As of this past February, I have been gluten-free for 3 years. I can't put into words how dramatically my life has changed as a result of getting on the right diet to treat my reactions. My life has more clarity, I am properly digesting food and am no longer malnourished due to malabsorption of nutrients. Switching to a gluten-free diet has definitely been a blessing for me.
The bad thing about all of this is that my diagnosis took about 20 years. During that time, I was increasingly and increasingly plagued by various health issues including ADHD, nervous system disorders, forgetfulness, malabsorption, unexplained weight loss, indigestion, depression and anxiety. After about 2 weeks on the Gluten Free diet, all of my symptoms completely reversed. On an older episode of the Hold the Gluten podcast (by the brilliant Maureen Stanley), it was said that the average time for a diagnosis of Celiac Disease was 10 years. Spreading awareness will help decrease that ridiculously high diagnosis time and will help the search for a cure. This May, being Celiac Awareness month, let's spread the word like wildfire.
For more information regarding the importance of a gluten-free diet, symptoms of Celiac Disease/gluten intolerance, going gluten-free and getting a diagnosis, see a few of my previous posts: Importance of Gluten-Free, Symptoms, and Basics of Diagnosis.
Some great additional resources:
Have you been diagnosed with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance?
Share your story here!
Thriving happily without gluten, soy, peanuts, and legumes.
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