I love gluten (and other gluten-free problems)

I love gluten. I can devour a large pizza in one sitting, eat a loaf of bread in a day and I can literally inhale pastries and crackers. Life with gluten is carefree, easy and fun and there is always a food option that is tasty and satisfying. I would eat gluten every day and at every opportunity given the chance, and occasionally I do.

But, sadly for me it comes at a price. Within hours of eating gluten I start to feel tired; not like "Oh I've had a hard day" tired, more like "Oh can I sleep on this desk/escalator/changing room/pavement?" tired. I've had to pull my car over for a sleep after a bowl of Cheerios!

Later, once I have come around from my glutenous coma, my stomach bloats, my head hurts and I ache. It used to be an all over kinda ache but now it tends to be mainly a type of sciatic pain and neck pain and I feel depressed. Joy.

I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance (not coeliac disease, which appears to be the superior gluten diagnosis) in 2014. It was a relief to finally understand the reason why my body and mind were acting up and it was amazing to feel the difference when I ate gluten free!

Despite gluten free being branded a "fad" (and humorous videos like the one above being produced), more and more scientific evidence is being published that explains the impact of gluten on our digestive system, and the role the microbiome might play in our increasing intolerance to gluten.