The discovery...

For years, my husband (Tony) suffered from a plethora of issues when independently viewed, appeared to be insignificant, but collectively were problematic. Being a bit of a foodie & holistic (on top of being Italian), I of course look at food first, so about a decade ago I read the Atkins diet. Tony fit the Atkins profile perfectly; achy joints, poor/restless sleep, abdominal cramping & bloating, fatigue, & gout (to name a few). At that time, I was a vegetarian of 15 years & did not fit the typical Atkins patient profile but decided to start the diet in order support his needs. Tony felt great - I felt horrible; within 2 weeks I stopped the diet regime, but Tony continued for a few months & felt fantastic.

All good things must come to an end... For whatever reason, little by little Tony started eating more & more carbs & processed food and the Atkins was shelved forever. Slowly but surely all previous symptoms came back with a vengeance. One day several years ago I was reading an article in Alternative Medicine Magazine (now called Natural Solutions) entitled "The Great Pretender" & it changed my perspective on food forever.

Although I encouraged Tony to see his doctor about this Celiac disease, he would have no part of it particularly because the only known cure is not a cure at all - it's an alternate lifestyle which required sacrifice. However, as the universe would have it, in August 2007 Tony was scheduled for a colonoscopy (his father died from colon cancer; more hints) & his gastroenterologist took a biopsy of his intestine. At his follow up visit, he informed Tony that he had Celiac. For Tony, this was like receiving the death penalty...he took it hard & in fact, refused to comply with doctor's orders.

In 2009, Tony was not only fatigued but also sick a number of times which inspired him to commit to begin his journey of a gluten-free lifestyle in January 2010. With that, although Tony "knows" how to cook - he does not choose to; therefore I am "the kitchen hag" in this household. Like Tony, and many of you, I work full-time (actually beyond full-time) & am the sole keeper of our home (laundry, cleaning, shopping, errands, maintenance, entertaining, manager of our children, & family glue). Essentially, in order for Tony to get healthy our home became gluten-free.

Now you have the nuts & bolts the discovery. My next post will share life - In the beginning....

Ciao,

Maryanne

The Gluten-Free Italian

PS. If you would like to access the article I originally read, you may do so here