5 Mistakes I Made When Going Gluten-Free

When I first figured out I was gluten intolerant, I was devastated.  I could not fathom my life without gluten, and the more research I did, the more I realized that gluten was in EVERYTHING--soups, sauces, dressings, shampoo, make-up, and even some K-cups and tea bags.  Life as I knew it was over.  I have now been gluten free for over a year, and looking back, I made several mistakes that made my transition into gluten free living harder on myself.  Here are my TOP 5 mistakes I made when making that important, life-changing, life-saving transition.

TOP 5 MISTAKES:

1.  I focused on all the things I COULDN'T eat.
     Immediately, I began a mental list of all the things I would have to miss out on for the rest of my life; birthday cake at parties, crackers and cheese (a favorite snack of mine), most salad dressings.  This mental anguish that I put myself through was overwhelming and depressing.  In retrospect, I should have been less focused on what I couldn't do, and more focused on the positive change I was making for my health.


 
2.  I went to the grocery store and spent a small fortune on every gluten-free item I could get my hands on. 
     While it is nice to have gluten free items when you need them (Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix is a life saver for kids' birthday parties), many of these items contain other fillers that us Hashi's folks (and the average person) doesn't need more of, like high sugar and bad carbs.  Let's face it: there's something about taking out that poisonous little wheat protein that makes everything that we've grown accustomed to eating taste less than appealing.  So how do manufacturers remedy that problem?  By overloading the processed product with other less than desirable ingredients.  So in the beginning, I substituted gluten-y foods for sugar-y foods, and THAT was also a mistake.

3.  I assumed that when I ordered from a "Gluten Free" menu in a restaurant, that the meal I would be getting would really be 100% gluten free. 
     Not so.   The first time I dined out after becoming gluten free, I was thrilled that the restaurant had a special, separate gluten free menu.  I ordered from it, and felt such joy knowing that I would not have to become a never-eat-out-again recluse.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I had ordered a Salmon Caesar salad (this was before my transition to non-dairy, as well), and when it came to the table it was covered in a beautifully pink fillet of salmon, delicious Caesar dressing on bright green lettuce leaves, and...CROUTONS.  And not gluten free croutons, either.  I stared blankly at my ruined salad, and then reminded the server that I had ordered the gluten free version.  He responded with, "oops, yeah.  Do you want me to get you another one?" as if there was another option.  It was right then that I realized that even when a restaurant offers a gluten free menu, it does not mean that they are taking special care to insure that your meal is 100% gluten free.  As a matter of fact, I doubt that these restaurants even have a gluten-free prepping area.  So depending on your sensitivity, you may be subjecting yourself to an unwanted exposure and cross-contamination.  The sad fact is, many people mistake the trendy gluten free diet for the necessary gluten free diet, and do not realize or understand that it is a dire necessity for us to be gluten free, and it is not a choice. 

4.  I thought since I was gluten free, everyone else should be, too.
     The day I decided it was a must that I change my diet, I cleared my pantry and cabinets of every morsel of gluten-containing products.  If I were a bachelorette, that would have been ok.  But not with a husband and a ten year old boy with a love for mac and cheese and Lil Bites.  Although my husband (bless his heart) chose to go gluten free after reading Dr. William Davis' "Wheat Belly" with me, it was still not fair of me to assume that since I was going to have to eat that way, that everyone else in my house should also.  Now, side note, if you are suffering from Celiac disease or have cross-contamination sensitivities, it may be a very good idea to clear your kitchen (and the rest of your home) of any gluten to be on the safe side. 
 


 5.  And I can't believe I'm even saying this but....I didn't eliminate enough food items sooner.
     Yep, you heard me correctly.  From the beginning, I kept reading on Hashi's forums of all these different foods that you would assume would be gluten free, even though they do not have the friendly GF logo on them, that are actually cross-reactive foods.  Meaning, even though they do not have gluten in them specifically, they cause your body to react to them as though they contained gluten.  Kind of like your body is getting confused as to what is actually gliadin protein and what isn't.  I read these posts for months and months, and actually, over a year, before I finally decided to pay attention.  For over a year after becoming gluten free, I heard of dairy and coffee and many others being problematic for Hashi's sufferers, and yet, I was unwilling to admit to myself that those items may also be posing a problem for me.  After eliminating those items through the Autoimmune Protocol (which I highly recommend everyone commit to in order to find their food intolerances since these are different for everyone), I could not believe the symptoms I was having day after day were actually associated with the foods I was still eating.