I am a gluten free farm girl. Going gluten free is the new trend these days. "Healthy" "Natural" "Organic", all those words are almost necessary now in order to think you are treating your body well. Being in agriculture, I have full trust in the USDA, which is highly regulated and continues to do research to insure the citizens of America are safe and consume a good, nutritious product. So when I discovered I may be intolerant to gluten, I did not want to have to change my diet.
I thought a farm girl should not be shopping in the health food section at the grocery store. The food I am used to eating is safe and delicious, I was a healthy nineteen year old girl that was going to college, my whole life was changing and I didn't want what I ate to change too. And then I hear people poke fun at special diets, I laugh along and I do totally agree. Unfortunately, my body can not break down gluten, therefore I live on a gluten free diet. Thank goodness many other people also are intolerant to gluten, because many options are available that are gluten free. I am not going to share my favorite tips and recipes right now, instead I am going to share why I am gluten free and why it's not just a fad. 5) my arms. Weird thinking about your arms, but I always had bad eczema on the backs of my arms that would not go away, no matter what I treated them with. 4) my energy. I was always tired and then would get bursts of energy, even after a good night rest. I was never feeling 100%. 3) my head. Ever have headaches that just pound in your temples and around your eyes? Pain killers just can not seem to kill the pain. 2) my face. Dealing with acne is awful, especially when your face swells up, the spots turn to open sores, and you can not sleep at night because no matter what way you lie your face hurts. Medicine, washes, topicals, nothing seems to clear your face. 1) my stomach. Ever since I was little I always had stomach aches and pains, but I soon became used to these pains and just overcame them every time I ate. After looking at my symptoms and talking to my doctor, I tried a strict gluten free diet for 30 days. After 30 days I took a bite of a cookie and did not notice much of a difference. After eating more gluten over a few days, I began to feel awful and continued to break out. I am now 9 months gluten free and am feeling better than ever. I can tell when I eat gluten, I simply do not feel good and my face will break out. After eating one piece of cake, I see spots. (see above picture) After one month of being gluten free, my face wasn't perfect yet. This picture shows me with heavy make-up on, trying to cover up my skin flaws. My skin is finally clear, not perfect, but it does not hurt like before. It took about 5 months on a diet to get my skin this way. Bottom Line: I do not love being gluten free. I do not love shopping in the organic food section. I do love having clear skin and a healthy body. I do believe this diet has made me into a healthier person and if you have the same symptoms as I did, talk to your doctor and try the diet. Now go eat a cookie for me, trust me gluten free deserts just are not the same. |
About MeSoutheast Iowa born. Ames living. College girl experiencing the real world. Stay in the KnowArchives
April 2015
Categories
All
|