30 Days Gluten Free!!

I made it through my first thirty days of being gluten free!!

There have definitely been a few challenges so far along the way (and I still have a long way to go to see if this is making any difference for me) but overall it hasn't been too bad. It gets tricky when eating out but thankfully more and more people, restaurants, and companies are becoming more aware of various allergies and intolerances and are willing to make the appropriate accommodations and offer acceptable alternatives.

This bread reminded me of cornbread. The other brand thats good is called Udi's.

Wegmans has a pretty good gluten free section of baking products. There is also an all-purpose baking mix (like bisquick) thats good for pancakes.

if you want to make baked goods from scratch go with Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour. You won't notice a difference! You can use it just like regular flour.

One handy thing I've learned, is being prepared goes a long way. The internet is a land of wonder in this regard. I can go online and look up just about any restaurant and get detailed nutritional and allergy information about their entire menu. Then I make a list, which I keep in my Notes on my iPhone, as to which restaurants have GF options for me to choose from. So when its Friday night and my husband asks me, "where do you want to go for dinner tonight? what can you eat?" All I have to do is pull up my handy-dandy list and say, "let's go here!"

Don's Wood-fired pizza has a gluten free crust. Only available in this size but you can get whatever toppings you want. Some people don't like it but I do. Its thin and crispy like a cracker.

This is my 5 Guys option...same burger, no bun, and all fresh ingredients! Their fries are GF as well (some aren't so you have to check!) And sometimes, just because a particular item is GF does not exclude it from the possibility of cross-contamination, so you have to check that too if you have a higher sensitivity or allergy.

Even eating at home has its challenges. There's a lot of label reading. And there are some GF things we've tried that my husband is willing to eat and other things, not so much. I have to admit, most GF foods have been just as tasty as the real thing, and some weren't but were still ok to eat, and then a few that even I'm like, not so much...like the french toast failure. I gotta work on that one somehow...

grilled cheese...yes!

french toast...no!

All in all, I'm staying on track and keeping my fingers crossed that it continues to go well.  Hopefully in a few months I can declare that I truly am gluten free as all this poison has worked its way out of my body and I can start to feel like a normal human being.

baked potato, veggies, and fruit!!

crustless quiche!

gf cornbread muffins

sauteed mushrooms as a Thanksgiving side!

Market Burger in Purcellville offers GF buns and fries!