Gluten Free Club

Well, Celiac Disease runs in my family so it is no surprise that I would eventually join the gluten free club. I think I've had problems for years but haven't wanted to confront them. Instead I just ignored them. They weren't affecting my life in a large enough way so want to change anything. I started losing clumps of hair a few years ago when I had Covid. I gave it a few months to go back to normal but nothing changed. Then I tried a bunch of other treatments for my hair loss.....various hair products, hair oils, hormones, vitamins, etc. Nothing helped and I continued to lose lots of hair.  I jokingly made these posts.

So no relief from my hair problems. Then the digestion issues really increased over the last few months. It started taking over my daily life and really affecting my health and every day living. Thought the holidays I kept trying to figure out what I needed to change. It came to me right around New Years....I needed to eat gluten free. I did a blood test right after New Years to see if that showed Celiac. It didn't but I decided to eat gluten free anyways after that. It my symptoms resolved then it didn't matter what the test results were. I just needed relief! 

My family welcome me in and it definitely makes it all easier. I've watched them make gluten free meals for years and so it is less overwhelming. There are more gluten free products available now days, more restaurants cook gluten free and put on their menus when something is gluten free. It has come a long ways!

So it's been more than 6 weeks and I feel so much better! My hair stopped falling out in clumps. Now it falls out like it normally does. Other things that have changed that I wasn't expecting is my running and swimming. I've gotten a lot faster and my hamstring injury that has been plagueing me for years is not going away. I feel in shape when I work out. Before I always felt like I was sucking wind and felt like I had never worked out before. It was the craziest thing to run and swim 6 days a week but yet feel like a couch potato. I think my body was inflamed and now it is healing. I'm actually absorbing the nutrients and vitamins that I take. A year and a half ago I donated blood and had the hardest time recovering. I honestly think my body wasn't absorbing nutrients enough. I just feel so much better all around.

This is my gluten free fluffer-nutter sandwich. Hahaha. I have found some good gluten free bread so next time I will have to try it with that.

These are pictures of the Saratoga Springs Temple. It is five miles to this corner of Redwood Road where I can see the temple. If I cross and run to the temple then it is six miles. Now that I'm feeling better I have enjoyed running here on Saturdays and it is so fun that it's so much faster! Maybe I can qualify for Boston after all.