gluten for punishment

Those of you who have been around me when there is food around, grabbed dinner, tried to grab a beer, or anything that has to do with consumption in the last 4 months knows...I've become a glutard.

I believe that isn't PC but whatever.

I found out by doing the cleanse that I told you guys about, and when I re-introduced wheat/bread/pasta back into my diet I felt like crap.

I don't have Celiac, but I've become pretty sensitive to gluten (found in some grains, namely wheat).  I won't go into details about how it manifests in me, but let's just say it doesn't feel good and I feel much better without it in my diet.

Once in a while I'm faced with a situation where my two options are something with gluten in it, or not eat at all.  In those cases I eat the food and just spend the rest of the day regretting it.  No big deal.

And then there are sometimes where I just can't resist something delicious and I eat it when I shouldn't. Maybe I'm just a gluten for punishment, or maybe it's just hard to resist a fresh baked cookie, or deep fried piece of buffalo chicken.

gluten free "Against The Grain" crust from Whole Foods
sautéed spinach and tomato sauce
goat cheese chedar
turkey bacon

BUT I have felt so significantly better (and lost 15lbs without trying), and in 90% of the cases there is a gluten free option so it's pretty easy (many restaurants have this now) and I make food that is gluten free (like pizza I made yesterday...YUM).

Most people have been super understanding and accommodating...but I always feel bad when I can't eat something they have made, or we go somewhere and there is only one option without bread in it...and then I feel bad for making a fuss about what I need to/can't eat.

Some people have acted like it was a big travesty (one guy I went on a date with said his ex had Celiac and it was the worst thing ever to deal with (for him mind you...not for her)).  But really it's super easy for me since I don't have to be SO careful like those with celiacs really have to be.

Some people forget or don't understand it much, so they tend to ask a lot of questions, or offer me a beer (probably the thing I miss most) and then quickly retract it and apologize.

No worries...I'm not expecting you to worry about my dietary needs!

But a little info about gluten, sensitivity, and celiacs a la Wikipedia if you're interested:

Gluten

I'm just a little sensitive

Celiac

I don't think gluten-free is a "diet" that people should do just for the sake of weight loss or anything but it does seem like more and more people are sensitive or have a hard time digesting gluten.

I forget what I was reading (so don't quote me exactly), but it was something like wheat today has 200-300x MORE gluten in it then a couple generations ago.  This is due to genetically modifying food to be more hearty against pesticides or making more and more superfood versions of foods/crops.

I haven't seen it yet but this has to do with things talked about in Food Inc., or any politically charged-food related uproar that has started to take shape more and more (like mandating labels indicating when something is genetically engineered, etc).

Anyway, if you feel like you can't drop some lbs even though you work hard at working out and eating right, or if you feel like you never feel good after you eat, or you're low in energy, it's possible that you have a food sensitivity that isn't giving you rashes or something, but is affecting your overall health.

Happy eating, and thanks for offering me a hard cider or a gluten free beer next time!

Until next time,
E