We’ve embarked on a slightly different adventure in the past week. Buttercup* has had some pretty life altering symptoms for quite some time. One of them seemed to come to a head a little over a week ago. I’m pretty sure my family is sick to death of hearing me tell them about food allergies, etc., but I felt very strongly that we have nothing to lose in drastically changing her diet, so I suggested it to Aunt Guardian.
Long story shortened, Aunt Buttercup* went GFCF, msg free, and aspartame free last week. Because of certain family events, my Mom has Buttercup* for two weeks in a row instead of one week on and one week off. This is her second week. It was almost ideal that we could work together during my week. Hopefully by the time she goes back to Aunt Guardian’s, the trauma of having to prepare for a special diet will be passed. Aunt Guardian is a brick, but she does a lot and it does take a lot of effort to get started with the GF diet.
Anyway, last Wednesday, I talked to my Mom and she was very happy to report that she had been eating GF with Buttercup*, and one of her own symptoms had gone away!
I know that the thought of eliminating a major ingredient from her diet has seemed like a drag, but I am so glad my Mom has gone with it and is seeing a physical improvement in herself! It’s also nice to know that I probably got the gluten sensitivity from her side of the family, so I can send out a mass email to my Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins and suggest that they consider whether or not they may have a gluten issue.
There is a reason I have been on my parents to consider the possibility of a gluten issue there. Celiac Disease is linked to gall bladder disease. Both of my parents have had their gall bladders removed, and both of them have other digestive issues. I hope my Mom enjoys life without a stomach ache and gut cramps enough to stick with the diet. Maybe my Dad will jump on the band wagon and feel better, too. If both of my parents start feeling better, maybe my sister will give it a shot for her and her family’s sake.
Going GF is no picnic, but it is so nice to feel better. I used to cheat all the time and have eggs even though I knew I was allergic, but I feel so much better since eliminating the sources of my misery that I will never go back.
Lemonade by the Gallon 
March 29, 2009 at 1:11 am
I am so happy for you that you found something that really gives you relief. Can you share a day’s menu? What exactly do you eat if you don’t mind sharing?
March 30, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Hi Dot! 🙂
What a day often looks like for Homer and I:
B’fast options at our house:
Sausage in one form or another
Eggs for H and everyone else
A nuked potato
GF biscuits if I’m motivated.
H has been having a bowl of cooked vegetables with b’fast lately.
Lunch:
Meat (you’d be surprised how many different ways H has prepared beef, pork and chicken!), soup, meatloaf
A heap of veggies, usually cooked and seasoned
Potato or rice
Dinner:
Pretty similar to lunch. Often it’s leftovers from lunch. Sometimes we have a sweet gf treat for dessert.
Around paydays, we often have fruit before, during, and after meals.
Sometimes I make gf cookies. I have an awful time with gf ~and~ egg free baking, so I have to be in a really good mood to do that these days!
On the weekends, dh usually makes something tasty and rich. Lately, he has been making some GREAT things with guacamole. He made something like a potato casserole and you wouldn’t have known there wasn’t butter or sour cream in it. It was so good!
That doesn’t look like much, but it is more than it seems.
March 30, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Thank you very much! That really helps. I’ve had it in my head that eating gluten free would mean so many restrictions that a person would starve to death…it doesn’t appear that way at all.
March 30, 2009 at 10:13 pm
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Well, the standard American diet is pretty much dairy, wheat, and “better living through chemistry”, so it does seem like going on a starvation diet when first confronted with it, but it makes a person look around and consider the numerous other options. 🙂