When Flour Becomes the Enemy
About eleven years ago, I discovered that I am gluten intolerant. I had been having several seemingly unrelated health issues for several years and all of the medical professionals I went to see could not provide any explanation. Moreover, their general approach consisted of treating the symptoms instead of searching for the root cause. Because I am naturally inquisitive, as well as driven to solve problems, I could not easily accept that no answers existed. Thus, I decided to do my own research. While researching one of my issues on the internet, I came across a checklist of symptoms that might indicate gluten intolerance as the root cause. (I wish I could remember the source of this list so that I could provide a link here.) When I reviewed the list, I was stunned to find that many of the symptoms and conditions I had were listed on it. Intrigued by the possibility that I had found an answer, I decided to try out the gluten-free diet.
Going gluten-free is not an easy path; there are myriad ways to make mistakes and I quickly discovered that gluten seems to be in EVERYTHING! I read and researched, often reviewing conflicting information, but ultimately I decided to put my theory to the test. After a few weeks of eliminating the most obvious culprits (flour, bread, pasta, and cereal), I was amazed to find that I really did feel much better. My digestive system smoothed out, my knee joints stopped aching, and my mood improved. The chronic fatigue I had felt eased as well. Over time, I learned to eliminate other foods due to possible hidden forms of gluten, such as modified food starch and maltodextrin. Within a few months, I found that some of my other symptoms had disappeared. In addition, my body seemed to react even more violently against any gluten that I did eat than before, so my sensitivity appeared to be increasing, or perhaps I was simply discovering what it felt like to feel well vs. unwell.
I wish I could say that I lived happily ever after once I made this discovery. Unfortunately, following this diet can be frustrating and emotionally draining at times. It really puts food as the central focus of life, especially at the beginning when one is trying to figure out what can be eaten. I was used to having a certain amount of convenience foods in my diet, such as frozen breaded fish filets, canned soups, and the occasional fast food stop. Admittedly, these are not the healthiest choices, but at the time I was single and committed to not standing over the stove for hours each night when I came home. Supper was something to be dealt with quickly so I could go on to other things I found more interesting and relaxing and since I only had myself to feed, I often got by on smaller, snack-like meals. Furthermore, I was reluctant to spend more money on food so that I could have the gluten-free convenience foods. At this time, they still were not readily available in most mainstream supermarkets, could only be found at health food stores in my area, and were quite pricey. I did buy a few here and there to try; some were okay but a good many were awful in taste and/or texture. I kept thinking to myself, “What is the point of even having gluten-free bread to eat if it is going to taste this bad?” And cooking from scratch had its own issues. Each gluten-free cookbook I perused required its own special flour blend to be mixed up, which made keeping the pantry stocked and ready a pain. It was at this point I realized that the honeymoon was over. Yes, I had found the answer and I felt so much better when I followed the diet, but I lacked a certain level of commitment about it. At times I didn’t know whether to keep trying or just give up, eat gluten, and feel bad all the time. In reality, I knew I had to find a way to accept the changes I needed to make, but I didn’t want to spend my whole life in the kitchen, either.
Eventually, I began to find meal preparation to be easier. My tastes adjusted to not eating bread, pizza, or the donuts at work. Additionally, my local supermarket started carrying some gluten-free options, like brown rice pasta and canned mushroom soup. Still, I found it easiest to prepare meals that were naturally gluten-free, such as baked fish, steamed vegetables, and brown rice.
Now that I have a family who isn’t gluten-free, I find it more challenging to stay on track and not cheat. Currently, one of my goals is to find a better way of managing the nutrition needs of the whole family at each meal but maintaining as much simplicity as possible, too.
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