Going Gluten Free?

This week, Zach told me he'd like to try going gluten free. He'd run into a friend who recently found out he has celiacs disease, and had to remove gluten from his diet. Well, he had symptoms like: couldn't gain weight for anything, constant back pain, and intestinal issues. Since he's started his gluten free diet, it's helped him immensly. He's even able to gain weight now (in a healthy way, of course). So Zach was very intrigued. He's struggled with not being able to gain weight if his life depended on it (I know ladies, I hear you! I WISH that was my problem! But if you ask Zach, he will disagree. It's not fun for a guy to have that problem- even though I think he looks awesome :)), and always has low back pain that he just has to deal with (he sees a great DO that can help him when he gets out of whack, but there's still pain there). He's wondering if the whole gluten thing has anything to do with these things.

So I began to do some research, and it turns out gluten isn't all that helpful for anyone. It's hard to digest for most people. It said about 40% of the population has at least an intolerance to gluten, and many don't know it! It can cause many side effects. So I've been making gluten free recipes, and Zach has stuck with it. He's really good about that kind of stuff. When he makes a decision, he goes full force. I haven't fully jumped on the gluten free bandwagon, but who knows? I'm definitely more aware of what I put in my mouth now than I was before.

I've found some awesome blogs that have great recipe ideas, and that's been helpful. Gluten is basically wheat, barley, and rye. And it's surprising how many things have wheat in them! Definitely no bread (there is gluten free, but we haven't gone there yet), and no baked goods the way we remember them. But there are lots of alternative ways to make the good stuff with different ingredients. There will be a learning curve for me, I know that. I'm trying not to stress, but I want to make sure I have all the right foods in our house for Zach, so he has good choices for snacks, and meals. Boy, being a mom and wife is busy business! But it's so worth it, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. :)

Here are some of the blogs I've come across:
http://glutendoctors.blogspot.com/
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
http://simplygluten-free.blogspot.com/
http://glutenfreefun.blogspot.com/
http://myglutenfreecookbook.blogspot.com/