For years I thought the gluten-free diet was a fad and did not expect it to last long. I can remember saying, “Not everything needs to have a gluten-free option.”
Then in 2017 I was diagnosed with celiac disease and now, for my health, I am required to eat gluten free. People can have severe symptoms or appear to be symptom free. I thought I was symptom free and had just an inkling that some foods might be an issue. I did a Whole 30 and noticed I felt a little better not eating bread and pasta or drinking beer, but I didn’t think I felt “bad” after consuming any of those items. In fact, I thought I had an ulcer.
When testing showed no ulcer, but I had celiac disease, I was surprised. Apparently, I have had the condition for a long time. (All of the villi in my small intestine were completely flat.) I love pasta and bread. I make fantastic lasagna. I enjoy beer — especially German wheat beer. And I didn’t think I had symptoms. I believed I’d be able to just do the big stuff and still eat a little gluten here and there.
Once I started to live gluten free, I could feel when I mistakenly consumed gluten. Stomachaches and painful bloating within an hour! (Why had I not noticed this before?) I quickly realized I was going to have to be serious and live my life entirely without gluten.
Then the panic set in. Gluten seems to be in everything! If I can’t eat gluten, what can I eat? No more lasagna, no more Skyline 3-ways, no more peanut butter sandwiches, no more brownies, burritos, beer…. Even a simple fast-food hamburger and French fries was out. Everywhere I looked was something I loved that I could no longer eat.
My first step: I downloaded The Gluten Free Scanner app to my smartphone, scanned all of the food in our house and got rid of anything that had gluten. I found foods with hidden gluten like soy sauce, cream soups, a cheese dip, canned foods … Wooden spoons and any utensils that could not be put in the dishwasher were given away. I bought a new toaster and a separate butter dish just for me.
Grocery shopping, with my Gluten Free Scanner in hand, took forever. I scanned every single item I purchased. I found the gluten-free section of my store and tried so many things. A few things I wondered: Why does gluten free have to taste bad? Why is everything so expensive? Does every celiac go through this? Where are the good breads, pastas and beers?
With those questions in mind, I decided to blog about GF foods as I try them. If I’m trying so many different foods, why shouldn’t other celiacs benefit from my research?
Though I plan to try everything gluten free, my ultimate goal is to find the best GF breads, beers and pastas.