I have struggled with my diet since I was 11 or 12 years old, never truly knowing what was making me sick. Doctors never figured it out and essentially I learned by trial and error what my body did and did not tolerate.
So my list of things that I cannot eat are :
Gluten : Wheat, Barley, Rye.
Dairy: Pretty much everything that has Casein and Whey which are proteins in milk
Corn: Which is in EVERYTHING and it has fun names like Dextrose (found in iodized salt?!?) and Maltodextrin (found in most Deli Meats)
You're probably thinking -How on earth did you figure all this out? Well it certainly took over 15 years, a lot of journaling, frustration and several meltdowns inside grocery stores.
I recently had a few people reach out to me who have been told by doctors to adjust their diets and stay away from Gluten and I remembered how hard it was to change my diet at first and how much I struggled. There is so much to learn, not just about what gluten is but also how to monitor ingredients.
I am by no means an expert, but I can tell you my story and what I went through learning to live with a limited diet in hopes that I can help you.
Lets just start with what Gluten is
Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat (wheatberries, durum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, KAMUT® khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. (source: https://celiac.org/)
It is prey much all the good things in life- BREAD, PIZZA, SPAGHETTI, DONUTS and one of my all time favorite, ENGLISH MUFFINS. If it is made with flour chances are it is gluten.
Not being able to have Dairy for me was not so difficult. Soy milk was getting popular when I was younger which I thought was quite delicious and honestly I was a huge fan of sorbet rather than Ice-cream. Cheese was a bummer but I was still eating Pizza minus the cheese but twice the pepperoni so not all was lost.
When I had a friend suggest I go gluten free is when I had my first meltdown. I feel so bad for the boy that worked at the health food store I visited for my first ever gluten free shopping trip. Basically I started hysterically sobbing and crying in the baking isle with this boy trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I most likely scarred the poor kid for life.
Honestly I had no reason to be in that isle because I do not bake but I googled "going gluten free" and printed out a list and just went with it.
That was so not the right thing to do !
I went to the store with a list of things I have never heard of and some I did not even know how to pronounce... I was particularly upset over Sorghum flour (WTH is that?? I have never used it EVER) and also Xantham Gum (Seriously??? )
Ok the point I am making is that it is difficult at first but really not that complicated.
I am pretty sure adjusting a diet has stages just like grief that go something like this
Shock & Denial- Those are the first emotions you feel when you find out you can no longer eat something you enjoy and you think NO WAY!! Im sure the doctor is wrong.
Anger & Retaliation- This is crap and Gluten Free/Allergy specific foods probably taste like poo. I don't even know where to start. This sucks. You're probably gonna try to eat it anyways and regret it afterwards.
Fear & Depression- What will I eat? Will I ever fit in? How will I deal at Restaurants, going out and holiday parties? You look at your pantry and panic. My thoughts were- going to be awful and I'm just going to stay home forever and starve.
Fear & Depression- What will I eat? Will I ever fit in? How will I deal at Restaurants, going out and holiday parties? You look at your pantry and panic. My thoughts were- going to be awful and I'm just going to stay home forever and starve.
Relief & Acceptance- You knew something was wrong and the last thing you want to be is sick and you're eventually gonna be hungry and want to leave the house and be a functioning human being.
It’s overwhelming going gluten-free/allergy-free at first. The couple months are the hardest and then it gets easier. You're gonna learn why it's good to ditch food thats not good for you, paying attention to how foods make you feel, and adjusting your diet accordingly. Once you cut out whatever it is you can't tolerate, you will wonder why it took you so long because you feel AMAZING
So here are some tips to not go crazy:
1. Quit Cold Turkey - Figure out what in your house contains your allergen, take it all out and write it all down so you can catalog it so you can replace it with things you can eat.
2. Find Substitutions- So lets say Gluten is what you're replacing:
- Pasta- Corn, Brown rice, Quinoa and Black Bean Pasta is available.
- Bread- TONS of GF options are out there.
- Flour-Even more options available depending on what you're doing.. Remember that Sorghum I mentioned earlier? Yeah thats one of them.. but there is almond, potato, corn, coconut, tapioca.. all sorts of stuff.
- Pizza- Yep, gf, soy free, dairy free vegan pizza is available.
- Cake and Cookies- You beta.
- Here is a website with more Substitutions
3. Meal Planning- This is one of the reasons I am such a fan of Beachbodys Portion Control containers and meal prepping. It makes it easy to have a clear vision of what you're going to be making through the week and help prepare you. Lets say you have Taco Tuesdays, well chances are the taco seasoning you were using is not gluten free and flour tortillas are out. Well being able to plan ahead will make things easier. Making taco seasoning from scratch is better for you and delicious and you can use either corn tortillas or in my case lettuce wraps.
I have come to the point in my life where I can make anything to meet my dietary restrictions but I need a plan and I spend a day prepping my meals so all I need to do is plate my meals and heat them up.
4. Grocery Shopping- So here is the most difficult part, the time it will take you to grocery shop will increase. My boyfriend jokes that I could live at Publix (it is a pretty amazing grocery store) but the reason is because I read labels and ingredients for EVERYTHING. I mean I have to look for a lot of ingredients, dairy, wheat, barley, dextrose, corn starch, maise flour, maltodextrin.... that is a lot of reading !! A couple of things to look for depending on your sensitivities. Some of you may be so sensitive that contact with or cross-contamination with gluten/ allergens can be an issue, so when you are buying deli meat or anything that the store prepares make sure they wipe down the equipment. Also on labels it will tell you if a food is prepared in a factory where there are other items processed that contain allergens.
5. Eating Out- I am so thankful that Gluten free has become a trend because there are so many options available. Not every server will be knowledgeable about gluten/allergens so make sure you let them know you have an allergy and that they inform the chef.
Here is an amazing resource for allergy free restaurants !!!
5. Google & Pinterest - Google can be your best friend. I can't even tell you how many times I have googled, "Is there gluten in _____?" "Is there corn in______?" and Pinterest is amazing for finding recipes and blogs that are devoted to allergy free recipes and cooking tips !!Here is an amazing resource for allergy free restaurants !!!
This stuff is confusing and when you are just starting out...it kinda feels like... well what the hell CAN I eat???
But over time, you will be a pro (I promise, If I can do it so can you).
You have an advantage...gluten free/allergen information and options are becoming more available and part of every day living.
I promise if you keep it simple, keep reading and learning, and continue to have an open mind, you can become completely Gluten/Allergen Free without going crazy.
No comments:
Post a Comment