For years I couldn’t work out what was making me feel unwell. Every since I was a small child I have suffered from severe stomach pain, fatigue, depression and intestinal problems. Countless doctors had been unable to shed any light on the root cause of my strange and varied list of ailments. Many times over the years I was told I had ‘lowered immunity’ and was just plain ‘run down’.
It was only when searching for answers to my daughter's learning difficulties that I came upon the answer. My youngest daughter was really struggling at school. My husband Chris and I had relentless pursued many paths of investigation to help her including all the usual hearing, sight and mental processing tests. The professional verdict of her child psychologist was ADHD of the inattentive kind. At no stage did it even occur to me, nor her teachers or doctors, that food intolerances might be at play.
I have to confess I was very ignorant at the start of this journey. In the past I had scoffed at ‘those’ mothers who severely restricted their children’s diets for what I thought was little scientific or medical basis. How wrong could I be! Not only did we discover that gluten intolerance was the reason my daughter had been ‘living in an allergy fog’ but than most of my own medical problems were caused by gluten intolerance as well.
I stumbled upon the existence of gluten-intolerance by dumb luck or good fortune or perhaps both. When researching ADHD and other paediatric behavioural problems I keep coming across references to a gluten-free and casein-free diet. It was recommended by several sources for improving the quality of life of ADHD sufferers and their families. I began to spend all my spare hours reading anything I could get my hands on about gluten intolerance.
Within the first few books I was convinced there might be something to this – many of the experiences and sympthoms shared in these books mirrored very closely to our story. With the support of my family GP my daughter and I embarked on a series of tests and a strict elimination diet. The results were clear and we began to feel better within days of eliminated gluten from our diets.
Making the change was not an easy process but I threw myself into it with gusto. It was easy to keep motivated as the change in our physical and mental health was so profound from the first few days. Today I am full of energy and I have lost over 20kg. I no longer struggle to have the energy to get through each day or suffer from deliberating mood swings.
My daughter is a different person. She is warm, kind, gentle and loving – no longer restless, angry and confused. Her grades are fantastic having moved from mostly C’s and D’s to A’s and B’s. More important than anything is that she is a happy child who loves life every day. The change for our family has been profound and far-reaching.
It’s been fourteen months since the Gunther family went gluten free. This blog is my way of sharing what I have learned with others who may be looking for answers to their own health issues, or just starting to change their diets. Take heart if you are feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand. It wasn’t as scary as I thought at first and I don’t feel that I live in denial of great food. Having to relearn what I know about food has awakened a great passion for cooking in me. What a fortunate side effect!
The Joy of Gluten Free Cooking is about exactly that – the joy of creating something delicious that you know will make you feel good. It’s the happiness that comes from finding a great local food spot that understands what you can and cannot eat and is able to cater to your needs. It’s the look on your child’s face when you offer them an irresistible looking cupcake, or homemade cookie, that they are actually allowed to eat. May you find passion in your kitchen and joy in everyday life!
Michelle Gunther
0 comments:
Post a Comment