7 Things I've Learned from Giving Up Gluten

(source)

I'm not about to say that this is a permanent life change. I can't bear that thought of never having a burrito in a flour tortilla again or not getting a piece of cake at someone's birthday party or not being able to order french onion soup again, but maybe that is the case. As you might have been able to guess (or read) I've given up gluten for the time being.

I'm not saying it is something everyone should do, and I'm not sure if it's the right choice for me forever or not. All I'm saying is I've been gluten free for two weeks now, and this is what I have learned so far:


1. I have more energy
I used to think that hitting a slump from 2-4 PM was just a regular office thing, but I find that I now have more energy in my afternoon. I feel like from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed I have a pretty sustainable amount of energy evenly distributed throughout my day

2. I'm the problem child
"Are your shrimp tacos breaded or grilled? Are they in corn tortillas or flour? Could you check with the kitchen? Thanks" Yeah, sometimes I have to be that person. I promise I'm really nice and respectful about asking, but I have learned that if you go out to eat, you have to ask some follow up questions. The thing is, it lets me know exactly what will be on my plate before I order it; helping me make informed, healthy decisions.

Before I went gluten free I wouldn't have asked if the shrimp were breaded or grilled. The healthy side of me would have wanted them to be grilled but the evil side of me would want them to be breaded, so I would have left it up to chance. The restaurant I went to said they do usually bread them, but they were nice enough to grill them for me and man were those some delicious tacos.

3. Gluten-free does not mean healthy
Because gluten makes magical things happen, like make pizza dough stretchy and bread fluffy, a lot of gluten free products use fats and sugars to make their products taste better. Just because you're switching from one processed food doesn't mean you should jump to a gluten-free alternative. One new love in my life however is Rudi's Multigrain Gluten-free bread. Yum!

4. Gluten is everywhere
I'm lucky enough to not be allergic to gluten, which means that if I eat something that was cross contaminated with gluten, it's not going to bother me; however, you have to check all your labels before buying food because gluten hides in everything from sour candy to soup to salad dressing.

5. I think clearer
For months I felt like my brain didn't have an off switch and it was running on overdrive while constantly thinking of stupid things. I would get stressed out over things I knew shouldn't be stressing me out. Well, that is called brain fog and irritability and it can be a result of eating gluten. This could totally be the placebo effect but I feel like I am finally thinking more normally again.

6. I've limited my options
This is a good and a bad thing. Mostly, I feel as though being gluten free has forced me to make healthier decisions (or at least cut out the extra calories from the bread or crackers that I would have eaten with a meal). I can't have the cupcakes that my co-workers bring in, or order the french onion soup that I desperately want, but those probably aren't bad things (even though I love them dearly). It forces me to do a lot more ahead of time planning.

7. I don't feel as bloated
Did you ever go through your day and your pants get tighter and tighter to the point where there are some things you can wear in the morning that you can't wear at night? It definitely happened to me all the time. Don't get me wrong, my stomach is still noticeably larger in the evening (after eating all day) than it is in the morning, but I don't feel it as much.


I'm going to stick with this lifestyle for a while and eventually get a doctor's opinion on some of the symptoms I've been dealing with. All I know is that for now, I like the changes I've made.