A Gluten Free Life

I'm trying this gluten-free thing as a way to help conquer Nile, the stomach monster.

Some days I'm better than others at this attempt.

Giving up gluten is hard.

I am not technically Celiac--thank goodness, just gluten sensitive, seems like it's a better place to be, right? 

I've also given up soy, though with that one it was never really a challenge, rather, I ran and still run from it--itchy skin, breakouts, mood swings, stomach aches as well--and almost instantly too, it's weird. With wheat the pain is more of a gradual process over the space of a day or so until I'm curled up in my room reminding myself that it's going to be ok, and I'm not pathetic to be where I am and that I can be a big girl; the worst is when this hits me and I'm not somewhere I can or want to leave immediately--life is hard, I know, but I can do hard things.

Things that help me on this new diet change are:

• Look for new recipes to cook. No soy or wheat does put a damper on buying a lot of food--even at the health food store. I like to cook and cooking is a great way to make sure my meal is GF.
• Share recipes with like minded people. See above. The more ideas you have the less chance that whinny voice in the back of your head can bemoan the fact that all you can eat is rice and eggs.
•  When at restaurants look for the naturally GF option--salads with the vinegar on the side, maybe a nice fish course. . . there's more, I just can't think of any and it's been a long time since I was in the restaurant world. French fries that haven't shared the same oil vat as anything breaded--that's another!
• Be willing to try the gluten-free version of various things. A fellow "diseased", as she calls our type, and I went to a pizza/pasta/salad joint and asked for the GF option. Most of the stuff wasn't bad, and I think I even liked the dessert pizza with the new crust texture than before.
• Be willing to let things go. This weekend I was at a birthday party and didn't realize until I was half way through a piece of cake of the pain I would be putting myself through. Let me tell you, stressing after the fact isn't going to fix anything, just laugh and decide whether the cake is worth finishing or put the plate and fork down immediately--this cake was worth finishing, most are when Missy makes them.
• Work on my mindset. This is a new phase in life, possibly even a metamorphosis. Man I always feel like I'm in the cocoon. My negativity aside, when you think about how this could be a new start and stuff, doesn't that seem at least a tiny bit exciting? I try to remember this when I'm in the SLC and Sicillias is calling my name with the NY garlic in white-sauce pizza. If they made a GF version of this, I would seriously consider transferring to the U, renting the space above the restaurant and begging them to let me trade work for food; that would be the life.
• Healing supplements like probiotics, Glutamine, and aloe vera gel/juice. All help with rebuilding and nourishing my digestive tract, which may sound like a I'm being a bit of a hypochondriac and I thought that too when I first started down this road--but they've been great for helping me to feel more normal and to help me control Nile.

I've not yet figured out this whole Sunday sacrament thing, or if I'm sensitive enough that I really need to start asking the brethren to let me use rice chex instead of bread. Do any of you Gluten-free Goddesses of Gods have any suggestions for this and the transition in general?