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my gluten-free journey.

When I was told what I was allergic to, I was shocked. Tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, apples, ragweed, Arizona (but really) and wheat. WHEAT? I’m Italian. That just doesn’t make sense.

I had been tested for allergens because my eyes were red, my nose was stuffy and I simply wasn’t getting better. Not only that, but I was having a heck of a time losing weight and even performing daily functions due to fatigue. The fatigue I’d always attributed to my b-12 deficiency, which while I’m sure is part of the reason, is really because of the grand scheme of my life style. Something I had never really noticed before, but looking back realized happened a lot, is my throat seizing up on random occasion. And nausea. Both things I attributed to other issues. It was not my allergies that I was thinking of. Now that I’ve been tested for allergies and know what I’m allergic to, I find that when I avoid these products I feel 100 times better, which is an amazing thing. I’ve also noticed my reaction to wheat is getting worse, which just made me realize that I need to buckle down and cut things out.
So here we are!
Now, I’m mainly focusing on cutting out gluten completely, while limiting my consumption of the other products, as my reactions to those are definitely never as bad. But I’d really like to be able to track my journey, share my information and progress and also hear any tips that you’ve got to offer! I’m trying to apply various methods to find something that works for me and can’t wait to find something that is truly solid!

Week 0

Feeling: Blah, nauseous, keep having reactions that limit my singing, un-motivated, thirsty, sick, fatigued.

Noticing: More reactions when I eat wheat (throat seizing, endless coughing), red swollen eyes, nasal congestion, itchy red skin like nobodies business.

Cheats: Ate half of my dad’s pumpkin spice donut from Krispy Kreme because I just had to try it.

Challenges: Planning out meals ahead of time so I don’t have to make something up last minute that isn’t well balanced.

Feats: Cleaned out the pantry and marked everything that is gluten-free with a neon orange sticker.

Happy Moment: If you are looking for gluten-free items, go to Trader Joe’s! I went to Fry’s last night and had the hardest time finding items. Not only that, but they were so expensive! I had a cart full of stuff (dairy, fruits and vegetables mostly) by checkout and not one lane was open, so I had to do self-checkout with 10 yogurts and 10 Snapples… That was not fun! At Trader Joe’s, everyone was so helpful in giving me tips about going GF (gluten free). They had a packet of what in the store was GF and a woman even went around with me to show me what her favorite items were. The girl at the checkout had baking tips for me, including that Pinterest is great for recipes, which is so true! I love Trader Joe’s!

Favorite Place to Shop for GF Items: Trader Joe’s!

Goal: To eat at home as much as possible this week and to start a GF Pinterest Board.

Eating Out: I found out that Red Robin has an amazing GF bun! Chipotle is also pretty wary of allergies. They changed their gloves, washed their hands and used new serving spoons to make sure there was no contamination (the tortillas are the only non-gluten free items). I really appreciated it!

Favorite Item: I can eat yogurt! That alone makes me so happy. I haven’t had yogurt as a staple for a long time and I can honestly say I’m glad it’s back in my life! And these freaking Trader Joe’s gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are to die for!