Going Gluten-free

So, here's the thing.  I think I'm going to try going on a gluten-free diet.  Well, maybe not entirely gluten-free.  I probably should start out with baby steps and gradually incorporate gluten-free foods into my diet.

Why, you may be asking?  The reason is that Graves Disease is an autoimmune disorder.  So is Celiac Disease, and those with Celiac must eat gluten-free foods in order to be healthy.  Admittedly this thinking is very elementary, and the logic may be tenuous at best.  After all, those with Celiac must go on a gluten-free diet is because, according to the National Institutes of Health, "Celiac [D]isease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy.  The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats."

Unfortunately for my Graves Disease, doctors don't know what I can do or eat to reverse the effects of the symptoms.  Maybe that's because there's nothing I can do or eat to reverse the effects of the symptoms, or maybe that's because doctors have yet to make the link scientifically.  For some reason, a small part of me thinks it's the latter.  Regardless, I figure it can't hurt to give this a try.

If nothing else, this "project" will make me more aware and conscious of the kinds of food I eat on a daily basis.  Thankfully the switch will be made easier by food companies making more gluten-free products and grocery stores devoting aisles to those gluten-free products.  Hopefully, too, that means the taste difference isn't quite so noticeable as it was three years ago, when a friend and former coworker of mine had to go on a gluten-free diet because of Celiac Disease.

Have you tried incorporating gluten-free foods into your life?  How challenging has it been, and what has made it so?  Or do you think there are other things I could be doing instead of worrying how much wheat to eat?  ( <-- poet and didn't even know it!)