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It's really not so bad.

1/27/2014

I hear it all the time, "Yeah, but being gluten-free is so hard! You can't eat ANYTHING!" Not true! Yes, gluten is in a lot of things. Yes, you need to become highly aware of what you are eating. Yes, you will need to work on replacing some items in your pantry. Yes, you will need to speak up when you are eating out. But, It's really not nearly as difficult as you might imagine it to be. 95% of the time I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. Here are just a few of the delicious things that we have enjoyed lately...

Blueberry muffins fresh from the oven!

Pasta Primavera from Go Roma - YUM!

Banana Split Cupcake from our favorite gluten-free bakery, Sweet Ali's!

Delicious Shrimp & Grits from Cascade in Nashville

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Got energy?

1/20/2014

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Do you know what fatigue feels like? It is as though every ounce of energy has been zapped out of you. Fatigue is different than simply feeling tired or sleepy. And it is another of the life-altering conditions that plagued me for years prior to going off gluten.

In my case, it was typically a combination of dizziness, fatigue and nausea that would strike with no rhyme or reason. There was nothing I could do to prevent, predict, or treat these spells of feeling like complete crap. My marked improvement of these symptoms after only several weeks off gluten was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

I have since learned that fatigue is a common complaint of those who are gluten intolerant. In fact there are many people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome who have found they are better off gluten. Please pass this message along to anyone you know who may be struggling with spells of unreasonably low energy with no known medical cause. Reducing or eliminating fatigue can be life changing!

Did you eliminate gluten and find a difference in your energy level? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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Can't touch this

1/13/2014

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I was off gluten for a couple of weeks when I found myself at a dinner event not wanting to ask for anything special so I just picked apart what was served to me. Meanwhile, there was a gluten-free woman seated next to me having in depth conversations with the wait staff about what she could and could not eat. I thought, I will NOT become one of "those people!" She looked over at a mini burger that I was served which I had disassembled to separate the meat from the bun. Having already discussed with her that I was newly gluten-free, she felt the need to clue me in that I could not eat the meat if it had touched the bun. I thought she was completely crazy. I proceeded to eat the meat as well as anything else that to me seemed gluten-free. I mean how hard could it be to tell what was made with wheat, barley or rye?!

I don't remember the exact amount of time after that meal I begin to feel ill, but I do recall that it lasted several days. Stomach pains, bloating, brain fog, fatigue, and just plain crappy. You would think I would have learned from that experience, but It was far from the last time I would suffer consequences from attempting to eat something that had merely touched gluten. However, it was the beginning of my greater understanding of gluten sensitivity.

I thought I knew a lot about being gluten-free... after all, I had been researching celiac disease and gluten for years because of my daughter's health. However, I really had no concept of how or why someone who is sensitive to gluten might react with minimal exposure to it after it had been eliminated from their diet.

When you are gluten intolerant, ingesting even an amount as tiny as a pinpoint - not even visible to the eye, may create an immune response in your body.

Here is my lay person way to explain the scientific explanations I have found: In those who are gluten intolerant, but have been eating gluten in their regular diet, their immune system has essentially short circuited. The daily barrage of gluten creates an ongoing system wide response. Their out of whack immune system is not able to give a clear cause and effect reaction to gluten. Once entirely off gluten their immune system begins to heal and is able to properly react against even minimal amounts of gluten. No longer confused, your body can give you a specific response to indicate that gluten is the offender.

Sensitivity to gluten ranges. Not everyone who is affected by it will find they need to keep the food they eat from even touching gluten. Although this seems to be quite common especially with those who have been off of it for considerable time and are exceptionally strict about avoiding gluten. Determining your own level of sensitivity takes time along with trial and error. In the end some people can tolerate a cookie every now and then without much consequence where others will find they get sick from a non-visable crumb.

Did you determine you were more sensitive to gluten than you expected to be? Share your experience in the comments below to help others understand the process of gauging their level of gluten sensitivity.

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Pain, Pain, Go Away!

1/6/2014

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I honestly had no idea that removing gluten from my diet could have any affect on the chronic pain that had been a daily part of my life for years. I had researched the topic of gluten at length regarding my daughter's growth delay and it's links to gastrointestinal issues, but not much beyond that. So, it was surprising to find some noticeable reduction in my pain level about 6 weeks after going off gluten.

Arthritis in my lower spine and significant surgeries to my upper spine and neck, caused me daily pain. I thought that dealing with chronic pain was something I would just have to tolerate the rest of my life. In the months after going gluten-free, I can remember mentioning to my husband that I thought my level of pain was improving. At some point I decided to research to see if there was a known link between gluten and pain. Bingo.

There is actually a great deal of information to be found regarding the increase in inflammation caused by gluten. I will save you a whole bunch of your own research to just sum it up like this: Inflammation = Pain. Reduce inflammation, reduce pain.

I estimate that I have 70% less pain than before I went off gluten. Short of becoming a drug addict, I had no other options that could have come close to making that kind of an impact on reducing my level of pain. The positive effect this has had on my day to day life has been amazing! Are you suffering from chronic pain or inflammatory conditions? Maybe you could be better off gluten too.

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It's really not so bad.

Got energy?

Can't touch this

Pain, Pain, Go Away!

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