Thursday, August 20, 2009

Going Gluten Free




After all the head aches, allergies, sinus infections..... you name it! The past year was a bad year when it came to taking ibuprofen and antibiotics. I absolutely hated it! My wonderful neighbor behind me popped over one lazy Sunday afternoon said to me after I whined for 10 minutes about my allergies...."just try it! Go gluten free!" I thought, what the heck... why not! So ever since May of 2009 I have been free of wheat, barley, rye and I even excluded oats. Its now August and to this day I have not had one head ache, no allergies, lost 3 dress sizes and feel a whole lot happier, healthier and energized. I haven't officially gone in to the doctors and had a test done to see if I have celiac disease but if I'm feeling this much better within three months of cutting gluten from my diet I think I'm on the right track. Its just me, the lone ranger in the house that's trying it but I prepare meals for the family that don't have regular pasta anymore, less cookies and cakes but more whole foods and produce.

Brownies and cheese cake are two of my favorite treats I make for my family. They actually love it! Instead of using graham crackers for the base on the cheese cake I mix gluten free flour, butter, pinch of salt and crushed macadamia nuts. To make my brownie mix more gooey and chocolaty I add pure dark semi sweet chocolate chips. I also sweeten baked goods with agave syrup or splenda, which is low on the glycemic index and very good for baking! However there are days when I just want to chow into a nice big piece of warm home made bread my sweet neighbor Ginny brings for the boys and Paul but I know I better not!

2 comments:

  1. how did gluten free help you to lose weight? curious minds want to know .

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  2. I basically stopped eating bread, pasta, bagels, anything with wheat, rye, you name it. Once you get past the bread part you have to really look for food that's got no gluten in it and those foods for me anyway are so much easier to digest or lower on the glycemic index. Your body can process it easier with out the gluten. Next thing you know.... the tummy starts dissappearing and the shoes start fitting!

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