Carefree and Gluten Free!!!

So, this is a post for my readers! I get a lot of questions in regards to being gluten free…

How do you do it? What can you eat? What is gluten? What all is it in? Why do you do it?

The task of going gluten free can seem rather daunting at first but it is definitely manageable and not that big of deal once you figure it all out. I was diagnosed with Celiac’s disease over a year ago and sadly had to give up all of that yummy, gluten goodness. Most people don’t even know this about me because I’m really not into talking about diseases and diagnoses (despite Sy’s stuff); I don’t like to identify myself or my kids by their health issues. We have too many blessings to be overshadowed by our little “glitches.” However, I get asked so many gluten questions (from those who know that I just don’t eat it), that I thought it was worth a post. I do this in hopes of helping someone out there who needs some encouragement or direction.

Even though I’ve only been completely GF for over a year, I’ve been very familiar with it for the last five years or so. Back when Sy was a 18 months and was actually eating some foods, he had to stop with the gluten because of his allergies and, surprisingly, because he was on the autism spectrum back then. Yeah, crazy that there was a time he was on the spectrum! You would never know it today and I definitely think that going GF helped in his situation. (If you have more specific questions in regards to that, feel free to ask.) There were several times in the last few years that we all just stopped eating it. It was pretty amazing how much better Jordan and I felt.

So for me, it is not merely a preference of not eating gluten or just a mild sensitivity; my body cannot handle it. Celiac’s disease can often lead to other more serious or life threatening diseases. I’m not worried at all about it because I know God has it under control. I just do my part and am very careful to stay away from gluten, not only in my diet but also in personal care products. You wouldn’t believe what all it is in–make up, hair care products, soaps, lotions etc. You see it in almost every ingredient list and it likes to hide under loads of different names/labels. It is definitely a lifestyle change but if you think you need to go GF, you absolutely can do it and you’ll probably end up not missing it much.

I am slowly starting a modified version of the Gerson Therapy (mostly raw foods, vegan) so I know that some day the Celiac’s won’t even be an issue. Yahoo! Meanwhile, going GF can be very enjoyable, simple, cheap and not a big deal. Soooo, I don’t want to bore you with any more random details. If you have specific questions, please comment below or shoot me an email. If you’re on the fence about trying it, go for it!!! You may just be surprised how much better you can feel!