Every day, I feel better and better. It's still a challenge to abstain from eating the gluteny foods that surround me, but I remember the sick feeling I get whenever I eat gluten, and I stop myself. I do end up being a little frustrated because it takes more effort to find something that I can eat.
I went to the theatre on day 5 or 6 and bought some Red Vines, as I always do, and as I was chewing the first vine, I remembered to check the ingredients list and was saddened to see, "wheat flour." The hubs told me to just eat it. That, "gluten hasn't killed you in 20-some years, you'll be fine!" So I decided to test my body. I wanted to see exactly how my body would react to this gluteny food while I was carefully observing it.
Before the movie was over, I started getting stomach cramps and I felt like my blood was completely contaminated with this toxin and it made me feel dizzy, nauseous, and I had a cold sweat. These symptoms continued until I went to sleep that night and I was sure... Gluten is my enemy. No more tests. No slipping. And I knew I would have to be diligent about reading labels and avoiding gluten completely.
In the days since the Red Vine Experiment, I have not been as tempted to stray as I had thought. Yesterday, my grandmother made red chili, which I LOVE, but is thickened with flour. I admit to have dipped my fingertip in the bowl and taking a tiny taste, but even that much was enough to give me a stomachache. =( Luckily, with this food, I can prepare it without flour and it would be safe for me to eat. Yay!
Besides the obvious toxic effects of the gluten that I've consumed since The Change, I do feel like I am in the midst of detoxification. This is an inspiring thought as I can look forward to feeling even better than I am now. Each day, I wake up feeling energized, light on my feet, my stomach is no longer a source of pain for me, and it's only getting better.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The New Gluten-Free Me begins...
I have another blog, but this one will be dedicated to my new journey- life without gluten.
Hi. My name is Brittany. I'm 26 and am gluten-intolerant. At least, I'm somewhere between "gluten sensitive" to "intolerant," but I'm not sure where I stand officially. Either way, I'm starting a new life without gluten and am better off.
You see, I've always had tummy problems. I was a premie with underdeveloped lungs and intestinal difficulties which required a lot of care and grew up with motion sickness, tummy aches, and lots of time feeling sick. I always figured that I was sensitive because of my premie beginnings and that things "just didn't work very well" inside of me. I did not give the reasoning a lot of thought. Until recently.
I have been married for eight years, have 3 children, and have graduated from college (in that order). I've been a little too busy to think about my life's worth of stomach aches and bathroom problems. And then, my mom was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
I learned a lot from Mom about what it means to have an intolerance of gluten and I've been around when she explains, yet again, that she cannot eat that for lunch, either. To be honest, I was a little annoyed at first. That's mean... Yes, I know.
And then, I starting slowly connecting the dots... Stomach problems... Mom's Celiac Disease.... Other possible symptoms...
The next step for me was observing the reactions my body had to certain foods and taking mental notes.
5 days ago, I ate a piece of toast for breakfast and felt incredibly crummy and came to the conclusion that gluten was causing my IBS-ish symptoms along with fatigue, dizzy spells, and general ICK. And so I decided to give it up.
I'm just beginning to educate myself on this lifestyle and so far, have been pretty clueless about what to eat and so my days usually go as follows:
1. Hungry... Look around for something safe to eat...
2. No idea what I could eat because pre-packaged foods often have hidden ingredients, are processed in gluten-y environments, or contain gluten under an alias.
3. Eat food that I know is okay but isn't quite enough for a whole meal, like an apple, peanuts, popcorn, spoonfuls of peanut butter... Not balanced meals, of course.
4. Continue snacking because I don't eat enough to keep me full for very long.
Needless to say, I need to educate myself on how to eat gluten-free well.
Hi. My name is Brittany. I'm 26 and am gluten-intolerant. At least, I'm somewhere between "gluten sensitive" to "intolerant," but I'm not sure where I stand officially. Either way, I'm starting a new life without gluten and am better off.
You see, I've always had tummy problems. I was a premie with underdeveloped lungs and intestinal difficulties which required a lot of care and grew up with motion sickness, tummy aches, and lots of time feeling sick. I always figured that I was sensitive because of my premie beginnings and that things "just didn't work very well" inside of me. I did not give the reasoning a lot of thought. Until recently.
I have been married for eight years, have 3 children, and have graduated from college (in that order). I've been a little too busy to think about my life's worth of stomach aches and bathroom problems. And then, my mom was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
I learned a lot from Mom about what it means to have an intolerance of gluten and I've been around when she explains, yet again, that she cannot eat that for lunch, either. To be honest, I was a little annoyed at first. That's mean... Yes, I know.
And then, I starting slowly connecting the dots... Stomach problems... Mom's Celiac Disease.... Other possible symptoms...
The next step for me was observing the reactions my body had to certain foods and taking mental notes.
5 days ago, I ate a piece of toast for breakfast and felt incredibly crummy and came to the conclusion that gluten was causing my IBS-ish symptoms along with fatigue, dizzy spells, and general ICK. And so I decided to give it up.
I'm just beginning to educate myself on this lifestyle and so far, have been pretty clueless about what to eat and so my days usually go as follows:
1. Hungry... Look around for something safe to eat...
2. No idea what I could eat because pre-packaged foods often have hidden ingredients, are processed in gluten-y environments, or contain gluten under an alias.
3. Eat food that I know is okay but isn't quite enough for a whole meal, like an apple, peanuts, popcorn, spoonfuls of peanut butter... Not balanced meals, of course.
4. Continue snacking because I don't eat enough to keep me full for very long.
Needless to say, I need to educate myself on how to eat gluten-free well.
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