Honestly, I wish someone had told me this info YEARS ago. This lifestyle change seems so simple (and really has changed my life for the better), but the truth is, who knows if I would have followed this advice if someone other than a medical professional had explained this to me.
Ever since I can remember, I always had a problem with bloating and inflammation. It didn't matter if I ate or didn't eat, it didn't matter what kind of trendy diet I tried, whether I worked out or not or how hard I worked out. I had a slender frame, but would always end up wanting to suck in so my jeans weren't so tight around my waist about halfway through the day - always!!
Cut to September 2019: I'm on a call with an Equi.life health coach who's going over my results of an Organic Acids Test (a what? I'll explain soon!), and the BIGGEST takeaway from this call?
The gluten & dairy in my diet were the main culprits in causing uncomfortable stomach bloat and gut inflammation.
Now before you go running far in the other direction, let me be the first to tell you that this was very difficult information to hear. Not only was I consuming dairy with every meal of every day, I was also eating gluten every day and both were non-negotiables as far as giving them up. I was absolutely not willing to give up milk or creamer in my coffee, cheese with my food and don't even think about suggesting that I cut out my "chocolate chip cookie a day" routine! Plus, I had a friend from college who actually had celiac disease, and neither of us understood why it was so trendy to eat "gluten-free" for those who weren't allergic. I ate dairy and gluten every day - there was no way I was allergic to either.
Luckily, that is not what the health coach was saying at all! Gluten & lactose cause inflammation in the majority of people, and I'll explain why in a bit. This doesn't mean that you're intolerant, it just means that unfortunately you will most likely experience uncomfortable bloating or undesired inflammation in your gut if you consume them.
So...stop eating gluten and dairy = lose weight and have a flat stomach; easy peasy right? Almost seems like a no-brainer! At first...that's a hard NO. I came at this with such resistance. I knew that to see real results, I needed to help heal my gut by eating clean. This meant no wheat, dairy, processed foods, spicy foods, alcohol, or artificial sweeteners. When I saw what food I could eat (or the lack thereof) to try and heal my gut, I was genuinely angry, haha. I felt like I had to change my whole life for this, which is so crazy because it's just food! Why was I so attached??
However, as I mentioned earlier, up until this point I felt I had tried everything. So I figured...well, it's for my health. I'll try it and commit to it for at least four weeks, and if by the end of it, I don't see a noticeable difference then at least I'm coming out of it with a healthier gut.
The results? Not only did weight shed off without any extra working out, but my stomach was flatter, I was getting better sleep, my skin was glowing, I had more energy and my overall mood had improved!
Don't get me wrong, working out is still great for your health, but I couldn't believe how much weight I lost and how flat my stomach was without having to put in extra time at the gym! I honestly felt so great, that I extended the four weeks to six (I decided to end it with some booze on Halloween night), and now, it really is a lifestyle I've inhabited: Monday through Friday I don't have any gluten or dairy (**with the exception of grass-fed butter or ghee) and will save it for a cheat meal on the weekend.
Once I got done with that initial six week period of eating clean, it takes no time for my body at all to bounce back when I cut out gluten & dairy. What I mean by that, is when I go on vacation and eat a bunch of cheat meals in a row, it only takes me about a few days of being back home & eating clean to get back to my normal body weight and size, whereas before I felt like I gained weight easily and would have to work extra hard at the gym to get that vacation weight off. Now I have the awareness that when I eat food containing either of those two, I understand how my body will react to it (I usually have bloating & inflammation for a couple days), and it's a choice; I'm no longer confused or questioning why my body is feeling bloated.
Why Does Cutting These Two Things Out Help?
First, let's start with dairy.
There are many studies that show that most dairy is not great for humans to consume (if you want a quick break down, here's a great article that provides bullet points of some scientific findings), but one of the easiest ways for me to understand it was by reading this article on casein. Honestly, give it a read because they do an excellent job of breaking it down!
