GLUTEN-FREE WEDNESDAY

by Kathy Cretsinger

As I reflect on my life, I realize I have  had problems with gluten since childhood. At that time, no one knew or realized what gluten does to your body. Everyone ate lots of bread. It was on the food pyramid,  wasn\’t it? If it was on the chart, we had to eat it.  Six to eleven servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta a day? No, thank you. If I ate that much, I would be dead.

What is a person to do who cannot eat grain? There are some excellent gluten-free substitutes. So far, I have not found a gluten-free bread that I can eat. I\’ve tried making my own and buying ready-made. It\’s the texture that is so bad. The taste is fine, but I cannot stand the grainy texture. I do eat Cheerios and  Chex cereal. They are gluten-free. Cheerios have always been a favorite of mine. There are also some delicious gluten-free pastas on the market. In fact, I had spaghetti last night with gluten-free noodles. Very good. We cannot tell the difference.

Rice is something I do not eat anymore. Instead, I have Quinoa. Quinoa is gluten-free, and it\’s delicious.

What happens if I eat gluten? I can fudge a little, but not very much. If I eat too much gluten, my head feels like my brain is going to pop out of my skull. I want to sleep all the time, and my digestive system is a mess. I ate too much over the weekend, and I paid for it. After I get the gluten out of my system, I\’m okay. It only took a day or two this time. I love bread, but I don\’t like gluten-free bread. That is my big problem.

I will continue to curb my desire for bread, but it is hard.