Going Gluten Free for health

Last week I told you all that I had some blood work done and was going for the results. I went. And the news is a little shocking to me.

I have an iron deficiency. I’m anemic. The level wasn't even close to being on the "low" side of the normal range.

I have a vitamin B12 deficiency. Not super low, but lower than she would like to see in me.

I have a vitamin D deficiency. This wasn't a surprise, since it's winter and most Canadians don't get enough sun being bundled up in parkas.

With all of that, and a positive Anti-nuclear antibody test, my Naturopath has said I’m likely developing Celiac Disease. As in, I don’t have it, but if I continue to eat the way that I do, it’s more than likely I will develop it. Having a gluten sensitivity, or Celiac disease would make sense for me with my vitamin deficiencies. We could do a biopsy test to confirm, but I'd rather skip that part and try going on a gluten free diet and see if symptoms improve.

What does that mean for me? Along with my (now 5) supplements I’m taking until everything starts to balance out, I’m to try and limit gluten out of my diet. Three or four years ago, this would have been THE END OF THE WORLD for me, but I've since learned to try new food and be a less picky eater. (I’m the kid that ate the same thing EVERY day for lunch and didn't want anything else)

The Dr. gave me a list of safe/unsafe foods to watch for. It's no where near complete but I think that would be over whelming. So far I'm becoming a label reader and finding a lot of what we eat is safe. Sadly, a lot of my favorites are unsafe. (Huge pasta eaters in my house) The good part is the opportunity to experiment with new food and how to modify favorite recipes. We went grocery shopping yesterday and got a whole bunch of new foods to experiment with. I'm wishing Pinterest wasn't blocked at work, but on the other hand, that's probably a good thing. I'm also resisting going and buying a cookbook today.

My family has been incredibly supportive of the change. My sister is hosting Christmas this year and we'll be doing up a menu plan that will satisfy everyone and not cause me any digestive pain. Frenchie is a little unlucky that he also gets to be gluten free for the most part. He can easily eat gluten if he wants, but if I'm cooking dinner, there will not be two meals. As a guy who will eat almost anything, he is happy to help me make new exciting dishes.

If you have an products you love or recipes, please share them! I'm being thrown into a whole new cooking world.