From what I researched, the predominant protein in cow's milk is casein (80% casein, 20% whey). The protein in human milk is only about 40% casein, so we weren't necessarily equipped to consume as much casein, and it takes a while for our bodies to digest it, which is why symptoms (like bloating & inflammation) can show up a few days later or last several days after eating dairy products. Also, one of the more interesting things I found out about casein is that when it "enters [your] gut," it releases an "opiate-like substance" due to the way it's digested, which is why some people can feel an addiction to dairy products!! (Definitely me.) Seriously, it's a great article. So the takeaway: yes, some people are actually lactose intolerant, in that their digestive systems don't produce enough of the enzyme that breaks down lactase, but the majority of people are sensitive to casein (to at least some degree), and that's just because we're human. But don't take my word for it! Give those articles a read, do some research of your own, and if reading isn't your thing, here are a couple quick podcasts to listen to on it:
The Cabral Concept: The Dangers of Drinking Milk (about 12-13 minutes)
The Cabral Concept: Milk Does NOT Do a Body Good (about 15 minutes)
A couple dairy items that are very low in casein? Butter & cream! So that's great news if you love butter, like me! Even better though? Ghee. Ghee has no traces of casein, has a very concentrated butter taste (to me, anyway) and cooks like butter. When using butter though, make sure it's grass-fed! That makes all the difference on whether your butter is helping your health or hurting your health (to read more about this, click here to read my blog post where I go in-depth on this). If you're still looking to eat cheese and milk, try swapping to grass-fed cow's milk cheese, or goat (read why!) and sheep (read why!) dairy products.
Now onto gluten!
Gluten is a gelatinous, sticky protein found in most grains (particularly wheat), and it's usually added to bread or baked goods to make them wonderfully fluffy & chewy and to sauces & condiments as a thickener. However, like casein, this protein is very hard for our bodies to digest, and symptoms can show up and/or persist for several days after consumption.
I know what you're thinking: but Tara, people have been eating wheat and grains for FOREVER why is it now all of a sudden taboo to eat?? Because unfortunately, we did a lot of stuff to grain over time (genetically modifying, creating hybrid wheat grains, etc) to try and improve it, and instead, we ended up creating a food that our bodies haven't really seen before or knows how to digest...and oh yea, don't forget about all of the pesticides and other chemicals used in modern farming with wheat and grains, either. This is one of the many reasons why if you're going to do bread, aim for organic or at the very least: non-GMO. Once again, please don't take my word for it. Here's an excellent article that breaks it down, and here's an even better and more in-depth article on how gluten affects your gut if you want to know more! However, if you're not big on reading, here's a podcast to listen to.
The Cabral Concept: The Real Reason Wheat & Gluten are Dangerous to Consume (Harvard Study) - (about 26 minutes)
What's There to Eat if You Cut Out Gluten & Dairy?
"But Tara! I can't cut out gluten and dairy, it's too hard! What can you even eat if you can't have those??" Look, I totally get it because this was literally me. Trust me though, once you do it for a few days, it gets easier and easier and before you know it, you'll crave your clean eating over cheat meals because you'll feel and look so great!
If you're really serious about weight loss and healing your gut, I recommend you check out Dr. Cabral's Sensitive Gut Guide for a month, and then after that, continue to cut out gluten & dairy from your diet except for cheat meals. However, I will admit that it's very strict and though excellent for your gut health, it may be difficult to dive right into. So I've put together some sample meals that I like to make that are dairy & gluten-free! I've also linked as many of the products as I could that I used to cook with to help make grocery shopping easier!
Breakfasts
Coffee with your favorite non-dairy creamer
Scrambled eggs (cage-free & organic) with nitrite-free bacon
Two eggs over medium with half an avocado and no-nitrite prosciutto, topped with "Everything But the Bagel" seasoning (my favorite go-to breakfast!)
