Vegan Girl's Gluten-Free Food Resources

In the fall of 2004, I discovered (no thanks to my doctor) that I was allergic to gluten and life has just gotten better and better since then.

Gluten-Free Foods That Saved Me

I eat almost all raw and unprocessed foods now, so I rarely need to think about gluten anymore. But when I first had to give up the gluten, I found many foods that helped me with the transition. All these foods are easy to find at Whole Foods or other natural food stores. Many regular chain grocery stores have these items as well, but you'll get a better sense of what's available by going to a natural food store in the beginning. Gluten-free products are almost always labeled. If a product says "wheat-free" you can bet it is NOT gluten-free. Here's a list of grains with and without gluten.

• Tinkyada rice pasta - Get the shells, elbows, or penne. Avoid the spaghetti - it just doesn't cook well. All the other brands suck.
• Amy's frozen meals and canned soups - Lentil soup, black bean soup, tofu scramble, enchiladas, and pesto pizza with rice crust are among my favorites. Their gluten-free and dairy-free items are clearly labeled.
• Lifestream Buckwheat Frozen Waffles - Like Egos only better.
• Amaranth for breakfast - Mixed with banana slices, this is one of the most delicious breakfasts ever. Let it simmer while you're in the shower. You won't miss oatmeal anymore. Add the bananas in 5 or 10 minutes before the grain is done cooking. cooking instructions
• EnviroKidz cereals and snack bars - These aren't exactly packed with nutrients, but they are lacking in junk. And they make a quick tasty breakfast. Their gluten-free products are clearly labeled.
• Ezekiel's Sprouted Grain Bread - This is not gluten-free, but I personally find sprouted grains to be less inflammatory to my system than other grain products, when eaten on occassion. For the most part, I gave up on bread. Gluten-free breads exist, but they are hard to find and not very good.
• Bragg Liquid Aminos - Use instead of soy sauce. It's gluten-free and good for you.
• Cookies, cakes, pies, crackers, and various other tasty gluten-free treats abound. There are just so many now. Some stores even give them their own gluten-free section. The packages are always labeled.

How I Knew I Was Allergic To Gluten

My symptoms seemed to pop up out of nowhere one day: fatigue, headaches, swollen glands, sore throat (especially in the morning), and that "flu-like" feeling. I kept feeling like I was on the verge of getting the flu, but it would never quite come. Running errands became a huge chore because I always needed to rest.

Doctors tested me for everything under the sun - diabetes, anemia, mono, parasites, B12 deficiency, protein deficiency - all to no avail. They finally diagnosed me with "fatigue of unknown origin" and sent me on my way.

Unwilling to give up my active life at the age of 29, I searched and searched on Google for any answers about my symptoms and finally found information about gluten intolerance. It just seemed to fit. So I decided to give up all gluten for 2 weeks to test the theory. I started to feel great again. 2 weeks later, with no symptoms, I ate a big gluteny cookie and my symptoms returned. Just to solidify that it wasn't a coincidence, I gave up gluten for another 3 weeks, again with no symptoms, and then spent 3 days eating all kinds of gluten-filled food. I felt like I was going to die. And so it was that I determined, on my own, that I am allergic to gluten.

I've fallen off the gluten-free wagon many times since then, all with the same result. It can't possibly be a coincidence at this point. I've been entirely gluten-free for 2 years and I won't eat it again. With so many gluten-free products on the market now, it really isn't that tough to manage.

Why My Gluten Allergy Was A Blessing

Diagnosing my gluten allergy immediately taught me two things: 1) My health is entirely in my hands. I am not a defenseless victim of poor health. 2) Eating well feels really great! At the time, there weren't quite so many gluten-free junk food snacks. Or at least, I wasn't aware of them. So I cleaned up my diet quite a bit and felt terrific.

That inspired me to get a health evaluation at a naturpathic clinic. Darkfield microscopy showed that I had candida, or yeast, in my blood. I picked up a copy of The Yeast Connection and discovered a whole host of other symptoms that I could potentially overcome as well. After reading this book, I gave up processed food and sugar. I had quite a sugar addiction, so it wasn't easy, but I was committed to being healthy. After 30 days, I felt better than I could ever remember.

It wasn't for another year or so that I started learning about raw food. By this time, I was hooked on the idea of becoming optimally healthy. A DVD about preparing raw meals and a lecture by Victoria Boutenko about the power of leafy greens was all it took to push me, full force, into raw foods. You wouldn't understand unless you tried it for a few weeks, but trust me, eating raw food feels amazing. It's a whole new world.

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