One of the benefits to the Spark!Wellness Cleanse I completed in January was finding out that I had a gluten sensitivity. Through the cleanse’s elimination diet, I removed all common food allergens from my diet for ten days and slowly introduced them one by one. This way I was able to identify which foods my body reacted negatively to. It was gluten.
I had a suspicion for quite some time that I probably had a food allergy. Ever since the late summer/early fall 2009, I began to feel not 100%. I can’t really say I felt sick, though sometimes I did, but something was just off. For example, I felt puffy, bloated, swollen. This was not normal for me even when I carried a bit more weight. My midsection, for example, would be so swollen and distended it was almost hard when you touched it. Some days I couldn’t even button my pants. I knew this couldn’t be attributed simply to weight gain. In all the years that I’ve gained a few and lost a few, I never experienced anything quite like this.
So enter the cleanse. I figured that it would really help me to start figuring out what was wrong. I had suspected either dairy or gluten… and the thought of confirming either of these as the culprit felt like a death sentence. I could really live on bread and cheese alone, which I suppose may have been part of the problem anyhow…
Long story short, dairy was introduced without a hitch, and just to be safe I gave it a few days before introducing anything else. Next up was gluten, and my symptoms (bloaty and meh) came back almost immediately. I was both relieved that I had confirmed my suspicions, but had mixed feelings otherwise: YAY! All I have to do to feel great is cut out gluten! and WAAAAA Bread! You my only friend!
I was (am?) kind of in denial about it. I have been generally avoiding foods with gluten, save a nibble of bread here or there. While this has been working alright, I beginning now to explore more gluten free alternatives to my regular foods.
Here are two I tried today:
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free Pancake and Waffle Mix
- Review: I admit I was pretty skeptical of this. I had tried their gluten-free pizza crust mix not too long ago, and it had a silty texture and potato-y aftertaste. I made the pancakes according to the package directions, and added a little vanilla extract and cinnamon to the batter (I always do this for pancakes).
- While I didn’t yield the 8 pancakes (4 servings) that the recipe called for, I did make 5 fatter, puffier pancakes that the husband and I split. They didn’t taste exactly like the pancakes I usually make, they were definitely a great substitute. They did not have the weird tastes that the pizza crust did, and they were nice and fluffy.
- The best thing about these, though, was that the husbo thought they were awesome and was totally surprised that they were gluten-free.
- Verdict? These will surely make it onto my gluten-free list.
Explore Asian Mung Bean Fettucine
- Review: I had picked these up on a whim at a gourmet grocery store one day. They sat in the cabinet for a while, but I was a little afraid to try them, to be honest. I mean, mung beans? I love me some tasty pasta and I really didn’t think that mung beans would be able to satisfy the comfort craving that good ole semolina provides.
- I cooked the mung beans according to the package directions (nothing different from “regular” pasta), and covered it in a little olive oil, butter, locatelli cheese, pepper, and garlic. I figured that even if the actual mung bean pasta turned out weird, the cheese and garlic goodness would distract me from it.
- Verdict? It was perfectly al dente, albeit a little more toothsome than regular semolina, but in a good way. It had a mild flavor and was really more than I bargained for. I’d happily buy this pasta to fill the void (if it weren’t so expensive!). This has made me more open to trying alternative pastas, though, so I’ll keep the review coming.
Any great gluten-free products that have taken the place of a former favorite? Let me know!
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