That Time I Became Gluten Free

Okay, today I have a story for you guys. I think it will be a little different than my other posts, but I’m excited to write about this topic, and hope it will be encouraging for some (or at least entertaining, haha).

As you can tell from the title, this post is about how and why I became gluten free. Diets are something I find intriguing and interesting to talk about, whether they’re by choice or not. So let’s get into this!

So recently, after about a year of struggling with all different stomach issues, I have switched from having no dietary restrictions to eating gluten free. It was a struggle (to say the least) figuring out what was causing my stomach and head aches, but we finally figured out that it was gluten.

I used to see people with celiac disease and feel sorry for them, thinking about how terrible it must be to have a diet that’s so restrictive. And then it happened – I realized the reason I was feeling so gross all the time is because my body can’t handle gluten. I don’t have celiac, or, at least I haven’t been diagnosed with it yet, but I have an intolerance, and gluten makes me sick.

It’s been hard adjusting to my new diet. I went through a few stages of emotions in the weeks (or months) following my diagnosis. As soon as I stopped eating gluten, I couldn’t believe how the bloating and stomach aches went away.

Yes, I felt good . . . but then I became angry.

My favorite foods were baked goods. Cookies, cake, and muffins – I could eat them all day. Also, mac and cheese. In fact, I wrote about my love for Annie’s mac and cheese in this blog post here. Why did those have to be the things making me sick all the time?

For the first few weeks, I think I only ate vegetables, soup, and quinoa, partly because I was so mad and kept saying, “Well, this is my life now.” And I kind of wanted to be miserable.

After a few weeks of that, I thought to myself, “What if I’m being dramatic? I mean, do I really need to change my entire diet just to feel a little bit thinner and less bloated? Were my stomach aches really that bad?” So, I decided to slowly add a bit of gluten back in, you know, just here and there.

But that was a mistake, because the more chocolate chip cookies I ate, the more I craved them. . . . and the more head and stomach aches I got. My pain was worse than before I cut out gluten.

I still remember explaining to one of my brothers how my sensitivity got worse the longer I went without gluten, and he said, quite frantically, “You’ve got to start eating it again, Gab! And eat so much of it that your body just gets used to it.” He didn’t want my new diet to affect the rest of the family’s diets . . .

Unfortunately, there was no “teaching my body to get used to the gluten”. So it was back to the gluten free diet for me.

Then I lost my appetite.

Ok, since I eat healthy for the most part, I don’t crave food all that badly or that often. But when I do, I crave pizza, bread, mac and cheese, bagels, and more than anything, cookies. But I could no longer eat those foods, so my body wasn’t craving anything at all. I was eating the same 7 foods every single day, and grew sick of them. It got to the point where I told my mom, “The only reason I eat anymore is so I don’t die, but if I could, I’d live without eating food ever again.”

Dramatic, I know.

But I wasn’t taking the time to look up recipes and cook, or try new foods, so I was settling for any single-ingredient foods we had in the kitchen. It seemed like I’d never eat anything I enjoyed again.

At one point, I thought I was going to go crazy. I remember getting home one day and being really hungry. But when I went into the kitchen, there were donuts on one counter, cookies on another, and some other sugary baked good on the other. (I feel like I should point out that my family doesn’t usually eat unhealthy like this, it was just a special occasion.)

I thought I was going to have a break down!

But as time went on, I learned to adapt. I learned to cook more gluten free meals, and I learned how to order a meal at a restaurant and ask for it without the bread. I got gluten free cookbooks and began baking my favorite baked goods, only without the gluten. And I made a Pinterest board full of gluten free recipes.

I’m not sharing this story to get sympathy, but to encourage anyone with food restrictions. Taking care of your body is so important, and it really does get easier.

I’m also sharing because I want to show that it is possible to still live your life fully, even if it feels like you’re on the Fun Free Diet. You just have to be willing to adapt, learn to cook, and say no to the things that don’t make you feel good (even if they taste amazing). It’s all a part of taking care of your body.

Of course, there are still hard days, where all I want is to eat a chocolate chip cookie (have I mentioned that these are my favorite food?), but it has definitely gotten easier, and I assume it will continue to become easier as I go. I’m not saying I’ll be gluten free for the rest of my life, because miracles can happen and bodies can heal, but that’s where I am for now. (;

Love,

Gabriella

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