A lot of us don’t understand why some people are moving to gluten-free diets.  Here is a real life case study to show you the positive benefits of a gluten-free diet for a teenage girl.

Ashley is a 16 year old girl who used to consider herself overweight, unattractive, and an outcast in her peer group at school.  She moved to a new high school in grade 9 and found it difficult to make new friends.  She had always struggled in school and found it even more difficult after the move, as the curriculum was different.  Her complexion broke out, and she found herself hibernating at home most of the time when she wasn’t at school.  Although she was a good athlete when she was younger, her extra few pounds made her fearful of participating in any of the teams or activities at her new school.

With the support of her parents, Ashley realizes that her diet is contributing to her health, weight and emotional issues.  She has decided to remove all the gluten-containing bread, buns, and cookies she was eating from her diet to see if it will help.  Within a few short days, Ashley has begun to feel better.  Her mood is improving, she has lost a few pounds, and her complexion is now improving.  She is elated and committed to remaining on this diet.

Ashley had been doing well until Friday night when she was invited to go with a new friend to a movie and dinner.  She rationalized to herself that a little bit of pizza and pie wouldn’t matter much but soon discovered she was wrong.  She felt bloated and uncomfortable for several days afterwards and found herself dropping down again into feelings of being worthless and in despair.

Ashley is disappointed and discouraged that she has so little room in her new lifestyle for those old, familiar comfort foods.  She really loves how she feels when she eats what she knows is healthy for her.

So Ashley’s physical and emotional health improved greatly from removing the gluten.  When she reintroduced the gluten into her diet, her symptoms returned, which proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the gluten truly was a problem for her.   If she stays away from gluten for a period of time, while simultaneously taking certain supplements to heal her digestive system, she will likely be able to handle gluten again in moderation.  My book outlines those supplements and the reasoning for taking them.  It also provides you with all the information you need to heal a child of food sensitivities or allergies.

I was recently thrilled to learn that there is someone else out there who is spreading the word on how food affects us.  Her name is Margaret Evans of Vancouver, BC.  She is a nurse, life coach and the author of “Could It Really Be Something They Ate?”   This case study was extrapolated from her book.  Thank you Margaret!

Do you have family members experiencing adverse reactions to gluten? I would love to hear from you. And feel free to leave a link back to your own blog too if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site.

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Until next time,

Meredith