sad news...

I need some help; maybe just a few suggestions would be nice. I can’t eat bread anymore. Gluten to be exact. And this is very sad for me. I love bread, especially sourdough, and it just always makes me feel better (temporarily) and it makes me feel full, and happy. My sister Jana, lives on a 100% bread diet and I actually try to stay away from it (evil carbs) when I’m trying to be good, but I’m the one that has the health problem. Maybe I’m taking one for the team. If Jana had to stay away from bread, she may possible starve to death, so I had to be the one :) I love you this much Jana. Anyways, I have a few longstanding health problems, that I’ve really just gotten used to over the years, but some recent trips to the doctor (chiropractic) have made me see that I really should make a drastic change in my diet, so I’m going gluten free. Or I’m at least going to try. To be honest I should consider myself lucky, because I’m not allergic to gluten; those who are have much worse problems when they eat it, so I can have some, I should just try to stay away from the bulk of it. For those of you who don’t know, gluten is pretty much flour (products from wheat). From bread, to pasta, crackers, cereal, bagels, pastries, cakes, pies, cookies, and who knows what else, I should be staying away from. Isn’t it just so sad; I love to bake more than anything but I really should be staying away from my own creations. I guess it couldn’t have come at a better time though; I’m married to the most supportive and compassionate man around and we both want to go on a health kick and this will kind of force us into one.

Since I was a little girl I have had a very nervous and sensitive stomach. So I feel sick to my stomach with lots of things. Eating too much, or too little, or going to long without eating, too much sugar, too much water, not enough water, too much dairy, too little fat, too much fat, a stressful event, not enough sleep, overexertion, under exertion.. you name it, it will make me uneasy. Well a few years ago the pains developing in my tummy took me back and forth to the doctors for months (it became more painful than I could handle) and finally my gallbladder was removed. I had hoped this would cure me completely, but it didn’t, it made it worse. Since then (I believe that was the summer of 2007) I have had the same problems with a few more to the list. My stomach swells up from time to time, sometimes very painful, sometimes just uncomfortable and on a regular basis I just feel not right. I thought my puffy stomach had to do more with my lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyle (and getting a little older, I’m not exactly 18 anymore) but I guess that’s not all of it. My doctor said my stomach is just in a constant state of swelling, due to gluten, and possibly a few other things.

For some time I have known I have a candida (yeast) problem, which is an imbalance of yeast in your system. Everyone has some, it helps with digestion and just keeps everything functioning, but I have it in abundance. This is due to, not exactly sure, but I have read, possibly an overconsumption of antibiotics (which I took for a few years off and on for random things; acne, bladder infections, other skin problems, lots of colds) and it also runs in the family. So with the removal of gluten, I might be able to tame the problem. My doc thinks and hopes that with a strict strict diet, things might get to the point where I can go back to my regular somewhat healthy and carefree diet without any future problems, but I won’t know until I try.

So, this is my declaration that I am going to change my diet to change my current state of health. Everyone has problems, whether health or something else, and I have always been a firm believer of fixing your problems if the solution is out there, and mine just might be. Hopefully in a few months, my tummy will be less grumbly, I won’t have constant nausea (which I sadly have now), and I will finally be able to work out or do anything with a bit more vigor, without nearly throwing up (gross I know).

Wish me luck!!! Any blogs, websites, ideas, favorite foods, recipes that you think might fit into my diet, let me know!!!

With love,
Kristin ann

(kristinannbeck@gmail.com)
I recently changed my email