The 30 Day Gluten-Free Experiment

Photo courtesy of Svetlana Tikhonova

After weeks of experiencing varied symptoms, I decided I would try going gluten free for a few weeks to see if that makes a difference. 
First I went online to check it out. 

Natural News.com listed these common symptons of gluten intolerance:

-bloating, gas, queasiness, abdominal cramping...
-headaches/migraines
-moodiness
-weakness, dizziness, tingling
-fatigue

Experiencing some of these symptoms, and others not listed, I was not sure what to think. These can be symptoms of alot of things, but I'm willing to use the process of elimination here. People have said how gruelling the gluten-free diet is, but I look at the list of foods allowed, and it's pretty wide open actually.

Check out this list from the Mayo Clinic

Allowed Foods: 

-Beans, seeds, nuts

-Fresh eggs

-Fresh meats

-Fruits and vegetables

-Most dairy products

As for grains, there are many grain products a person can use or buy. (see Mayo Clinic's list) 

It's the processed foods that get you. Gluten (malt barley is a form of it) seems to be everywhere. I think it will be helpful that we're eating less and less processed foods around here. 

The Hardest Part? Probably toast, pasta, pizza and wraps. 

Adaptations: 

Bread and Pasta - buy, and go easy. At $5/loaf and .99/100g for rotini (that's $5 for a box!) it will be more of a treat than a staple.  I'll use more rice and potatoes instead.

Pizza - not sure. I may try making crust or tortillas with homemade rice or oat flour. We'll see how it tastes... 

Wraps - hopefully the rice or oat tortillas taste okay. If not, then I may go with lettuce leaves as the wrap? It doesn't sound especially fabulous to me. I'd have to want a wrap pretty badly...! 

Yesterday was day two. Lunch was hummus with tortilla chips, grapes and trail mix. (Yum!!), and supper was sloppy joes with corn chips (could have served it on rice, but I was too lazy to cook rice.) That was pretty good too.  

I'm thinking this won't be too difficult (probably because I know it's only for 30 days). We shall see.

What has been your experience with Gluten Free eating?

** Note ** the NoName tortilla chips do not contain gluten (as far as this newbie can tell), but the Tostitos brand we often buy does contain gluten (malt). Just fyi.