I want to share with you the effects of gluten on my life. I grew up having migraines. When I was young, I remember crying to my mom about how bad my head hurt. Her remedy was a St. Joseph brand baby aspirin. Little did I know that would be the beginning of my dependence on medicine.
I spent my childhood growing up surrounded by hot, italian bread and homemade pizza. We had pasta and meatballs every Sunday and my Nonna always baked cookies and pastries for dessert.
Back then, no one ever talked about food allergies and sensitivities. I had no idea what the effects of gluten would have on my life.
The better part of my college days I dealt with migraines and constipation. I began to wake up with headaches, and instead of sipping morning coffee, I would take 2 Excedrin.
Things got really bad a few years later. I began making frequent stops to the restroom. In my mid twenties, I was experiencing overactive bladder with multiple UTI’s. Once antibiotics stopped solving the problem, further testing revealed that I was experiencing a condition called Interstitial Cystitis.
IC is complicated because it is hard to diagnose and the symptoms vary from person to person. It can also be called painful bladder syndrome, and I had a painful bladder and urinary tract. The lining of my bladder was completely inflamed, and the quick fix was 3 pills a day. That is where I had to draw the line and say no-thank you!
A visit to a holistic doctor taught me that if I got off the Excedrin and changed my diet I could possibly find relief of my symptoms. I really had nothing to lose because the effects of gluten on my life were too much.
And so my gluten free life began
I will talk more about the ups and downs of my journey throughout our time together. For now, let me just say, being gluten free has allowed me to be medicine and symptom free. I now love how I feel.
A gluten free diet usually begins with the hope of naturally solving a problem in the body. Some people are forced to give up gluten because they are truly allergic (also referred to as celiac disease) . Others might adopt it as a way of life with a suspicion of having a gluten sensitivity. In either case, it is important to know that in order to see any positive result, you should eliminate gluten completely for at least 30 days.
Becoming gluten free was the best thing I could have done to relieve the inflammation in my body.
When I became a mom and my boys started having GI disturbances, I immediately removed gluten from their diets. Being able to reduce inflammation in their little bodies so young has helped them in so many ways. I will admit, It was much harder to find foods for my picky little eaters than it was for myself, but it was worth it.
These days, being gluten free does not mean having to sacrifice food or flavor. It’s simply an adjustment, a new normal. At school, my son has treats just like all the other kids, but the only difference is that they are gluten free and good for him. This equals one happy child and one even happier mamma.
You can learn more about gluten here.