Gluten Free for Life

So, after the 10th person mentioned to me that I should have a blog, I decided to give it a try. I have been living a gluten free lifestyle for 5 years now and it has changed my life. Eight years ago I had my second baby. My body didn't do so well being pregnant and my little one was born too early. It was a harsh reality that we had a sweet little preemie on our hands. As he healed and grew, I noticed some changes in the way I was feeling. I could not feel fully awake. My body ached and nothing seemed to help. By the time my baby turned three, I was needing to nap every day and was taking medication just so I could walk. My knees and hips were always swollen and I was bloated and uncomfortable. I went to doctors and told them my symptoms but I always came up clear in my blood work. I thought I was going crazy...really. On one doctor's recommendation, I went to seek counseling, but nothing was helping. I hated how I felt. I hated how the fatigue set in every day and I couldn't control it. I hated how the pain in my body made me react to those I loved. It was awful!

During this time, my sweet niece was diagnosed with Celiac's disease. Her parents took her off of gluten and she went from a lethargic sick girl to a vibrant three year old. During this time, gluten became a topic of many conversations. I decided to see if this could be the culprit of my own pain. I took a month and went off of gluten. After a week or so, I noticed I didn't need to nap anymore! Then, a week or so later, I was waking up in the morning able to walk out of bed with no pain! The joints in my hips and knees looked much less swollen and even my hands stopped aching. I had more patience and was able to handle everything my little ones threw my way. But, I wasn't convinced.

My brother got married just after my month of gluten free living came to an end. I decided it was time to test the gluten waters and have some cake. Oh...the goodness! After a month of tapioca bread and what other few items I could find, I savored every bite...until an hour later. Oh my gosh, sometimes you don't realize how bad something was until it goes away, then returns. I couldn't get out of bed for almost three days. Every part of me ached. I slept all the time and felt like someone had pumped liquid into every joint. Being my own guinea pig was a painful experience, but revealed to me what I had suspected. Gluten was not my friend! No, now it was enemy number one. Now I am gluten free for life!

I am writing this blog so that I can document my food experiments. After five years, I have really become somewhat adept at adjusting recipes for my needs. And, if anyone reads this, I hope to make the search for delicious gluten free foods easier and more enjoyable. I will take some of my favorite recipes and make them gluten free and delicious. Our health should never prevent us from enjoying every morsel we put in our mouths!