As many of you may know after reading my ‘Going Gluten Free’ post, I recently took on the commitment of eliminating all gluten from my diet. I am 100% intolerant, allergic, or whatever you want to call it. It has been almost 2 months at this point, and I would like to share some of my discoveries with you!

• I have become much less irritable – I guess when you’re in constant pain/discomfort, you become a snappy person? Who would’ve thought such a thing???
• I lost weight in my stomach – That stubborn lower-belly area that I thought would never disappear suddenly did once I stopped eating gluten
• My hair started to grow again – back in high school, my hair used to grow like a weed. Then suddenly it stopped, and now that I think back to it, this is around the same time I was having my stomach issues. My hair is back to growing again (hopefully)! I’ve had more than a few people ask me if I’ve been wearing extensions, so it’s definitely not just in my head. The same thing actually happened to my sister after she went gluten-free
• My migraines have been greatly reduced – I suffer from very severe migraines. Before I went gluten-free, I was almost getting them daily. This was really starting to interfere with my lifestyle and take away from the energy I was trying to maintain during the school year. Now that I’m gluten-free, I’ll get them once or twice a month, if that.
• EATING IS NO LONGER PAINFUL!!! – I should’ve probably listed this first, being that it’s probably the most important. It’s insane that I can eat food now without feeling like I’m being stabbed in the stomach. Trigger foods like pizza and mac & cheese still cause me to cringe while I’m eating (because I’m used to bracing for the impact), but the gluten-free versions do me no harm! Yay!!!
• Going out to eat is becoming less of a task – I think at first, it was really hard to adjust to remembering what does/doesn’t have gluten, having to ask about practically everything I’m eating, etc., but I’m now getting a much better handle on things, and it’s becoming almost second-nature to me.
• Now that I’m 21, i have to watch out for alcohols that contain gluten – I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad for the excuse not to drink beer, considering I hate the taste. However, I think this might get to be a little annoying when I’m at bars and have to ask for specific brands of what is going into my drink. But hey, I would rather that than have a reaction.
• You will be asked nonstop if it’s a diet – I mean, yes, it’s technically a diet. But, this isn’t something I would choose if I weren’t allergic. I’ve had a lot of people ask me if I’m doing it because it’s a fad, and that’s not the case at all.
• It gets easier – when I first started, I was a carboholic. Everything I ate revolved around bread, starches, grains, etc. Once I really found the willpower to STAY AWAY, the cravings (very) slowly but surely began to dissipate. I would say it took a good month or so for me to stop craving gluten-containing items the way that I used to. 

Change, like any obstacle, is hard to overcome at first. But, once you begin to understand why it’s necessary and the benefits it brings for you, it becomes easier and motivates you to keep pushing. I really can never see myself eating gluten again, and I never ever thought I would be in this position in a million years. Mind over matter – keep repeating that to yourself.

Truly,
Taylor