Welcome to WheatFreeMe.com. WheatFreeMe is a resource for wheat and gluten free enthusiasts, and is dedicated to fun times, good friends, and great food. My name is Randy and this site is run by my wife Michelle (Mitch) and myself.
I began my gluten free life in late November of 2013. I was 43 at the time and had been feeling what I thought were the side effects of getting older: swollen knees and pain ascending and descending stairs, feeling generally tired and achy for no apparent reason, and weight gain without any changes in my diet. I had even quit smoking in May of 2012, after 26 years. Each doctor checkup yielded the same results – I was in perfect health and only suffering from getting older.
One afternoon my wife happened to catch the tail end of a medical show while waiting for the evening news. The host wrapped up the show by saying “If you’re feeling tired all of the time and think you might have a food allergy, try giving up wheat for a week”.
Michelle called and we chatted about it. And I stopped eating wheat for the next 7 days. After 3 days, the swelling in my knees started to diminish and my aches went away. My energy levels also went up and I found that I was only needing 1/2 of the sleep that I needed previously.
As a test we decided that I should try eating wheat again. Sure enough, within 12 hours, the aches and swelling were back and it lasted for 3 days. It appears that I have a gluten allergy. I went for a medical test and confirmed that I have a sensitivity to wheat gluten. Fortunately, it’s not Celiac. But I still need to avoid it or suffer the consequences.
Since going gluten free, I have lost 35 pounds and feel great. I have learned that going gluten free doesn’t mean going hungry. It means eating healthier. It’s about adapting and trying new things. Sure I still miss a lot of the foods that I used to eat. But I don’t miss feeling lousy and being tired all the time.
This site is a collection of our experiments, discoveries, and findings from sites and people from all over the world. It’s our successes and failures, the do-agains and the learning experiences.
We welcome you to our site. Please feel free to submit a gluten free recipe if you have one that you would like to share. We welcome your comments and suggestions and hope you enjoy your visit.
Randy & Mitch