Gluten free report: 1 month

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I gave up gluten! In the hopes of figuring out my chronic stomach issues (and everything else that came along with it) I realized that the one thing I hadn’t eliminated from my diet was gluten. So after a piece of really good homemade wheat bread made me so bloated I thought I was going to explode, my mind was made up: it’s time to make a change.

Honestly, I feel great. It’s been a struggle at times (everything has freakin gluten it!) but it’s taught me a whole new way of looking at food. It has kept me from eating so many things I otherwise wouldn’t have thought twice about (mainly the food that my co-workers bring in and demand I try) and I have learned to REALLY READ labels. My bloated feelings have gotten much better, and although I’m not 100% perfect yet, I definitely feel better.

Dennis and I have definitely found a way to make it work…he even drains my noodles before his when we have pasta for dinner, and he’s sure to keep his bread away from mine if he’s making garlic bread.

I feel very lucky to see such a large variety of gluten free products available on the market, but I have to admit, I really haven’t given up too much. A lot of the foods I was eating before are gluten free, so I just had to take my focus off of what I CAN’T eat onto what I CAN—and then I realized there was so much that I already WAS eating. Fruits, veggies, rice, soy, meats and fish, nuts, (thank GOD!) dairy, beans…starting to see a trend here? I also started realizing that finding alternatives at restaurants really isn’t as terrible as I thought it would be.

Some things kind of suck, like not being able to drink real beer or eat real bread, but it’s OK because I feel better. I’m looking forward to what month 2 will bring.