I'm very thankful that I'm healthy, but I still can find reason to complain. My three health 'problems': constant lower back pain, constant fatigue, and a constant need to lose weight.
To see if I could alleviate any of these problems, I decided to jump on the bandwagon that has been circling for quite some time and go gluten free for a month.
On June 1, armed with a library copy of America's Test Kitchen How Can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook and a bag of Udi's bread, I took the plunge.
I thought it would be hard. For the most part it was not. Even though I generally eat plenty of bread and pizza and pastry deserts, I did not feel deprived because I could occasionally binge on other bad-girl favorites like chips and soda.
I did have two slip-ups. One day I ate oatmeal that may have been cross-contaminated, and I had a complete gluten relapse during our two-night getaway to Arkansas.
Otherwise, I was oh so good.
I never finished the bag of Udi's (it was too dry), and I only made one recipe from the cookbook (there were too many expensive ingredients). I mostly relied on eating unprocessed foods except for the aforementioned chips and soda.
I'm happy to report, the lower back pain, my constant companion, went away!
The fatigue and the extra weight did not. There may have been a small up-tick in my energy level, but I cannot be sure. And, sadly, I only lost one pound. One pound: not the result I was looking for.
But, I'll take that one benefit I received.
Everyone knows that food affects health. There is a barrier, though, between knowledge and acceptance. This little experiment may have helped me over that barrier.
I've not given up hope. For July, I'm on to a new challenge.
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