in which i add a thing

i'm gluten free now.

i've written about my thyroid problems before. i have a multinodular goiter. which basically means there are benign lumps growing on my thyroid. the lumps are interfering with my thyroid's function and causing me to have all manner of hyperthyroid symptoms. heart palpitations, anxiety, hot flashes, etc. this has been going on for some time, years even. i was told the thyroid would have to come out and i've been biding my time until i was insured to do something about it. meanwhile, the lumps have been getting bigger, so big in fact, that they were visible to the naked eye, so freaking big, that they were hurting me every time i swallowed.

a few weeks ago i spoke to a friend's cousin who is a physician with an interest in holistic medicine. he advised that i try going dairy free and gluten free to see if that made any difference in my problems. (there is a lot of talk in the medical community lately about autoimmune diseases being linked to gluten intolerance and other allergies.) i was all, DUDE SERIOUSLY. i'm already vegan. no way i can be gluten free. BUT after some arm-twisting i agreed to try for at least a month.

you know where this is going right?

after just one week of no gluten, my thyroid has visibly shrunk. when i look in the mirror i can barely see it.

needless to say, i am a willing passenger on the crazy train right now. you should try going out to eat with me, it's SUPER fun. personally, i prefer eating at home. my food is better.

i've completely given up going to publix (our local grocery store), i have no use for it now. whole foods is my best friend. i found a super blog to support me, it's called gluten free goddess. her recipes are so so good, she never sacrifices flavor for health. plus there are pictures of the finished product on each recipe and i'm a visual learner.

tonight i tried her recipe for mac and cheese. this was a big step for me because seriously vegan cheese is disgusting. i love real cheese. vegan cheese has got to be someone's really bad idea of a joke. but this recipe didn't include vegan cheese, it included a crazy concoction of ingredients, but no cheese. i was scared, michael was scared, but we tried it. and then we had seconds.

speaking of, michael has been incredibly supportive of my eating habits. which, naturally, are now his eating habits, because hello, he isn't going to be cooking himself anything in this lifetime.

so besides me not dying of untreated thryoid disease, an admitted benefit, i'm even more excited about the fact that so far i've lost eleven pounds.

i am going to look super hot in my wedding dress.