Organic berries with your favorite organic, non-dairy yogurt
Omelette with bacon, spinach & mushrooms
Lunch and Dinners
Lettuce-wrapped burgers (organic turkey, bison, or grass-fed beef) with organic tomato, avocado, ketchup & mustard
Grilled BBQ chicken with roasted organic sweet potatoes
Grilled dijon & balsamic chicken with sweet potato fries and Brussels sprouts
Organic grass-fed beef or bison steak tenderloin with nitrite-free bacon-wrapped asparagus
Lemon garlic roasted salmon with organic broccoli and organic jasmine rice
Wild-caught tuna salad on lettuce wraps
Salad with organic leafy greens (avoid kale if you can!), tomatoes, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, bacon or prosciutto, and add grilled chicken or other organic veggies you want! For dressing, I used olive oil & fresh-squeezed lemon with salt and pepper, but Primal Kitchen has some great dressings as well
Ground beef (organic, grass-fed) with organic marinara (or your choice of red sauce) over baked organic spaghetti squash
Organic turkey meatballs (nix the breadcrumbs) with roasted organic sweet potatoes and veggies
Chicken Lettuce Wraps with honey mustard and baked tater tots
Dessert
Any organic dark chocolate (I am always a sucker for salted caramel! Just watch out for any milk or toxic oils added to chocolate. For more info on oils, click here)
Fruit! Fresh fruit, fruit salads, or fruit drizzled with organic, unfiltered, raw honey
Sweet Loren's Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Sweet Loren's Fudgy Brownie Cookies
Non-Dairy Ice Cream (again, watch out for the oils)
Things to Keep in Mind!
-Now, as we know, everyone's body is different - just because this got rid of my bloating and helps keep the weight off with no extra working out, doesn't mean you will have the same results. However!! I hope the studies and research I've linked can help you see how cutting these two things out can improve your overall health and subsequently, your life!! If you suffer from bloat, inflammation, digestive issues, excessive fatigue, brain fog, skin issues, mood swings, terrible sleep (the list goes on and on) and you feel like you've tried everything, please give this a go! The worst that can happen is you give your gut and stomach a break for four weeks from foods tough to break down.
-Depending on where your gut health is at, you may need to do the initial four weeks of clean eating to heal your gut before you see any significant weight loss or changes. You may even want to check out a low-FODMAP diet, if you are eating clean and still having issues with your digestion, inflammation or weight.
-When I say I cheat on the weekends, I mean one cheat meal, since I don't go to the gym often and my workouts are very light! I still eat clean for breakfast and lunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and sometimes will have a cheat meal on both days for dinner, but usually one cheat meal on either day is enough to satisfy any cravings I may have.
-When I say to cut out gluten, I don't suggest replacing gluten items in your diet with a bunch of processed food or gluten-free substitutes. What I mean by this, is just like many meat substitutes are full of soy & other unhealthy products to try and imitate meat, many gluten-free substitutes I've found are full of brown rice and other items that can be hard for your body to digest and in turn, cause bloating and inflammation. Just like swapping sugar for Splenda, be mindful that in some cases, the substitute is just as bad (if not worse) than eating the thing you're trying to avoid (as long as it's organic or non-GMO), so always check the ingredients list. Some people may be fine eating gluten-free bread & other gluten-free baked goods, but I know I feel more negative symptoms than if I were to just eat some thinly-sliced organic sourdough.
-I'm not a healthcare professional, this is all personal testimony! I've linked a lot of great articles so you can read the research for yourself.
However, this really has changed my life for the better, and this change is honestly why I wanted to create a blog in the first place: to share the news and help others!
- What is an Organic Acids Test? Click here to read all about it! I'll go ahead and link the one that I did, but fair warning, they are pretty pricey. I also highly recommend a coaching call with it, because the results can be very hard to understand/decipher if you're not a medical professional. I'll also link the seasonal detox I did from the same company - you can read about my experience with that here!
Here's to better health!
I hope this helps you like it helped me! Please share this with friends and family who you think could benefit from this information!
**Full disclosure! The product links found in this blog post are affiliated with my LTK.it account, so by clicking on them, I may potentially earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
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