Trying Again

Remember last summer when I got tested for gluten sensitivity and did all that research and diet modification only to find out I didn't need to? You can read about it here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Yeah........

So, I still follow a few blogs from that adventure in eating, and entered a giveaway for a book called, "The Gluten Effect: how "innocent" wheat is ruining your health." Surprise! I won a copy of the book! I thought, what the hey, I'll do a little reading about it. It's written by two doctors. Admittedly, they are both chiropractors - and I am NOT a believer in chiropractic medicine - but I didn't know that until after I received the book. I decided to read it anyway, since both of these people did go to medical school, and know vastly more than I do about the inner workings of the human body. What I found was a very convincing scientific explanation of what is happening in my gut. They claim that many many many common conditions can be improved or cured by eliminating gluten from the diet. Let me list a few that might interest you:

-Digestive problems
-Autism, ADD, ADHD
-Arthritis
-Diabetes
-Irritable Bowel Syndrome
-Thyroid disorders
-Osteoporosis
-Depression (really?! yes!)
-Obesity and weight gain
-Fibromyalgia
-Skin problems
-Memory loss

A long and spread out list, huh? At first my thought was, "Riiiiight. Blame it all on wheat." But then I started reading. And I was convinced, again. I knew I felt a little better last summer when I cut gluten out for two weeks. But the human mind forgets quickly. I've been slipping lately also with my diary intake, as in, I've been eating way too much of it, and crossing that tolerance threshold often. Last week I cut back on that, only having dairy in items that are cooked or highly processed. I know from dealing with dairy for years that I can handle it in those forms, but I don't feel better yet.

I've been chiding myself for weeks now to go off gluten again, ever since reading the book. But I questioned myself. "what about all the food in the pantry? Can't throw it out" "Gluten free food is expensive, and we live on a budget so tight you can see through it" "I'll start tomorrow, right after I eat this gloriously buttery yeast roll." Excuses, excuses.

I made the decision earlier this week to phase out the gluten again. I can't go cold turkey, mostly because my pantry and freezer are full of things that need to be eaten, and then replaced with a gluten free alternative. I've been avoiding eating gluten-y foods, but still cooking them for the others. I'm not going to make the family go gluten free (yet!! hahahahaaaaa evil laugh) although I wonder if Caleb's constipation issues would improve if he did.

Today I stopped by the local grocery store (if you can call Drug Emporium that) that carries gluten free products and picked up three different bread mixes and one pizza crust mix. My two favorite forms of gluten: bread and pizza dough (yes, also bread. I love bread, which is why this is so hard!). Tomorrow I'm going to bake at least two of those loaves of bread and compare them. I hope to get all three made, so I can do a proper taste test. I can't wait!

Also, in my quest to make my guts happier, I'm going to limit myself on (gulp) Dr. Pepper.

It'll be good. I can handle it. .................... raawwwwwrrrrrr .......................

If anyone is interested in reading the book, I'd be happy to lend it to you. Just shoot me an email or leave a comment on this post.