Preparing for a gluten-free lifestyle

In my madness of searching the entire intra-web for any piece of information I could find on gluten, I came across a very helpful about.com article detailing steps you can take to “make-over” your kitchen.  Finding out that gluten could in fact be making me sick by means of my thyroid, and deciding to completely wipe gluten out of my diet had me feeling a bit overwhelmed the last few days.  I had to see something, dummed down for people like me, listed there in black and white to make me realize, “Hey. You can do this. It’s not that bad, and it isn’t impossible.”

What I also decided though, is that it would probably be easier to just make the change for my entire family.  My husband has Crohn’s disease and has mulled over the idea of going gluten-free for a few years now. My children would benefit from the long term effects as well, but wouldn’t have to follow such a strict diet, for example, at a friend’s birthday party. Let them have their cake, and eat it too. Ha ha. But at home it will be gluten free baked goods, fresh as possible meats and produce, and introducing new foods to take the place of foods missed. And I have y’all for support, right?

*Crickets*

So, my flour will be tossed, as will my sugar and old-fashioned rolled oats.  In will come organic corn flour, and new bags of non-contaminated sugars and baking powders.  (There are also tips in the article for those who will be sharing a kitchen with gluten-containing foods.) As far as buying new toasters and condiments, because I am not switching to this diet due to an allergy, I will not be doing either of the aforementioned actions.  Both are large concerns for those learning to live with Celiac’s disease due to cross-contamination.  Same goes for replacing plastic bowls. (I don’t own many plastic bowls.)  I will, however, be cleaning my oven, not only because it needs it, but to avoid the cross-contamination that occurs during baking.

So that’s that. My to-do list over the next few days, hopefully to be completed by the weekend. And that’s when I will go shopping to replace my baking goods with gluten-friendly baking goods. And will also have a bread recipe to share, providing all goes well in the kitchen. In the meantime, I’ll still be scouring the world wide web for more helpful hints, recipes, and products that can help to make my (new) life a bit easier.

Gluten-what??

::Sigh:: When I saw this today on my newsfeed, it was oddly fitting to the changes I had decided to make in my life. I can't go back in time and change my eating habits to avoid the thyroid problems and issues with my weight that I have today. I can't go back and force myself up off of the couch to go for a walk. What this made me realize, however, is that I CAN start making changes TODAY that will affect my health for the rest of what I hope to be a long life. I have the power to re-write the path that I am heading down. All by making some basic, yet very difficult changes in my daily habits. I, Vanessa Marie Coughlin, lover of pasta, assorted subs, and all things carbohydrates, am going GLUTEN-FREE. 

*Dum, dum, dum* 

"Why the h-e-double-hockey-sticks would you do that?" I've recently learned that auto-immune diseases such as hashimotos, can be directly affected by gluten. Basically, what I've summarized, is that the more gluten you eat, the more it hinders the functions of the thyroid, which causes you to need more medication to make the thyroid work properly. I also have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and I wonder if it isn't all connected somewhere, and if that connection may just be gluten. So, as thoughts bounced around my head this morning, (which they have more time to do now with my son D being in preschool-YIPEE!)I decided I needed a place to lay it all down. Like my disappointment when I realized that the Pioneer Woman Spagetti Sauce I was drooling over was probably a big, gluten-loaded, oh-so-delicious no-no now. Not counting the glorious heap of pasta that it lives on. (Yes, that's a link to deliciousness.)

Ahh, pasta. I'm an Italian girl, raised on Sunday dinners with my closest family, my grandmother making her special Sunday sauce, lasagna, or mac and cheese, laughter, and love. Gluten-free pasta and breads make me feel unsettled, such like alcohol-free beer. Just not as good as the original. Did I mention I work at a restaurant that specializes in pasta? 

::Sigh:: (again.)