This week marks one year of eating gluten free for me. And what a year it has been!
I can not believe all the changes that have happened in just one year. From curly hair to being able to run, to just over all feeling like a new person, gluten free eating has changed my life.
I will admit that there have been a few challenges and meltdowns. There have been many cooking disasters as I learned to cook with new flours and ingredients, but it has been so worth it.
Life isn’t easy, and neither is gluten free eating, but the benefits of it have far out weighed any of the challenges I have faced and I have no desire to go back.
I do not miss gluten.
Yes, the first few weeks and months were a bit challenging as I learned to adjust, but once I started seeing the benefits I had no desire to go back.
I will admit that although I do not miss gluten filled food, I do miss the convenience of them.
My most challenging days and weeks were those that were extremely busy and stressful. Those were the times that in my pregluten free days, we would have picked up a pizza or gone through a drive thru. Those are no longer an option. I have had to find other ways to come up with convenience items and that has not always been easy.
Traveling has also been a bit challenging, but we are figuring out how to make even that work.
I want to take this chance to thank each of you for taking this journey with me. You help make this site what it is. I started this section of my site to share not only recipes, but the ups, downs, struggles and triumphs of the gluten free life and I thank you for taking the time to follow along with me.
This journey would have never started without my sister Flora. She is the one that was reading up on gluten and celiac disease for her own family’s health issues. She kept telling me, “Lynn, this is you. This is your story. This describes all your health problems, and your life as a child. You need to talk you doctor.” Without her encouraging, I never would have even considered looking into a gluten free life.
I am also very appreciative for my family. My bread loving husband and son have given up many of their favorite foods and have put up with a lot of strange foods over the last year. My entire family has put up with a lot of disasters in the kitchen and have been very understanding. Thank you for understanding why I need to continuing this journey.
This last year has gone by so fast and I look forward to what is in store in the future as I continue this gluten free journey.
wow — a whole year?! So glad that you are feeling better and that it’s made such a difference for you.
One question I have — is how are the GF flours/etc., working with your daughter’s nut allergy? I know that many of the specialty GF flours are produced with nuts…. have you found a good brand?! I ask because my MIL is GF, and we have a hard time cooking for both of us (baked goods, that is).
Eating both gf and nut/peanut free is a bit challenging. Many recipes call for nut flours that I can not use. For now I have just avoided those recipes, but I hope to start figuring out how to adapt some of them. I do avoid many gluten free mixes b/c those often either contain nuts or are high risk. I also have not bought any of the pre done flour blends b/c of the same problem. I have been able though to find a few items, like granola type bars and cereal that are both gf and nut free. Being both nut and gluten free does complicate things. Baking from scratch is the only good solution I have come up with.
Congratulations! I know going gluten free can be difficult. I have a dear friend who has diabetes type 1 and is also gluten intolerant. She has had such a hard time finding things she can eat and cook. I have learned to cook a few things she can eat with no problems.
Thanks for all the recipes!
Lynn, I am impressed that you started your blog when you had not been diagnosed very long. I remember that first year as a blur. I could never have done what you have. It did get easier but it was a long struggle. I, too, have figured out how to travel. We just spent a month away and restaurants were unbelievably helpful and went the extra yard to keep me safe. Not that there weren’t a few days when I had to eat ice cream or a side salad and milkshake for lunch, but those were few and far between. We also stayed with very brave friends and relatives who learned how to avoid contamination and served me delicious food. Keep traveling and it will get easier.
Thank you for your kind comment. I love to bake, so I knew I had to start figuring out gluten free baking. However, I had been blogging almost 2 yrs before going gf. So, blogging about my journey kind of came naturally. I continue to do what I have always done on my main site lynnskitchenadventures.com, and this section of my site is the place to deal with the gluten free specific areas. Separating the two sites, really helped make blogging easier for me. Also being honest about my struggles. This site is a place to share that with people who understand and that has helped me so much.
Way to go! I am glad that we have been able to share in our struggle and successes over the last year or so. It’s been a crazy adventure….really, truly a “kitchen adventure” if ever there was one.