Well so far so good. . I guess. I started Monday with my fruits and veggie (and chicken) plan and I can definitely already feel a difference. It certainly hasn't been easy, by Tuesday evening I was about dying for some damn chips and cheese. I did have to tweak my plan a little because frankly, I was starving. (Ok, maybe not starving, but I was incredibly hungry the first two days). Yesterday I decided to incorporate quinoa into my plan. It's incredibly healthy for you and it gives my fruit and veggies a little more substance. When you work all day then work out at night, you just can't live and fruits and veggies alone. I'm keeping a food journal and will post some of the recipes I've come up with later but here's a list of things I've learned thus far:
-I do actually feel better when I eat healthier. . crazy concept
-I get a much better work out in when I eat something healthy before the gym instead of random junk food
-Produce does not last forever. . and it smells funny when it gets old
-I maybe don't despise cooking as much as I thought
-I suck at cutting up and cooking chicken
-It's a lot easier to clean up the kitchen at the end of the night then to wait till the next day. . or the day after that
-Most farmers markets are only open when I work
-I don't require nearly as much food to function as previously thought
I'll keep ya posted on any new revelations that come to me, and I'll post some of my recipes. I have, surprisingly enough, come up with a few good ones!
Thursday, July 14
Friday, July 8
Chips and Cheese Intervention
It's been a little while since my last post! I've had lots to say just not any time to say it! And now that I have a few minutes (taking a break from organizing our new office building) I can't really remember all the things I wanted to write about. I did come up with an idea though a few days ago I thought I would share. It came to me after a few too many days of eating and drinking, and eating and drinking, and drinking, and drinking. . . . I think I need a break from eating and drinking. More or less I need an intervention from my chips and cheese addiction. :) I know my diet is already limited but I've been making horrible food choices lately (yes that is possible to do even when your gluten free) and frankly I've kind of felt like crap. Not the kind of crap I feel like when I eat gluten but just the lazy, 'I'd rather watch TV and eat chips and cheese then go for a walk' crap. I decided that starting Monday I'm going to do a 2 week detox type of diet. It's more my own concoction of a detox diet. I'm not a huge fan of the regular ones. While I do understand why people choose to do the detox diets, they aren't all healthy and they seem to be far too extreme. I'm not trying to magically drop a bunch of pounds or change my metabolism or anything, I just need a break from food. I am a huge proponent of taking the time to enjoy your food and of eating as much natural food as you can; neither of which I've done lately. To get myself back on track I'm thinking 2 weeks of almost only fruits and veggies, with some grilled chicken breasts mixed in. I'll either do an all natural cereal for breakfast or 2 eggs then only fruits, veggies, chicken the rest of the day. Of course I will need my coffee but I plan to limit myself to 1 SMALL cup in the morning before I leave the house. I know I have some social engagements coming up too, so instead of completely cutting out alcohol I plan to limit myself to 1 or 2 glasses of wine. I basically just need to get myself back into my groove of eating well and working out and for me, this seems like the best way to do it. The more fruits and veggies I eat the more I crave them and, likewise, the more chips and cheese I eat the more I crave them, and crave them, and crave them. . .. seriously need an intervention. You should be impressed that am intervention-ing myself and not waiting for the chips and cheese police to take me away. Anyway, that's my plan, guess we will see how it goes!
Monday, June 13
What is Celiac Disease? An Educational Posting
This has the potential to be a very long post (don't say I didn't warn ya), but I wanted to take a minute to educate my readers (who are mostly my friends) about Celiac Disease. I sometimes forget that not everyone knows about the disease and I get really sick of always having to explain it so hopefully this is helpful for anyone interested. My disclaimer: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you think you may be gluten intolerant please see your doctor. This is meant to help educate my friends and family, and not to be taken as medical advice.
