So last month after taking a trip to San Francisco and experiencing a great deal of bloating from my dining experiences, a friend suggested perhaps I may be gluten sensitive. I never thought about it, and thought of "gluten free" as another one of those fad diets for losing weight. But I wasn't feeling too swell after our dinners on several occasions even when I didn't eat that much, so I thought maybe my friend was up to something.
I quickly did some research on Celiac's disease (which is the name of the disease if you are extremely sensitive to gluten), and found out one can determine if they are sensitive to gluten by avoiding it for a whole month, and then ingesting it again to see if they get any symptoms. My symptoms were bloating and digestive problems. It has been a month now, so what's the verdict?
I don't think I'm extremely sensitive to gluten, but I think it definitely makes a difference in my health. Since not eating gluten, my instances of bloating have noticeably decreased, and my head feels clearer, and even my skin seems clearer, although I still have breakouts. So maybe I'm not 100% sensitive to gluten, but I definitely feel better without it.
Thanks to Google and an app called "GF Search Free", it's pretty easy to spot gluten ingredients. What makes it hard for me though is when friends make me food that aren't gluten free. I can't seem to turn down cupcakes and pastries. But with time I think I can learn to.
The good news is though, since I don't have Celiac's disease I don't think I have to avoid gluten 100%. I do like how my body feels without it though, so if there is a gluten free option I will take it. And there are so many options! Did you know there are gluten free bread, pasta, cakes, and even brownie mixes? Neither did I, but now that I do I'll definitely try them all. Most of them are quite tasty, except the bread that I tried to make.
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| Umm...is that cake or bread? Gluten-free bread fail. |
