Gluten-Free & Me: Introduction

For those of you who don't know, I have decided to go wheat/gluten free. I usually specify "wheat" because I do technically have rye or spelt gluten on occasion. So, why am I jumping on this bandwagon now? I decided to try it on a whim a few months ago and noticed a significant improvement in my acne, which I have had since I was twelve. That's reason enough for me! A few thoughts/notes:

1. I don't feel better now that I'm gluten-free. I didn't feel bad before, didn't have digestion issues, etc. so I can't say, like I'm glad some people can, that "I just feel great now!" I guess I always felt great  :-)

2. I like it. I don't know if there's one big reason I haven't figured out yet, or if it's various small ones. I like having minimal (residual hormonal) acne. I like that I'm not allergic to wheat/gluten, so if I decide to "cheat" one day, or if I unknowingly consume some wheat, the worst that will happen is a pimple or two. But I haven't cheated since Christmas, and I don't really see myself cheating again in the foreseeable future.

3. It's not as hard as I thought it would be a few years ago. My family has been gluten-free since 2011, and at that time I thought it would be very difficult. I think it is easy due in large part to the wide array of gluten-free goodies/flours now available, and also because I largely do not crave wheat, knowing what it does to my skin. It's just not worth it.

4. I think the issue I (and many others) have with gluten is not an issue with gluten itself (sufferers of Celiac excluded, of course). I believe it is because the wheat people consume today has a much higher level of gluten than the traditional (original?) wheat of years ago. The sources I have found claim there is no genetically modified wheat on the market (yet). I'm not sure whether or not I believe that, but even if the wheat we eat is not genetically modified, it does, indeed, have more gluten than it did historically. My untested hypothesis is that if I (and other gluten-sensitive individuals) were to eat traditional, unmodified wheat, with a normal and natural amount of gluten, I would not have any issues. I am searching for evidence to support my belief, as well as traditional, unmodified wheat with which to test my hypothesis.

That's it for now. I'm sure there is more to come on my gluten-free journey!