In the Summer my Naturopath decided that I should try to go Gluten Free – he suggested doing it whole hog….no cheats.
Aside from the pain, the weight has been a HUGE issue for me. I was always skinny and then was resembling a Blow Fish. People asking me when the baby was coming, offering me diet books and even getting lectures about Obesity being the new plague.
Within a few months, it was like I had deflated; like a balloon pricked with a pin. All the stretching and pulling was gone. Turns out eating whole grains, granola, multigrain pasta etc. was making me fat; not providing me with a well-balanced diet.
I haven’t suffered at all in regards to taste. I have cereal, granola, rice pasta, special breads (although they aren’t great and need to be toasted), cookies, sweets etc. I make more meat/fish/chicken and veggie dinners. I don’t use bottled sauces or dressings – as they may contain gluten – but making your own is actually cheaper and better.
Although, I still have a long way to go in repairing my system, I have to say being Gluten Free has made me feel better. People have noticed I look thinner. My body temperature is normalizing and my face isn’t that red anymore. This may have a lot to do with the complete Naturopathic program that I am on, but I am still happy about this.
I am not as ashamed of my appearance; and this goes a long way to improve my overall mood. In turn my body is going to excrete positive, mood enhancing hormones……right?
A friend of mine just went on a 14 day Gluten Free diet and said she is feeling a whole lot better and has lost a bunch of weight. Her skin is clear and bright. Herself being a formally super thin person (like myself) got larger slowly and couldn’t understand why. Now, she can see, there must have been Gluten Intolerance. A family member used to feel like a huge bulky weight was in his stomach when he ate bread or carbohydrates. Going Gluten Free has made him feel less bloated, sickly and tired.
One of my neighbours has Celiac Disease and gave me tons of tips regarding Gluten Free options, recipes and products. She gave me some cookbooks and resources, providing a multitude of information. Thankfully, it seems that mine is Gluten Intolerance rather than Celiac. It turns out 5-10% of the population may have a Gluten Intolerance or Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.
Here are some of the topics I will cover this week:
- What is Gluten?
- Celiac/Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity
- Products Available
- What is Gluten Free?
- My personal path and symptoms
For those with Chronic Pain and the myriad of symptoms that develop and exist with Chronic Pain; know we want it to stop. However, it seems to take money, medication and many Dr. visits. It can’t hurt to try a Gluten Free diet for a month or so. If you don’t purchase more expensive products on the market, you can just eat regular Gluten Free foods that won’t cost that much more.
I am a firm believer in the diet. One weekend I had a cupcake made for one of my friends and two regular cookies. My stomach was bloated and large. My children where banging on it like a drum. It certainly isn’t a placebo effect for me and for the first time in years, I can recognize myself in the mirror and I don’t mind what I see.
If you have information on your own Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Allergy, Celiac Disease or information regarding this issue, please comment.
Related articles
- Series: Going Gluten-free Part 1: Symptoms (sprinklesandallergies.wordpress.com)
- http://gluten-intolerance-symptoms.com/
Chronic Pain Journal 
I’m glad that gluten-free has worked for well in some many areas. Unfortunately, while there have been some benefits to being gluten free (and dieting at the same time), I haven’t lost my baby bump (pregnant women smile at me, then after seeing the lines, greying hair, etc, wonder what fertilly clinc I went to go get pregnant so late in my life). We still don’t know why I acquired one and why diet and exercise has had no effect. I actually gained weight going gluten free.
The good result was that I found my acid stomach and acid reflux improved and I haven’t been taking my prescription drug nor anti-acids.
I’m really interested in your series as I am still reliant on mixes, and other packaged gluten-free products — though I check for sugar amounts and calories and try and pick fresh whole grain with lots of seeds and non-gluten grains.
I’m looking forward to your series.
And again, so glad you lost all that weight!
PS to my comment — unfortunately, it hasn’t helped my skin either. I’m looking forward to recipies for some from scratch stuff. I know it won’t help with my baby bump, but it will keep the acid reflux at bay.