Katie O’Reilly ’14: Due to intense workloads and numerous commitments, many students suffer from fatigue daily. What many do not realize is that what they eat is a contributing factor to their sluggishness. Last summer, Clellie Merchant ’14 embarked on a gluten-free diet for seven days to see if such a diet would decrease fatigue. While living gluten-free is often thought of as a result of Celiac disease, it has also become a major health revolution, even for those who do not suffer from this condition. Though it was initially an experiment for Merchant, after just three days she felt a difference in her cognitive and physical ability and has continued to live a completely gluten-free lifestyle.
Merchant’s mother made the switch to a gluten free diet over a year ago. Merchant remembered, “Prior to her switch my mother had many health problems including arthritis. After she made the change, everything began to clear up and she felt a million times better.”
Merchant made the change in June 2012, and commented on how she felt the effects almost immediately. “After three days,” she explained, “I felt better, it was like the moment when you change out of a really fancy dress into a pair of sweatpants, when all of the sudden you just feel so much more comfortable…I [also] just felt more comfortable in my own body.”
“Prior to my change,” Merchant noted, “I was still dependent on many carbohydrates that were full of gluten.” At first, Merchant made small adjustments to her usual meals, like eating brown rice instead of pasta.
With an emphasis on rice-based meals rather than gluten-based breads and carbohydrates, Merchant made note of the fact that “the biggest difference with gluten-free breads is not that they will taste better or worse but rather they will simply taste noticeably different.”
For example, Merchant mentioned Auntie Annie’s Pretzels; “A gluten-free version of an Auntie Annie’s pretzel probably would not be as tasty,” she explained, “because there are some things that are meant to be baked with gluten as a key ingredient.”
Though she occasionally misses some gluten-filled foods, the comfort she feels after eating keeps her on a diet without gluten. “It is a huge motivator for me to stay away from these types of foods because I will get a stomach ache and just feel all around horrible,” she explained.
Merchant emphasized, “You can easily tweak things that are staples in your normal diet to make them gluten-free,” such as gluten-free waffles and gluten free cereals. She noted, “The gluten free options are also so much better for you, they are a lot less processed and artificial regardless of the gluten.”
Merchant also easily switched to more natural foods. “I like to stick with some sort of meat and vegetables regularly because I know for sure that no gluten is in either,” Merchant elaborated.
When eating out, Merchant explained, “Typically my mom will take the reins at a restaurant because she is hyper-sensitive to gluten and asks what has gluten and what does not.” However, foods typically served at restaurants may have traces of gluten, of which most people are unaware. Merchant found that “foods like soup have gluten-based flour in it, which is something that most people would not expect, so you really have to be careful.” However, gluten free menus have become more popular at restaurants as this health trend has spread.
In addition to simply feeling physically better, Merchant saw improved performance as a runner, noting, “My personal best became significantly better when I stopped eating gluten.”
Merchant recommended that athletes try going gluten-free and see if they notice a difference. “Take one game day out of your entire season and go gluten free for twenty-four hours,” she suggested.“See if you notice a difference in your performance during the game.”
“I did not realize just how incredibly sick I was feeling until after the first three days of my new diet. I feel reborn,” stated Merchant. Her testimony makes it easy to see why the gluten free diet is a growing trend among the health-conscious.
Not only does it limit one’s consumption of unhealthy foods, but it also increases mental and physical performance.
While going gluten free is not appealing to everyone, it is a viable and revolutionary option for those who wish to change their lifestyle.
Although Merchant mentioned that her elimination of all foods that contain gluten in her diet clearly worked wonders for her, she stated, “If you try going completly glutenfree for a couple of days and you think that you feel about the same as you did when you were eating gluten filled foods, than maybe this kind of a diet is not for you, because it will not make a difference.”
Merchant concluded that it all depends on the person when she said, “I personally cannot predict what kind of foods and diets will make all people feel their absolute best, it just really worked for me and my lifestyle.”

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