Missing the days when I didn't have a wheat allergy

Today I made biscuits for dinner. Of course, I made Gluten Free biscuits for myself and then I made wheat infested ones for my husband. I miss the days when I was able to eat wheat and not get sick from it. Although, a lot of GF foods taste good it is just NOT the same! My biscuits came out thin and dense while my husband's came out light and airy and big. My favorite foods are pasta and bread. While I have found pasta that I like even better than the wheat pasta, I have yet to find a recipe for bread that even comes close to wheat bread. Don't get me wrong the GF homemade bread is a lot better than GF breads that are store bought. I don't crave Gluten Free bread like I like I did with wheat bread.
The holidays are fast approaching and I am feeling nostalgic for the baked goods and breads that are associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know I can still have some of those favorites holiday goodies, but the taste and texture will be different. Like I said I am feeling a bit nostalgic and missing the days when I could eat a sandwich and the bread was light and airy.

Giving up wheat

I don't know about you, but giving up wheat has really been the hardest thing for me to do in my entire life. That may sound a little over dramatic, but it's the truth. My willpower is not as strong as it should be, but it has gotten better over the past two years. At first, I stopped eating wheat maybe about 10-20% of the time and eventually I was eating less and less wheat. I would do really well and then I'd fall of the wagon so to speak. The craving for some delicious wheat infested treat would be too much so I'd give into the temptation. Even now there are times when I give into the temptation. Although, the temptations have lessened and most of the foods that I love with wheat I am now eating without wheat. I still fall off the wagon occasionally. I sometimes beat myself up about that and think why can't I give it up completely?! My body rejects this food so why am I still causing harm to my body. Honestly, it's a body image thing. I believe its a lack of self respect/ self love. I have always had body image issues which I have dealt with quite a bit. Obviously, I need to do a little more work when it comes to the wheat allergy. I am probably about 75% wheat free, which also means i am eating wheat 25% of the time. All I can say to that is at least I'm moving in the right direction. Since it has been very difficult to completely give up the wheat, I have to look at the positives so i am not beating myself up all the time.

It would really encourage me if those of you who know my pain would share your story on here. It might help to know others are struggling with giving it up as well.

Finding Out about my wheat allergy

I have been suffering with stomach issues for several years. First, it was being lactose intolerant and then few years later I was having stomach cramping, gas, and diarrhea after I ate. In the last two years, I would get very bloated in addition to the other symptoms after eating food. I went to chiropractor who suggested I go on this "diet" that basically get everything out except organic meat- free range, organic fruits and veggies, nuts, red wine, dark chocolate, and certain spices. It was an anti-inflammatory diet. I tried it for a month and I felt a lot better, but it was extremely hard for me to stick with it. During that month, I was doing some research on the internet about the diet. I came across information concerning celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Which led me to remember that when I was a freshman in college my doctor diagnosed me with wheat and potato allergies. Back then, I broke out in hives all over my body. I went to doctor several times because of the hives before he sent me to a doctor specializing in allergies. After determining what was causing the hives, I stayed off all wheat and potatoes for a year. My dad had a lot of food allergies as a kid and they went away. So I thought I would test it out to see if I was still allergic. Well, I ate both wheat and potatoes and did not break out in hives, so I figured that the allergies went away. While I was remembering all of this, I came to the conclusion that the allergies never really went away, but internalized and caused all my stomach issues. I started researching wheat allergy symptoms. The symptoms really didn't match my symptoms (some but not all). In the process of reading about wheat allergies, I also looked up symptoms for Celiac Disease. It seemed to me that I had more symptoms of Celiac Disease than a wheat allergy. I went to my doctor for a regular physical with the works. I told her my concerns and asked to test me for Celiac Disease... the results she said that I was mostly likely do not have Celiac. She sent me to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center allergy clinic to test for wheat allergy. The results from that testing is that I am STILL allergic to wheat and potatoes. I had then test for the potatoes too since I was once allergic them as well.

That was back in August of 2007, since then it has been a real struggle to give up the foods that I LOVE. Mashed Potatoes were my favorite side dish and pasta and bread were my favorite foods. I didn't really know a lot about eating gluten free foods, but its been over two years now and have learned quite bit about which foods are gluten free and also ingredients. I eat bread and pasta now, but they are made with gluten free flours. The bad thing about also having a potato allergy is that a lot of gluten free foods are made with potato starch or flour. So, I have to be careful even with the gluten free package foods.