The Gluten-Free Experiment

I Google all manner of things, from the important issues to the casual questions I come up with while trying to go to sleep.  We're talking everything from recipes to medical symptoms to what to do when your co-workers get difficult.

For the last few years, I've had a lot of hip and lower back pain and stiffness.  It's a long story as to how I believe I developed those aches, but I've had a lot of physical therapy for it.  I've definitely learned to manage the pain, but never how to get rid of it completely other than popping Advil (or stronger) every few days, or every day if the pain got that bad - I'd usually just try to live with it.

A lot of people I know have been trying or are on gluten-free diets, and I've noticed the number of gluten-free living blogs that are up on the web.  I once visited Babycakes bakery here in NYC to get sugar-free cupcakes and treats for a baby shower for a friend who had gestational diabetes.  They just happen to bake gluten-free too, in addition to using agave and other alternative ingredients for baking.  One day, I Googled "gluten-free symptoms".  What I got back was pretty unbelievable - muscle and joint aches, or  fibromyalgia (the term doctors use to diagnose aches and pains that have no apparent explanation), digestive issues, insulin resistance, diabetes, headaches and migraines, irregular menstrual cycles, and a long list of others.  I have experienced most of those symptoms, and it couldn't hurt to try cutting gluten out of my diet to see if anything changed.

I have been gluten-free for only a few weeks now, and I can already see some differences: my digestion is better, my face looks clearer (so says my mom, therefore it must be true), no mysterious headaches.  The rest, I have to see, i.e., test my levels of everything.  I suffered a lot from acid reflux and even got meds for it, but I haven't taken them in a while, and I feel great.  Originally, I was only going to cut gluten out for a few weeks, but I think I will stick with it, because I'm finally remembering what it's like to walk around pain-free. Seriously, I had forgotten, it had been so long.  Just that one thing is worth so much to me.

The list of things I can't eat is long, or at least it seems that way, because I was a big bread/baked goods eater.  Since starting the diet, or way of eating (the word "diet" has such negative connotations these days), I can't grab a sandwich at Pret a Manger anymore, or snack on cookies in the afternoon.  I have to be careful with candies - did you know that Lindor truffles have gluten?  No more pies, cupcakes, cobblers, etc.  As a result, I have cut out a lot of sugar from my diet.  I still snack, but it's on popcorn and Smart Puffs, things like that, that say "gluten-free" on the package.  I can't say the pounds are melting off, though I've lost a few, and I don't care.  This diet is for my life as a whole as opposed to looking cute.

Gluten-free options on restaurant menus and such are very, very few, as are gluten-free specific spots, like Babycakes (actually a vegan bakery), et. al. As a matter of fact, I read an article today about a chef at Tavern on the Green who says that a gluten-free diet is but a ploy to get extra attention at restaurants, and that gluten intolerance is all in our heads.  An insensitive comment to be sure, but if my gluten-intolerance is all in my head, I don't care.  My body feels better and better, and that's the only thing that matters to me.

Here's a gluten-free diet cheatsheet.

I've started a Pinterest board of gluten-free recipes.  Please check it out here.  I add constantly, as you may know if you already follow me.  Here's a peek:

Gluten free Asian noodle options

Flourless chocolate cake

Shrimp tacos