Gluten Sensitivity:
There is a very wide range of gluten sensitivity. You can have Celiac Disease, you can be gluten intolerant, you can simply get a bit of an upset stomach when you eat gluten, or you can be anywhere in between. The hard part in diagnosing any of it is that the symptoms can be all over the board. Some one with gluten intolerance can be far more physically ill than some one with Celiac Disease, you can have Celiac Disease but show no symptoms, or, again, you can be anywhere in between. As if that's not confusing enough, the symptoms themselves are all over the board. There are over 300 different symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease. The most common ones revolve around stomach and intestinal "issues" but can include anything from skin rashes to neurological conditions and depression. From there, the neurological symptoms can be anything from a "brain fog" to symptoms associated with autism and MS. Obviously, this is far more complicated than "just an allergy" as I've heard it referred to.
Celiac Disease vs. Gluten Intolerance:
The difference between Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance is a little more straight forward. If you have Celiac Disease, any time you ingest gluten it is actually damaging your intestine. Gluten intolerance can cause you to be super sick but does not damage your intestine. This damage makes it difficult, or if its been damaged long enough, impossible for you to absorb nutrients and, if not taken care of, can lead to a million and one other problems including infertility and some cancers. The amazing part of all of this is that once you stop eating gluten your intestine is able to completely heal itself. Depending on how long the damage has been taking place, it can take a few years to fully heal. Now I've had people ask me, "Do you actually have Celiac Disease or just an intolerance?" To me that is an absolutely absurd question. Either way, if you can't eat gluten, you can't eat gluten. There are plenty of people with "just an intolerance" who get way sicker (is sicker a word?) than I do from eating gluten.
Gluten Free Food:
Gluten is found in wheat, barely, and rye. Most people know the obvious, but wheat can be found in almost anything processed or frozen, and often hiding in things you would never expect. Basically eating gluten free means eating a very natural diet (which I think everyone should eat regardless).. .veggies, fruit, meat, potatoes, rice, dairy, etc. There are also a ton of gluten free options to replace your bread, pasta, etc. Doesn't sound so hard does it??? Well, it gets tricky. . . .
Cross Contamination:
A HUGE thing I have to worry about is cross contamination. In theory, oats are gluten free. BUT if they have been harvested, processed, or packaged on the same machinery as wheat they are NOT gluten free. This is the case for A LOT of food. Items labeled as gluten free are often processed in a completely separate facility to insure no cross contamination. Most of that info can be found near the ingredient list on a package. This is part of why eating a natural diet is far easier then trying to navigate packaged food. This whole cross contamination things gets even trickier when you go out to eat. The best way to explain it is to give an example. . . There are a lot of places that now offer gluten free pizza. The problem is, if they make that gluten free pizza and, for example, have some flour on their apron from a regular pizza and a fleck of the flour falls on my gluten free pizza, it's been contaminated. That can be enough to make a person sick for days. Personally, I can tell if I ingested it, it won't make me violently ill, but even that speck is damaging my intestine. It's easy to think, well I'm not super sick so no big deal, but it is still damaging my insides even if I'm not physically ill. Make sense?? Just because a restaurant has a gluten free menu doesn't mean it's safe. Unfortunately, you really have to talk with managers, cooks, etc if you want to be sure. This also makes it difficult to eat in others homes. You can have the best of intentions making me something gluten free but if it was mixed with the same spoon or in the same pan as something else, I just can't eat it. Plus, gluten is found in so many places that you don't even think to look if you aren't used to it including spices, non-organic meat, sauces, dressings, beverages, etc.
How to treat a Celiac:
If you work in a restaurant. . don't be an asshole. I am not "doing that gluten free thing" to lose weight, you telling me "I'm sure you'll be fine" is not encouraging, and telling me "there are no substitutions" before you even hear my request just pisses me off. If you don't have, can't make, or just don't know about anything gluten free, that's ok. Just tell me. I'm not going to get mad, I am not going to demand you make something special, I just need to know so I don't eat something and get sick. I try my best to research and contact places before going out to eat and usually just have a few questions when we get to a restaurant. Just be nice and be HONEST about your food.
