Things I've Discovered Since Becoming Gluten-Free...

Since finding out that I have Celiac Disease right before Christmas, it has been quite a challenge to say the least. I feel like I've been handling it pretty well for the most part. One of the hardest things is that I'm used to making everything from scratch...with whole wheat. I'm determined to do that again, very soon. Here is a list of some latest discoveries since my new involuntary diet change. :)

1. I miss real bread and pizza.

2. I've been eating a lot of oranges.

3. People look at you funny when you decline a cookie.

4. People ask a lot of questions.

5. There's a lot of really great-tasting gluten-free food available.

6. There's a lot of really awful-tasting gluten-free food available.

7. I've determined that I will bake from scratch again.

8. Many Many things contain gluten, even if it doesn't say "gluten" right on the label. It's like this crazy code or something.

9. I've been a label-reading fanatic...even more so than I was before.

10. I've received a lot of help and advice from friends.

And last but certainly not least....

I'M FEELING BETTER AND HAVE SOME ENERGY AGAIN!! Who would've known? And it's only the beginning. I'm determined to be completely symptom-free very soon.

Wellness Wednesday...The Replacements!

I've decided to try yet another theme post. I have tried many in the past only to find that they were not very successful. We'll give this one a try and see what happens. Back before I became a mom I worked at an Herb and Nutrition Center. I had the opportunity to take several classes on natural health and nutrition, and learned a lot. Over the years I have done my best to live what I learned. I thought it might be a fun idea to share a little with you. That is why I've come up with Wellness Wednesday...catchy, huh? I will try and share some little tips that I have learned about healthy living and have incorporated into my own life. I am by no means an expert or a professional so, I will not be sharing from that standpoint. I will be sharing on an experiential basis. I thought a good place to start would be with Replacements or swapping, whatever you want to call it. Replacing bad things with good. I will share a few things with you what we have done over the years to improve our health and eating habits. There is so much I can share so, I'll try and keep it to a few and leave more for next week.

• Replaced refined grains with whole. This is a good one and it might take some time if you and your family are used to eating white rice, bread, pasta, etc. We have been doing it for so long, no one even notices anymore. So, swap your white pasta with whole wheat, white rice with brown, and white bread with wheat. Now, brown rice definitely takes a little longer to cook than white rice and it is a little grainier but, is so much better for you. It hasn't gone through all of the processing that white rice has gone through. Also, when choosing wheat bread...look for 100% whole wheat. If the label says wheat flour or enriched wheat flour it probably means that it has white flour that has been enriched and is not as nutritious. So, look for the label to say Whole Wheat Flour. Here's a little label reading tip: Look for items with very few ingredients. If the list is a paragraph long; put it back. A long ingredient list means additives, preservatives and all kinds of unnatural things that you don't want. I also use wheat flour in most of my baking. I will often use half wheat and half white in baked goods. When I use white flour it is Unbleached. I also have some recipes for goodies that have all wheat flour in them and are really yummy. Yes, I will share. :)


• Replacing Refined Sugars with Natural Sugars. This is a tough one for alot of people including me. I will not say that we do not eat any refined sugar because that would not be true. But, I will say that our intake is very limited. At home, I use raw or turbinado sugar for everything. You can use it in place of white sugar in your recipes and you won't notice the difference. To identify white sugar, look for labels to say sugar, fructose, high fructose corn syrup. There are many more and you can do some internet research to find more. Some good sweeteners are Molasses, honey, turbinado, demerara, or raw sugar, pure maple syrup. They are all still sugar just in a more natural form and not refined. I stay away from artificial sweeteners or chemical sweeteners as I call them. The companies try to deceive you that they are just like sugar but, they are not.

I will stop here for now, I don't want to write a book. I will continue with this next week and share some ways to live healthy on a budget. I want to end by saying that our family is on a limited budget and we are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Now, we don't eat all organic foods, that remains a dream for now but, I watch sales very carefully and get organic when I can. I read labels very carefully and I buy very little boxed or processed convenience foods, and make my own. It is a little more work with a bounty of benefits. We also eat tons of fruit and veggies. Coming up in later posts I will share some recipes for regular convenience foods that you can make yourself. I hope that this was helpful to you.

Get up and Go!

So...I've decided I need to take some action and get a little more active than I have been. I mean, I exercise....sparatically...but nothing consistant. I realized that that needed to change. I've always been into eating healthy and staying in shape but, lately I've kind of been in a slump. So, I started rollerblading again. Well, today was my first day. It has been a good 5 or 6 years since I've strapped on the old blades. Before I was married and during the first few years of our marriage, I would blade 3-4 times a week for about 6-7 miles and I loved it. I was in good shape. I was hardly ever tired. Since having kiddos, I've tried walking, running, exercise videos, I even got that "core ball" thing that is now stuffed in some closet. I realized that rollerblading is what I really love. It is me. I like speed, I like to race around the track full speed ahead and get the job done. So, Kent and I have worked out a schedule for me to be able to get out there and do it...in the morning. That's the tough part for me because I am not a morning person...can I get an "amen!" This morning I got up at 6:30 and headed off to the nearby park on the lake. They have a great trail there that winds around a section of the lake. It's not that long but, I went around 4 times. I felt great. It was so peaceful and I even prayed as I skated. If I had a double jogger stroller, I might try it with the munchkins but, we don't so it's easier to go by myself. I'm thankful that my hubby doesn't start work until nine and the kids weren't even up when I got back. I feel good, and I'm not tired. I think this will help me alot. I'm excited to be doing something I love again. Why did I ever let it go? How silly of me. I'll keep you updated on my progress!