Recovery from Gluten Contamination

It happens to every gluten free person. You are moving along just fine, feeling good, avoiding gluten in your diet and then you get some by accident. Sometimes you don’t realize it until you feel bad and other times it occurs to you as soon as you put something in your mouth. “I can’t eat that any more. Oh no…”

If you are like me or my husband the effects are minimal, at least in terms of what we observe. But if you are like my daughter the effects are severe and can go on for a few weeks. Contamination is a real issue for her and she must be very careful if she goes out to eat or goes to a potluck.

So when the inevitable happens what can be done? Is there anything you can do to minimize the effects and the pain of being glutened? There are options which can shorten the time and the severity of the gluten on your body.

Get the gluten out of your system

Binding agents like activated charcoal and bentonite clay can be very helpful. They will bind with the gluten and render it inactive or at least less of a problem. It is important to drink more water with either of these options.

Digestive enzymes can help to break the gluten down faster and move it out of the system. The enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP-IV),  helps break down gluten specifically and should be part of the enzymes given.

Reduce inflammation

Inflammation happens whenever there is an incident in the body. Some recent studies indicate that fish oil may have some benefit in reducing inflammation. More work needs to be done on this and specifically how it benefits those with gastro-intestinal issues, but it surely can only help if you add these into the mix. Just make sure they are organic and not from farm raised fish or you have done yourself no favors. (Source)

Ginger is an anti-inflammatory. In a study done at the University of Michigan Medical School it was found to reduce inflammation in the colon. It is possible that it also reduces inflammation in other parts of the digestive system as well. Again ginger in the form of tea, supplements, or in cooking will be of value.
(Source)

Tumeric is another potent anti-inflammatory. The active ingredient in the tumeric is curcumin. There are several studies which show the anti-inflammatory effect of tumeric on ulcerative colitis. This indicates to me that it would be effective against any kind of GI pain caused by inflammation, such as that from gluten contamination. (Source)

Heal your gut

When there has been gluten contamination it is damage to your gut. That is why the person who is sensitive to the gluten feels so terrible.

Bone broth is a great tool to heal up a damaged gut. It is the basis of the GAPS diet, a diet designed to heal and seal the gut after damage from many different causes. Make it a point after gluten contamination to have homemade bone broth with every meal and to make soup the basis of some of your meals initially after the incident.

Probiotics are critical to a healthy gut. Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria that keep the damaging bacteria and yeasts in check. Bought pills are an option but so are fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi and fermented drinks like water kefir, milk kefir, ginger bug, and kombucha.

Slippery Elm is a herb that helps to heal the gut. It is the moist sticky inner bark of the elm tree. It will coat the digestive tract and act as a mucous producing agent. The mucous will then coat the gut and allow it to heal. Take it in a capsule or in a tea.

This list of interventions is not exhaustive. They are things we have found to be of help. What do you use to help heal after a gluten incident?

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