Okay, aren't we all sick of hearing, "gluten-free"? Well, now I'm going to say it. I am gluten-free, too! I stopped buying spelt or oats before Easter, after a Doctor-friend of mine said I would benefit from the GAPS diet. I made bone broths and we ate lots of eggs and veggies. It was tough packing school lunches and I wanted bread, but I didn't buy any of it and we made do.
Want to know what happened after just a few days? I could think clearly. I felt calm. I went down for my naps and could not sleep because, for the first time in years, I didn't need to! Lucy behaved sweetly. There was more calm in the house than I ever experienced.
Then came Easter, and what would Easter be without Babka (special bread)? What could a little bit of spelt do? Well...it was disastrous. I was an emotional wreck. Kids seemed to be climbing the walls. Nobody could deal with anything, and what happened to Lucy's sweetness? It dawned on me-- we crashed and burned. A little spelt did us in. Oh my.
Apparently this is a normal response for people who stop eating all wheat. You heal from its effects...but you react awfully when you consume even the smallest bit. So, Easter was tough.
Now that the Babka is all gone, we are getting back on track and after several days "clean" of grains, I'm feeling strong again. Calm is slowly being restored. So this is the new normal for us.
I would encourage everyone to try a GAPS diet for a week, with a warning: Be prepared! Quite likely you will not be able to return to gluten without very nasty effects.
