Scaling the Gluten Free Mountain

Anyone who knows me, or has talked to me in the last month or so, or has seen my facebook page or twitter feed at all recently, knows that i am going gluten free, or trying to at least...

But i have to say, this is a much bigger and more complex challenge than i thought it would be.

Aside from all the secret hiding places for gluten, and the difficulty of finding gluten free products, and the expense and the research and the label reading and the rest of the world still eating big juicy chocolate marbled bread pudding right under your nose...

Bitter much???

Quite simply, yes. I am bitter.
(I didn't speak to my husband for over an hour because he ordered bread pudding when we went to dinner last night)

Ridiculous? Maybe.

But maybe I just need to pout and whine and stomp my feet for a moment while I try to digest the thought of a life without.

Without cupcakes, and birthday cake, or pizza, biscuits, flour tortillas, the list is seemingly endless and infinitely complex, and apparently ever-changing.

I've been reading GF forums, and most discussions revolve around whether this or that formerly safe food is now still safe to eat, what companies have separate processing areas to avoid cross contamination, are extracts with grain alcohol safe, and the list of chemical derivatives and technical food processes goes on and on.

It's mind boggling.
It's overwhelming.
It's exhausting.

Add to this the fact that I was awake most of the night bloated and sick- even though i didnt eat the bread pudding, and believe me i wanted to- from some apparent missed gluten source, or who knows what is actually making me sick because I'm having a hard time finding any distinct pattern here, and when I was finally able to fall asleep from complete exhaustion, I was still aware that I was in horrible pain all night.

That's why after a long day of being frustrated and making lots of excuses to just give up on this gluten free idea altogether, I'm happy to find inspiration from others sharing their gluten free lives.

This post touches on the level of frustration I'm feeling lately, and just how serious this needs to be taken:

http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/sashala/299586217/

And this may give a little perspective for the people who are living with someone who is going gluten free:

http://glutenfreegirl.com/for-the-people-who-love-people-who-cannot-eat-gluten/

And this one gives me hope that on the other side of this mountain, there is normalcy, and a life free from pain, and delicious satisfying food that can be not only ingested, but enjoyed- free from fear and pain.


http://glutenfreegirl.com/do-you-have-celiac/

Oh to be on the other side of this hill...

Inspiration to stick to this is a daily necessity.

(at least for me it is, at least for now)


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