I'm Going Gluten Free

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, therefore in all foods prepared with, or containing these grains. If your body is sensitive to gluten, eating it can cause all sorts of inflammations throughout your body, especially in the digestive tract.

There is only one solution to gluten sensitivity and that is to eat gluten free.

I've been having stomach discomforts lately, bloating, trapped gas, stomach pains, even difficulty breathing.  They start right after my meal and usually pass in an hour or two, but it’s been really irritating. Sometimes I must walk around the house since sitting makes the symptoms worse.

I googled my symptoms – action that can be educational, but also really scary – and let me skip the list of terminal diseases I came across, no need to freak you out as well. Instead, I will use my common sense and suppose I have indigestion or some kind of bowel syndrome.

Sometimes the single cause behind such dysfunctions can be gluten sensitivity. This means people consume gluten without knowing they are sensitive to it, thus suffer the consequences daily. Which on the other hand can lead to more serious damages to their health in a long run.

Since there is currently no blood test for gluten sensitivity, the best way to check it would be to try and eat gluten-free for several weeks and see if that helps with your symptoms. It’s either that or myriad of tests for other illnesses, some of which require swallowing tubes with cameras, now that's not a pretty picture.

On the plus side, eating gluten free doesn't seem too complicated. One just avoids wheat, barley, rye and products that contain them, such as bread, flour, beer, cakes, pies, cookies, muesli, pasta, crackers, soy sauce, gravies, salad dressings, soups and soup bases and certain medications that use gluten as binding agent.

If this list seems overwhelming, don’t worry, there are still plenty foods to choose from. You can always eat beans, seeds and nuts, eggs, meats and dairy products, corn – very important, since there is corn flower and polenta which can be very filling and popcorn. Also potatoes and rice – think rice noodles, olives, mushrooms, vegetables and fruits and of course there is wine.

Seriously now, it isn’t that difficult. Plus it is kind of trendy lately for everyone to eat gluten free. (wink) But, hey, if it helps with my feeling bloated I’m all in.

And like that, the decision was made. I headed straight for the kitchen. Twenty minutes later this is what I came up with. Gluten free polenta and garlic mushrooms in red wine with rosemary.

So delicious.

Comments