In the Beginning...

I was mad. I wanted to cry. I didn't know what I was going to do, and I didn't know how to handle it well.

In August of 2012, after nearly two years of upset stomachs, all sorts of bowel problems, and an overall feeling of fatigue, I was diagnosed with Celiacs Disease (CD). CD is a digestive and autoimmune disorder and basically an allergen to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. No breads, flour, pasta. Most pre made foods contain wheat when they shouldn't. Wheat hides in the silliest of places- some cheese sauces, on some brands of honey roasted peanuts, some frozen dinners.. The list goes on.

When a person with this intolerance consumes gluten, symptoms can vary, but what occurring on the inside is the same. The body's immune system set out to attack the gluten, and in doing so damages the lining of the small intestine, killing off villi (small hair like structures on the lining of the small intestines). Villi are extremely important- nutrients are usually absorbed into the body by villi- and if they are damaged, the person cannot absorb nutrients properly, and that can cause all other sorts of problems.

All right. Enough medical talk. I'm not here to educate you on my disease. Though, it's bound to come up from time to time, and it is the only reason I am on this diet. I'm here to show you that gluten free is not a death sentence, it's a better diet, and it does not have to be super expensive. When my doctors informed me I was a lifer on the gluten free diet, I instantly thought of money troubles. I was already broke as it was. In the last few months, I've started to figure it out, and now I'm here to share.