My name is Tricia Arndt. I am 34 yrs old. I am married to Ben who is the most wonderful husband in the world and father to our 3 children, Owen, Landen and Lia. I don't want to leave out our furry children, dogs Ozzie and James.
I have decided to go gluten free.
I chose the name Eat Neat because I am a very organized, neat, clean person. I am also a planner. I make lists. My husband thinks I make lists of lists. Going gluten free and eating healthier, I will need to plan, be organized, be neat and clean about the way I eat. I already enjoy cooking and baking - trying new recipes - so I am excited to start this new way of eating and trying gluten free recipes.
I decided to blog so I can share my experiences and what information I have gained. Also, it is a good way to keep me accountable. I am not an expert. I am learning as I go. Please be patient with me...I am not a good writer. I struggle with putting my thoughts together (even now, I'm not sure how to write this sentence) in a way that is literally correct.
Since childhood, I had trouble with my digestive system. My parents took me to a lot of doctors and for some reason could never really find anything wrong with me. Eventually I was told that I was lactose intolerant (cannot digest milk products normally) and that I had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). In college, I got severely sick often caused from stress and the food I ate. I went to Northwestern College in Roseville, MN. I really liked the dorm rooms because each room had its own bathroom. Thinking about going to a college where you had to share a public bathroom really scared me. It got to a point where it was controlling my life. There were times where I didn't want to be far from "my bathroom". It held me back from going out and having fun. There was one instance where I was out with friends and my IBS kicked in...I thought I was going to die...it was so painful... that is how bad it can be. My friends didn't know what to do - they wanted to take me to the hospital but I didn't want them to. Very embarrassed, they took me home and I dealt with my pain.
I started to call these my episodes. After each time I had an episode, I told myself...be good...watch what I eat. I knew which foods to avoid, but for some reason, I couldn't stay away from them. (back then, I didn't know that gluten was part of my problem) I felt hopeless.
Trigger foods (IBS). Being lactose intolerant - milk products: milk, cream-based soups, ice cream and cheese (yogurt, cottage cheese and sour cream are fine). If I eat cheese in small amounts, I am fine. I love cheese! My friend Jaimie and I love the scene from the movie "French Kiss" where Meg Ryan is on the train and she had eaten too much cheese. Look it up on utube "Meg Ryan lactose intolerance" It is very funny. Even though I am lactose intolerant, I don't believe I can be completely dairy free. For now I will try to be partial dairy free. I was never someone who drank glasses of milk. I only have milk with my cereal. Now I drink almond milk - which has 50% more calcium that regular milk. It tastes good too. Pizza...makes me sick every time (sorry Pizza Hut, but you are the worst). I tried all kinds of pizza (from restaurants, store bought and homemade) to find one that didn't make me sick. Finds out, I couldn't find one. If the pizza is thin crust, then it's not so bad. Now that I know gluten is part of the problem, I will have to make my own. Fried foods...which make sense... always disturbs my stomach. But how can one not eat fried foods? They are so yummy! Any carbonated drink.The carbonation bloats my stomach and makes me uncomfortable. When Ben has a pop, soda or coke (which ever word you call it), I steal a sip from his drink. Coffee...so sad...because I love flavored and blended coffee drinks. I still have one every once in a while.
Stress is also a huge trigger. At the end of each quarter or semester of college, I got severely sick. After college, I worked for a company called Liberty. At first I loved it and then years later management changed. I didn't enjoy it as much and got sick often. After 7 years of working with Liberty, the company got bought out by a larger company. A lot of people got let go and I was one of them. It was probably one of the bests things to happen to me. A weight was lifted...I felt better but not completely. At the same time, we were adopting a child (Owen) from Korea, and building a house...stress much? Let me back up a little. Before the decision to adopt, we had been trying to have a baby on our own.
Even though I wanted a baby, being pregnant really scared me. I was
worried that if I had an episode, how would that effect the baby.
Both pregnancies, I was blessed to have no episodes. I did though
experience horrible 1st trimesters (another story). Thankfully, both
children were born healthy.
It seemed like years went by and everyone else around us was getting pregnant and we weren't...more stress. (I found that digestive disorders can cause infertility) Eventually we got "help" which came more stress - but success came Landen and then Lia was a great, wonderful surprise. Back to adopting Owen. I was reluctant to fly - being on a plane for 20some hours made me apprehensive. I would be so embarrassed if something were to happen. I made sure I ate well before and during the trip. Through prayer and eating right, I was fine.
To help reduce stress - exercise is important. Now, I try to exercise at least 3 times a week (either running or a doing a workout video). It is also important to drink lots of water and have fiber in your diet. All of these components help keep the digestive system working properly. Another good way to reduce stress (especially for me) is sex. That's right, I said sex. I don't think I need to explain that one.
Besides having my episodes, I was tired all of the time. In college, after my last class, I sometimes slept until dinner and then still could go to bed early that night. My roommates could not believe how much I could sleep. Before kids, If I wanted, I could sleep in until 11:00 (on the weekends). When I worked at Liberty, the days seemed so long and I was tired most of the time. Now with 3 kids (a stay at home mom), I am usually awake by 6:00...I am not a morning person. Waking up in the morning, I couldn't wait until it was time to go back to bed. Ben often asked "when are you not tired?" I would reply "never... or maybe just once a month."
It was brought to my attention...that maybe I had a gluten problem. I never thought after all these years, that gluten was a cause/addition to my IBS problem. I had never heard of gluten and didn't know what it was. I LOVE eating bread, donuts, scones, croissants, cinnamon rolls, etc. My friend Tona and I say we could just eat bread for every meal. How could I go without? Gluten...it makes complete sense. For example. I love Jimmy Johns (or any kind of sub sandwich), but after I eat a sandwich, I feel bloated and worn out. I thought it was because I ate the whole thing...but now I can see it's from the bread - and probably because I did eat the whole thing. My family loves donuts. Every weekend we want them for breakfast. We don't eat them every weekend, but once in a while we treat ourselves. After eating 2 donuts... hours later, I feel sick and worn down. I also enjoy pasta salads. One of my favorite places to eat is D'Amico & Sons. My friend Kendra and I choose to eat there when ever we can. I order the sampler plate of pasta salads...hours later, I am bloated. Why couldn't I figure this out before? Maybe I didn't want to because I enjoyed these foods too much.
When I pregnant with Lia, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I had to watch my carb intake (breads, cereal, pastas, etc). It was probably good that I had GD so I had to be accountable for what I ate. It helped me feel better and was healthier for Lia.
Now at age 34, I am ready to commit to change. I'm through with being sick and feeling tired all of the time. I do not want to experience another episode. I want to do something about it. Three children, life in general, is enough to wear me out, I don't need the added stress of food to add to it.
My friend Jenn was visiting from CA. She shared with me her new way of eating and how it has changed her life. She has been reading a book called The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin. The maker... being God and the diet... going back to biblical time and their diet back then. I ordered the book and will share information from the book as I read it. Jenn isn't gluten-free, but she eats healthy and feels great. She is working on becoming "chemical" free. My friend Rachel is gluten, dairy, soy and corn free (due to health reasons) and it has changed her life too. It seems like women have so many issues: being hormonal, being tired and everything else that comes with being a woman. Both Jenn and Rachel said that after changing the way they eat they noticed a huge change in the way they feel, their mood and have more energy.
Thank you for reading my story! I am excited to see the change in my life. Through this blog, my hope is to help others and inspire them. It is not too late to make a change in your life. Thank you Jenn and Rachel for inspiring me to start.
