Sick of Sickness

It has now been 2 weeks since I have been gluten-free. Last week was a little tough. I was pms-ing for the first time on my diet. I wasn't able to pick up and grab my go to junk food, or greasy chicken fingers like usual. It was the first time I was really frustrated to be on the diet, but I stayed with it. I tried out some gluten-free cookies, and although it wasn't the same, I am very proud of myself for sticking to the diet.
When I started taking a look at my diet a few weeks ago and consulted with my doctor I had very strong concerns that something was seriously wrong. Almost every time I had something to eat I felt like a team of baseball players were kicking my stomach with their cleats. I started getting frequent headaches, body aches, diarrhea and I needed at least 9hrs of sleep to make it though the day. I knew either something had to change, or something was really wrong.
I have had digestion issues since I was at least a teenager. I remember going through a number of tests in high school to try and figure out what was wrong. The best my doctor came up with at the time was acid reflux. So I watched spicy, oily foods, and took antacids. It helped but my symptoms never really went away. Since then I have continued to watch what I eat, concerned that dairy, garlic, and other things may have been causing my symptoms. Then a few weeks ago I started thinking about what had been making me feel bad recently, and if I could tie that in with my other symptoms. Last month I had decided to quit eating so many junk food snacks. So what I did instead was snack on dry cereal. I have always been a cereal junkie so not only was I eating cereal for breakfast, or dinner, I was snacking on it throughout the day. Cereals that were packed with whole wheat and grains and anything else that will clean you out. Over the next week or two I realized something I was eating was causing: stomach cramps, headaches, migraines, body aches, diarrhea, etc.... I felt disgusting, I was sick of feeling sick. So at my husbands request I went to see my doctor.
It was well worth it. I described everything to him and he wrote me a prescription to go on a gluten-free diet. He told me to try it out for a few weeks and let him know how I felt. Within 24 hours I noticed a change and by day 2 I felt like a new woman. I still do.
My doctor also ran a blood test to check for Celiac sprue, it came back negative, but he advised me that doesn't mean I don't have a non-celiac gluten intolerance or wheat allergy. There are additional tests that can be done to confirm which one it is and I will have them run in the future. (He also advised me it doesn't really matter which one is causing the reaction since the treatment is the same for all 3, a gluten-free diet.)
So that's where we are now, continuing to test out the gluten-free plan. So far so good. I had an accidental run in with something containing gluten one day last week, within a few hours many of my symptoms came back. It was affirming moment. It was reassuring to know that my Dr. and I are on the right track. It has been a great not to feel ill so much of the time. My body has so much more energy, I don't feel run down and achy all the time. I feel healthy and free. Gluten-free.

Same Foods New Ingredients

Here are some foods I have used on my new GF diet.

• Gluten-free frozen waffles, both Trader Joe's brand and Vans
• Tinkyada Pasta Joy brown rice pasta, this is a great substitute for regular pasta.
• Corn tortillas, rice tortillas
• Chipotle - almost everything here is gluten-free, just skip the tortilla for the burrito, and go for the hard tacos. Their chips are gluten-free too!
• Envirokidz cereals, and snack bars.
• Pamela's Products cookies
• Glutino frozen macaroni and cheese

I am having fun trying new brands and different foods on my new diet. I didn't think it would be fun, but feel great. :-)

Start Simple by Eating Simple

The recent change to a gluten-free diet has been huge. The biggest difference I have noticed is that it isn't like going on a low fat diet, or limiting my sweets. Going gluten-free requires much more dedication and little room for error. Of course I have had moments of error. This is expected, I am just beginning to learn what my body needs. I have started my new eating lifestyle simply. Focusing on what I am able to have, and not worrying too much about what I am restricted from eating. I know that I can have most proteins, veggies and fruit. I have been able to work dairy back into my diet, and have been sticking to water. I have flash cards with a good list of ingredients that contain gluten and those that are safe. This has been a very helpful tool, which I hope to expand and program into my Blackberry. Over the next few weeks I will dig deeper so I can build on what I am learning. I will begin trying new recipes with the alternative grains like chick pea flour, rice flour, and corn flour. I want to start by trying to make different breads, and maybe some pizza crust. I have seen some gluten free bread in the store an most of them are rock hard. I am hoping that making a more traditional bread at home will have a softer texture. I am also beginning to preparing myself for the holidays. I am hoping to be able to make some traditional favorites that will be healthy for my body. This experience has been eye opening and has given me a better relationship with my body. Which is the most important and the reason I have to make these changes. Simply I need to love my body, so it will love me back.

Starting Point

Everyone has a starting point. Most of us have many of them over our lifetime. This is my gluten-free starting point. It feels new, and strange. All the familiar things my taste-buds are use to enjoying are in a sense gone. I have to reteach my taste-buds how to enjoy and love all those things with out wheat. In a way I feel like I am learning how to eat again. I am learning and exploring a new selection of food. I hope you enjoy reading and sharing in my journey as I map out my new way of life.