My Decision to be Gluten Free

It started about a year ago. I thought I had food poisoning and no matter what I did, I couldn't feel better. It got so bad I flew home early from a conference I attended and pressed cold packs to my forehead the entire flight home. Since then, I became acutely aware of what I ate.

I'm a vegetarian so I eat meals largely comprised of vegetables, legumes/soy protein, and carbs. However, after months of feeling ill, I reached out to my doctor for help. She suggested removing certain types of food from my diet to see if it affected how I felt (but first I had to undergo a saline detox to cleanse my stomach, which is as bad as it sounds).

After removing gluten from my diet, my body completely changed. I almost immediately felt better. For the past three months, I've been gluten free and its revolutionized how I see food. All grain, especially wheat, makes me sick, so I've learned to substitute rice, quinoa, and potatoes as my sources of carbs.

And why not add a terribly photoshopped image of me on the path to quinoa?

To be honest, I don't know why I'm blogging about changes in my health, but I struggled for almost a year before I realized I needed to be accountable for the food (particularly refined flour) I ate. I'm still trying to find a balance for what works best for my stomach, but I've come a long way and I wanted to share a small part of my journey.

Here's to health, happiness, and corn tortillas,
j*