Wheatless Wednesday- The "G" Word
By: Shoshanna Levy
Published: May 18, 2011

As a hardcore advocate for gluten free living, I am asked daily why there is suddenly such a problem with gluten. Humanity has consumed wheat for thousands of years and it's been a staple around the world. Why are we seeing so many problems now? Is this a fad like the low carb or low fat craze? Since giving up gluten is no easy task, it's understandable that people would want to be sure before they make such a commitment. If you want to learn more, then read the "g word" and enjoy the recipe for Simple Pesto Polenta Pizza.
The reason that I bang the drum so hard for gluten free diets is because going off of it changed my life. I experienced a life of chronic health issues, which completely turned around once I went off gluten. By that point I was already eating whole foods, but I still had lingering issues. Throughout my journey, no doctor ever suggested that my issues could be caused by food allergies. If possible, I'd like to prevent others from suffering years of ill health when it could be as simple (with some effort) as changing their diet.

Comments:
Andie Mitchell
May 18, 2011

Really interesting to know that you found such a dramatic difference in your health and well-being when you cut out gluten! Was it difficult to exclude it at first?
Lee

I am required to be gluten-free; would not be otherwise.  I was diagnosed with severe wheat/gluten intolerance.  I suffered with lots of health issues before eliminating all wheat/gluten based foods.  The after effects don't necessarily go away even after going off wheat/gluten.
 I had about 90% of the symptons for people diagnosed with Celiac. And yes, I was initially diagnosed with GERD and IBS.
 Gluten-free is becoming the chic thing as a weight-loss diet, when most people just need to eat less and healthier foods. 
One great thing that came from having to go GF, is that I eat better meals now.  At first, I was so pannnicky about not having pasta, that I bought a lot of rice noodles.  Now when I make pasta, it is only a very small part of the dish.
I even watch fat, carb and sugar grams in anything that I eat. Fruits, nuts and green salads are more a part of my diet than before.  Of course, I still like cookies and chocolate.