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I started doing gluten free while I was still living in Japan after doing battle with some digestive problems. At some point celiac disease was suggested as a possible diagnosis. unable to get a diagnosis from the Japanese medical system, i decided to go gluten-free to see if it helped. While it didn’t solve the problems I’d been seeing the medical community about, it did remedy the day-to-day pattern of constipation and diahrhea I’d lived with my entire adult life. At some point I’d mentioned this pattern to a medical professional and they said it was a normal fluctuation with a woman’s menstrual cycle. Now that I know I can go without this discomfort I’m never going back to eating wheat/rye/barley again!

I’m now back in VT and I can tell you, it’s far easier to go GF in the States than in Japan where there is relatively little awareness of allergies and none of things like celiac disease. Although I miss Japan terribly, I do not miss sending lists of grocery items via email and them waiting very impatiently for two weeks to get one very expensive flat-rate mail box from mom, only to then suffer great disappoint when the GF bread inside is moldy.

I should warn those reading this blog that I’ve subsequently tested negative for celiac. If anything I’m gluten-intolerant. As such I’m not in the “extremely sensitive” category. Things like “shared kitchens” don’t bother me. Still, I hope some of the information I provide is helpful in at least pointing people in the right direction.