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| Hard to believe these are gluten free! |
Yesterday I started on a journey that is long overdue. I’ve been incorporating more and more gluten free items into my diet, but haven’t taken the plunge into living a completely gluten-free lifestyle until now.
While I do not (thankfully) suffer from Celiac Disease, my doc and I have little doubt that I have issues with gluten sensitivity which can cause all kinds of havoc with my body including major uncomfortable bloating and other digestive discomforts. It may or may not have anything to do with my general fatigue (I have Hashimoto Thyroiditis which also causes my energy levels to vary) but I’m always willing to give most anything a go to see if helps!
I have noticed that since I’ve gravitated away from foods with gluten, my overall general health and digestive system have been happier, so that’s reason enough, actually, to go full scale. When Udi’s suggested a 14 day challenge, I jumped on the chance to participate.
My big concern is whether I can complete the challenge effectively while maintaining a reasonable range of dietary choices and truly avoid gluten in my diet. Because it turns out that gluten is everywhere, even in foods I didn’t suspect like sausage, chocolate, soy sauce, pickles, lunch meat, and instant coffee! Getting through the next 14 days is going to mean a lot of label reading and navigation of food choices.
I also need to watch calorie and sugar intake as I am striving for healthy practices with those two areas as well to improve my health and ideally loose weight. Gluten free doesn’t mean calorie and sugar free. Though I will be sampling some muffins and brownies, I certainly do not wish to make these staples in my diet, but rather a nice, luxurious treat from time to time. Which is a nice thought because I’ve currently been avoiding all baked goods.
Lucky for me, there are food choices like Udi’s Gluten Free products that are certified gluten free. And there are terrific resources like UdisGlutenFree.com and CeliacCentral.org that are chock full of handy information and guides to help me make good choices and navigate the gluten free world.
Do you think that you may be gluten sensitive?
If you have fatigue, GI distress, unexplained weight loss/gain, infertility, inability to concentrate, or tingling/numbness in legs, you may be contending with Celiac Disease or a Gluten Intolerance. Be sure to open up a dialogue with your doctor if you have concerns.
If you’ve been considering or already embarking on a gluten free diet, join me in the 14 day challenge, or follow along as I’ll be reporting my finds a few times along the way.
If you are interested in sampling Udi’s Gluten Free foods, check out their $1 off coupon offer at http://shop.udisglutenfree.com/special-offers
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| Some of the products that will be accompanying me on my 14 day gluten free journey. |
Disclosure: I received product and information from Udi’s for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are solely that of Rural Mom. I am choosing to participate in the 14 day Gluten Free Challenge for personal health reasons, I am not receiving compensation for my time or communications.
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Boo on gluten being in chocolate. My daughter has been having problems at college and the doctor at the clinic said she needed to reduce her gluten levels. I would suggest this to her but I will wind up buying it for her anyway so I will just pack some and send her way. 🙂
I was just discussing with my husband this morning that I think we need to take the next step in healthy eating by going Gluten free. Enjoyed this review.
Loved this review; I have been on and off gluten free for 6 years now and it’s getting sooo much easier to find products now; LOVE this the muffins look delicious
Good luck!! 🙂
Thanks for posting the symptoms – I had no idea the symptoms were more than GI distress. I bought a great gluten free cook book from TJ Maxx that has wonderful recipes in it – the more natural and simple the ingredients the more likely it’s gluten free.
Good luck!
Leigh
It’s great that these products are becoming easier to find. My parents became vegetarians in 1977 and it was tough finding food substitues. The gluten free stuff is new to me – I assume it was for people who had allergies. Thanks for the info.
I have ulcerative colitis and noticed when I cut down on the gluten, it really helped me to feel much better and I had a lot less flare ups. I haven’t made the complete switch, but even just reducing the gluten intake does wonders!
best of luck to you–I’ve added the Udis granola as a nightly snack and LOVE it–not totaly Gluten free myself but taking small steps–this challenge sounds wonderful.
Barb.. I am cheering for you!! It’s amazing to find out how many people have problems with Gluten in their diets… what’s more is that this is only been reveled to us in recent times. :/ Grace, peace and many blessings, Carla.
My husband just had his check up 2 weeks ago and was advised to lower his gluten intake and so are foods that are rich in protein. It’s good to know that there are many gluten free products available now.
Gluten free can also be a choice for people after taking antibiotics. Women are more susceptible to yeast infections after antibiotics. If you go gluten free for two weeks while your body rebuilds the probiotics in your system it really helps.
Great info Army of Moms, very helpful to know!
Thanks for all of your support ladies! It’s such a blessing to be in this together and I’m grateful that my journey is of help to some of you. I’ll continue to keep you updated throughout the process and beyond!
wow… yummy muffins
Just started my gluten free journey 6 weeks ago and I have to say what a difference is has made in the way I look at food now.
Thanks for the tips