Gluten and the Brain: Why Brain Fog Is a Real Thing

Text Carrie!

Have you ever felt foggy, forgetful, or like your brain just isn’t firing the way it used to — especially after being glutened? You’re not imagining it. 

There’s growing research showing how gluten can affect the brain and nervous system, even in people without obvious stomach issues. In today’s episode, we’ll unpack what ‘gluten brain fog’ really is, why it happens, and what you can do to clear your head and feel like yourself again. 

And stick around until the end, because I’ll share the one daily habit that’s made the biggest difference for my own mental clarity.

Come join us in our free Facebook Community, The Gluten Free Engineer. 

It’s a space where you can connect with others living gluten-free, ask questions, swap tips and recipes, and get support from people who truly get it. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or a seasoned gluten-free pro, you’ll feel right at home.

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Episode Transcript

Carrie Saunders (00:00):
Quick reminder before we get started on this
episode.
This podcast is based on mypersonal experiences and isn't
medical advice.
Have you ever felt foggy,forgetful, or like your brain
just isn't bearing the way itused to, especially after being
glutened?
You're not imagining it.
There's growing researchshowing how gluten can affect
the brain and nervous system,even in people without obvious

(00:22):
stomach issues.
In today's episode, we'llunpack what gluten brain fog
really is, why it happens, andwhat you can do to clear your
head and feel like yourselfagain.
And stick around with me untilthe end because I'll share one
daily habit that's made thebiggest difference in my own
mental clarity.
Welcome to the Gluten FreeEngineer Podcast.
I'm your host, Carrie Saunders.

(00:43):
In 2011, I was diagnosed withceliac disease, a moment that
changed everything.
But I was determined not to letit hold me back.
With my two engineeringdegrees, I set out to reverse
engineer the gluten-freelifestyle, breaking down
recipes, safety tips, travelhacks, and everything in between
to rebuild a life I love.
Whether you have celiacdisease, gluten intolerance, or

(01:05):
simply choose to livegluten-free, this podcast is for
you.
Join me each week as wesimplify the gluten-free
lifestyle, make it fun, andprove that you don't have to
miss out on anything.
Welcome back to the show.
Today we're talking aboutgluten brain fog, what it is,
and what it really means and whyit happens.
So, what is brain fog?
It is cognitive symptoms suchas forgetfulness, fatigue,

(01:29):
confusion, and trouble focusing.
Sometimes this can be a suddensymptom that you receive
whenever you've eaten gluten.
Uh, for me, when I had this, Ididn't know I had brain fog
because I had celiac that had umthe symptoms started creeping
up on me as I got older.
And so I didn't realize thisbrain fog was growing on me

(01:49):
until I went off of gluten.
And then it was really obviousthat I had brain fog all the
time.
And then anytime I accidentallyget gluten, it comes back.
It happens after glutenexposure, even in small amounts.
Um, I have seen some of mychildren completely go just

(02:09):
complete brain fog, like theycan't even think, they can't put
together uh thought processesafter having gluten.
So it can be very extreme or itcan be very kind of light and
minor, but you still notice it.
And it can really affect how weprocess our day.
And research shows that glutencan trigger inflammation in the

(02:30):
nervous system, not just thegut.
It can really affect all of oursystems, like we talked about
on this podcast.
And so, why does it happen?
Why does brain fog happen inour brain?
We first they first say thatit's an inflammation connection.
So gluten can activate immunecells that cause inflammation
throughout the body, includingthe brain and the nervous

(02:51):
system.
It also can create, especiallylong-term, and this is what was
going on with me before I gotdiagnosed, is nutrient
deficiencies.
Untreated celiac can causemalabsorption of nutrients like
B12, iron, and vitamin D.
These are all critical forbrain health and brain function.
So if you know that you are lowin vitamin D, B12, and iron,

(03:16):
which is very typical if youhave celiac or if you have a gut
absorption issue, even if youdon't have celiac, make sure you
keep an eye on these with yourdoctor and monitor them to make
sure you get your levels back upto what is healthy.
And I want to say what ishealthy, not necessarily what is
normal.
One of the things I love aboutmy doctor is she doesn't take

(03:38):
the minimum amounts that youwill say is normal at the lab.
She has a bit higher threshold,which I think is a bit
healthier because that minimumat the lab is minimum viability
of your body.
We want to be more at optimal,you know, use and run of our
body.
So talk to your doctor aboutwhat they think your optimal

(03:58):
numbers are for that, um, ratherthan what the lab normal is.
And then cross-reactivity.
So this can happen in somepeople, antibodies are triggered
by gluten, may mistakenlyattack brain tissue.
This is a theory supported byemerging research out there
right now.
So this is something a littlebit new and worth um digging

(04:19):
into a bit further.
But I found it reallyinteresting when I was building
this podcast episode that someof these antibodies that are
triggered by gluten maymistakenly attack brain tissue.
It's just something that kindof blew my mind when I was
looking this one up.
And then this is something Ihave heard about before, which
is the blood-brain barrier.

(04:39):
Gluten-related inflammation maymake the blood-brain barrier
more permeable, lettinginflammatory molecules affect
the brain function.
So it may let these moleculesget into the brain more.
And that's why we get tired andconfused, and it we just kind
of feel meh, um, especiallymentally meh.

(05:00):
And so let's talk about what itfeels like in real life.
And so you may have experiencedsome of these.
I know I've experienced some ofthese as well.
Um, some of them are forgettingwords, mid-sentence.
That is a classic sign of brainfog.
You can walk into a room andnot remember why.
This obviously can be stresstoo, but it could be brain fog.

