One week of no gluten down...

I've now gone one week and one day without any known gluten in my diet.  I say "known", because I think I got "glutened" somewhere in the last 48 hours, and I'm not sure what I ate that is causing my distress today.  Unless it's my system reacting to the onslaught of greens and healthier stuff coming through....

But, before I obsess about today, the last week has been pretty interesting for me.  I've lost about 5 pounds and actually feel much much better....less brain fog, no bloating so my pants fit, no other TMI symptoms.  Of course I'm eating like a giant rabbit--lots of veggies and salads.  Managing the diet isn't that bad, at least when I have control over it.  I think my biggest problem will be going out to restaurants.  We went to the Cheesecake Factory on Saturday night, and I worked with the server to order stuff that wasn't questionable, and I think it was ok. Problem was turning down repeated requests to sample things, especially the cheesecake.  I don't want to call attention to it, but I'm sure I came off as a total nutcase.  Who in their right mind turns down a nibble of Reeses Peanut Butter Cheesecake??  I enjoyed my grilled chicken corn tortilla tacos, thank you very much.  I avoided the rice.

I also discovered the ginormous list of options at Trader Joe's--can't wait to sample some new stuff.  But, I've noticed that gluten-free seems to translate to high fat content...but if I'm basically a vegetarian the rest of the time, won't it balance out?  Cool thing was finding gluten-free options at the airport--snacks and veggie side dishes that worked.  I had lots of veggies and fruit during the week, Udi's bread and bagels too.  And my awesome friend Sheila took excellent care of me this weekend making sure I had enough food to eat while I stayed at her house in CA!  Thanks Sheila!  We made a pilgrimage to Trader Joe's and I didn't feel quite so helpless.  I flew out for my goddaughter's confirmation (wasn't I just out there for her baptism?) and had a great weekend.  They are busy raising 5 puppies for a breeder, and they turned 6 weeks old while I was there.  Pics later....

Today however, I think some gluten snuck in there and I feel kind of icky.  I'm not sure exactly what it was, and I'm praying that I'm not that hypersensitive that I'll have to worry about serious cross-contamination issues.  Being on a plane and realizing you've been glutened is not a good feeling.  And I have noticed a huge difference by eliminating it.  I suppose I should go see a nutritionist?

And I'm looking at ordering food for my AP classes for an end of the year luncheon for next week, and it's pretty depressing to come to the realization that I probably won't be able to eat anything on the menu.  Sigh.

So I think I'll stay on this gluten-free road and see what happens.  I have some more researching to do, but I think I have a good idea of how to manage it at home and what questions to ask at a restaurant.  If you notice that I'm growing large furry ears and buck teeth, please let me know....

I really hate my autoimmune system, but I got to meet the President of Ireland!

Here we go again....evidence that yet another part of my body is in revolt against itself.

I'm starting to wonder if I've developed a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten.  

And this coming from the person who never can say no to a good hunk of grainy bread or a sweet baked something.  

Sigh. 

I've been having, um, digestive "issues" that have caught my attention in the last couple of months.  Without TMI, it hasn't exactly been pleasant.  I noticed in all my thyca research over the years that people frequently mentioned going on a gluten-free diet, and that there seemed to be a strong connection between Hashimoto's, hypothryoidism and gluten sensitivity.  

According to the symptoms list, I have quite a few of them. Did I mention that I just hit up the Greenhills bakery this week for my weekly fix of Irish brown bread and scones?  Yeah, definitely not on the gluten-free list.   I really noticed some symptoms after a weekend trip to PA where we had pasta, French bread, waffles--ugh.  

So I guess I could spend some time over the next couple of weeks eliminating gluten from my diet and see how I feel without it.   Kind of funny that I've been focusing on eating more wheat and multigrain stuff over the years to avoid insulin resistance problems, and now I'll have to cut it out completely.  I was at Fenway on Friday and ate my Fenway Frank minus the bun.  Not too exciting.  Didn't help that the Sox lost. Again.  In 13 long cold innings.  

I wonder what role this might play with my elevated inflammation levels?  It has to all be connected and playing off of each other...

Other stuff--I got to hear a speech from the president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, about the Famine and its impact in Ireland and Boston.  Boston was chosen as the international commemoration site for this year's Famine commemoration, and since I'm here because my ancestors fled the Famine and came to Boston, I thought it was kind of like my duty to participate.  The speech was at Fanueil Hall, and it was excellent.  It helps to be reminded not to forget every now and then just how horrific the Famine was.  After the speech he went to the Famine Memorial on School Street where he laid a wreath.  He worked the crowd and I got to shake his hand!  Very cool.  One thing that caught my eye was a woman in his entourage was standing next to the sculpture of the starving family, and she gently caressed one of the statues.  It was touching.   

I was further down the line and got a couple of great shots on my cell phone, but I have to figure out how to get them off the phone....