like yourself again. 

And stick around until the end, because I’ll share the one daily habit that’s made the biggest difference for my own mental clarity.

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It’s a space where you can connect with others living gluten-free, ask questions, swap tips and recipes, and get support from people who truly get it. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or a seasoned gluten-free pro, you’ll feel right at home.

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Chapters

• 0:51 Welcome And Disclaimer
• 0:58 What Gluten Brain Fog Means
• 2:14 Kiri’s Celiac Story
• 3:49 Defining Brain Fog Symptoms
• 5:58 Why Gluten Triggers The Brain
• 7:55 Real-Life Signs And Mood Shifts
• 10:10 Clear-Head Strategies That Work
• 12:17 Track Patterns And Hidden Triggers

Transcript

Carrie Saunders: 0:26

Quick reminder before we get started on this episode. This podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice. Have you ever felt foggy, forgetful, or like your brain just isn't bearing the way it used to, especially after being glutened? You're not imagining it. There's growing research showing how gluten can affect the brain and nervous system, even in people without obvious stomach issues. In today's episode, we'll unpack what gluten brain fog really is, why it happens, and what you can do to clear your head and feel like yourself again. And stick around with me until the end because I'll share one daily habit that's made the biggest difference in my own mental clarity. Welcome to the Gluten Free Engineer Podcast. I'm your host, 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. 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. Today we're talking about gluten brain fog, what it is, and what it really means and why it happens. So, what is brain fog? It is cognitive symptoms such as forgetfulness, fatigue, confusion, and trouble focusing. Sometimes this can be a sudden symptom that you receive whenever you've eaten gluten. Uh, for me, when I had this, I didn't know I had brain fog because I had celiac that had um the symptoms started creeping up on me as I got older. And so I didn't realize this brain fog was growing on me until I went off of gluten. And then it was really obvious that I had brain fog all the time. And then anytime I accidentally get gluten, it comes back. It happens after gluten exposure, even in small amounts. Um, I have seen some of my children completely go just complete brain fog, like they can't even think, they can't put together uh thought processes after having gluten. So it can be very extreme or it can be very kind of light and minor, but you still notice it. And it can really affect how we process our day. And research shows that gluten can trigger inflammation in the nervous system, not just the gut. It can really affect all of our systems, like we talked about on this podcast. And so, why does it happen? Why does brain fog happen in our brain? We first they first say that it's an inflammation connection. So gluten can activate immune cells that cause inflammation throughout the body, including the brain and the nervous system. It also can create, especially long-term, and this is what was going on with me before I got diagnosed, is nutrient deficiencies. Untreated celiac can cause malabsorption of nutrients like B12, iron, and vitamin D. These are all critical for brain health and brain function. So if you know that you are low in vitamin D, B12, and iron, which is very typical if you have celiac or if you have a gut absorption issue, even if you don't have celiac, make sure you keep an eye on these with your doctor and monitor them to make sure you get your levels back up to what is healthy. And I want to say what is healthy, not necessarily what is normal. One of the things I love about my doctor is she doesn't take the minimum amounts that you will say is normal at the lab. She has a bit higher threshold, which I think is a bit healthier because that minimum at the lab is minimum viability of your body. We want to be more at optimal, you know, use and run of our body. So talk to your doctor about what they think your optimal numbers are for that, um, rather than what the lab normal is. And then cross-reactivity. So this can happen in some people, antibodies are triggered by gluten, may mistakenly attack brain tissue. This is a theory supported by emerging research out there right now. So this is something a little bit new and worth um digging into a bit further. But I found it really interesting when I was building this podcast episode that some of these antibodies that are triggered by gluten may mistakenly attack brain tissue. It's just something that kind of blew my mind when I was looking this one up. And then this is something I have heard about before, which is the blood-brain barrier. Gluten-related inflammation may make the blood-brain barrier more permeable, letting inflammatory molecules affect the brain function. So it may let these molecules get into the brain more. And that's why we get tired and confused, and it we just kind of feel meh, um, especially mentally meh. And so let's talk about what it feels like in real life. And so you may have experienced some of these. I know I've experienced some of these as well. Um, some of them are forgetting words, mid-sentence. That is a classic sign of brain fog. You can walk into a room and not remember why. This obviously can be stress too, but it could be brain fog. I know that sometimes when I'm more stressed, I forget why I'm doing what I'm doing. And it's not necessarily