Woman's years of extreme tiredness and brain fog disappears after making one change to diet
A young woman's life was turned upside down by a seemingly innocuous element of her diet. Despite adhering to the recommended sleep guidelines, she would wake up feeling inexplicably fatigued, with even the simplest tasks on her daily commute leaving her drained.
Lauren Harber began experiencing a slew of baffling symptoms, including skin issues, unexplained tiredness, and periods of brain fog, as her extreme fatigue intensified over a two-year span. "I couldn't get to work without having to stop," she recounted.
"I was so tired, even after a great night's sleep. At one point, I couldn't lift my head off the pillow, and I'd be yawning in a meeting at 11am. I felt so unprofessional at a really pivotal time in my career. I just didn't know what was causing it."
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At the tender age of 23, only three years into her professional journey, Lauren was concerned about the potential impact on her job. The inability to pinpoint the cause or explain the situation to her colleagues compounded her anxiety.
Now 34, she reflected on the past: "The fatigue was overwhelming. It wasn't just about being tired, it affected my life so much. I couldn't go out with friends or show up fully at work. I wasn't giving a true account of myself or my capabilities."
Lauren began battling unusual skin problems including symptoms akin to acne, eye swelling and painful facial lumps. On top of that, unexplained severe weight loss was also troubling her.
Upon consulting a GP, dietary links were suggested, with advice to cut back on common irritants like sugar and alcohol. It wasn't until a work colleague recommended ditching gluten that remarkable health improvements were noted by Lauren.
"I suddenly felt amazing, but I didn't have any support or information," Lauren reflected. "I was so self-conscious because of my skin and my body which didn't feel like my own, I'd hide my face and wear baggy jumpers. But as I cut gluten out, everything started to improve."
Reared in a working-class home where traditional carbohydrates were dietary mainstays, Lauren initially found it challenging to pivot to gluten-free alternatives, gluten being a protein prevalent in cereal grains like wheat. "I didn't know much about the gluten-free world at the time" she relayed, mentioning further: "Free-from sections in supermarkets were few and far between, so I wasn't even aware of all the alternatives and replacements. It was a steep learning curve."
Despite following a gluten-free diet for half a year, the 34 year old's coeliac disease tests failed to confirm the condition, likely due to the absence of gluten in her system by the time of testing.
Coeliac UK has clarified that diagnostic tests for coeliac disease assess the body's reaction to gluten, which means individuals should consume gluten in at least one meal a day for six weeks before testing. Failure to do so can result in misleading test outcomes.
Lauren added: "The doctors eventually agreed it was coeliac disease, even though the tests were negative. It's a common story, once people realise the impact gluten has, they don't want to reintroduce it just for a formal diagnosis."
Her life was significantly altered by coeliac disease, especially in terms of dining habits, as Lauren became apprehensive about eating out or quickly grabbing a bite. She said: "If I hadn't made it myself, I didn't trust what was in it. I learnt gluten could be hidden in things like sauces or meals contaminated by using the same cooking apparatus. The spontaneity of eating out was just gone."
Reflecting on the changes, Lauren added: "It took some of the fun out of life for a while. You can't just pop into a restaurant without checking everything first. That was hard to adjust to. I found eating in restaurants frustrating," and noted, "My food would come out with a little flag in it, and it felt embarrassing, like I was making a scene.
"I'd be offered something like a 'naked burger,' but my appetite hadn't changed. I didn't want to pay the same amount for less food! Thankfully, things have moved on so much in the last ten years - but there is still a way to go when it comes to eating out."
Lauren's experience led her to Genius Foods after discovering a supportive community on Instagram, where she began documenting her gluten-free journey.
Upon returning to the UK after travelling during the COVID pandemic, Lauren applied for a marketing role at the company, feeling it was the perfect opportunity. "Not only do I understand the consumer because I am one, but I live with the same daily tensions they do."
Lauren stated: "The gluten-free community is unique because we're unified by a medical need, not by choice. People really relate to each other and want to help. I'd had conversations with a lot of influencers and newly diagnosed people, so I understood the struggles.
"I feel really empowered to be the voice of the consumer," said Lauren. "In product development or leadership meetings, I'm always challenging people to keep the consumer at the heart of what we do. Just because we're gluten-free doesn't mean we should sacrifice taste or quality. To me, it's powerful that this isn't just a company run by people with no connection to the condition. We understand the tension people feel, and it's ingrained in everything we do."
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