Gluten freedom story: Jazmyn
Today I have a real treat for you =) I asked a sweet sweet friend of mine to share with us about her journey of going gluten free. Her story is fascinating on so many levels... so read on:
Jazmyn`s Story: Quitting Cold-Turkey
A little history to go along with my story…Since I was a sophomore in high-school I’ve had this terrible red rash on my hands that would itch and crack. It was terrible. It looked bad and it felt bad. Pretty much it was bad. I never thought anything of it, other than it being psoriasis and do the best I could to stay hydrated and lotion up. I am blessed to have incredibly great vision. In August of this last year my eyes started getting itchy and red all the time. I granted that it was probably from allergies as we live in one of the driest, sunniest places on earth. After a month of red, itchy eyes I went to the eye doctor who told me I had pretty sever allergies. I continued using eye drops as I always have only to find it worsening with each week. By the end of October my eyesight began to diminish. At first things just seemed blurry far away but progressively they got worse. By the time Thanksgiving came around my eyes would swell at some points during the day and the white of my eyes were a continual pink color. Between October and the beginning of January I saw 4 eye doctors, all of who were stumped as to what would be causing this and causing it to worsen at such an intense speed.
A little history to go along with my story…Since I was a sophomore in high-school I’ve had this terrible red rash on my hands that would itch and crack. It was terrible. It looked bad and it felt bad. Pretty much it was bad. I never thought anything of it, other than it being psoriasis and do the best I could to stay hydrated and lotion up. I am blessed to have incredibly great vision. In August of this last year my eyes started getting itchy and red all the time. I granted that it was probably from allergies as we live in one of the driest, sunniest places on earth. After a month of red, itchy eyes I went to the eye doctor who told me I had pretty sever allergies. I continued using eye drops as I always have only to find it worsening with each week. By the end of October my eyesight began to diminish. At first things just seemed blurry far away but progressively they got worse. By the time Thanksgiving came around my eyes would swell at some points during the day and the white of my eyes were a continual pink color. Between October and the beginning of January I saw 4 eye doctors, all of who were stumped as to what would be causing this and causing it to worsen at such an intense speed.
Our church held a class about healthy eating, raw foods, and affects food can have on your body. I decided to do a little research when a friend asked me if I noticed that it increased after I ate. I took the next three days, didn’t change my diet, and noticed that 1-2 hours after I ate was when my eyes would become itchy and swell. This happened every time I ate during the coarse of those 3 days.
I know quite a few people who had gone gluten-free due to allergies and after seeing the affects of what I was eating and how it affected me I researched a bit to find out that my skin problems and stomach upsetting were some signs of have a gluten allergy. I decided that trying to eat gluten-free for a couple of weeks were worth seeing if it would help. I mean ANYTHING had to be better than what I was dealing with.
Starting that following Monday I quit eating anything with gluten cold turkey. I literally saw the benefits within 36 hours. A day and a half into eating gluten-free my eyes began to clear up. They stopped being itchy and swelling, and my eyesight began to get better with each passing day. By the end of week one my left hand completely cleared up of its rash that I’d had for 9 years (yes NINE years…_) by the middle of the second week my right hand also healed up and my eyes completely restored. I couldn’t believe what a transformation had occurred simply from choosing to eat differently and being careful about what I put in my body. All this was caused by an ingredient??
I found it to be hard, but not AS hard as my thoughts had originally presumed. I did as much research as I could on ingredients, foods, etc that had gluten and prepared myself with a list of YES ingredients and NO ingredients that I keep on my phone for when I go grocery shopping.
I know quite a few people who had gone gluten-free due to allergies and after seeing the affects of what I was eating and how it affected me I researched a bit to find out that my skin problems and stomach upsetting were some signs of have a gluten allergy. I decided that trying to eat gluten-free for a couple of weeks were worth seeing if it would help. I mean ANYTHING had to be better than what I was dealing with.
Starting that following Monday I quit eating anything with gluten cold turkey. I literally saw the benefits within 36 hours. A day and a half into eating gluten-free my eyes began to clear up. They stopped being itchy and swelling, and my eyesight began to get better with each passing day. By the end of week one my left hand completely cleared up of its rash that I’d had for 9 years (yes NINE years…_) by the middle of the second week my right hand also healed up and my eyes completely restored. I couldn’t believe what a transformation had occurred simply from choosing to eat differently and being careful about what I put in my body. All this was caused by an ingredient??
I found it to be hard, but not AS hard as my thoughts had originally presumed. I did as much research as I could on ingredients, foods, etc that had gluten and prepared myself with a list of YES ingredients and NO ingredients that I keep on my phone for when I go grocery shopping.
Although eating gluten can be a pain at times(there are days when all I wanna do is eat a funfetti cupcake……) but for the most part being gluten-free has only shown it’s self positive. Not only are my skin, eyes and stomach benefiting, but also my diet is much healthier as it has caused me to eat a much more balanced diet packed with fruits, veggies, and lean meats.
I have found that changing my diet to meet my need for no gluten has been slightly trying, very informational, but mostly fun. It’s like a little challenge I have daily and something that I feel proud of each and everyday I move forward. I also, am incredibly blessed to have Katrina in my life as she is a world of wisdom on eating gluten-free and is loaded with recipes to keep fun foods in my life.
I have found that changing my diet to meet my need for no gluten has been slightly trying, very informational, but mostly fun. It’s like a little challenge I have daily and something that I feel proud of each and everyday I move forward. I also, am incredibly blessed to have Katrina in my life as she is a world of wisdom on eating gluten-free and is loaded with recipes to keep fun foods in my life.
“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.” – General George S. Patton
Live life to the fullest!-Jazmyn-
What a story. Thank you so much Jazmyn for sharing.. You are an inspiration to us all! ;)
1 comments:
Thanks for sharing Jazmyn! You definitely encouraged me to take my allergy more SERIOUSLY(I'm a pretty passionate person & having to stay away from food that I'm utterly passionate about . . . gluten n' dairy is slightly difficult). I've been giving in here n' there but in large amounts. The allergy I have doesn't affect my skin, but my hormones & thyroid. Thanks for sharing your testimony & your at-times frustration over having to edit out a tough ever-present ingredient. Your quote at the bottom is so SPOT-ON!
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