Gluten free is the way to be!

At least, that's the latest theory behind why I have all the issues I have. And I have to say...I'm starting to think there might just be some credibility to this theory.

I'll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say I get extremely sick whenever I eat. We've done all kinds of elimination diets - dairy, artificial sweeteners, soda - you name it, I've stopped eating it at one point in time. We've had no luck, so a several years ago, I just gave up, and accepted this as just the way life is. Then I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. That seemed to answer some of the questions, but not all. More tests, more food trials. No more answers.

Color me surprised when my doctor suggested this past week that I might have a gluten allergy. Apparently he was discussing my case with another doctor, who asked if he'd cleared me for gluten. In my doctor's own words: "I felt like a complete moron when I said no."

I printed off massive amounts of information from the internet, and then yesterday - Saturday 7/30, Hubby and I carefully went through the cupboard and took stock. We read every label in there - and over half of it went into the get rid of pile. Then we trudged off to the grocery store to replace everything with gluten free alternatives. We were able to find a surprising amount of things - spaghetti sauce, alfredo sauce, mashed potatoes - all kinds of things. A lot of them were "mainstream" like Prego spaghetti sauce is already gluten free - at least the little jar I picked up was. Nothing "special" - just the way it's made. But we also found rice chips, gluten free pancake mix (Bisquick), and Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix.

Lunch yesterday was my first gluten free day. Now, I'd been told that it could take anywhere from 2 weeks to over a year for me to see any difference. It took 45 minutes. Seriously. That's the time frame in which I'd normally be physically ill after eating.

I had my lunch of gluten free tortilla with steak, green peppers, tomatoes, and scallions, with a side of Lundberg Fiesta Lime Rice Chips (which are *awesome*). And then I waited. I waited for the cramps. The bloating. The feeling like my stomach had shifted up into my chest and was pressing on my lungs. The 2.5 second warning sprint to the bathroom.

Nothing happened. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

I just knew it was a fluke. So at dinner, I had Hubby's fabulous sloppy joe mix over roasted potatoes. Again I didn't get sick.

At that point, I'm still convinced - yeah right. Thirty-two years of misery isn't over with ONE change. Bullshit, right?

Today I had a bowl of gluten free Cinnamon Chex. Still not sick. Then tonight, Hubby and I went to Target and bought a waffle maker, and he made gluten free waffles. I followed that up with gluten free cupcakes.

And I'm... Still. Not. Sick.  As a side note, the waffles contained dairy - whole milk, which is something we'd previously thought I couldn't have. But now that I think of it, I've only ever had it *in* stuff, like cakes and whatnot. I've never really drank it straight because I'm not terribly fond of it.

Aside from that, I do have a tiny bit more energy, and I slept better last night than I have in a long time. My doctor says it's not entirely unheard of for someone to see a benefit in this short of time, especially with how sick food was making me. I'll try to keep my blog updated when I try gluten free products.

So far, I've tried

1. Cinnamon Chex cereal, which was very tasty - on level with Cinnamon Toast Crunch - and didn't make me ill.
2. Bisquick Gluten Free Pancake Mix - made waffles out of it. Very good - couldn't even tell it was gluten free.
3. Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devils Food Cake Mix - YUM. Seriously - you wouldn't have a *clue* this was gluten free. Rich in flavor, and the cupcakes were moist and had a wonderful texture.
4. Lundberg Gluten Free Fiesta Lime Rice Chips - Wow. These are really good. Very tasty - tangy and salty. The texture is different than a regular chip - more like a Dorito but even a little thicker. Very crunchy. And reasonably priced - I think I paid around $3 for the bag, which is on par with most potato chips.

Hubby plans to try his hand at some gluten free French bread - will definitely let you know how that turns out!