It has been four months now since I have been eating a Celiac or wheat gluten free diet. If you are not sure what that means, my understanding is Celiac is intolerance for wheat type gluten. This type of gluten is found in Wheat, Barley, and Rye for starters and perhaps a few lesser known grains too. Anything with malt or malt extract is code for gluten. Modified something you do not understand exactly what it is, is a phrase to be wary of. In my earlier Celiac post, I went over some of the symptoms that have been experienced both by myself and others.
It seems a Celiac diet is generally misunderstood, I read and have been told following a gluten free diet is a poor lifestyle choice which is simply not true. Lots of people around the world live quite happily on a gluten free diet. I suggest a lot of thought on going on a Celiac diet just for fun. It is a very restrictive diet if you are not adventurous. Eliminating gluten from your diet is no small undertaking.
After eliminating all the common places gluten sources exist in the average diet, there are other places gluten lurks. It is important to read each and every food label every time you shop because gluten lurks in almost every food you can imagine, from ice cream, to protein powders, some peanut butter, vitamins, and some medicines. What may be free of gluten this time, may have gluten in it the next time because the manufacturing of the product changed.
A Celiac diet properly undertaken is very healthy and nutritious. A Celiac diet done wrong can also turn into a monster. If you are not open to trying new foods, food combinations, and tastes, the Celiac diet is very expensive and fairly bland. Trying to eat the same type of foods you always ate such as different forms of breads and pasta’s will send the cost of eating into the upper limits. If a loaf of bread used to cost you $2.50, you can now plan on paying two to three times or more for bread that never quite matches your memories.
If you enjoy snacking on an occasional pretzel, cookie, or doughnut, get ready to pay much more for the pleasure. If you like pancakes or waffles guess what? The price of pancake mix and waffles goes up too. If you always wanted to expand what you eat, and you can get excited about new vegetables, and fruits, you will find life pretty exciting. You can practically start at one side of your favorite produce section and eat your way around to the other side.
If you are in the middle in your eating needs, you will find your food bill has gone up, and you may find yourself eating more of the types of foods that you previously ate less of. Going to a buffet for example where everyone can find something they want to eat, your choices once you leave the salad area becomes limited. Most thick soups are out, so is most chili, cheese, croutons, crackers, and everyone’s favorite – most of the desert section. You are left with vegetables and some of the meats. You can eat those meats which are not breaded, barbequed, or marinated with a soy based sauce, because they are likely to contain gluten.
On the bright side, I have noticed the taste of wheat in some food is obvious. The first bite often tells me if there is wheat hiding in the food somewhere. If I do not notice which has happened a few times, upset stomach of some form is not far away. Talk about negative reinforcement, it only needs to happen a few times before the awareness level and attention to what I am eating went way up.
Contrary to some of what I have read, being gluten free is not the end of the world. With some willingness to say goodbye to what your diet used to be and hello to the world of vegetables and fruits you never tasted before, a Celiac diet is healthy and can be quite reasonable both in taste and expense.
If you do have a gluten allergy, you will know generally within a few weeks because you should feel better, and not just different. In my case, it was only a few days before I started feeling a difference, and a few weeks before feeling healthier
An acquaintance mentioned many people have an allergy to many foods, but our bodies for the most part are able to handle the reaction without our even noticing. Again though that is conjecture and opinion, so take it with a grain of e-salt.
If you are serious about a celiac diet, or have health concerns, you need opinion and advice from a more informed source than myself. While I have done my reading and research, I am by no more than a beginning novice on Celiacs, and much of what I say may not be correct or correct for you. I have some small gluten tolerance, as some people do, so my thoughts and opinions may not be correct for you.
