Happy Wednesday, blog friends! So I know that I always talk about how I have a gluten allergy but I thought I would take some time today to discuss my GF story! Don’t worry, I won’t share allllll the gory details but I’ll start by saying I was having crazy symptoms for months and TOTALLY ignored them! Ooops. My doctor thinks that it’s probably something that developed during pregnancy and although it took me forever to figure it out {11 months after giving birth to be exact} she’s probably right.

What started to happen was that I began feeling sick a lot. I was exhausted and weak and after I ate anything, even something as small as one tiny cracker, I felt super full and bloated for hours. HOURS. To the point where I sometimes skipped lunch and still, never wanted to eat dinner. You’d think it would be awesome but it really wasn’t in the least. I was miserable in my own body! I also was having terrible bouts of acid reflux again out of nowhere {something that I suffered with while pregnant) and always felt nauseous. To make a long story short, I just felt BLAHHHH. After a few months of ignoring these symptoms and going about my daily life, I just couldn’t anymore. I started to throw up after I ate anything and finally came to the conclusion that what I was feeling was most likely the result of a digestive problem. You guys, IT WAS NOT FUN.

One night, I couldn’t sleep, felt like I was 5,000 pounds {not kidding} and super weak, so I put all my symptoms into this app that I have and ONE possible illness came up that I might have… celiac disease. I had heard about it before but I really wasn’t educated in what it meant to have celiac. I knew you couldn’t eat gluten but to be honest, I didn’t really even know what the real definition of gluten was, besides knowing that it was in bread. Well, shoot.

My friend has a gluten allergy so I texted her that night at like 1 in the morning freaking out!! Ha I didn’t think she was going to respond since it was so late but sure enough, she’s a night owl like me so she did… assuring me that I was going to be fine! Honestly though, the thought of no longer eating bread was not okay with me!! After letting this revelation sink in for a bit, I realized that if all that was wrong with me was a gluten allergy, i’ll take it… because it could have been MUCH worse! This was an illness that I had the power to break just by changing my eating habits! Then I thought about it more and if I might be able to relieve myself of these horrific symptoms by eliminating something – no matter how big or how small – from my diet, I was all for it! Shortly, I turned my frown upside down and did some google research. Sure enough, literally every symptom that’s named for celiac WAS ME. Never in my life was a gluten allergy on my radar and all of the sudden my world changed upside down! 

I made a vow to myself that starting the next day, I was cutting gluten out of my life. It just so happened that on that day I was going to NYC with my husband and some friends for a little trip but that was besides the point. I was going to do it! If I felt better, amazing, and if not, well, I would deal with it after the trip. YOU GUYS!!!! I felt like a different person immediately!!!!!! {insert alllll the hands in the air / hands praying / happiest of emoji faces here}

Every morning for breakfast I typically ate 2 pieces of rye bread toast… never again! {just an fyi, i eventually did learn the real definition of gluten, and that anything that’s wheat, barley, and rye is considered to be a gluten-filled food} This is crazy but it was honestly EASY for me to change my lifestyle and go gluten free. You know why? Because I never wanted to feel so sick as I had been feeling prior to making this dietary change again. That’s enough momentum for a lifetime! 

After NYC, I went to the doc who confirmed that I do have celiac. My acid reflux was gone, I was no longer feeling bloated, no longer nauseous, no longer weak, etc. etc. I felt like ME again! Which I’ve come to realize is the best feeling in the world!

What I’ve discovered is that leading a gluten-free lifestyle is really no healthier to the average person than not leading one, especially if you fill your diet with foods that are replacements of gluten, like gluten-free bread. BUT it limits your food intake at many restaurants and house parties. I used to eat Brody’s left over food and now I can’t. If the resto that I go to doesn’t have a gluten-free menu, I’ll order the chicken sandwich without the bun. So in turn, personally, I am eating much healthier and lost a few pounds as a result. That was a welcome plus! 

The day I got home from NYC I cleaned out my whole pantry, freezer, and refrigerator and gave all my gluten-filled foods to my mom! Except for a few of Brody’s favorites, my household is completely GF, which thankfully, my husband is totally on board with too. Since adopting this allergy, I’ve come across some GF foods that are GROSS and others that are AMAZING! Without further ado, here are my 3 favorite gluten-free food substitutes that I can’t live without at home! 

Purchase Udi’s products here, the pretzels here, and the baking flour here.

Just a few other Gfree staples that I LOVE:
Wellaby’s Parmesan Cheese-Ups {which I spoke about in this post}, Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bars {which I mentioned my obsession with here}, Gluten-Free Pasta from Trader Joes, Edy’s Slow Churned Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream {thank goodness this is gfree because I eat it a few times a week after dinner… and always have!}, Garden Veggie Straws {my son and I share a love for these}, Purdue Simply Smart Gluten Free Frozen Breaded Chicken Breast Tenders {i eat these for dinner often}, and Honey-Nut Cherrios

You guys, you will never hear me complain about this allergy. It’s my new normal and what’s to complain about when I’m feeling pretty great everyday?! Also, living in Chicago is probably the best place to have this kind of allergy because almost every restaurant I go to has their own gluten free menu! I will never take that for granted… it’s amazing! 

[bctt tweet=”If you have a #glutenallergy, this is a #mustread! 3 #GF foods you shouldn’t live without!” username=”iadorewhatilove”]

In addition, I’m ALWAYS pinning gluten-free recipes so if you’re interested, you should probably start following my Pinterest profile! {my boards are SUPER organized!} 
Click here to follow me on Pinterest!! 

Do you have any allergy stories??
Would love to know in the comments section below!