(05:21):
I know that sometimes when I'mmore stressed, I forget why I'm
doing what I'm doing.
And it's not necessarilyrelated to gluten, but it could
be related to uh eating glutenand getting it in your body and
having it affect your brain.
You can also feel slower,unfocused, or detached.
Uh, I know whenever I wasundiagnosed with celiac, I felt
very detached from my emotions.

(05:44):
I'm generally a person that'sthat way anyway, just because of
um things that have happened inmy childhood.
But when I was undiagnosedceliac and it was really
starting to affect my body andmy systems, I really, really
felt emotionally detached toeverything and mentally
detached.
And this last one, emotionalswings are anxiety after gluten

(06:07):
exposure.
Now, I know whenever I wasagain undiagnosed with celiac,
oh my goodness, those emotionalswings that I had, they were not
female hormone related.
I will put that out there.
They just definitely were not,I could tell they weren't.
And the emotional swings wereawful.
And then now, well now that I'mknow that I'm celiac and I've

(06:27):
been gluten-free for, you know,12 plus years, I've lost track.
Um, if I accidentally do getgluten exposure, I can feel
that.
This is actually one of thesymptoms that one of my children
has is he will get mean andangry.
And he'll know, he knows nowthat it's the gluten that he got
that made him that way.
And he'll be like, I think Igot gluten.
And then he'll later confirm hedid because he has also

(06:50):
digestive issues later.
But the first thing thataffects him is he gets really
agitated and irritated and madand angry at everything.
Um, thankfully, because heknows that this happens, he can
then uh control it better thanwhen he was younger and he
didn't know why he felt likethis.
So these are some real lifeexamples of what brain fog can

(07:12):
feel like.
It really kind of varies, youknow, from just forgetting words
all the way to mood swings andanger issues.
So, how do we improve mentalclarity then?
It really helps to staystrictly gluten-free if you know
gluten is an issue for you.
Even small cheats can triggerbrain symptoms.
So it just may not be worth itfor you.

(07:33):
If you're not celiac and youthink, oh, I can cheat
sometimes, it might not be worthit for you.
Look at how it's affecting youmentally.
And then we want to prioritizesleep and hydration.
This can really help our mentalclarity and can help if we do
get accidentally glutened.
And then I encourage you towork with your doctor and get
tested for nutrientdeficiencies, especially B12,

(07:56):
folate, iron, and vitamin D.
Even me being gluten-free formany, many, many years, I'm
still low in folate and vitaminD myself.
And then I want you to work toreduce inflammation through
eating whole foods inomega-3-rich meals and work with
your doctors to what'sappropriate for you.
But like we talk about on thepodcast, eating a single

(08:17):
ingredient food is muchhealthier for you than a
processed version of somethingthat is still gluten-free.
That's not as healthy for youas you know, eating that apple
or that vegetable or thatprotein that is completely plain
and not been processed, um,other than butchering in the you

(08:37):
know, stores.
So work to eat those wholefoods.
That's going to make you feel alot better.
And then if you do have brainfog issues pretty regularly,
track those patterns alongsideyour food journal.
See if there's something elseyou might react to.
Maybe you still eat oats andmaybe there's certified
gluten-free oats, but somepeople still react to the

(09:00):
certified gluten-free oats likethey've gotten gluten just
because the proteins are a bitsimilar and their body mistakes
them.
So track your food journal.
Maybe you also have eatensomething that is
cross-contaminated with glutenand you're more sensitive than
your thoughts.
So track those brain fogspatterns alongside with your

(09:21):
food journal to help you takethis apart and figure out what
else might be bothering you.
If this episode hit home foryou, you'll love the extra tips
and product finds I share in mynewsletter on Fridays.
I some simple gluten-freeinspiration to help you feel
your best mind and body.
So make sure to sign up attheglutenfreengineer.com so you

(09:41):
never miss a resource that canhelp you clear your mind and
boost your energy.
So here's the daily habit thatmade the biggest difference for
me.
I start every morning withprotein and hydration before any
caffeine.
I used to not eat breakfast atall.
I used to only either have likea cafe au lait or some hot tea
for breakfast and wait untillunch to eat.

(10:03):
And when I switched to waterand some protein first, my brain
fog noticeably improved.
And I'm not one to eat much forbreakfast.
I just generally don't like toeat that early in the morning.
So I respect that with my bodyas well.
And I only eat two like chickensausage uh links or two pork

(10:25):
sausage links, so it's justprotein, and the one with the
pork obviously is protein plusfat.
So that's all I have in themorning.
And then I will with it withwater, of course, and then I
will have my caffeinatedbeverage of choice after that.
And it's such a small shift,but it helps stabilize my blood
sugar and gives my brain somesteady fuel to get started with

(10:45):
the day.
And it hydrates it because wewe dehydrate as we're um
sleeping, we're not drinkingwater regularly, so our brain
gets a bit more dehydrated.
So it's especially importantwhen your body's still healing
from gluten exposure, and it's areally great habit to have.
So thank you for listening tothis episode of the Gluten Free
Engineer.
If you found value in thisstory, please share it with

(11:07):
someone who might needencouragement on their own
gluten-free journey.
For more tips, recipes,resources, and even links to my
YouTube channel, head on over totheglutenfreeengineer.com.
It's your one-stop hub to makegluten-free living simple, fun,
and full of flavor.
And don't forget to subscribeso you never miss out on an

(11:27):
episode.
And we will see you next week.
The Gluten Free EngineerPodcast is for informational and
entertainment purposes only.
I share my personal experiencesand stories about living with
celiac disease and navigating agluten free lifestyle.
This podcast does not providemedical advice.
Always consult with a qualifiedhealthcare professional for
medical questions, concerns, oradvice specific to your health.