Why I am Gluten Free

A Gluten Free Girl with a love of carbs

Everyone has different reasons for why they live the life they live. Some people like to binge eat, others starve themselves. Some eat out a LOT, others only cook from home. Some meal prep, others meal deliver, or last minute pack food. Going gluten free changes not only your diet, but also your lifestyle. Until you start your gluten free journey you just don’t know what gluten really is, or where it’s hiding. Heck I didn’t even realize the cleaner I made my diet, the more the traces of gluten were harmful. Talk about “ughhhhhhh.”

For me, going gluten free was simple: eating gluten hurts.

Back in my undergrad days I learned that dairy and I were NOT friends. I will never forget breaking up with dairy after the most epic nachos I’ve ever had. Do I try to get back together with dairy? Sometimes. But after my food mapping test I realized it’s not just a stomach issue. Dairy and I have a systemic problem. Bummer.

Not long after I had to give up any and ALL dairy products did find that pasta was still hurting my tummy. Hmmm. In talking to friends, and doing my own research I started to learn about gluten. What it was. Where you could find it. And I started to wonder if this was a “thing” I needed to worry about.

Well for about 2 weeks in undergrad I went gluten free. I felt better, but man was the food horrible. Does anyone remember what gluten free bread used to be like? Brown Rice BRICKS. Sandwiches were not happening on this diet. I struggled at what to eat, and how to make sure I ate within the confines of gluten free diet while enjoying what I ate. After two weeks I gave up. It wasn’t working out and I just wasn’t ready for living that allergen free lifestyle… yet.

After undergrad I went on to graduate school. Living abroad in a second world (I frequently referred to it as a third world) country was… challenging. The last thing I was going to worry about is whether or not I ate within the confines of my diet. I tried to stay away from dairy but I definitely didn’t worry about gluten. As it was, food was a sparse thing and I needed sustenance to get me through. By the time I left island life behind me I was ready to give this lifestyle a second chance. I had moved to a university town that had an entire SECTION of the market just for people like me. I mean if that wasn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.

Here I was, in the middle of nowhere USA and all my market needs were in one place. A-mazing. But I still had no idea what it was like to truly be “gluten free.” I was new at this. Fast forward ten years late and here I am. An old hack still learning about new ways to improve my diet.

Today I’m dairy, gluten, and legume free. Yup. That’s a lot. And it can sometimes be overwhelming and extremely frustrating. For those of you that don’t really know what it means to be dairy, gluten or legume free… let me help shed some light.

Dairy Free: Dairy free comes in many forms and varieties. After all there are different allergens in milk products that one can be allergic to. I happen to be allergic to all of them. Yippee! Common allergens found in milk and milk based products include lactose (sugar found in milk products), whey (milk protein), and casein (another milk protein). Being lactose intolerant can build with age. It can also be counteracted with modern technology and the use of lactaid pills. These never worked for me, so I tried to just limit my dairy intake the best I could before alternatives to dairy products came about. Now I have plenty of dairy (lactose, casein and whey) free options that also avoid soy. Go for modernization of allergen free life!

In the beginning you’ll be frustrated that “everything free” foods don’t taste the same. Well, they don’t. But that’s ok. You will learn to accept that living a cleaner life also means adjusting your tastebuds. And I’m here to tell you after 12 years of dairy free and 7 years since going gluten free, the food has come a long way. 🙂

Some of my favorite dairy free brands include Follow Your Heart cheeses, So Delicious cheeses and ice cream (oh yassss), Kite Hill yogurt (I get the vanilla flavored almond based yogurt), Earth Balance butters, Go Veggie cheese (compares to singles cheese), and I opt for almond milk over coconut, with Silk being a great brand at your local grocer. I have tried other brands, but these are my staples. Daiya has come a long way with their products but I’m still not a fan of their cheese products, but the pizza actually taste good.

Gluten Free: Gluten. That pesky plant protein that is linked in many diseases, but the most highly publicized disease is Celiac’s Disease. Celiac’s is no joke. But gluten intolerance is also no joke. There are plenty of people, like me, that are walking around on this earth with gluten intolerances. People with gluten intolerance, but not celiac’s disease found themselves in a gray area. After all, they tested negative for celiac’s disease, but was there any test that could truly tell them if they were truly intolerant to things such as gluten? Not really. This is where I am. But I also have given up on worrying what the test says. The reality came for me when I tested positive for Hashimoto’s Disease. A condition in which your body mistakes your thyroid gland as foreign, and attacks it. Fun times. The more I learn about my diagnosis, the more I know my justification for taking my health in my own hands was bonafide. In kicking gluten to the curb, I have helped lower my body’s autoimmune response to my thyroid gland. Hey now, there’s a win for that allergen free lifestyle! But I still have a long way to go.

