My friends, a sad day is upon us. I recently found out that I, a true lover of breads, pastas, and carbs, have a gluten intolerance. This has been very heartbreaking discovery to me, however I will always have a special love for wheat, barley and rye. I still look at crusty white artisan breads, Italian pastas, sandwiches and pizza, with the hope that one day somehow I might be able to enjoy them again. But most of all I just wish for being able to eat like a normal person with out scowering every label for "no-no" ingredients.
The truth is with my hectic work and travel schedule, I haven't even been able to make it to the doctor's to properly be diagnosed. Is it a gluten sensitivity? Is it Celiac's? To be honest I don't really know. But without going into the gory details let's just say the changes to my digestive system have greatly improved without gluten, and when I accidentally do ingest gluten, my body knows and my symptoms return right away. The whole "listen to your body" saying really chimes loud on this one!
How did I discover I have a gluten intolerance might be your next question. Well I had been having symptoms for months, but had not been listening to my body. I just tried to mental block them out, ignore them, and blame them on other causes. I really did even think anything was wrong, although my body was telling me quite differently.
It was really during my half marathon training that I began to notice I my body wasn't quite right. I was exhausted. I was eating well, but my body didn't feel as though I was. I didn't feel like I was getting all my nutrients. Training had become so difficult and sometimes I didn't even have the strength for a short distance run. This on top of the digestive problems led me to think that something might be wrong - just I was thinking something more like I had picked up a parasite then had developed an allergy to one of my favorite grains.
I was traveling for work at the time for three entire weeks so a doctor's visit was out until I return home. But with a little bit of research and some trial and error, I was able to narrow it down to gluten. Seeing a doctor is still necessary for proper diagnosis but at least I was able to manage my symptoms and successfully complete my half marathon last week.
Now that my work/travel schedule is calming down and I'm getting back into normal routine, I'm making an appointment to see specialist. But for now I just learning how to manage my intolerance and still find ways to enjoy the foods I love. I've found eating at home in my own kitchen to be the easiest place to eat because I have control over what goes in my food. There are no surprise glutens when you're in charge!
I wanted to find a way to make pizza at home and with Nature's Highlight Brown Rice Pizza crust I was able to do just that! I bought these frozen pizza crust at Whole Foods. This was not as light and fluffy as a normal pizza crust, but it was thin and crispy. For my toppings I used tomato sauce, sautéed spinach, red pepper, and fresh tomato topped with Pecorino and Manchego cheese. Hit the spot!
Please note: I am not a doctor or a medical professional. I am not able to diagnose myself or any one else with a food allergy. The information conatianed in this blog comes soley from my experience of eliminating certain foods from my diet. If you think you have a gluten allergy or other food allergy, please seek appropriate medical attention.
Beau Monde Bakery impresses me once again! I've tried many gluten free pizza crust. They've all been pretty good. After all, you are topping them with cheese - how can they really be bad?!! However this pizza crust from Beau Monde Bakery was fabulous! If you like a thin crust, NY style pizza than this is the crust for you. There's not mixing, rising, or rolling involved - just defrost and you're ready to bake. Beau Monde has really perfected gluten free baking and I will definitely be a returning customer again and again!
Enjoy!
