Tuesday, August 25, 2015

What Is Gluten, Part Deux.

So to follow up on my last gluten post, I tested negative for Celiac - yay! However, the doctor suggested that my IBS symptoms might in fact be a wheat/gluten allergy. I didn't know Celiac was different from a wheat/gluten allergy. Show's how little I know. The main difference, it turns out, is that Celiac is a genetic, autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine. Gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy do not damage the intestine. Symptoms of the allergy include: diarrhea, bloating, vomiting, fatigue, rash, nasal congestion, difficulty breathing, joint pain. So with my history of what I thought to be IBS, my doctor has suggested two weeks of a gluten/wheat free diet to test if it is not in fact IBS but actually a wheat/gluten allergy. 

I started yesterday.

First, let me just say that I had no idea how ridiculous the grocery store was until I started looking at labels. Why are regular English muffins $3 but gluten free ones at $7? Someone please explain to me how that works. 

For breakfast I typically have: an English muffin with Peanut Butter and an egg. If I have more time I might make steel cut oats. Did you know that some steel cut oats are apparently not gluten free? What. The. Heck. Shouldn't it just be... oats? Luckily, I have been eating Whole Foods' gluten free frozen waffles for a few years and love them (especially the Chia Plus ones), so breakfast won't be a big change. This morning I started off with some sauteed kale and two eggs over easy and a little yogurt.




Do you have any idea how sad this view made me? I love donuts so much. Gimme donuts. All the time. 




The truth is, I never really think about wheat being in the foods I eat. Friday night, for example, I started cooking dinner and melted butter for a roux, only to realize, oh, duh, flour. There are many other types of flour now available in grocery stores for people with Celiac and gluten/wheat allergies, but I only had regular old wheat flour in my kitchen so I harrumphed and moved on.

Foods that I will be missing over the next two weeks (and potentially the rest of my life if I do in fact have an allergy):

OREOS. (I can't. I just can't. Oreos are one of my main food groups!)
Donuts.
Anything fried. (Let me just pour out a little iced coffee for my homies beer-battered Fish and onion rings.)
Veggie burgers. (Why in the world is there wheat in my veggie burgers???)
Pizza.
Biscuits.
Croissants.
Muffins.
Bagels.
Cream sauce (because a roux has flour in it).
Pasta.
Cake - Sticky Toffee Pudding! (Can I live!)
Cereal!
Pretzels.
Crackers.
Udon noodles.
Soy sauce.
Baking Powder.
Ice cream cones.
Subway subs. (RIP veggie sub. You were dearly loved.)
Grilled cheese.
Peanut Butter and Fluff sandwiches. (Excuse me while I go cry in the bathroom for a bit...)

Two weeks. I can make it two weeks to see if my symptoms disappear. And then I can reassess my life and go from there. And in the meantime, Olivia is going to join me on the first week of this venture for moral support, which honestly is huge of her to do and really helping me mentally.

So, Day Two is underway and I'm feeling good. Twelve more days to go.
Wish me luck.

~Stephanie
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1 comment

  1. No veggie burgers? No Subway veggie delite subs? We'll need to start a support group.

    ReplyDelete

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