Our Family is 1/2 Gluten-Free

Yes, that half would be me, Crystalee. Ryan is the bread-addicted side of this marriage. (We almost always have at least two loaves in the fridge just for him!) Ryan's a great husband, always looking out for me and he's quite an efficient ingredient-checker on labels. He's good to me.

We're a small family now, but someday when we have kidlets there is a 50% possibility in the gene pool that they'll also be gluten-intolerant like me. Many of you know this, but over 3 years ago I started having serious digestion issues and after months of testing options, discovered that wheat flour is a no-no for me. I'm fortunate to have family on both sides who also live gluten-free, and they helped me in the initial shock to realize that there are still many wonderful options. (Turns out that both of my parents have symptoms of gluten-intolerance, while all 3 of us biological sisters do.)

Now I'm quite proud to be a gluten-free girl. It's redefined how I look at food, and how carefully I pay attention to how my body feels. I'm more in touch with myself and more health-conscience than I would have been otherwise. I'm protected from eating a lot of junk food. Although a few years ago my bread-addicted self would have never said this, I've found it's really not hard to live without the typical pizza, bread, pasta, bagels and crackers.

It's all about finding substitutes. Instead of regular pizza, I make corn tortilla pizzas. Instead of bread for a sandwich, I eat lettuce wraps (mmm!) Rather than previous favs, gluten-filled Goldfish crackers, I bust out gluten-free pretzels and I'm a happy camper. Someday when we have kids, I'll pay close attention to how they react to food. Luckily, we're living in a time when gluten-free living is becoming more and more accepted. We've found GF menus at restaurants (although beware of Olive Garden, it's just not safe there), and almost every regular grocery store has a little section of GF selections. There are also lots of great resources out there to help me know that I'm one of many GF ladies out there!

Are you gluten-free? Let me know and we'll share in the journey.