The Week I Went Gluten Free and What It Taught Me About My Faith

Gluten-Free

Dairy-Free

Paleo

Raw 

Unpasteurized

Vegan

Organic

Perhaps you are familiar with these words that have exploded onto the food scene in the last five years. Words currently in vogue. Words which have divided people into two camps of eaters...those who are "clean" and those who are not...or so the story goes.

My personal experience with food has been quite varied.

I grew up quite poor with parents who each worked multiple jobs leaving me to fend for myself more often than not. At times, I ate many day's worth of Ramen noodles because that was all we had. My parents had little. But, little is much...even Ramen noodles...when God is in it.

As a newly-married bride, I waffled from semi-homemade to store-bought because, TRULY, that was all I knew.

A little help from some wonderful mentors and a lot of trial-and-error later, I found myself embracing what I like to call an 80/20 lifestyle. Eighty percent of what I made was homemade...from scratch...whole foods. While the other 20 percent remained a bit more time and sanity-friendly, albeit less "whole."

Fast forward to a couple of years later...

I'm still comfortable with that 80/20 ratio. It is a habit I have implemented in nearly every area of my life. With firm resolve, I hold fast to what I know is true...the 80 percent. But, willingly afford myself a healthy portion of grace when LIFE demands flexibility...the other 20.

80/20

Recently, however, I embraced a new eating creed.  

I made the decision to go gluten-free.

Shocking...I know! Especially considering my love for all-things-gluten. But, I was desperate. Desperation has the tendency to drive a person to do the unthinkable.

And so, it was time to sift out the gluten in my life...ONWARD AND UPWARD!

The Backstory

For the past eight years, since the birth of my second child, I have suffered from pretty severe bouts of vertigo.

Dizziness.

While it is not an everyday occurrence, it happens several days out of the month rendering me useless to my family...to myself.

At its worst, my vertigo keeps me couch-ridden, barely able to sit up in a chair without falling over. At its best, I just feel overwhelmed and foggy-brained.

After seeing over a dozen doctors and specialists, and subjecting myself to one science experiment...I mean, medicinal prescription...after another, I began seeking the advice of unconventional medical experts and online sources.

"GLUTEN!" They all said.  "Must be gluten!  Weed out the gluten and you'll feel right as rain."  

I read countless research declaring GLUTEN and the genetic modification of wheat to be the driving force behind many modern-day allergies and food-related health issues...from autism to Alzheimer's and everything in between.

And so with strong conviction, I said "so long" to my lifetime friend, gluten, and waited anxiously for that "feel better" feeling.

After only a week of my newly-embraced lifestyle, however, I gave in.

I ATE GLUTEN.

Not because of my lack of control. Honest.

I ate a gluten-filled meal, not because of food, but because of faith.

My one week of gluten-free living was eye-opening and re-affirmed some convictions about "clean eating" that I began to formulate early on in my WHOLE FOODS journey.

While I understand and support those that have to avoid gluten, dairy, nuts, etc. due to severe/life-threatening illness, for now, I've chosen to go GLUTEN-FULL for the following reasons.

Food is not MY Savior

God has given me one life. One body. One Temple to steward this side of heaven. That propels me to make wise choices about how I live my days. That knowledge becomes a filter for ALL THINGS...even what I eat. 

I want to choose foods that are not only filling but nourishing. Ones that fuel me...keep me healthy...keep me ABLE to do what God has called me to do.

But, I never want to elevate food higher than it should be in my life.

Food is a tool. A gift from the Giver.

With the rise of food-u-cation, however, food has been catapulted to redeemer status. It has become a savior to many. When we, as a society, begin to blame food and food choices for nearly every ailment that assails us, we are also saying that better food choices would prevent those sicknesses and even death.

Two years ago, I had the privilege of hearing a highly-knowledgable naturopath discuss the adverse effects of certain food choices on our bodies. During his lecture, he was quick to list all the benefits of his gluten-free, hormone-free, nearly vegan, grown-on-his-own-farm diet.

Sadly, three months after his workshop, he died.

Of cancer.

Why?
The answer has been right in front of our faces since the beginning of time. He died because of the truths found in Genesis. Because of Romans 5:12. Because death knows no partiality. Because of a simple 3-letter-word.

SIN.

The sin of Adam. The sin of Genesis. The sin of mankind.

Despite our best-laid plans, despite our "green" choices, despite our gluten-free living, death WILL come to all of us. Sickness is a result of man's fallen nature. It's a result of sin, NOT sourdough.

Yes, I will concede that healthier lifestyles and healthier food choices usually have a positive effect on the longevity of a lifespan. But, not always.

God has numbered all our days. Any attempts on our part to extend that time will be futile. Food has never saved anyone from death. That's a credit only The Savior has earned. He bears the scars to prove it.

Food should not consume my thoughts

During my short stint of life SANS gluten, I found my thoughts consumed with food. I thought about what I could eat...what I could serve my family...how I could manage the stove with so many pots boiling at the same time...if I could accept a friend's dinner invitation or not...and if so, what would the host be serving...and on and on...

Gluten-free living was new and unfamiliar. I had a lot of questions and a lot of concerns.

Time would probably fix most of that, I reasoned. I'd gradually become more familiar with gluten-free cooking and transition to my new normal quite effortlessly.

Maybe. But, maybe not.

Looking down the road, I saw myself standing in front of the church potluck line or at my friend's table. I couldn't help but wonder what my first thought would be when food was placed before me. Would gratitude for the gift and the Giver be first on my lips or would I think "I wonder if there's gluten in it," instead? I suppose I'll never know.

But, one thing's for certain, years ago at the tender age of fifteen, I made a commitment to myself and ultimately to MY GOD, that I would never champion a cause...ANY CAUSE...more than the cause of Christ. In other words, to the best of my ability, HE would be first in my life. My first thoughts would be of Him.

