You just found out that you need to cut gluten out of your diet. This fact alone is quite overwhelming. At first, you may think you will have NOTHING left to eat. Oh, this is so not the case!! Thank goodness.
When I found out about my gluten intolerance, I was in a dietician’s office. She basically handed me a list of brands that I could try and told me to go to Whole Foods down the road. I asked for books, magazine articles, or more information. She told me to google it! This on many levels was wrong! It certainly made my situation a lot more confusing than it had to be. On the other hand, I really didn’t have anyone to turn to either. I didn’t know anyone on a gluten-free diet. Most people didn’t know what I was talking about at all.
My first few shopping experiences were extremely confusing. Basically I just wondered the aisles reading labels, looking at prices and putting foods back on the shelf. (There were no gluten free sections back then!) I was overwhelmed at finding the right foods to eat. It was all too much to process so quickly. I knew I had to start to eat the right foods to feel better. Right away I found that so many of these gluten-free items were extremely costly. I have always been a good shopper and this was going to blow my budget pretty quickly. Secondly, many of the gluten free foods had all kinds of ingredients in them that I did not really want to eat. I had already been staying away from many additives and preservatives in foods that I definitely didn’t want to put in my body, or my family’s. All very unhealthy!
I have always loved tacos, corn chips, cornbread and even polenta. Corn is gluten-free. Not having the knowledge I do today (GMOs and cross-contamination), my first step was to replace many of my options with corn, a grain I was familiar with already. Wow, did this backfire on me! I quickly found I was intolerant of corn. Also being intolerant of dairy, my options seemed quite limited.
Needless to say, I was so confused on what to eat. Learning to read labels and other quick nutritional information was a must. At the time, I wished that I knew people who had been through this and had some support. Mostly what I heard was sadness from people! They mainly felt sorry for me! This was not a good reaction, or one that made me feel good. Thankfully there were people around me to support me and be my “cheerleaders”. Of course, my children were my best supporters!
Now, almost 8 years later on my Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Corn-Free lifestyle – I say to you:
You can go gluten free and not live full of stress with every bite you take!
You can heal your body and feel great!
You can eat and gain your energy back!
You can meet friends out for coffee, tea or dinner and get though it successfully!
You can shop for healthy gluten free foods and NOT break the bank!
You can have your health back!
WHAT DID YOU DO WHEN YOU WERE TOLD TO STOP EATING GLUTEN?
**Check back, to see my Top To Do List when being diagnosed with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance – coming soon!
Until then- Happy Gluten Free Living!
(featured image/GF hearts by Vlado)
(Family Happy Day picture by Marcos Santos)
