Hand me a beer at a party, and this is about how my evening goes. I like to be polite, so I’ll sip the beer, but about half way through a red-hot flush starts to creep its way over my chest, up my neck. Before too long, I look like I fell asleep on Folly Beach for the entire weekend. Really. I’m some kind of fluorescent pink that can’t be duplicated. Not too long after that, I start to ache. It’s a deep deep bone ache that begins in my upper shoulders. And while the flush moves upward, the ache moves outward. Before long my neck, arms, and back are all so sore, I can’t stand still. If I’m stupid enough to drink a second beer (and yes, it has happened), I’ll likely vomit before too long. And it’s not because I’m drunk, it’s because I have a wheat intolerance.
Steering clear of beer is simple. There are plenty of other things to drink socially. But other foods and drinks made with wheat sometimes affect me in the same way. I notice this feeling after eating pizza crust, for example. But do you know how prevalent gluten, wheat protein, is in our food today? And do you know how good bread tastes? I’ve tried before to give up gluten, and I did stop eating it for a while. I jumped back on the wheat wagon when I got pregnant the first time and had constant morning sickness. Lately, though, my attempts to cut gluten from my diet have failed miserably.
So for these 30 Days, I’m going gluten free. It’s a conscious choice spurred by necessity, and not because it’s the trendy diet movement these days. I want to have more energy and not feel so bogged down. I should feel achy because of a good workout, and not because of my sandwich at lunch. I’ll be looking for good alternatives, recipes, and methods to make this shift a permanent one for me.
Have you ever eaten gluten free? What tips or suggestions to do you have for me as I start my wheat-less journey?
Check out Paleo Plan, they have some really great recipes on their site. I love their paleo candy bars.
I also found, I am much more successful if I don’t worry about finding substitutes, but just go without those types of foods all together.
Thanks, Jacki! I love that you said, “I am much more successful if I don’t worry about finding substitutes, but just go without those types of foods all together.” I’ve learned that I suck at moderation, so this really hits home. I know if I have GF bread, then it’s likely I’ll want more and more bread, which is a slippery slope. I’m going to try to go with whole, unprocessed, naturally GF foods and see how I do.
My mom has a wheat intolerance as well, I wish I could send you some of the gluten free pasta that they sell over here, really delicious and with great bite.
Best of luck, I tried it for a month and lasted about a week, but I live in the bread basket of Italy.
I would never survive in Italy. Yum. Adding authentic GF pasta to my list of reasons to visit Italy. (As if I needed more reasons to visit Italy.)
I agree about skipping the gluten-free substitutes. I did Paleo for 3 months at the end of last year and it felt really good. I can’t remember why I stopped - other than I like to eat. Good luck this month!
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Thanks, Jessica. Good for you and your Paleo eating. It seems so common sense, right? I just think food is backwards in a lot of ways. The processed is what is so prevalent, while the natural choices are all pushed to the sides. I need to shift way way of thinking. I think. 😉
I could not read your latest posts but I was very curious about coming up theme. This task will be very informative about nutrition for me, I guess. Take care,
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