Gluten-Free Journey: Part 1
I admit it: gluten is delicious.
Among my favorite gluten filled treats are croissants. Crispy, buttery croissants from the corner bakery, mega sized packs from Costco, or the chocolate ones from Trader Joes – they are all amazing. The soft and crispy layers with a buttery flavor and a satisfying crunch!
Yes, please!
What else do I love?
Banana bread with walnuts – sweet banana flavor with a nutty crunch!
Ramen noodles in a light broth and toppings like jammy ramen eggs, pork, and veggies.
French bread. Bagels. Eclairs. Cream puffs.
The list goes on.
Gluten is fairly common for most food categories, restaurants and, in general, every day life nowadays and it tastes fantastic.
What is gluten you ask?
Gluten is a protein that gives wheat products it’s stretch. It’s the material that gives wheat the ability to expand and create texture. It’s in breads, pizza, croissants, donuts, cakes, pasta, and basically most baked goods and carb-y items.
So it sucked when I learned that I was on my way to getting an auto-immune disease and needed to go off of gluten for 3 – 4 months.
Basically, at that appointment, my doctor told me I had two choices:
- Go off of gluten for a few months
OR
- Continue eating the way I was and get an autoimmune disease in the next year or two. Some options include: Hashimoto’s or Celiac disease
She also mentioned that I have leaky gut, a stomach parasite, and quite a bit of inflammation. The combination of all of this was causing poor nutrition absorption, brain fog, and fatigue.
My reaction:
The good news is that she helped me decipher why I was feeling so off for the past year and why it felt like it was getting worse. The bad news is that it would take time, supplements, and a change in diet to get on track.
The good news is that I didn’t have to avoid gluten for the rest of my life. Three to four months and then I could add it back a couple of times a week, if I wanted to. The bad news is that I’m genetically prone to getting Celiac. My body doesn’t do well with gluten just like it doesn’t do well with dairy.
The good news is that I was only Pre-Autoimmune disease and that I had caught it early enough that it full blown Autoimmune disease could be avoided. The bad news is that if I go back to eating gluten constantly, it will likely result in an autoimmune disease.
A lot of news and interesting facts to digest in that appointment.
At first, I was simply stunned.
Wait, I’m pre-autoimmune disease?! Yikes.
I have a stomach parasite?! Ewww.
Although, it took me a few days to really absorb it all, I cold turkey stopped eating gluten the next day. I wasn’t fully prepared but I ate what I knew to be gluten-free: fruits, vegetables, and protein and avoided any carbs.
By the time I really absorbed it all four days later, I was on a cruise realizing that I would need to be super aware of what I was eating.
The good news is that I had tons of food options and didn’t have to cook. The bad news was that I was going on a cruise for a 3 day vacation and I was starting on my gluten-free journey.
The ugly news is that the MSC cruise ship is known for artisanal pizza with the best dough; MSC’s pizza is the king of all pizzas. The crust is thin and crisp on the outside yet still has a soft, doughy texture in the crust. It’s not too thin but no where near Chicago deep dish. The tomato sauce is well seasoned and goes well with the freshly made mozzarella. (Made fresh every day on the boat! You can watch them make it if you happen to wander by at the right time.) From the first bite to the last, the texture and flavor is spot on and feels like you’ve been transported to heaven. The crust is so good that sometimes I just want to chew on that deliciousness without the toppings. What else would you expect from an Europe-based cruise line? Last time we went on the MSC cruise I must have had 3 slices of pizza a day and I’m not generally a fan of pizza, but it was THAT good.
The good news was that I found out before-hand so I didn’t make the inflammation or symptoms worse. (That’s the good news, right?!)
The bad news?
I couldn’t eat any of the DELICIOUS ARTISANAL PIZZA.
I know, I know it was a good thing, but that pizza looked so good. It smelled so good. And, I knew it tasted SO good!
If there were a gluten avoidance award for best avoidance in a difficult situation, I would have for sure won that prize.
And on that cruise ship there were other items that looked fantastic – croissants (CROISSANTS!), waffles, French toast, rolls, cute little desserts, the list goes on.
But I held back! I repeat I was able to hold back!
The good news is that having the experience just as I started my gluten-free journey was like a ripping off a band-aid. As in, ready or not here we go.
So there I went.
I avoided gluten, met another traveler with gluten sensitivities (our population is growing!), and came to find that that there was a special menu and server that helped to accommodate food sensitivities!
Win, win, win!
So let’s recap, I avoided gluten on a cruise that specializes in artisanal pizza and desserts and didn’t die!
(Also, FYI – on this particular cruise line, there is a dedicated server on staff that will guide you to what you can eat each day/night on the restaurant menus, bring you gluten-free bread and rolls, and make accommodations wherever possible. They will bring you specialty desserts that you didn’t even ask for, too!)
Gluten-Free Here We Go
I’ve been gluten-free for about 3 months now and it has gotten a lot easier.
With “gluten-free” being more commonly known, there are a lot more snack options, restaurant meal choices, and supermarket foods available than ever. Some substitution options are just as good as the original! And, many popular vacation places like theme parks have gotten ahead of this curve and provide allergen-friendly menus.
That’s good news elevated to AMAZING news!
The bad news is that even though I can go back to eating gluten once every few weeks, I find that when I have opted for it my body feels off for days. Ugh.
The ugly news?
Gluten-free is likely going to be a lifestyle choice for me.
I know that if I do too many “cheat” days in a row, my body feels like crap. The days add up to weeks then months and eventually will lead to an auto-immune disease.
Oh well, at least the options are growing, this population is growing, and delicious food is still possible.
Come join me on this gluten-free adventure. Promise I will share good food options along the way. 🙂
