If only there we a magic pill to make quitting the things that don’t serve us, easier. Whether you are trying to quit gluten or start a new exercise regime, quitting things is hard! Have faith though – it’s the exception rather than the rule. Humans are physiologically wired NOT to quit things. Below are 5 things that could be contributing to your inability to quit gluten.
1. An Emotional Connection
There’s nothing like the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies to take our mind to a special place. Whether it’s walking through Little Italy or baking cookies with Grandma, it’s hard to separate the emotional connection to smell. When those smells follow eating and pleasure, your brain continues to seek out that dopamine hit. After all, how could you possibly give up something that Grandma said was filled with so much love?
The key is to separate the emotional connection from the physical impacts. This is similar to intent versus impact. You can have the best intent but if the impact is negative, then the intent doesn’t matter. Additionally, unanticipated grief often accompanies quitting something like gluten. Never safely eating Grandma’s cookies again, or passing the bread basket at a dinner party can bring sadness. We have to pass on things at group dinners that used to bring us joy, and that is difficult. Many feel a sense of loss that can’t be named, leading us to a place of “YOLO,” and self sabotage. When we recognize the emotional attachments to food, letting go of those attachments becomes easier.
2. The Moderation Trap
Moderation is a trap. I know it’s controversial, but I will say it again. Moderation is a trap! If we look at the definition of moderation based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, we will see there is no measure of moderation. It is based on how you define it. One person’s pleasure may be another person’s poison. For example, in the US, the National Institute of Health (NIH) says that drinking alcohol in moderation means 1 drink per day for women and two drinks for men. However, drinking everyday may wreck many folks. While moderation and weaning may be a path on the journey to your final destination of a gluten free life, don’t accidentally move into the town of moderation.
3. It’s really hard!
Let’s face it. Quitting gluten is HARD! It’s everywhere. You can find gluten in your face cream, in your soy sauce, and in your oatmeal. If you aren’t sure where to look for gluten, contact us for the Pomona Wellness gluten-free guide. It’s a free download and full of all the surprising places gluten lurks. Eliminating gluten from your diet, often isn’t enough, though. For some people, removing it from our toothpaste, shampoo and creams is imperative. Our skin is the biggest organ in our body and an extremely effective delivery mechanism for medicines and otherwise. Not convinced? Think about the efficacy of nicotine patches.
4. Gluten is all or nothing
See #2 about the moderation trap because gluten is all or nothing. For some folks with Celiac, or those with Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS), even World Health Organization and US FDA dietary guidelines are too lenient. For example, US FDA guidelines say “gluten free” foods must have less than 20 ppm of gluten. However, 20 ppm of gluten, when converted to grams, is a piece of bread smaller than a dime. For people highly sensitive to gluten, a crumb could cause an immune reaction, so cheating simply isn’t an option. This further challenges folks trying to go gluten free to remove all the hidden sources of gluten form their diet.
5. Your Genes are Fighting You
For a small portion of the population, gluten stimulates our opioid receptors, meaning quitting gluten can feel like quitting a drug. Some people experience withdrawal symptoms and if they aren’t able to manage through the symptoms, they may fall back on the wagon. What science is slowly uncovering is the way certain foods, such as gluten, dairy and soy, rice, some meat and even spinach, can create opioid peptides, known as exorphins.
Humans receive opioids internally and externally and we create our own internal ones called endogenous opioids. Externally received opioids, or “exogenous opioids” function similarly. Opioid receptors work kind of like a car garage. The garage was built for a very specific model of car called “endorphins,” manufactured by the human body. When these endorphins park in the garage, it activates our reward or pain centers by giving us a surge or dopamine, which is our “feel good” neurotransmitter. These endorphins can come from many places like sex, orgasms, and exercising. They tell our brain something feels good and the endogenous opioidergic system manages the entire process.
Quitting gluten is hard, but not impossible
The good news is that while it can be difficult for some people to quit gluten, it’s entirely possible! Sometimes all you need is a little support and guidance to help kick gluten. Not only does Pomona Wellness have a number of resources to help you on your health journey, you can work directly with a coach for 1×1 support. This post may also be helpful in creating new habits. Keep in touch with us to learn about our going gluten-free workshops by subscribing to our newsletter, at the bottom of the page.