gluten-free

     Well, it has been ages since I've posted, but I thought I'd share what's going on with me diet-wise lately.  A couple of months ago we'd had a friend over for dinner, and he mentioned that his sister had gone wheat-free to help with her arthritis.  He said she claimed to be arthritis-free as a result, and given that I've had flare-ups of my own for several years this got my attention.  I began to pay more attention to my body (not to any hypochondriac extreme, mind you) and started noticing some things.  Then, I recently Googled gluten sensitivity and found that I sort of fit into that category, though I'm not too quick to jump on that bandwagon.  Still, perhaps, even if I am not truly gluten sensitive, some of what I've been experiencing might be due to how my body reacts to gluten.

The symptoms:

• bloating- it's always annoyed me that even though I've kept a healthy weight and done a good abdominal workout for as long as I can remember, I almost always look like I'm about 8-10 weeks pregnant, unless I fast a meal or two and suck in.  It's not so much a paunch as it is just, well, bloated.
• joint aches and pains- often worse around the time my cycle begins, from the extra fluid, I'm assuming. Many times it has necessitated taking Aleve, and sometimes I've attributed improved symptoms to doing martial arts (more on that in a minute).  This includes knees, sometimes an elbow, and my finger joints.
• mid-afternoon fatigue- it wouldn't matter if I'd slept 9 hours the night before, I would feel inexplicably sleepy, like I couldn't fully function, and caffeine did nothing for this kind of tired.
• rashes- mainly on my abdomen and chest, this almost seemed like acne, but I don't suffer from acne at this point in my life.  Also, it's very itchy, which acne isn't normally itchy like this.  Hydrocortisone cream would relieve the itchiness, but the bumps remained.  I switched to free and clear detergent and dryer sheets with no improvement.

     So, for the past 2 weeks or so I've been almost completely gluten-free, save for a smidgeon of pasta I had the other night in some lasagna (I use the noodles very sparingly, the thin oven-ready kind), a casserole that had flour in it 2 nights ago (my itching cranked up again after that), and a couple of thin mint Girl Scout cookies.  For breakfast I've had either oatmeal (I realize oatmeal technically isn't gluten-free unless it says "gluten-free"), an omelet, fried eggs, or I made a pan of this gluten-free banana bread.  For lunch I've been eating Chobani with walnuts or almonds stirred in, and for dinner I've been using recipes without gluten (I need to compile a list here on this website).  Here's what I've observed relative to the above-mentioned symptoms:

• bloating- took several days into this but here, day one of my period, I woke up with a flat stomach.
• joint aches and pains- I have none, despite the fact that I haven't done martial arts for a month!
• mid-afternoon fatigue- I also have none.
• rashes- gradually fading, following the flare-up after the casserole with flour in it.

     My conclusion, based on my experiment on myself, is that I feel remarkably better when I don't consume gluten, or if I only consume it sparingly (which leads me to believe I don't have a true sensitivity, certainly not in the same league as celiac disease).  I have a child with type 1 diabetes that benefits when I steer clear of gluten-laden recipes, mainly because of the carbs, but I have to wonder if there isn't more to that.  I might add that I've not switched to expensive gluten-free breads and pastas, which can actually contain tons of processed and carb-heavy flours, albeit wheat-free.  I've simply eliminated that type of food from my diet (breads and pastas).  Now, I have been doing some potatoes and brown basmati rice, which isn't paleo, but listen to this:  since I've backed off on the paleo and found what feels like a balance for my family, Zach's hemoglobin A1c has actually dropped.  Three months ago he was 5.8, and last Tuesday he was 5.5 (he's not been out of the upper 6's or low 7's since his diagnosis almost six years ago).  That's considered normal, folks, more or less (might alert a physician to watch a non-diabetic as pre-diabetic, but still!).  And my child has been able to enjoy eating like a "normal" kid...not like his typical American peers, because we steer clear of that way of eating on principle (visit a Wal-mart and have a gander at your fellow shoppers and you'll understand why).  I think that one of the most helpful practices I've implemented in the last six months is to have Zach do the elliptical machine for 20-30 minutes a day, usually right after he's had a breakfast I wouldn't have allowed when we were eating strictly paleo (a half of a bagel with a fried egg, or chocolate Cheerios with a spoonful of peanut butter- I always throw in protein with carbs).  I don't let him eat like that every day, often I do bacon and scrambled eggs, but I have been trying to cut back on our bacon consumption.  Sounds like I'm a tiger mom when it comes to exercise?  Not hardly...the child does the elliptical while wearing a headset/microphone while playing his cousins online on the PS3, he's very talented.  You have to see it to believe it, but he truly does it, and his cousins know why he sounds out of breath when he's playing with them!
     I will be continuing this experiment with eating gluten-free, and will keep you posted on the ongoing results.  Happy Valentine's Day to you all!