Update on Gluten Girl

I feel kind of shallow writing about this topic, but I will anyway. This one goes out to all of you whom I’ve bored with stories of my trials and tribulations with gluten. A few of you have inquired about it, especially after seeing my birthday "cake" (see previous post).

I’ve had a long treacherous battle with food, or should I say my stomach has. My mouth loves food. For years I’ve been poked, prodded, medicated and thoroughly frustrated trying the figure out exactly what my body requires and why it sometimes seems to be entirely different from all the other bodies on this planet. About a year ago I came to the realization that I wasn’t doing too well with gluten, which happens to be a prominent player in every American and European meal. Gluten is in bread, pasta, and most spices not to mention cookies, cakes, and beer…basically all the good stuff. When I ate it I enjoyed every bite, but soon after I experienced very severe punishment.

So, I quit. I gave up the gluten. It was amazing, because after that I felt great- no daily stomach pains and other delights. I got the rhythm down quickly- replace the gluten with potatoes, corn and rice. No big deal, I wasn’t a huge bread and pasta person anyways.

One of my hilarious gluten-free meals. It takes a ton of creativity to eat this way.

And then I arrived in Europe. How was I supposed to not eat crepes in Paris, pasta in Italy and drink beer in Belgium? So, I started cheating. Just a little a first- a crepe here and there, but then of course I had to try the French cheeses and French cheeses are so good with a fresh baguette…

My Danish friend Tiuri, who loves his bread with chocolate sprinkles- loaded with gluten. It really is in all the good stuff!

And then the craziest thing happened. I didn’t get sick! I was ready for it too. I geared up with special pills and expected the big energy zap and the lengthy bathroom visits. But, I was fine.
I’m not sure if you believe in miracles. Maybe I missed something; maybe it was something else that was causing me so much pain.

I don’t feel the need to spend another moment digging up my gastro/gluten wiki files to try to get to the bottom of this. I’m just grateful. And perfect timing, because if I couldn’t eat gluten now I’d definitely go hungry a lot of the time. No salads or tacos anywhere to be found here in rural Kenya.

Doug, my husband, watches me in disbelief- we eat spaghetti a couple nights a week and I eat sandwiches nearly every day...things that would've made me so sick before. He jokes that I'm healthier here than I was at home. It's true! Those of you who knew my food issues know that this is cause for celebration. So, when I return to the States, bring on the good stuff!