I am a doubter.

But I have a bunch of autoimmune/inflammatory issues that anecdotal stories report improvement when switching to a gluten-free diet.  I don’t have celiac or at least it’s highly unlikely that I have celiac.  I don’t have any of the digestive issues that often go along with celiac.  I’ve had the blood tests and all were negative.  I feel perfectly fine regardless of what I eat except when I am plagued with guilt at some of my poor food choices.

I am a doubter.

At my last endocrinology appointment I asked my doctor whether she thought a gluten-free diet might help me as I struggle with clusters of autoimmune issues, most recently a skin problem called disseminated granuloma annulare.  I expected her to say “no.”  She didn’t.  I indicated that I didn’t know if I had the discipline to follow a gluten-free diet.  She asked me whether it was worth getting rid of the dermatological problem to change my diet.  I couldn’t argue with her.  She indicated that there is no scientific evidence to support a GF lifestyle for people like me, but she has patients who feel that it has made a significant difference.

I am a doubter.

Yesterday I began a 3-week trial of eating gluten-free.  I have been working hard in the last two years to eat lower carb, so a gluten-free diet is not a huge change.  In fact since there is no gray area with gluten-free, it may help me avoid the post-dinner “eat a lot of crap.”  One pack of Ritz peanut butter crackers will nullify my trial and I don’t want to do that.  I don’t plan to buy many products that imitate real food but with no gluten.  Meaning I plan to go without bread rather than buy breadly concoctions that purport to be bread.  Actually I may need to buy some GF bread because I don’t think that I can live without my natural peanut butter.

I am a doubter.

One of my favorite people in the Diabetes Online Community is Katy from Bigfoot Child Have Diabetes.  Her son was diagnosed with celiac disease last year and I have marveled at the changes she has made in her kitchen and cooking.  My GF experiment would be truly epic if I could move in with Katy for three weeks and eat her tantalizing chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner….  Jewels from SheSugar runs a gluten-free household, but admits that she doesn’t suffer with a bit of cross-contamination while her daughter with celiac suffers greatly.  I have decided to do my best to eat GF without worrying about cross-contamination.

I am a doubter.

I’m not from Boulder.  That is an inside joke.  Boulder, Colorado is a trendy community.  No matter what the latest fad for eating or living is, you’ll find Boulder residents leading the way.  The husband of one of my Arizona friends (they’re officially from Boulder) has had measurable success eating gluten-free.  My friend indicated that it was easy to avoid gluten in Boulder because half the population is gluten-free and almost every store has a huge assortment of GF products.

I am a doubter.

I made it through one day.  I am keeping a log of my eating with carb counts and insulin bolus amounts.  Every food so far has a check in the Gluten Free column.  My endocrinologist indicates that a 3-week trial is sufficient.  If I had digestive issues or “not feeling good” issues, I would agree with her.  With my skin issues, I don’t know whether 3 weeks is enough.  But I’ll deal with that 3 weeks from now.