Let me tell ya a little something. Gluten is bad. Very very bad. (A forewarning for this post - I am not holding anything back. This could be TMI for some people.) :)
Let me start by saying that for two years I mocked people that were "gluten intolerant". I thought "that is stupid", "whole wheat is good for you", "these people are nutso" every time I heard someone talk about it or I read an article/magazine column about it. To be honest, it infuriated me because a piece of whole wheat toast couldn't be bad for anyone. All the fiber! All the nutrients! All the whole grains!
Well, it all started way back when with gas. A lot of gas. I can't really remember having a gas problem growing up or even in high school, but around the time I went to college it got bad. It was so bad that every now and then I would be doubled over with gas pains. I would also have severe acid reflux and was on prescription medicine for a year or two.
About the same time I started NOT going #2. I mean I would go for days, a week sometimes. It. Was. Miserable. I was eating so much fiber though that I couldn't figure out why this was happening.
Then came the bloating. Major bloating. Sometimes, I would eat a normal sized meal and my stomach would puff up like I was 5 months pregnant. Literally. Talk about some self consciousness.
I went on with life this way for years. Probably about 8 years actually. It blew. But then, begrudgingly this past February, I decided to swallow my pride and go gluten free for the 40 days of Lent. I was dreading it actually because I didn't want to give up sweets and bread. However, I really needed to see what would happen.
For the 40 days I did feel better, but it wasn't really a 180 degree difference. But, what I did notice was at our family's Easter Buffet Brunch I ate muffins, pastries, waffles, and felt absolutely horrible. Little did I know what I did is actually a thing. Doctors recommend going gluten free for a month. If you have a bad reaction to it after cutting it out that means you are gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive.
I have been gluten free ever since. And now, after months of being gluten free all of my issues are gone. On the occasion I do break and have a beer, or something with gluten in it, but it will take me days to recover. In addition to the above stated issues, I will have headaches, be overly tired, and feel just overall crummy. It's just not worth it to me.
To be clear gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and the related grains, barley and rye. Gluten gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise and keep its shape and often gives the final product a chewy texture. That means no flour, no baked goods, no beer, no pasta, and no bread. Ugh!
It really isn't all that bad because they make gluten free brown rice pasta that is really good. I can't tell the difference. I've found a couple of gluten free beers that are worth drinking, and you can use almond flour in baking. Potatoes and most rice are fair game except a lot of packaged rice has flour in it as a filler. Also, corn tortillas are a saving grace!
The absolute hardest part of going gluten free for me is the bread. My favorite part of going out to eat is the bread basket. Well, it was the bread basket. There is one brand of sliced sandwich bread (Udi's) that is decent. It's much better toasted though. Sadly, I feel so high maintenance now, and it sucks. I get embarrassed at restaurants asking what things are gluten free or if things can be prepared that way.
The interesting thing is that a sensitivity to gluten can pop up at any time. I've read it's often caused by stress. BUT, its all worth it to feel good. Really, going gluten free has been life changing. If you have stomach issues I would tell anyone to give this a try.
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