For me, that is today - the inspiration of this post! I woke up feeling fine, went to get coffee and suddenly it hit me and I knew exactly what had happened. How did it happen, what caused it? I don’t know. But, I had to cancel my day and I haven’t moved from bed.

If you’ve been glutened, it’s too late now to turn back time, all you can do is take care of yourself in the present, and continue being careful for the future.

If you get glutened and you feel completely stuck on what to do next, try a few of these things! Unfortunately, there’s no pill you can take to reverse being glutened. But these things will help you slowly feel better, and return to feeling yourself.

Thrive Market wants to help you feel better! They carry all the healthy, organic, gluten-free foods I buy at the grocery store - but at wholesale prices. They’ll ship your teas, snacks, and gluten-free meals straight to your door, so you don’t have to leave your house when you’re feeling so sick. Use my link for a free trial and 25% off your order! Sort the entire website to just view their gluten-free items - no chance of misreading the label!

The most obvious one, but the one that is hardest to follow. 

It’s 2019, we all have really busy lives, and sometimes it is impossible to take a step back for a few days to let yourself heal. However, as hard as it is, not doing so will make you sicker, and your body won’t have time to heal from being glutened. Understanding that sometimes it’s impossible to let go and step back for an entire day, even taking breaks and taking a baby step back will help you. 

If you have to push through a busy day, treat yourself at the end with a hot bath, a bath bomb, and a book. The warmth will help your stomach, and the book will help you decompress and get your mind off things. Today, I was lucky enough to have the day off for a doctor’s appointment - since I was so weak, I didn’t feel comfortable driving an hour to my appointment so I cancelled it (and have been in bed all day…)

While on the topic of rest! 

Another obvious one, but one that will do wonders in helping your body heal. 

Water is essential to everyone everyday (it helps your body flush toxins!) but when you’re glutened, it’s even more essential. Our bodies all react to being glutened differently, if you’re experiencing nausea/vomiting, it’s really easy for your body to get dehydrated. Keeping hydrated as much as you can will help avoid dehydration, and help your body heal more quickly.

Invest in a heating pad (it doesn’t need to be fancy - the one I linked is less than $15!) and stock up on your favorite tea! 

I don’t know about you, but for me glutening comes in two phases (…for the first day). All of a sudden, I get hot, sweaty, so weak, shaky and nauseous; then about an hour later that passes and I’m freezing, shaky, weak, and have pain in my stomach vs. the nausea. 

When the second phase comes, a heating pad works WONDERS, as well as snuggling up in bed with hot peppermint/ginger tea. I love David’s Tea, and I’m obsessed with their Sweet Ginger Heat and Detox teas right now. So yum, and so good for digestion.

Activated charcoal binds to toxins in your body, and can help alleviate some of the awful side effects you’re feeling. It does so through absorbing substances in your stomach and intestines. However, you probably know that there’s a pretty big debate about activated charcoal. Many people rave about its effects, others are really against it. 

Personally, I don’t know where I stand, either: if it removes toxins from your body, it’s removing good stuff, too... making me think it's not the healthiest thing to regularly put in your body. However, note that I said regularly - in the case of celiac/being glutened, it’s different. Sometimes, it’s important to just get everything out of your body, and in this case I don’t worry about the bad effects of charcoal. 

Please note: if you’re taking any prescription medicines, charcoal may decrease the absorption of these medications (for obvious reasons). Just something to be mindful of!

Activated charcoal can be taken in many different ways: in pill form, or powder mixed in smoothies - many juice bars even offer it as a smoothie add-on, or in an acai bowl. 

Ginger: to reduce inflammation, and it’s amazing for soothing your stomach. Try ginger tea, add it to your smoothie (it tastes good, promise!), or take it in pill/capsule form. I drink ginger almost every day whether it’s in my green juice, smoothie, or hot tea.

Turmeric: similar to ginger, turmeric helps inflammation, as well as digestion. Take a pill, add it to your green juice or grab some turmeric tea!

Probiotics: to heal your gut - even a crumb of gluten can do a number on your intestines, and it will help heal, and aid with digestion. I take a probiotic everyday in my Care/of package, but here’s the one I took every morning before!

Advocate for yourself. We are all guilty of this (myself included), but sometimes it’s hard to speak up in restaurants. Sometimes it feels like you’re bothering the server, sometimes you don’t want to make a big deal if you’re out with new people, sometimes you just aren’t in the mood to ask a million and a half questions. 

Sometimes, I get really, really irritated by celiac disease, sometimes I just want to go out and order what I want with no concern for ingredients/cross contamination. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, you are not eating gluten-free to make your life or the lives of friends/servers/boyfriend/girlfriend more complicated. Although it’s not an allergy, it needs to be treated as one. 

If you were allergic to peanuts, would you feel bad “causing a scene?”

It’s your servers job to listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and translate your needs to the kitchen. If they are bothered by your needs, go somewhere else. 

If your friends/family/significant other are bothered by your questions, or impatient with your ordering/if the kitchen takes longer for your order, maybe there needs to be a conversation on celiac disease, gluten, and how it affects you.

If you just don’t feel like asking questions: think about if it’s worth getting glutened in exchange of not asking a question or two. If you really aren’t in the mood (seriously, I’ve been there), have girls night/date night in and cook together!