Since the first of January, I have started eating foods with less gluten. Basically, gluten is like the “glue” that helps gives elasticity to dough. Take that away, and you have some bread that could work as a hammer should you need it. Well, I have found some better bread lately, but that is an example of one type of bread I found. I don’t spend a lot of time trying to find the best gluten-free products, but I have learned that there are stores and restaurants out there that really go the extra mile. First, you might ask yourself, why would anyone give up nice tasty bread? Well, unfortunately, some people have to.
I was diagnosed last year with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and found out that some of my problems were caused by eating gluten on a regular basis. Next, if you go back through my blog and read up on what I had to do in order to get help with my pain, you will understand why I was and am pretty much willing to do anything to live a somewhat normal life. I am not a doctor, sadly, as it would have saved me countless hours debating with myself over what I initially diagnosed myself with. Hmmm, just keep up with me. It makes sense. Anyway, I do believe there is a link between Celiac’s disease and autoimmune thyroid conditions. Do I have Celiac’s? I have no idea, but I did finally convince a doctor to just check and make sure that isn’t thrown in there as well. I’ll know more later this week perhaps.
In the meantime, I will say that Harris Teeter, my local grocery store, has a wonderful gluten-free list and the store has clearly marked labels. Of course there are other stores like Trader Joe’s, and health food stores, but it was not as hard as I thought to find good food. I also started looking for more recipes that were healthy and tonight, I made a nice rice pasta that was gluten-free and delicious and my whole family seemed to enjoy it.
“What I’ve enjoyed most, though, is meeting people who have a real interest in food and sharing ideas with them. Good food is a global thing and I find that there is always something new and amazing to learn – I love it!” ~Jamie Oliver