related to gluten, but it could be related to uh eating gluten and getting it in your body and having it affect your brain. You can also feel slower, unfocused, or detached. Uh, I know whenever I was undiagnosed with celiac, I felt very detached from my emotions. I'm generally a person that's that way anyway, just because of um things that have happened in my childhood. But when I was undiagnosed celiac and it was really starting to affect my body and my systems, I really, really felt emotionally detached to everything and mentally detached. And this last one, emotional swings are anxiety after gluten exposure. Now, I know whenever I was again undiagnosed with celiac, oh my goodness, those emotional swings that I had, they were not female hormone related. I will put that out there. They just definitely were not, I could tell they weren't. And the emotional swings were awful. And then now, well now that I'm know that I'm celiac and I've been gluten-free for, you know, 12 plus years, I've lost track. Um, if I accidentally do get gluten exposure, I can feel that. This is actually one of the symptoms that one of my children has is he will get mean and angry. And he'll know, he knows now that it's the gluten that he got that made him that way. And he'll be like, I think I got gluten. And then he'll later confirm he did because he has also digestive issues later. But the first thing that affects him is he gets really agitated and irritated and mad and angry at everything. Um, thankfully, because he knows that this happens, he can then uh control it better than when he was younger and he didn't know why he felt like this. So these are some real life examples of what brain fog can feel like. It really kind of varies, you know, from just forgetting words all the way to mood swings and anger issues. So, how do we improve mental clarity then? It really helps to stay strictly gluten-free if you know gluten is an issue for you. Even small cheats can trigger brain symptoms. So it just may not be worth it for you. If you're not celiac and you think, oh, I can cheat sometimes, it might not be worth it for you. Look at how it's affecting you mentally. And then we want to prioritize sleep and hydration. This can really help our mental clarity and can help if we do get accidentally glutened. And then I encourage you to work with your doctor and get tested for nutrient deficiencies, especially B12, folate, iron, and vitamin D. Even me being gluten-free for many, many, many years, I'm still low in folate and vitamin D myself. And then I want you to work to reduce inflammation through eating whole foods in omega-3-rich meals and work with your doctors to what's appropriate for you. But like we talk about on the podcast, eating a single ingredient food is much healthier for you than a processed version of something that is still gluten-free. That's not as healthy for you as you know, eating that apple or that vegetable or that protein that is completely plain and not been processed, um, other than butchering in the you know, stores. So work to eat those whole foods. That's going to make you feel a lot better. And then if you do have brain fog issues pretty regularly, track those patterns alongside your food journal. See if there's something else you might react to. Maybe you still eat oats and maybe there's certified gluten-free oats, but some people still react to the certified gluten-free oats like they've gotten gluten just because the proteins are a bit similar and their body mistakes them. So track your food journal. Maybe you also have eaten something that is cross-contaminated with gluten and you're more sensitive than your thoughts. So track those brain fogs patterns alongside with your food journal to help you take this apart and figure out what else might be bothering you. If this episode hit home for you, you'll love the extra tips and product finds I share in my newsletter on Fridays. I some simple gluten-free inspiration to help you feel your best mind and body. So make sure to sign up at theglutenfreengineer.com so you never miss a resource that can help you clear your mind and boost your energy. So here's the daily habit that made the biggest difference for me. I start every morning with protein and hydration before any caffeine. I used to not eat breakfast at all. I used to only either have like a cafe au lait or some hot tea for breakfast and wait until lunch to eat. And when I switched to water and some protein first, my brain fog noticeably improved. And I'm not one to eat much for breakfast. I just generally don't like to eat that early in the morning. So I respect that with my body as well. And I only eat two like chicken sausage uh links or two pork sausage links, so it's just protein, and the one with the pork obviously is protein plus fat. So that's all I have in the morning. And then I will with it with water, of course, and then I will have my caffeinated beverage of choice after that. And it's such a small shift, but it helps stabilize my blood sugar and gives my brain some steady fuel to get started with the day. And it hydrates it because we we dehydrate as we're um sleeping, we're not drinking water regularly, so our brain gets a bit more dehydrated. So it's especially important when your body's still healing from gluten exposure, and it's a really great habit to have. So 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 theglutenfreeengineer.com. 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 medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical questions, concerns, or advice specific to your health.