Well, it has taken me about a month, but I have officially been gluten-free for at least a couple of weeks now. It was...hmm, quite a process to figure it all out. I kept having to look things up on the internet and talk to others who have experienced this phenomenon, but, the kinks have been worked out.
I have lost 15 pounds in the process, as one big food category that went out the window was snacks and most desserts. I have found a glorious chocolate chip cookie mix and the old, plain corn chips that are my new snack choices.
I probably miss my chicken pot pies the most.
Anyway, breakfast consists of my very traditional peanut butter toast on GF bread. Its a horse of a different color, to be sure, but it works. At $5 a small, frozen loaf it is a more expensive breakfast but it seems, all the GF specialty made foods do cost quite a bit more.
I continue to work to find the foods that are naturally GF like rice, corn, fruits and veggies, and incorporate those into my daily routine.
I decided against going the full casein-free due to the hardship. While I did switch over to the Rice Milk, I am none too pleased with the taste. Next, I will check out the almond milk as I like almonds just fine. I have a new cereal that is my night-time snack...Rice Chex and those taste pretty good. I like my cheese and chips and cheese has been a fun snack food and sometimes a meal when I cannot find anything else. So, I haven't been able to let go of my cheese fetish quite yet but I have cut way back.
Likewise, I continue my activia yogurt, just because it really does keep my digestive system working in a smooth manner.
I eat a lot of chicken, hamburger and salmon. Salmon, now a days comes like tuna, in cans or ready-to-eat pouches. So I substitute the salmon for tuna in sandwiches and it has become a new staple.
Gone are any type of cakes, cookies or pastries. No more cream of mush soup or the tomato as well.
I have learned to ask for a hamburger minus the bun at fast food places. Most of the time, the clerks don't seem too surprised and the burger comes ready-to-go in its own little plastic container. I have taken to eating french fries now, where I didn't before. They help with that feeling of being full.
One of my funner finds has been the GF french fries, especially the Ore Ida Waffle Fries...OMG, the past week I have had them for lunch and dinner. Man, do they taste good!!!
I really have stopped cooking for the family..well, family meals anyway, I still make sure little guy gets regular meals, just not what I am eating sometimes. What I eat seems to be rather unappealing and bland for the rest of the family, so we make do.
I'm not exactly sure what my goal is here. I had heard that GF helps with autism, that those on the spectrum frequently have gluten-allergies, so I am just watching, observing and seeing if this makes me feel any better. I'll keep it up for quite awhile and see how it goes.
I definitely feel "lighter" these days as my pants are starting to fall down and things hang on me just a bit.
It is a long, sometimes frustrating process to change around my personal diet but I am willing to try it...anything to be healthier is okay by me.
