A Word About My Health

So, I know at this point that pretty much everyone who’s read this knows that I have had to have a drastic change to my diet due to health concerns. I had to go gluten-free because it seems to be wrecking my body more than I ever realized.

It’s been over a year since I started this. I still find myself wanting to eat food like I used to. I miss being able to find a dearth of things I can eat. I miss not having to worry about if something’s going to make me sick. I miss sourdough bread.

The health benefits that I get from being gluten-free far outweigh everything that I miss.

Sure I miss sourdough and not having to triple-check everything I eat. What I don’t miss is being sick all the time. My immune system has never been stronger. I have noticed that I used to get sick with everything every time someone else was sick. In the past year plus, I have been sick twice, both times were minor colds. This has been an even bigger revelation than not having to be sick after eating anything. For once in my life I’m not being sick all the time.

And while that’s been incredibly amazing… and it seriously has been. I have felt better and stronger than I have in my whole life. So, giving up anything with wheat, barley rye and a majority of food and soda is a small concession compared to feeling healthy.

The downside is, now if I even have the smallest of gluten, I get sick. I get sicker than when I was eating gluten.

In many ways it makes me feel like I can’t go many places to get food. Cross-contamination becomes a huge concern. I’ve got gluten-sick off and on since. Some places have been great places to eat. I generally go back to those places often. Some places give it lip service or the servers might be clueless about what it means to be gluten-free. It’s these places that get me.

The illness is similar to what I would get with a flu… with certain exclusions.

I wind up in pain all over my body. I feel fatigued, run-down. My brain feels foggy. I get constipated followed by a very unpleasant stomach explosion. I bloat. I start feeling emotionally… well, blah. I become moodier. I’m sure that there’s more to it than that… but that’s all I can think of at the moment.

It’s this illness that makes me have to spend a lot of downtime at home. It’s not a time that I enjoy or relish.

So, I’ve learned that now, I’m going to need to eat at home almost all the time. And that’s what I’ve done. I still will go out to get things like tea or something like. I just don’t eat out as often.

That might be able to change though. The FDA is now going to compel restaurants to be as safe as food manufacturers. If they’re going to have food they’re saying is gluten-free, they need to keep it to 20 PPM (parts per million). I’m curious how this will play out. Will it make restaurants more aware of their gluten handling and they will do better or will they drop gluten-free altogether? I think that’s something we need to wait and see.

All I know is that being gluten-free has been one of the best things I have done in my life (only one of them). And I’m super happy I have. I’m not saying that I think that everyone needs to be gluten-free… actually, it’s to the contrary. If it’s making your health better, do it. Otherwise, it’s not worth it. It’s constrictive and you’re depriving yourself of a lot of vitamins that are naturally found in wheat and wheat variants. It’s not for everyone, but it is right for some people.

Holiday Food Blues

There are a few holidays that I truly enjoy. They’re some pretty awesome times of the year where fun abounds. I love Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day.

And then there are holidays that I enjoy for food alone. Those food holidays are very few and far between. Thanksgiving has historically been one of those holidays for me.

I do love a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I love almost everything about the food. Though, honestly, I could go without pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes. But I love everything else.

However, this year is going to be drastically different.

This is the first year where I’ve been gluten-free. This year I can’t really eat everything that I love. I can’t have stuffing and gravy. I can’t have the green bean casserole that I love. While I would love that my family would actually attempt a full gluten-free Thanksgiving dinner… I know that they’re not going to make that big of a change to the dinner for just one person.

So, instead of eating what everyone else will be eating (or trying to eat it and making myself sick for days afterwards), I’m going to be eating something different.

While I like the sound of what I’m eating. I feel as though I’m missing out on something I love. This is the first time that I’ve felt like I’m being excluded because of my dietary restrictions.

And, I’m going to admit it, it makes me quite sad that I can’t eat the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Watching all the ads about Thanksgiving food and all the cooking shows that are focused on all those comfort foods that I love. I have to admit, I feel left out. I can no longer enjoy the food of the day that I love.

And now, I’m at the point of where do I go from here?

All I can figure is that I need to mourn that I can no longer partake of what I love. I could cheat and eat everything, but what would that do for me? What would that do for my health? Since we’re still not 100% sure if I have Celiac’s Disease or not, I can’t take too many risks.

These are the time of year that make it difficult for me to eat. I want to eat everything that I can’t have.

All I have to do is remind myself that I have 2 more months of this… only 2 more months. If I just tell myself that, maybe it’ll make it better. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around next year, I may have properly mourned not being able to eat the normal holiday meals that I love.