The Reality of Being Gluten-Free

I’ve been gluten-free for around a year and a half now and I have never felt healthier and happier. I’ve been wanting to write a blog post on it for some time, but always shun at the idea of bringing attention to myself and my diet. There’s always that reaction ‘oh my god, are you gluten-free? What’s that like?’ I feel like it’s so much less common than vegetarianism or veganism, when it isn’t even a choice and is more of a medical issue. Quite simply, our gut just genuinely cannot cope with gluten and we are forced into this new and scary lifestyle.

This blog entry is just to touch on the journey of going gluten-free, the issues I was faced with and overcame and why it is the best thing that’s happened to me.

In 2017, I suddenly started to feel sick with almost anything I ate. From breakfast, to snacks and to dinner, anything and everything would bring this unbearable sickness and intense pain to my stomach. I had no idea what it was causing the sickness and really, I was just absolutely oblivious to the fact food intolerances were a thing. I’ve always suffered with a nut allergy so have been aware of my food, but I had no idea that things like gluten, wheat (and lactose even) were ingredients that could cause harm to you.

So, I continued to eat things I always had; bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta and pizza. It wasn’t until I went to University in the September that I decided to track my diet and keep a food diary (after being lectured by my boyfriend, I’m thankful for this now!!)

After cutting down on my gluten intake, I noticed the sickness and acid reflux was at a minimum. It was still there but nothing like it was before tracking my diet. From this, I decided to take a trip to the GP and take a blood test, in hope they could test for some food intolerances.

My results came back that it was not coeliac (thankfully) but a definite intolerance that was causing acid reflux and IBS. IBS is something so many people are embarrassed by but in my view, gut health is an important issue and it should be discussed more!

These results marked the biggest lifestyle change I’ve ever experienced so far, my new gluten-free self.

Don’t get me wrong, within the first year I relapsed countless times and found it difficult to adopt this new lifestyle. It isn’t smooth sailing to begin with, so my advice to any new gluten-free people out there is to keep in the mind the benefit of your new diet. My 2019 New Year’s Resolution was to cut gluten out completely. It’s not just the sickness and stomach cramps that it causes, the affect it has on your gut can be detrimental if you don’t try to control it. Our gut is a fundamental part to our overall health, so when you’re close to relapsing, just give yourself a little reality check.

In the last six months, I’ve started to see gluten as a punishment to my body, definitely not a treat! In the first year, I felt like I was missing out when I couldn’t buy the muffin in Costa or the donut in Krispy Kreme. But when you think one day that you ‘deserve’ it, it’s worth tuning into your body health and seeing it as a source that punishes your body. It tastes good granted, but is that really more important than the negative effects it has on your body? I don’t think so either.

A year and a half later, I am the happiest and healthiest version of me that I’ve ever been. Being gluten-free has benefited me in more ways than just health-wise – I’ve become a far better cook, much more open in trying new foods and cuisine and I have kissed goodbye to that dreadful sickness and tiredness that gluten rules over you.

In short, the benefits really do outweigh the negatives and if you feel like you may be intolerant to something, head to the GP and find out more. It’s the biggest and scariest change I’ve ever had to endure, but it’s also been the best and most beneficial.

Food and diet are more important than we may think.

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