Gluten free and me

A lot of you have been asking about how I am doing since going gluten free, soy free and egg free. I'd say that it is going quite well. Life is better when you feel better. I am no longer popping tums, taking daily doses of ibuprofen and no longer having the feeling that my whole body is congested. (Having congested organs is uncomfortable once you realize what it feels like to not have congested organs.)

For those of you who didn't know how it was deduced that I had these allergies, the short story is that after back to back sinus infections and being prescribed antibiotic after antibiotic,(One with nasty side effects that I will not go into detail) I decided enough was enough and I saw a NatraPath, who helped me stop getting sinus infections in the first place.

The cure for that was going gluten free, egg free and soy free.

It has been hard at times. Sometimes it is frustrating to go into grocery stores and after reading all of the labels you realize that you can't eat anything and you leave with only a steak and two apples in your grocery bag.

The plus side is that I am eating healthier. I cannot have a single salad dressing in the salad dressing aisle (here is where olive oil, dijon mustard and herbs de provence becomes your best friend also a gluten free blue cheese mixed with salt and lime juice) I cannot have a lot of the potato chips in the chip aisle, or prepackaged meals like lean cuisine and frozen pizza. No mayonnaise, which was actually hard for me. Basically what I am eating is meat,vegetables, fruits and nuts.

What you notice is that gluten hides in a lot of things you wouldn't think of like rice krispies and hot dogs. Soy is even worse, salad dressings, frozen french fries and gluten free mixes.

Some of you since having talked to me are thinking that maybe your symptoms sound the same as mine (chronically stuffed up, congested, stomach feels off after you eat a lot of things, headache-y, tired for no reason and joint ache-y, not to mention undesirable digestion issues that are unlady like to talk about publicly) and maybe you wouldn't mind trying it out and see what happens. I would say give it a month, if you do not like it, it is only a month out of your life.

I am not on a gluten free soapbox, I am not writing this to make you gluten free, soy free and egg free or be like me. I just want to share with you the resources I have found that have really helped me learn more about this lifestyle.

Go out and get a copy of Gluten Free Girl by Shauna James Ahern and read her accompanying blog called glutenfreegirl It is an autobiography of going gluten free. I would have to say that making the switch for me wasn't as easy as it was for her. Plus there are additional things I cannot eat and many of the recipes I can't try.

Read this recipe blog called elana's pantry She also recently put out a cookbook about cooking with almond flour.

You can also pick up a raw food (I know it sounds gross, but it isn't) cookbook. Wheat, soy and eggs, with the exception of edamame require cooking.

Check out this post on kitchn with comments: kitchnpost

Go to traderjoes.com and download their gluten free list here you may not have a TJs but some of the products on the list you can find at your local grocery store like Lara Bars.

Well, I hope that this post helps anyone who is looking for more information on food allergies. Sometimes you can help yourself by making simple changes like wrapping a burger in lettuce, which is my fav. I want to avoid making this into a recipe site, but maybe I will throw in a couple helpful hint here and there.

Happy reading and eating.