So, here’s the skinny on gluten. Where is gluten found? Well it’s mainly in wheat, barley and rye. Wheat… what that’s what is in almost every bread product, seasoning pouch, salad dressing, and thickening agent. Scary, right? Yup. Barley? Well that’s used to make malt. And beer. But you know what? Gluten is distilled out of many liquors, and it’s not in wine, or angry orchard ciders. Yum. Rye is a grain found in types of bread. It was a very delicious form of bread… that is, you guess it, now off limits to this girl.

Going gluten free is hard. You literally have to read EVERY ingredient on the list. And if you’re not sure, well then DO NOT BUY IT. Another tip? Anticipate contamination of your food every time you eat outside of you kitchen. Even if you did not order a side of gluten, those plates, utensils, syrups, dressings, seasonings, and soups allllll have traces of gluten in them. Unfortunate. But a reality of life going gluten free.

Here are some of my favorite staples since going gluten free:

Bob’s Red Mill products – Their GF pancake mix is by far my favorite. And I have tried many different pancake mixes as I love breakfast and brunch. Just be mindful that this line of products also include some organic forms of gluten products. So read your labels!

Udi’s bakery products – Their bagels are a favorite of mine. GF bagels are hard to come by… and even harder to find good tasting ones. Trust me on this. I also like their sandwich bread.

Schar products – I found this brand recently. The baguettes are a-mazing. I also love their graham crackers… especially the pre-coated chocolate ones. The downside of this brand being so good… I’m back to eating processed foods. Whoops.

Ancient Grains & Barilla pastas – When I first went GF I was disappointed in the pasta options. Since then, pasta has come a long way. While the Barilla GF pastas are still corn and brown rice based, Ancient Grains also brings quinoa into the mix. I like the quinoa based pastas better. Brown rice pastas have a weird cardboard taste and sticky, paste like consistency.

In all, gluten free products have come a long way. So if you’re starting out now, but grateful for the improvements! Haha

Legume Free: What the heck are legumes? You have no idea how many times I’ve been asked that. Legumes are plants and different members of the pea family of plants. Among them are soybeans, peanuts, green beans, peas, chickpeas, beans, and lentils. AKA a vegan’s livelihood. When I started taking my dairy free diet seriously, I needed to find substitutes for milk in my daily life. After all… coffee is my way of life. However, I quickly found that soy wasn’t a friend for long. After returning to the States I may have over did it with my soy consumption. And then the allergy to soy started. But it didn’t stop there. As the years went by I started to react to more and more members of the legume family. Unfortunately I’ve since learned that no legume is safe. While I may not have an anaphylactoid reaction to this family, I react enough to keep them out of my diet.

Allergen Free Life:

When you are starting out on your allergen free journey you may not realize the scope of where all these pesky allergens are hiding. After all milk… that’s definitely still in the milk chocolate candies. Hence the name milk. But you didn’t think about that before I just said that, did you? And gluten is… bluntly put, in everything. And gluten free, dairy free products have loads of what “health freaks” like to say are unhealthy compounds. When in reality, they just don’t understand what things like xanthan gum are. Xantham is used in gluten free recipes to replace gluten as a thickener or binding agent. It’s made from bacteria breaking down plants. Hello people, do your research. Penicillin is from molds, and blue cheese is from moldy cheese. I mean… Gross.

But the main point I want to get across is that living life with food allergies requires a constant watchful eye. You need to read labels. Educate yourself. And… most importantly be your own advocate. People may find you weird, abnormal, or just being “difficult” when it comes to going out, eating in, or potlucks. Either way, who cares? People judge all the time. And being different is always going to be judged. BUT wouldn’t you rather feel better, eat healthier, and live a life free of allergens that may plague your guts and systemic immune system? I mean I do.

I may not be perfect with my eating habits. And I do find that I contaminate myself more than I’m proud to admit. But something I learned over the many years of going allergen free was that allergens are everywhere. And gluten sticks to everything. So when I moved out east I replaced my pots, pans, cooking utensils, plates and silverware. After all, I was starting over. So why not start a new.

Whatever you reasoning, start today. You don’t have to be perfect. Just keep trying.

Xoxo,

Nattie