I am officially jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon. Nate and I have been dabbling with and discussing a gluten-free diet since before Christmas. (A little background on this - after doing some research when we first started looking into this, Nate found that people with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) tend to have some level of gluten intolerance. I have PCOS, and this is one of the main reasons we decided this might be something worth trying. Some women with PCOS who completely eradicated gluten from their diet, along with other noticeable health differences, got pregnant shortly after. I am not saying this will happen by any stretch, but it is always worth a try!) We were doing a pretty good job of making our meals gluten-free (mainly just focusing on meats and veggies - not buying "gluten-free" items). This past week or two, I have eaten quite a bit more things with gluten (chips, tortillas, bread, crackers) and have really noticed a difference. I have had an almost constant headache since Sunday and have been really tired and sluggish, among other "symptoms." I was talking to Nate yesterday about the headaches and tiredness, and he suggested that it might be that we've had quite a bit more things with gluten than we had been having. I am thinking he is right, and it seems I might have more of an intolerance than we anticipated (nice to find something like this out when you are 30; I wish I had known this so much sooner!). So, we are going to buckle down in the next month and try to completely cut out gluten to see if there is a difference in the way that I am feeling. It's not an easy thing, especially for me, because I am a salty snack kind of girl. But, I think the difference in the way that I feel will make it worth the effort. Thankfully, there are few blogs I follow that have shared some good gluten-free meals without breaking the bank to buy the gluten-removed items like pasta and breads.
A recipe I ran across the other day that might help this salty snack girl when a craving hits :) http://steamykitchen.com/10725-crispy-roasted-chickpeas-garbanzo-beans.html
ReplyDeleteSounds so yummy to me!
Funny to stumble upon your blog. I am doing the exact same thing with my diet. I gave up dairy, and now I have this urge to give up gluten. I am trying to eat all whole foods and when I do, I feel terrific. Last night however, I had some handfuls of pretzels and some cereal. Today I feel like taking a nap. :(
ReplyDeleteI am adding you to my bookmarks.
Kelly ~ Glad you found me and that you have found something worth following on my blog :) Thanks for your interest and hopefully you'll find some encouragement on your gluten-free journey. :)
ReplyDeleteCan I ask how you found me?
Shanna
My aunt has ciliacs and one cookie that I can always make for her is meringues. Yeah, a fair amount of sugar, but sometimes you need that, especially on holidays when everything else seems to have gluten in it.
ReplyDeleteShe has found that you find gluten in innocent looking places, like dark soft drinks and vanilla extract. Both contain caramel coloring, which is made with barley. I dunno that your body would get to the point that such a minute amount would effect it, but since she has an allergy, it throws her for a loop.
Best of luck!
Amanda Whitten