Hashimoto's ... and going gluten-free!

A week ago, I was diagnosed with "Hashimoto's Thyroiditis".

I've been on thyroid meds for several years now, but recently a blood test showed "thyroid antibodies" of 3,020. Zero (or very close to it) is normal.

Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disease, where your body attacks itself as if it were a foreign object. Some of the symptoms are: fatigue, sensitivity to cold, infertility, repeated miscarriages (we've had 3), mental fogginess, loss of concentration, weight gain and more. Got 'em all - and then some!

Auto-immune diseases manifest themselves in different ways throughout the same family. In my family there are cases of M.S., Lupus, severe osteoporosis, psoriasis, diabetes and more. All of which, they say, can be helped with a gluten-free diet. A friend said once you have one auto-immune disease, 9 times out of 10, you will develop another. So, I'm trying to go gluten-free!

This is what RV made for dinner. Gluten-free fried rice ~ made with GF soy sauce!

It's actually been kind of fun searching the grocery stores for gluten-free foods - which are popping up more and more every day. Fun, because that means a trip to the store by myself ~ 'cuz I've got research going on!! So far, I've found a ton of varied items at: Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Wegmans (my **favorite** since they make it SOOO easy and put a "G" on all their Wegmans brand gluten-free chips, salsas, soups, salad dressings, etc. - no more guesswork with reading the labels and trying to decipher "hidden gluten code words"!). Just find a "G" on the label, plop it in the cart and keep on moving! I'll make myself learn to like the taste ~ whatever it is ;-)

Although I love and adore bread and pasta more than almost anything - I haven't missed them tooooooo much ~ even with a trip to Texas Roadhouse last night for RV's birthday dinner. It's a little hard to hate a diet where you CAN have: potatoes, butter, sour cream, ice cream, chips, cheese, tapioca pudding, chocolate, and more. Lunch at 5 Guys after basketball today was easy - cheeseburger with no bun and yummy french fries (cooked in dedicated fryer with peanut oil) = diet food??! Yeah, I can live with that!

And being down -5 pounds in about a week helps! Only X (way too much!) more to go!!! I am hoping I can keep it up - my doctor says if I do it for 6 months, I'll feel so much better and have so much more energy that you couldn't pay me to go back. Let's hope he's right!!!