Today I am going to address some comments from a few of my blog readers and some of my friends and co-workers. People are asking me why, if it is such a pain to choose the right foods, do I choose to eat GF. Well, for me it is not a choice; it is my ticket to health and a life free of physical pain and discomfort; for some I think it is a fad or maybe some people see it as a way to cut out some carbs but for me it is the way I will eat for the rest of my life.
I haven’t told this story before in print; mostly just my family and friends know the journey I have taken so I will tell it here and maybe someone will recognize him/herself and seek help.
I have probably had a Gluten Intolerance most of my life even though I just discovered it about 9 years ago. As a young adult I was always very thin. I only gained 12 lbs with my first baby even though I was eating to gain weight; in my other 2 pregnancies I only gained about 16. I also suffered with digestive problems and horrible headaches most of the time I was raising my family. As I approached 50 I was recovering from back surgery and gall bladder surgery and just as I got to feeling healthy and energized I began a journey into the realm of fibromyalgia, migraines and extreme weight gain! For about 2 years I struggled silently and I dragged my self to work and home again wishing for a pain free day or two.
One evening a speaker at an event for my women’s network was a Dr/Clinical Nutritionist from a clinic here in Silicon Valley. She asked us to fill out a questionnaire and after reviewing them quickly the Dr. spoke individually to 3 of us out of the 30 attendees and offered free consultations based on our answers. She indicated the 3 of us would most likely be helped by their program based on food allergy and intolerance; the most likely culprits according to our profiles were Gluten or Dairy . On the form, I had checked the boxes for dry eyes, light sleeper, fibromyalgia (diagnosed by a doctor), weight gain, IBS, constipation, bloating, dry – itchy skin, migraine headaches, foggy thinking and a very scary esophagus spasm problem that was very much like heart attack symptoms.
I went for my consultation appointment, met with a medical doctor for a physical exam, then spent an hour with the nutritionist who put me on a modified elimination diet that I started the next day. Within 5 days of eating nothing but poultry, fish, vegetables and fresh fruit I had NO pain, NO spasms and NO headaches! And I lost 15 lbs within 4 weeks. I was so happy to be feeling so much better and losing weight. Then, it was time to add the barley, oats, rye and wheat Each one I added sent me running for the restroom and the Tylenol….when I had a piece of bread for dinner I got such a headache that I swore I’d never eat wheat flour again.
Since that time I have remained gluten free, 20 lbs lighter and have never had a recurrence of the fibromyalgia or the esophageal spasms – except the one time I decided to “see if I was better” and ate a couple of pieces of Cheesy garlic bread at the Fish Market Restaurant…The spasms woke me that night and my headaches returned all the next day……..I swore NEVER again and that was 5 years ago! Thank goodness Wine and most cheese is gluten Free.