Being gluten
free is not the end of the world. But, I understand how overwhelming it is in
the beginning.
In the spring of
2005, I was a senior in high school and was desperately fighting to get a 4.0
GPA. I succeeded, but after the stress, I was very ill on graduation day and
for the entire summer. I saw my doctor several times and received different
diagnoses each time: acid reflux, ulcer, stress. None of the medications
helped. I continued to be ill quite regularly for the next nine months as I
started college seven hours away from home. In March of 2006, I lost my mom
suddenly and traveled home for two weeks. During that incredibly stressful
time, I made an appointment to see my primary care doctor. Because my uncle has
celiac disease, I told the doctor, “I am going gluten free. I can’t take this
anymore.” He reluctantly agreed.
Over the next month,
I felt like a new person:
·
I
gained (healthy) weight immediately.
·
I
could lay on my stomach again because I wasn’t bloated.
·
I
wasn’t so tired and dizzy after eating.
·
I
didn’t have stomachaches all the time.
OK, that might
not be true. I do sometimes crave gluten-filled foods! However, the cravings have gotten so much better, especially since I’ve
learned to cook so much gluten free food that actually tastes normal.
When I was first
diagnosed, I was living on campus at college. I went to a relatively small
private school and the cafeteria staff was fantastic! They made special dishes
for me and baked gluten free desserts regularly. They understood cross-contamination
and went to great lengths to find delicious, edible gluten free food.
When I got
married, I had lots of learning to do because my husband is not gluten free.
Because it’s not practical or affordable to have both of us eating 100% gluten
free, he eats “normal” food and I don’t. Many people are shocked by this. I am not a short-order cook – we eat the
same meal every night!
While this particular method may work for my family, it may not work for yours. I encourage you to experiment and find out what works best for you and your family. Being gluten free doesn’t mean life is over; it simply means you must find your new normal – and embrace it!
Did you know that metcalfe's market at hilldale in madison is having a gluten free fair? I think it's this coming weekend, oct 1st and 2nd. I'm sure if you check their website there will be more info.
ReplyDelete@Lauren McQuiston I've never heard of Metcalfe's. Unfortunately, we're pretty far from Madison. Thanks for the heads up, though!
ReplyDeleteMetcalfe's is a really, really nice sentry store at the Hilldale mall. When you walk in, their produce section makes your mouth water. It's definitely not the place for deal shopping, but they have a lot of really good produce and meat. They also do this neat thing called food miles (or something like that). They sell a lot of local things and they post the "food miles" on items telling how many miles the food traveled to get to the store. I've only been there a few times but it seems neat.
ReplyDelete