I have Addison's Disease. This means I don't have adrenal glands or adrenalin. I take medication daily to regulate the missing hormones. I've been struggling with this illness for almost eight years. I've been to countless emergency rooms and waited in doctors offices only to find out that I just have to go through life tired and weak.
Not willing to accept this as my life, I took charge of my health and decided to take a year off of work, school, and volunteering to focus on mending whatever it was that was broken. My first doctors appointment in that year off was with a Gastroenterologist. He said that he was almost certain that I had Celiac Disease and advised that I endure a very invasive procedure to find out for sure. Having already "endured" many invasive procedures for Addison's Disease, I decided it was not in my best interest to take the test.
About a month later, I began to experience extreme nausea every time I ate a piece of bread. I thought my Addison's was just acting up and continued to eat bread for another week. The nausea only got worse and I decided to kiss gluten goodbye. My last "gluten-filled" meal was a Cinnabon. I threw it up within the hour.
It's definitely hard to quit gluten cold turkey because you have to learn to read labels again. You also have to know all the aliases for gluten. But there were always little signs that something might have gluten in it. I would get sleepy or grumpy. I didn't keep a food journal but recommend it for those just starting on their gluten free journey.
After only 3 weeks of being gluten free I noticed a huge difference. I was sleeping better. I had more energy. I wasn't as moody. I couldn't believe that those three symptoms had been bothering me for so long and in a matter of weeks - POOF - they were gone. I was already a new person. The months following, I noticed that my bathroom habits changed for the better, my hair got thicker, and my energy levels continued to increase.
Everyone's body reacts differently to going gluten free. I can't believe the difference between gluten filled me and gluten free me. I'm healthier, I eat better, and I'm much more creative in the kitchen.
This blog is about those three changes, being healthier, eating better, and being creative in the kitchen. Whether you or a loved one is gluten free, I hope you can find something helpful here.
Happy eating everyone!