During that infamous gluten-free week, I found that my desire to rid my world of wheat put my thoughts out of balance. Gluten consumed me. In truth, like the gold-plated calves of old, I had made eating an idol in my life...a sin I have repented of and have given up to the Lord, but one which taught me a valuable lesson about food and its potential idolatrous place in my life.

Food should come from God, not a laboratory

Prior to going gluten-free, I had rid my home of most pre-packaged foods. And while I occasionally served my kids chips or crackers (80/20...remember?), I never ate them. EVER. I just, honestly, had no desire.

If I was having a cookie, it was one baked in my kitchen. If I was eating bread, it was kneaded with my own hands.

I found value in REAL food...food made with ingredients that a man had planted and that God had grown as declared in Genesis 1:29.

Just prior to my wheat-less week, I spoke with a handful of gluten-free friends, consulted many online sources, and scouted the aisles of my local grocery store to determine WHAT, if anything, I could eat.

Based on my findings, I formed a lengthy list of MUST HAVE, gluten-free products and filled my pantry with them. It wasn't long, however, that I became uncomfortable with my choices. I read labels and examined ingredients.

It seemed that I had traded homemade wheat bread made with freshly ground wheat berries for carboxymethyl cellulose.

What even is that?!

While I know many WHOLE foods are gluten-free, so much of the gluten-free lifestyle is not WHOLE and is barely even HALF.

Food should never trump relationships

Exactly seven days into my gluten-free choice, I allowed food to trump family. My mother-in-law graciously invited us to her house to enjoy a full day of town-wide fun complete with a small parade, a mini carnival, and, of course, lots of food.

She had made a delicious spread for lunch. But, since the main course was gluten-packed, I filled my plate with pickles, chips, and cheese...a decision which was not lost on her. Later at the carnival, in an act of graciousness, she purchased lemonade and mini donuts (a midwestern carnival staple) for everyone. The communal bucket of donuts was passed, and without thinking, I ate one...OK...OK, I ate three...and then hung my head with a wail.

I had eaten gluten!... Quite by accident, but I ate it just the same.

A whole week of self-denial and kitchen frenzy for 'nothin!

Needless to say, my poor mother-in-law felt awful. She apologized profusely. But, the truth is, it wasn't her fault. She had lovingly offered a gift and out of habit, I had accepted it. It was my fault.

None the less, the damage was done. She felt really bad and I had made her feel that way.

The afternoon continued to take a downward spiral when she realized that the homemade pizzas she had prepared for later in the evening were made with wheat flour. At dinner, she encouraged me to help myself to anything in her pantry. But not wanting to make an already awkward situation worse, I declined and went home hungry. (Again, not at all her fault. But, I'm sure it hurt her feelings, nonetheless.)

Later that night, I took stock of my gluten-free decision and how it lined up with my family's core values.

Long ago, The Hubs and I, based on the call from Matthew 22:37-39 determined to love. To love God and love others with abandon. To give our relationships the priority that God gives them. To love others as we love ourselves.

I knew that my decision to go gluten-free would limit my ability to live in a community like God encourages in His Word. I'd seen it. And that day, I lived it.

My mother-in-law was made to feel like her gifts were not good enough. Looking down the road, I knew that she would fret over what to serve each time we came over and would eventually struggle over whether to even invite us at all. I know. I've been on the other side of the gluten-free dilemma and have wrestled with those very same decisions...not because of what ANY of my clean-eating friends have done or said. They are all far too kind-hearted to intentionally make me feel bad for what I've served them. But, I've felt crummy, regardless.

In truth, it would not just be my mother-in-law who would struggle with my gluten-free decision. It would affect EVERYONE I care about...my husband who loves "surprising" me with a bakery muffin on Saturday mornings...my friend/neighbor who always delivers fresh-baked cookies to my doorstep at Christmas...my kids who want to stay for the glutenous soup luncheon at church...EVERYONE. I had to decide if I was willing to be so selfish as to potentially sacrifice my relationships for the sake of clean eating? Out of love for me, I knew that my "inner circle" could and WOULD all, graciously, conform to my eating demands. But, should I insist that they do? I knew that they loved me enough to "pass" on so many of their favorite foods because I could no longer eat them, but I also knew that I loved them too much to let them.

In the end, when given the choice between FOOD or FAMILY, I chose family, and I don't regret it.

So, where does that leave me...

I guess I'll never know if gluten is, in fact, the culprit for my monthly bouts of vertigo. One week is certainly not enough time to determine that. And that's OK. To me, the spiritual struggles I was having are far more important for me to deal with than the physical ones. Like Paul proclaims in 2 Corinthians 12:9, I'm content with my "infirmities" knowing that God's grace is sufficient for me and that His power is made perfect in my weakness. When I am weak, He is made strong. In THAT, I WILL delight.

As Scripture says in Psalm 20:7, "some trust in chariots and some in horses"...or clean eating, as the case may be. But, I "trust IN THE NAME OF THE LORD."

My truth doesn't come from gluten, it comes from God.

Amen.

*It is not my intent to offend anyone who has chosen a gluten-free lifestyle. God calls us all to different paths. This is just MY experience of His working and the convictions He has and is using to refine ME. Please don't assume that this will be the same convictions for everyone. I don't.

To be clear, one of my very best friends is gluten-free as is a dear mentor of mine. Both are two of the godliest women I know. I am NOT equating gluten with Godliness or lack thereof. I am merely showing how gluten-free living became un-Godly in MY life.

I know there will be many who will disagree with me. And while I always welcome the dialogue that comes with differing opinions, I'd trust that it would be tempered with grace.