Carbohydrate kid – No more! No pain, no bloating, no digestive discomforts
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Carbohydrate kid – No more! No pain, no bloating, no digestive discomforts
I loved bread. I was nicknamed ‘the Carb kid’ when I was a young girl. Never in a million years did I even consider that one day I would not eat gluten. This was never on my radar as I was addicted to carbohydrates.
Anything carbs: pasta, crackers, crumpets, pancakes, cereal, toast... you name it. If it was floury, I ate it. In line with my heritage, I was raised eating a lot of very delicious Italian food such as pasta in milk and honey balls – yep, you heard it correctly!... as well as fine spaghetti boiled in milk with salt for dinner and deep fried wheat balls drizzled in honey for breakfast. Not to mention my favourite loaf of Continental Pasta Dura (the crusty white loafed bread) that would not make it home in its entirety as I had eaten most of it in the car. Hence, my nickname, The Carb Kid.
Eating to Cultural Norms
Growing up I never really questioned what I ate, although I knew even then it was quite indulgent, making me feel heavy and bloated as well as sustaining my negativity about myself. Yet saying no to bread was not a consideration; it was almost considered a sin to go against what was cultural, plus it tasted so good.
And then something changed...
When I was 26 one of my friends chose to no longer eat gluten. This stood out to me in a big way. I had never met someone going against the grain, so to speak. After some time I could also see and feel significant changes in the way my friend started to feel physically and personally about herself.
As I began to understand what gluten actually is and how it affects the body, I simply asked myself:
“Why eat it if my body doesn’t actually need these glue-like proteins?” It only took one conversation and a moment to stop and feel for myself the fact that I had clearly been experiencing a number of physical symptoms such as bloating and pain after meals – ever since I could remember. Suddenly all the years of ignoring the signs of discomfort and lethargy seemed crazy, yet equally delivered a direct reference for me to perhaps explore the fact that gluten was not a great choice for me either. .
Strange how we are able to override what our body
always communicates so clearly!
I began to understand that gluten alone does not offer us any essential minerals or proteins and that all the vital sources of calcium, minerals, protein and fibre our bodies require can easily be found in fresh greens, nuts, fish, eggs and meat –– foods I enjoy eating and always feel better for.
It simply took a moment to see the changes in another, confirmed as I felt it for myself: to stop eating out of convenience, habit and cultural ideals and start eating for greater vitality and nourishment, unbound by any glutinous binding agent!
Life After Gluten …
Going gluten free allowed me to feel the instant differences. No more:
- Bloating
- Digestion issues
- Pain
- Complaining or
- Uncomfortable feeling and/or nap after meals
Now I feel fresher, more vital, and have greater energy levels than ever before. Even the negative thoughts I have had about myself have become less and less, simply because the food I eat allows me to feel clearer and lighter – a miracle in itself.
I did not need a pricey process of elimination and reintroduction of foods or any intolerance test to reveal I needed to change my diet and my lifestyle. My body was the marker and it loudly indicated how it felt about glutinous carbs all along, with bloating, sleepiness and writhing in pain after eating.
My body shape is also changing as a result, without trying. I always looked a bit puffy and uncomfortable in my skin; always trying to hide my body with clothes and just generally in the way I held myself. Not any more!
No more addiction to carbs as I enjoy being me.
Nowadays I am quite content to strut... now I’m no show off, well OK, a bit. I enjoy feeling great in myself. Having dropped two clothing sizes and on my way to dropping a third all unintentionally, saying No to gluten has allowed me to say Yes to me.
I’m very glad I stopped to ask ‘Why eat gluten?’ and ‘What is gluten anyway?’, because when I took the space to feel it for myself in my own body the answers were all there!
It is amazing how the small and simple self-loving choices of listening to our body are enough to change our life in a BIG way. Ciao Pasta Dura, Good-bye Honey balls and Hello to me – the Carb Kid is no more.
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Filed under
Coeliac/celiac, Bloating, Digestion, Pain, Fatigue, Exhaustion, Body awareness, Well-being
