I Bite off More Than I can Chew..

And I do it on a regular basis!

I have allowed "Gluten Free" to stop my progress!  I have looked at blogs, websites, I have 3 books from my local library, I have an audiobook (word of advice- nonfiction/self-help stuff is NOT entertaining to listen to when you're used to mystery/adventure pumping directly into your eardrums!), and I am overwhelmed and frozen.

This is what happens when things are too big for me to easily comprehend.

Deep breath... and.... it's ok.  Well, with God's help it will be, anyway.

Baby Steps.

I found a jewel in my devotions this morning.  It was from Rick Warren, based on The Daniel Plan.  He advised me (and yes, I feel like he was talking directly to ME) to stop doing stuff that is good so that I can do what is best.  It makes such perfect sense.  I am so worried about all this "stuff", and while I'm worried and stressing out about it, I am going out to eat 3 times a week and bringing home Big Macs to eat at 8pm for supper.  I am stress-eating, and eating far more than my body actually desires.

What is best for me right now? Well, I can tell you, eating at home at least 80% of the time would be best.  I have to stop getting bogged down in looking for "the cure" and "the answers".  They aren't in a book.  They aren't, in fact, on this earth.

So, once again, I am backing up... putting the horse back in front of the cart (instead of trying to carry the horse and the cart with a Big Mac in my hand), and I am going to continue making baby steps.  Perhaps there is a specific food item that we should eliminate and replace with another, healthier, more natural option.

That sounds like a great place to start for us!

I apologize for my lack of follow through, but honesty wins out- and this is just too much for my brain to comprehend right now.

Efforts will be made, baby steps will be taken, but a magical change on the first day of summer vacation just isn't going to happen.

Keeping it simple, sweetie! (KISS)

(I Googled this image.  The link where I found it is here)

Where does Gluten Hide?

Goal #2: Where does Gluten Hide?

I found an article at about.com that tackles some places it might hide.  The article lists places like:

• Soy Sauce (Tamari is often gluten-free as an alternative)
• Cream-based Soup
• Ice Cream
• "Wheat-free" food (wait, what?!) - they often have barley or rye, which still contain gluten
• Prescription Meds
• Gourmet Meals

Oh. My.  I need a moment- I'm overwhelmed, because I have just clicked to open about six more tabs as I delve deeper in to this.  It's SO much!  I've opened a list of cosmetic ingredients to avoid, and food label information.  

Once more, I'm reminding myself that the only way to eat an elephant is one step at a time.

I am so grateful for all those that have gone through this before me and can help me find my way!

Goal #2 will be continued...

GLU(e) TON (because I wonder if it's gluing a TON of bloat and general yuckiness around us?!)

I am beginning to convince myself that gluten could possibly be a culprit in our "allergy issues" at our house.  I keep putting off the trips to the clinic/doctor because I don't want them on antibiotics and more antibiotics. I fear putting my kids on antibiotics for obvious reasons.

I am NOT a nutritionist, and I am not totally certain gluten plays any role in the allergy issue.  However, I am convinced there are good reasons to at least begin to eliminate stuff on a trial basis, even if it's little-by-little!

Oh, look, it's another life-application of baby steps!

My first task is to set a goal (or a few) :-)

1. Find a working definition of gluten.  I mean, what is the stuff?
2. Figure out where it hides.
3. Find the biggest culprit and weed that one thing out (a starting place)
4. Reassess/Readjust my goals according to my newfound knowledge.
5. Have a plan before or at least BY the last day of school so we can work on this all summer!

Goal #1:
Find a working definition of gluten:

It's the glue that holds stuff together.  It gives elasticity to dough.  Oh, holy cow.  It's used in makeup, lotion, hair products, and other skin stuff.  Yikes.  It provides protein in foods that don't otherwise have it (think: imitation crab meat).  1 in 133 have a gluten intolerance. That number was obtained from a 2010 article.  (wiki was my source for this paragraph of info)  I wonder if that ratio has increased in the past 4 years?  My guess is yes...?

For today, I feel validated in continuing to investigate gluten and the benefit we might get from decreasing the amount we're consuming.

P.S. No excuses for the long break in blogging, I'm just picking it up and moving right along!  Let's learn something together, shall we?? :)