An upside of Celiac

An unexpected upside of Celiac I learned today.

When dd was diagnosed with Celiac, we agreed that the whole house would be gluten free.
Since we also could no longer eat at restuarants or order pizza every Friday night of the year,
and all meals would be prepared at home, the bottom line was that the whole family would
be on a gluten free diet.

It took about a year before I didn't miss the pizza's anymore. Never was much for the restaurant
food, though, as fatty as it usually was. Now about 1 year and a half into eating gluten free, bread
and pizza don't really even look all that appealing anymore (never thought I'd say that but it's
true). I've rediscovered an appetite for fruit and nuts and other snacks that are gluten free just as
they are.

Anyway back to my point. 6 months after we all started eating GF, my cholesterol test came back
159. Unusual, because for the past 10 years it was around 190 consistently. This week, a year later,
my physician called to say that my cholesterol test came back at 135. He asked what I was doing,
and all I could think of was that I don't eat restaurant food every week of the year anymore.

Apparantly, my daughter's celiac diagnosis and our family's subsquent gluten free, home-cooked
meal diet may have just added years to my life. Maybe to my daughter's as well.

In the spirit of looking for the silver lining in the clouds, I think I found a good one here.

 

That is an amazing silver lining? Thanks for sharing, Darryl!

 

I love silver lining stories

Good going! Isnt it wonderful knowing you are doing the very best for your dd! and it turns out good for the whole family.

 

I know what you mean. Although having diabetes is horrible, I have to say that my DD has never eaten healthier. I have to keep her away from pizza because of the fat, not the gluten.

I think that the moderation I've placed on certain foods such restaurant food, saturated fat, simple carbs, while instead giving her a diet high in complex carbs, low fat protein, and omega-3's, has wonderful side benefits, other than just better management of BG's. She has the most beautiful healthy glow about her, and the doctor is so pleased at her growth rate. She is no longer overweight like she used to be, and she's full of energy. The whole family has benefitted from this healthier lifestyle as well.

I'm glad this is working out so well for your family, it is like the silver lining.

 

Darryl that is awesome! What a huge testimony for getting healthy! Now if I could only forget the restaurant food! Order out pizza is SO over-rated..I wouldn't miss it either. Robin

 

I think this is definitely true.. the gluten free diet is extremely healthy.. we do still go to restaurants (we have found a few with gluten free items) and we do pizza, cook it at home with GF crust.. but in the long run, Kaylee is far healthier than she was before the celiac dx.. the entire house has NOT gone gluten free here.. we simply can not afford it.. just Kaylee alone has added at least $50-$75 a week to our grocery bill.. I think at some point, we will all switch over to gluten free..

that is totally excellent news about your cholesterol.. by dh's is borderline, I'll have to tell him about your success!

 

I love it!! That's a great reason to eat healthier....congrats on the lower cholesterol!!!

Thanks for sharing!

 

I think part of the problem with gluten free diets is all of the expensive gluten free processed foods out there. We don't like the way most of those taste anyway, and in the interest of cost and taste, we now stay with home cooked meals... meat, fish, chicken, dairy, chese, rice, beans, corn, potatoes, GF pasta, (some are really good), tomato sauce, lowfat ricotta chese, salads, nuts, fruit, yogurt, nonfat ice cream, chocolates, etc. There are so many good meals you can make using the same ingredients as before, just avoiding wheat, and then the cost is no higher either. It does take some planning and time, but is rewarding in other ways.