Week 1 Gluten Free
So it has been a week. Quite a week. I have been eating gluten free and I'm surviving. I am having to retrain my brain and the way I think about food. It's certainly a challenge. I have had a whole mix of emotions in the past week.
Relief because I have a diagnosis and something I can do to help my body. Anger because I can't eat the frozen dinners in my freezer. Happiness because I have awesome friends that have brought over gluten free treats and prepared a gluten free meal for me. Sadness because I'm realizing how complicated going out or eating at social events is going to be for the rest of my life. Hope because this might work. Confusion because I don't know which of my go to recipes are safe for me yet. Joy because I think I'm starting to feel a difference. Frustration because of comments from others suggesting I can have gluten anyway.
I think the last one effects me the most right now. It gets me all riled up. I just can't afford to think like that. When the doctor first diagnosed me, I quickly decided that I was all in. No occasional glutenous free-for-alls. No planned cupcake, cookie, or bread binges. I knew that if I started down that road, it would ultimately make it harder. I don't want to start this journey with the intention of a sporadic day or two of complete disdain for what my body needs. It's been through enough gluten. It needs healing, not moments of shove-everything-that-I-can't-eat-down-my-throat-before-my-body-notices.
On my drive home from the appointment I thought a lot about what I teach my clients and their families: When we refuse to accept reality, we increase our suffering. Acceptance transforms suffering that you can't tolerate, into pain you can tolerate. Only after we accept reality, can we do something about it. I choose to accept this. I have to accept this. It doesn't mean I like it, it doesn't mean it goes away, it means I have the power and ability to deal with this. I'm telling you, Dialectical Behavior Therapy is for everybody! Now that I have gone all Social Worker on you... let's get back to what I else I have learned this week.
So it has been a week. Quite a week. I have been eating gluten free and I'm surviving. I am having to retrain my brain and the way I think about food. It's certainly a challenge. I have had a whole mix of emotions in the past week.
Relief because I have a diagnosis and something I can do to help my body. Anger because I can't eat the frozen dinners in my freezer. Happiness because I have awesome friends that have brought over gluten free treats and prepared a gluten free meal for me. Sadness because I'm realizing how complicated going out or eating at social events is going to be for the rest of my life. Hope because this might work. Confusion because I don't know which of my go to recipes are safe for me yet. Joy because I think I'm starting to feel a difference. Frustration because of comments from others suggesting I can have gluten anyway.
I think the last one effects me the most right now. It gets me all riled up. I just can't afford to think like that. When the doctor first diagnosed me, I quickly decided that I was all in. No occasional glutenous free-for-alls. No planned cupcake, cookie, or bread binges. I knew that if I started down that road, it would ultimately make it harder. I don't want to start this journey with the intention of a sporadic day or two of complete disdain for what my body needs. It's been through enough gluten. It needs healing, not moments of shove-everything-that-I-can't-eat-down-my-throat-before-my-body-notices.
On my drive home from the appointment I thought a lot about what I teach my clients and their families: When we refuse to accept reality, we increase our suffering. Acceptance transforms suffering that you can't tolerate, into pain you can tolerate. Only after we accept reality, can we do something about it. I choose to accept this. I have to accept this. It doesn't mean I like it, it doesn't mean it goes away, it means I have the power and ability to deal with this. I'm telling you, Dialectical Behavior Therapy is for everybody! Now that I have gone all Social Worker on you... let's get back to what I else I have learned this week.
The ShopWell App is saving my life. In my profile, I marked that I can't have gluten or wheat and when I scan a barcode, it tells me if the product is safe for me and rates its healthiness. If it isn't, it gives me a stop hand and highlights the ingredients that contain gluten. I have been scanning all the foods in my kitchen and there have been some pleasant (and not so pleasant) surprises of what's gluten free. My only beef with the app is that it gave my Ben and Jerry's a score of zero of 100 because of added sugar. I don't care about added sugar, I only care about gluten. :)
I'm finding a wealth of resources through my family, friends, and the internet. There are others on this journey and I don't have to start from scratch. (If you have tips and tricks for gluten free living... email me. Please share. I need you!) There is a whole community of gluten free on this world wide web and I am just starting to scratch the surface. Thank heavens for Pinterest, blogs, and Amazon's two day shipping - this Gluten Free Survival Guide is coming today!
Like I said, it has been quite a week. I'm trying to stay calm, keep things in perspective, and reach out to others that can help me. Life is good. Life is great. Stay tuned for what I learn Week 2 Gluten Free, assuming I learn something.
1 comment:
Have you ever tried using spaghetti squash as a "pasta"? I'm pretty sure it's gluten-free, it has a very mild taste, and then you can pile your favorite gluten-free sauces on to your heart's delight!
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