Navigating a Gluten Free Life in a Gluten Filled World...it's not as hard as you think!

I guess I should start this chain of thoughts  by saying - I was not forced to eliminate all of these foods from my palate.  In fact, when asked, my original endocrinologist said it wasn't necessary to make any dietary changes whatsoever (but remember...he was kind of a putz anyway...so...).  I've had many people come up to me and say "but Erin, my mom/grandma/sister/friend have Hashimotos too, and THEY don't have to stop eating all these foods!"  Great! Good for them!  But I would be remiss if I didn't ask - How's that working for them? How are the FEELING?  I would challenge anyone else experiencing the same issues as me to try the elimination diet and see how they feel within two weeks.  With the help and direction of a Naturopath and my Gynecologist, I am making an informed CHOICE to create a healthier lifestyle for myself and my family.  Trust me when I say, its a giant pain in the ass and it makes going to picnics and BBQ's, or anywhere where you're not in control of the food that's being prepared quite difficult.  Its embarrassing to have to constantly ask "What's in this?", and bringing your own food everywhere makes you look like a complete stuck up piece of work. But giving up birthday cake, pasta, etc is well worth it in the long run for the price of my good health. 

That being said....Here we go -
the BIGGEST elimination from my diet......GLUTEN!!!
oh boy, this is a doozy...or is it...?
the below videos are great informational pieces from Dr. Vikki Petersen of HealthNOW Medical Center that explain the gluten/autoimmune disease connection. Fascinating! It makes so much sense!

The results of my saliva test from Dr. K were VERY interesting.  It showed that I have a gluten sensitivity (not Celiacs...just a sensitivity), low progesterone (we'll get to this later), and a borderline tendency for hypoglycemia (which completely explains the 3pm energy crash every day!)

I quit gluten cold turkey in January of 2011.  Prior to that, I was "watching" my gluten intake, but there were things I still ate, which in hindsight I now know were the cause of many bad days.  I truly believe that I am coming into the gluten-free living world at a great , well informed time.  Now there are so many restaurants, grocery stores, websites/blogs, dedicated to catering to the gluten free lifestyle - it makes it a whole lot easier to cope with now that people are more aware of it, and its not this foreign concept to most anymore. 

So, what is gluten?

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-gluten.htm

Gluten is a special type of protein that is commonly found in rye, wheat, and barley. Therefore, it is found in most types of cereals and in many types of bread. Not all foods from the grain family, however, contain gluten. Examples of grains that do not have gluten include wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.
Gluten can be removed from wheat flour, producing wheat starch. All of the gluten in wheat flour, however, cannot be removed. Still, according the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if a certain amount of the gluten is removed, the food product can be labeled "gluten-free." (This is somewhat similar to food products that can be labeled as 0 Calories even though a serving contains 4 or less Calories.) Gluten helps make bread elastic, providing it with that chewy texture it has when eaten. For this reason, flour that has had most of its gluten removed, produces a sticky dough that feels much like chewing gum.
Gluten provides many additional important qualities to bread. For example, gluten keeps the gases that are released during fermentation in the dough, so the bread is able to rise before it is baked. In addition, gluten firms up when it is cooked and, with the help of starch, helps ensure the bread maintains its proper shape.

While Gluten is probably the biggest thing I eliminated from my diet, it surprisingly wasn't the hardest.  Sure, at first I was annoyed and nervous at the prospect of having to completely overhaul my life, MY FAMILY'S life, and the way we do things...Food is such a conversation piece in our house. My husband is the ultimate "Food Snob", pre-packaged box foods have never found their way across our threshold.  We build our family time around amazing dinners, we get excited about red wine and beautiful produce.  I didn't want to lose that just because we were being put under so many restrictions. But, like I said, there is a lot of awareness about gluten intolerance diseases now, and there are ways to lead a satisfying "food life" without gluten. 

Fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats and fish, olive oils, and nuts are where its at when living gluten free.   But when you get a hankering for comfort or snack foods....

These are a few of my favorite things:

CIROC VODKA! thanks P.Diddy!  it's made from Grapes, not Potatoes!

HEARTLAND CORN/RICE PASTA!  We don't eat a ton of pasta anymore, but if we get the hankering, this is the BEST we've found so far.  A lot of gluten free pastas turn out to be a big, sticky, globby mess.  This tastes like regular pasta! I was so excited to find this!

RICEWORKS CHIPS!  Great alternative to potato or tortilla chips!

Taste great with salsa, and are low in sodium!

LOVE!!! Thank you Kellogg's!!!! It makes me oh so very happy to be able to have a sweet treat in Rice Krispie Treats!!! (Marshmallows are gluten free too!!!)

QUINOA!!!! this is an amazing, yummy, extremely healthy little grain that you should be eating! It tastes great with a lot of different meals!

"Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Not only is quinoa's amino acid profile well balanced, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, but quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysinequinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis"

and because it would be rude not to share - my favorite Gluten Free Blog, chock full of recipes and giveaways - worth a read, even if you're not planning on going gluten free!

http://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/