Gluten Free

I have been on Armour Thyroid for about 8 months now, and about 4 months or so, I decided to go gluten free.  It has been a difficult change, but well worth it. Things are vastly impoving for me.  Now I should be totally honest and say that I didn't go whole hog, 100% gluten free.  I really couldn't afford to buy all new cookware, bakeware and appliances.  I know that I have read that to be truly gluten free, you have to use separate toasters, strainers, pots, pans, utensils..... I didn't do that. Everything that I have eaten though has been gluten free.  I found some really good things to eat, and some really awful things.  The bread was the biggest hurdle, until I discovered Canyon Bakehouse.  Their bread is amazing and the closest thing to conventional bread I have been able to find.  Udi's bread tasted horrible to me.  You HAVE to toast it to even make it edible.  I love peanut butter, and it just was never satisfying on Udi's bread. For pasta, Barilla recently came out with a new gluten free line, which to me is just as good as the conventional pasta.  The only thing that irks me is that you don't get a full pound of pasta, only 12 ounces.  The price is usually $2.69 for the gluten free in comparison to the $1.25 for conventional.  So it costs a lot more.  I just found the gluten free penne at BJ's for 3/$5.99, so I get it there, I hope that when it goes on sale at Stop and Shop, I will pick up a good deal of the other variations of pasta.

The good news with going gluten free is how I feel.  I used to have excruciating joint pain.  Plantar fasciitis so bad that I could barely step out of bed in the morning.  Literally, every joint on my body was sore and slightly swollen.  It's all gone!  I feel normal!  I feel like I did before this whole Hashi's nightmare.  The brain fog is gone! I can concentrate better.  The short temperedness has abated!  The best of all, I have lost almost 20 pounds!  I have not lost any weight in over 10 years.  I have gained 100 pounds over the past 10 years.  This is the first time I have actually lost anything.  I feel like something is finally working.

I have made a few mistakes along the way.  I went to the Cheesecake Factory, and I couldn't resist the Spicy Cashew Chicken... I had to have it, it's my favorite.  I was paying for it by the tme we got home. My hands were tingling, everything started to ache and it continued for about  2-3 days. I realized that a selenium supplement that I was taking before I went gluten free, then I lapsed taking, when I started to take it again, I noticed on the second day, that it had wheat in it.  I managed to go to the Vitamn Shoppe and find some gluten free selenium.  I was also making conventional pancakes for the kids and I accidentally licked the batter off of my hand.  I paid for that with really bad joint pain too.

Going out to eat has been less than fun, it's kind of more of a pain in the ass than a special treat.  There is one restaurant nearby that has an extensive gluten free menu, so I tend to go there alot.  Working at the hospital isn't good, the cafeteria doesn't have anything on offer as far as gluten free, unless I have a salad.

It's getting better though.  Between the armour and gluten free, I am going in the right direction.