I’ve Gone Gluten-Free

Yep, you read it right. No more gluten for this girl! I’m doing this post to tell you my gluten-free “story” as well as explain the changes that will be happening on this blog. Don’t worry; this isn’t going to turn into a strictly gluten-free blog – all readers are still welcome and I will explain my approach a little later on in this post.

Ok, so let me start with a little disclaimer – one can never be too careful these days! I am in no way giving any medical advice; this is purely my experience and how I’m choosing to handle things.

Why am I going gluten-free?

Gluten-free diets seem to be a trendy thing days, it seems everyday you hear about a celebrity jumping on the bandwagon and “going gluten-free”. Going gluten-free should not be grouped into the “fad-diet” category. For many, it’s not a fad; in fact a lot of individuals don’t have a choice.

That’s not to say that removing gluten from your diet won’t make you feel better even if you aren’t sensitive to it. I’ve read a lot of great things about people who eliminate it and end up feeling a lot better – even if they don’t have Celiac or gluten sensitivity.

Gluten-free doesn’t automatically mean healthy – in fact, there are loads of unhealthy gluten-free foods out there! You still need to be reading labels and educating yourself on where your food comes from.

I’m not here to tell you that you shouldn’t eat gluten, I’m just sharing my story!

For the past few months I have been experiencing some symptoms – I developed eczema for the first time in my life, had quite a few skin reactions, and also some digestive issues. That was on top of dizziness, headaches, and fatigue that I have suffered from since my childhood.

I’ve been to doctor after doctor throughout my life trying to get answers. After multiple tests, wearing a heart monitor, and seeing specialists I was given the medical term for passing out as my diagnosis. No cause. No answers.

I experienced dizziness just about everyday; sometimes bad enough that I needed to sit down to avoid passing out, other times it was just a quick loss of balance. Exercising was tough – walking, running, weights, etc. all left me exhausted and dizzy. I got to the point where I became so used to it that it was just a daily part of my life.

I began to do some research about my developing skin issues, mostly to see what I could do to help soothe it and stop the itching. I stumbled across an article about gluten and skin – I said to myself “well that’s not the problem, I don’t have any other symptoms”.

I read the article anyway and was shocked to find that I had just about every common symptom of gluten intolerance. I have not seen a doctor and am in no way “self-diagnosing” here. I chose to try the elimination process and see what happens.

I want to mention that if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of Celiac disease or gluten intolerance it’s a good idea to see your doctor. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that can damage the lining of your small intestine – it’s good to know for sure if you have it because it can be hereditary. You want to do this before cutting out gluten, as the test is only accurate if you’re eating gluten.

I’ve chosen to try the elimination route first and see what happens. I’m 2 ½ weeks in and feeling great. I haven’t experienced any dizziness or headaches; my digestive issues are improving slowly, and my skin issues have disappeared completely. I’m not tired all the time and my mood has greatly improved. Yes!

After week 4 I’m going to reintroduce gluten and see what happens. At that point I’ll see my doctor if I think it’s necessary.

Again, this is my choice and I’m not doing this post to give advice on the matter. I’m simply sharing my experience.

What does this mean for Fashionable Foods?First off, Fashionable Foods is here to stay! Delicious, easy recipes with a fresh twist will always be here. I’m here to share my love for food no matter what dietary restrictions I have. I still want to appeal to everyone!

I don’t want this blog to become a place that is strictly for gluten-free individuals. I’m not going to push gluten-free on you, my recipes will simply be gluten-free for me as that is what I need. Just because it’s gluten-free does not mean that it’s going to taste bad! Yes, I’m eating gluten-free and therefore my recipes are going to be gluten-free. However, most recipes can easily be made with traditional methods for those of you who don’t have an issue with gluten.

When it comes to savory dishes it’s a simple swap between gluten and gluten-free ingredients. For example, I made a gluten-free version my Best Ever Macaroni and Cheese. All I did was use gluten-free pasta in place of regular pasta, all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of regular flour, and crushed up rice Chex in place of the breadcrumbs. It was delicious and tasted exactly like the original.

The one thing that is going to be a big challenge is baking. Gluten-free baking is a whole different ball game. This is one thing that you can’t just swap ingredients and expect the same results. I’m determined to make it work and I can promise you that I will deliver some delicious dessert recipes that you’ll enjoy gluten-free or not.

Chances are you or someone you know can’t have gluten – it’s becoming more and more common. My hope is that I can help you out in the easiest way possible to make delicious gluten-free food. If you have no issue with gluten that doesn’t mean you can’t make the recipes!

You may not want to make the recipe gluten-free if you don’t have to since it would require a few specialty ingredients. Like I said above, the savory recipes are pretty interchangeable, and I will include the substitutions in the notes section of each recipe. As for the desserts, you won’t be able to make simple swaps in all of them, however if you can I will be sure to include how to do it!

There are plenty of naturally gluten-free foods out there, so there will a lot of recipes that won’t require any tweaking. My hope is to continue to bring you delicious, easy meals and treats in a fashionable way! Fashionable Foods is staying put – gluten-free or not.