No More Bread? Say What?

     I have always looovveed pasta, big crusty breads, salads and the like.  If you would have told me that I had to give up my Alfredo,  I would have said there was no way!

     Then I turned about 30 something and things started to change.  I was having stomach problems.  I would be sick and bloated a lot.  My stomach would hurt and bloat and bloat and hurt.  I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I thought that once that was “fixed” my stomach issues would go away.  Was I wrong!  After that ordeal was straightened out, I knew that my stomach issues had to be a non thyroid issue.

     So, I started to research my symptoms.  It seemed as if meat was the culprit, so I quit eating meat.  It wasn’t that big of a deal for me, because I wasn’t that crazy about it anyway.  I can probably say that I have never said “I could go for a big, juicy steak right now!”   Excluding meat seemed to make the issues a lot better, however, it didn’t totally alleviate the problem.  As I did more and more research Celiac disease came into the picture.  I wasn’t going to part with my fettuccini or crusty breads.  Then I kept getting sick.  The bloating and the pains kept coming back, and lasting for days.  I decided that I didn’t have anything to loose. 

     So, what is this Celiac disease?   From what I have gathered, it is basically an allergy or an intolerance to gluten.  What is gluten?  It is a protein composite found in wheat.  It is what gives your bread it’s elasticity and chewy texture.  Breads and pasta’s are part of one of the food groups so how can they be bad? Think of it as peanuts to a person with a peanut allergy.  Peanuts are not bad, they are delicious and packed with protein (and maybe a little too much fat).  However, when a peanut allergic person comes into contact with them it can get ugly and fast. 

     I look at Celiac the same way, however less sever as the anaphylactic reactions that are associated with nut allergies.  Once you realize you have a gluten issue, you can’t go back.  Medical diagnosis or not I know that I need to avoid all gluten as much as possible.   For the first few weeks after I discovered that gluten was the real culprit I focused on all the things that i loved that I couldn't eat as a result.  I love cookies, cakes, pretzels etc... etc... etc  you get the picture.

             I can't tell you how many people have said, I could never give up bread (pasta, cookies insert          any gluten laces food).  My response is once you have been sick from it and you feel better it              isn't hard to do at all!  What about that food group that most of the gluten food are in?   Don't              worry about it at all.  There are a lot of ways to get the necessary nutrients that your body needs

         with out eating breads and  meats.  I have come across some new foods that I can honestly say I

         don’t think I would have ever tried had it not been for this.  I will share some of the things that I          have found, and what has worked for me over the next few weeks.

  

****Disclaimer*****

    I am not a doctor or a medical professional in any way.  I am only sharing my journey to a healthier me with you.  This information is not intended in any form to be used in a medical diagnosis.  Please consult with your health care professional with any concerns.