I’ve been doing a gluten free diet for about 4 months now. I noticed my energy level was much better, but didn’t understand why. One day my hubby said, “I haven’t heard you snoring for a long time now!” The only thing I had changed that could explain it is going GF. When I mentioned it to one of the docs in my office, he said there is likely some inflammation that has disappeared, and along with it, so did my snoring!
Living Gluten Free
I wanted to post an update on how I am doing after living gluten free for the last 3-4 months. My reason for trying a GF diet was because I discovered that gluten can cause migraines.
Headaches: I still take an OTC migraine pill in the morning b/c I am tight across my shoulders and neck in the morning. Most days, that is the only pill I take. Previously, I was taking 3-4 of them a day, and sometimes resorting to Ubrelvy to get some relief. I used to use Biofreeze multiple times a day, just to make it through my shift (I type ALL day long). Now I use it a couple of times a week.
Joint Pain: Within a couple of days of going GF, all joint pain was gone. However, my body tends to “take” to new things very quickly. Now that I’ve been GF for several months, I do still have some joint pain. Some could be weather related (bitter cold here right now, and I am in a lot of pain at the moment.)
Stomach issues: I used to take several Immodium (the kind for stomach cramps, not just diarrhea) and/or activated charcoal to get me through the week. Maybe not every day, but several days. I rarely take anything for my stomach now. My gut just feels healthier w/o gluten.
Energy: I never expected a GF diet to affect my energy level, but it has!!! I still require a lot of sleep, being hypoglycemic and working the most intense job of my life at 60 years old. However, I come home and actually feel like doing something besides eating supper and studying my Bible. I will do things like clean a room, clean the outside of my kitchen cabinets, mop the floor, declutter, etc. It feels so good to do things! And I am now going to bed about 30 to 60 minutes later than I previously would. And I feel great the next morning! I’m even drinking less coffee because I have energy and don’t feel the need for the extra caffeine.
Weight: I was told that I would lose a lot of weight with going GF. I lost 3 pounds the first week and was so excited! Sadly, I haven’t lost any more weight. Perhaps it is because my metabolism doesn’t work so well at 60 years of age. UPDATE: I weighed myself the day after I posted this, and I am down 3.5 pounds since the 1st of the year!!!
The adjustment: It IS an adjustment to go GF. However, it is worth it. While I struggled at first when around scrumptious sweets, I rarely feel deprived now. Sweets cause migraines too, so gluten + sweets is a horrible combination for me. I have learned to love feeling great much more than I love eating sweets. At holiday dinners, I make something that fits my needs. It helps that one of my nephews was diagnosed with Celiac right after I embraced the GF lifestyle, so there are more people now who are being conscious of our dietary needs.
I made gluten free fried fish this weekend and it was DELICIOUS! Both hubby and I kept exclaiming, “This is SO good!”
We used tilapia. I coated each piece in cornstarch, then egg, then ground up rice. It made a crunchy outside, but the inside was soft.
A coworker of mine has a food mill grinder and offered to grind a large bag of rice for me. After seeing how well it worked (and tasted), I will likely be buying a mill grinder for myself. Using ground up rice is so much cheaper than paying for the GF bread crumbs.
My Frugal Life 