"I have exorcised the Demons!" and by demons I mean Gluten.
Going Gluten Free is NOT a fad, and there is no need to jump blindly on the bandwagon. Inform yourself and make the decision that is best for you. Like most decisions I make in life I researched all the diets and the Gluten Free diet seemed to strike a chord. I noticed that a lot of the symptoms that are associated with being intolerant to gluten matched the symptoms I grappled with each day, such as;
- Neurological issues, including dizziness, difficulty balancing, and peripheral neuropathy affecting nerves outside the central nervous system and resulting in pain, weakness, tingling or numbness in the extremities
- Headaches or migraines
- Fatigue, foggy thinking or feeling tired especially after a meal heavy in gluten
- Mood imbalances or sudden changes, irritability, anxiety, depression, ADD, PMS
- Inflammation, swelling or pain in your joints such as fingers, knees or hips
- Diagnosis of chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia
Really?!?!?! There is no way that my love for beer and really delicious rye bread was harming my body. But hey, at that point there was only so much Ibuprofen a person can ingest daily; it was worth a shot. Like I said before, I educated myself on the ins and outs of freeing my life of gluten.
First things first, I needed to figure out what exactly constitutes gluten. Gluten refers to the proteins found in wheat endosperm (a type of tissue produced in seeds that's ground to make flour). Gluten both nourishes plant embryos during germination and later affects the elasticity of dough, which in turn affects the chewy goodness of baked wheat products. What does this even mean??? The answer is simple NO WHEAT (What?), NO BARLEY (Why?), NO RYE (You've got to be kidding me!!!) You must avoid eating any foods and ingredients that contain gluten, including bread, beer (nooooo not my beer), pasta, salad dressing, soy sauce, and even some soups (learned that the hard way, how is wheat the third ingredient in tomato soup?) unless otherwise marked as "gluten-free". What is worse and extremely important to note is that gluten is like a spy, it disguises itself and hides where you least expect it (refer back to my comment about the tomato soup.)
Free Gluten to a good home! |
Now that I identified the enemy, I needed to exterminate our apartment. I am sure there are many families who find ways to work around someone in the house that can't eat gluten but I knew that would be nearly impossible when there is only two people living together. Plus, there would be too much temptation around the kitchen, not to mention I have a terrible habit of sleep eating (it's a real thing.) My wife jumped on board the gluten free train and we set out to rid our cabinets and lives of wheat. This meant we had to replace many of our everyday essentials that were not gluten free. One of the most important things to do is to read your labels, sometimes there is a handy, dandy GF stamp on the product. But if you are unsure, take the time to look up the item on the internet or even call the company and ask. Trust me it is better to be safe than sorry (re: tomato soup.) The world of gluten free products can be a confusing one. Instead, focus on fresh, whole foods like vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts, seeds, whole grains like brown rice and quinoa.
Ok, so I pinpointed the antagonist, I purged it from my body, and modified my eating habits. Did it work? Was giving up gluten worth all the time, money, and energy? The answer is yes. (I'm not sure I would blog about it if the outcome was different.) Within two weeks of cutting out wheat, I noticed I wasn't hitting my massive bottle of pain relievers. I didn't feel like I was walking in a foggy haze. After a month I had virtually no symptoms of fibromyalgia. In fact, only when it is extremely humid/rainy out do I experience any joint pain (which has more to due with the fact that my body is just getting old.) Has my wife felt any different since the switch? No, not really, but you will have to read her blog posts about her experiences.
As I pointed out earlier, you should not just hop on the GF bandwagon for poops and giggles or because it is the latest craze. Like any lifestyle change, it is extremely important to learn about it, educate yourself, before jumping in the deep end of the pool. I will be posting blogs every so often about my trials and tribulations as I journey through my life free of gluten. Please feel free to use my thoughts and experiences as a guide to whether or not this diet is for you.
~Maryalice
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