Gluten Free... Not by Choice

The latest health craze for a lot of people is going gluten free. With books out like "The Wheat Belly Diet", wheat in our food supply had become the next food enemy number one.  Whole grains are a wonderful thing, when they truly are whole grain. The problem with the latest media blaze against wheat is that the media is not recognizing the difference between the wheat our ancestors ate and the stuff that is mass produced and put in almost all of our food supply.  

I've tried the occasional gluten-free cookie and have even developed recipes for my clients, but these were infrequent meals.  What happens when you are forced to eat gluten free all the time? I am about to find out.  I was diagnosed with a very unhappy thyroid this past week.  My doctor was ready to prescribe me a pill that I would have to take for the rest of my life.  I knew there had to be another option and it would involve my diet.  I talked with my doctor and presented her with testimonies and studies from experts in the nutrition field and professors from my schooling at the Institute for Integrative nutrition, such as Andrea Beaman. These people have shown that through nutrition therapy it is possible to reverse some thyroid conditions if caught early on. We made a deal, if after one month some of my symptom haven't lessened in severity I try the pill.  I may be creating a lot of extra work for myself but I'm willing to try it. 

 Let me start by saying I am not allergic to gluten, but it, as well as soy, happen to be things that make a inflamed thyroid grumpy so I have to give them up.  This is a bit brutal for me, having grownup in a heavily French influenced family, where my father did not consider dinner to be ready or even sit down unless the bread was crusty, warm and ready on the table. And I admittedly really LOVE bread. I don't even like anything on it because I love tasting the complexities of the crust. I love baking it even more.

Its the beginning of day three for me and I'm learning that I can't do this cold turkey.  Yesterday's provided labor day lunch at work was a real wake up call.  Staring at macaroni and pasta salads, cookies, cupcakes and a whole slew of food and not being able to have any of it was not an easy feat.  I was able to eat a plain hot dog, no bun....That was literally the only thing in the spread that I was able to eat by my nutrition plan guidelines.  

 I can't be superwoman in the kitchen every day, I work too much for that, so I headed to the natural food section of the store. I don't like buying pre-made food of any kind, but drastic times call for drastic measures.I bought some gluten free bagels and English muffins to try to make my hectic mornings a bit easier, not to mention the transition to go a bit more smoothly.

The flavor of these breads is actually pretty good and they look normal enough, but the texture is the main difference I notice. They are Very  crumbly, not exactly the best choice to eat on the go unless you want everyone at work  to know what you had for breakfast, because your clothes are covered in it.(learned that the hard way) SO in a nutshell some of these products are pretty good but I definitely will be experimenting with baking some of my own when I have a bit more time on my hands.  In the meantime, I am developing an entirely new level of respect for my friends struggling with Celiac disease. I will definitely be sharing my experiences on this journey, as well as the recipes I develop while on it. 

The english muffin looked and tasted pretty good but it fell apart when I spread my almond butter  & homemade fig jam on it.