Gluten Free

About my gluten-free Journey:

I am gluten-free. This is not a choice. I'm not following a fad. I'm not trying to lose weight. A doctor diagnosed me with Celiac disease and explained to me how eating even tiny amounts of gluten could cause me to develop cancer, osteoporosis or other serious health issues.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, where the immune system attacks the small intestine when gluten is present. This damage causes malnutrition, and can result in a variety of complications as mentioned above, including more immediate symptoms: stomach pain, lethargy, depression and anxiety, irregular bowel movements, brittle bones, tooth decay are some of the common ones. 

When I was recently in the phase of getting a diagnosis, which took a long time and was not easy to diagnose, many people asked me if I had ever tried a gluten-free diet before. Well, yes, I thought I had. But with my recent education on gluten-free issues, I realized that I probably hadn't been 100% gluten free since there is so much hidden gluten and gluten contamination is a huge issue for Celiacs. Additionally, I had only tried it for about a month, but as it turns out, it can take 3-6 months for the small intestine to recover after eating gluten.

It has been very hard to be assured that I am 100% gluten-free if I eat out. Because of this, I am avoiding restaurants more and more and focusing on cooking at home. I always enjoyed cooking, but never was a great cook. I am creative and can make stuff up, but since going gluten-free, I have been trying several recipes and wanted to share what I've learned from these experiences. Additionally, I wanted to share with you my experiences looking for gluten-free products, including bath and beauty products.


Coming soon:

Gluten Intolerance
versus
Gluten/Wheat Allergies
versus
Celiac Disease


Gluten free versus Grain free