If you are a friend or family member. . .my not being able to eat certain things bothers YOU a whole hell of a lot more than it bothers me. I am perfectly content with a drink and a salad if there's nothing else I can eat. I don't care that I can't eat the cookies and if you want to go out to a certain restaurant than by all means lets go! Let me worry about me. If I have a special request I will let you know. And PLEASE do not be offended if you make something and I don't eat it, or if I ask to see the package something came out of. It's nothing to do with you or your cooking. Finally, do NOT feel guilty eating something in front of me. Yes, there are foods I miss, but its ok. Don't not eat something because of me, that just makes me feel bad. It has been a huge mental and emotional journey through this process that I never expected. I have been so grateful for my friends and family who have embraced learning about the disease and who have even experimented with making me special foods. I appreciate all that more than you know, but most of all I just want to be able to enjoy my time with you without the constant focus being on food. And one final note, Celiac Disease is forever. I will never be done with this and odds are, if Dan and I ever have children, they will have it too. So my one last request is, please, please don't ask me if I'm done with that "diet thing".
So there it is, your lesson for the day! I may have made it sound horrible, but it really isn't all that bad. It's been a big adjustment but nothing I couldn't handle, and my quality of life has only gotten better since being diagnosed. I really am happy to answer any other questions you might have. While I don't like talking about it in every single social situation, I don't mind answering questions at all! It's a lot to understand and it's becoming more and more prevalent now-a-days. I am happy to do what can to help people understand it a little more!
Gluten Sensitivity:
There is a very wide range of gluten sensitivity. You can have Celiac Disease, you can be gluten intolerant, you can simply get a bit of an upset stomach when you eat gluten, or you can be anywhere in between. The hard part in diagnosing any of it is that the symptoms can be all over the board. Some one with gluten intolerance can be far more physically ill than some one with Celiac Disease, you can have Celiac Disease but show no symptoms, or, again, you can be anywhere in between. As if that's not confusing enough, the symptoms themselves are all over the board. There are over 300 different symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease. The most common ones revolve around stomach and intestinal "issues" but can include anything from skin rashes to neurological conditions and depression. From there, the neurological symptoms can be anything from a "brain fog" to symptoms associated with autism and MS. Obviously, this is far more complicated than "just an allergy" as I've heard it referred to.
Celiac Disease vs. Gluten Intolerance:
The difference between Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance is a little more straight forward. If you have Celiac Disease, any time you ingest gluten it is actually damaging your intestine. Gluten intolerance can cause you to be super sick but does not damage your intestine. This damage makes it difficult, or if its been damaged long enough, impossible for you to absorb nutrients and, if not taken care of, can lead to a million and one other problems including infertility and some cancers. The amazing part of all of this is that once you stop eating gluten your intestine is able to completely heal itself. Depending on how long the damage has been taking place, it can take a few years to fully heal. Now I've had people ask me, "Do you actually have Celiac Disease or just an intolerance?" To me that is an absolutely absurd question. Either way, if you can't eat gluten, you can't eat gluten. There are plenty of people with "just an intolerance" who get way sicker (is sicker a word?) than I do from eating gluten.
Gluten Free Food:
Gluten is found in wheat, barely, and rye. Most people know the obvious, but wheat can be found in almost anything processed or frozen, and often hiding in things you would never expect. Basically eating gluten free means eating a very natural diet (which I think everyone should eat regardless).. .veggies, fruit, meat, potatoes, rice, dairy, etc. There are also a ton of gluten free options to replace your bread, pasta, etc. Doesn't sound so hard does it??? Well, it gets tricky. . . .
Cross Contamination:
A HUGE thing I have to worry about is cross contamination. In theory, oats are gluten free. BUT if they have been harvested, processed, or packaged on the same machinery as wheat they are NOT gluten free. This is the case for A LOT of food. Items labeled as gluten free are often processed in a completely separate facility to insure no cross contamination. Most of that info can be found near the ingredient list on a package. This is part of why eating a natural diet is far easier then trying to navigate packaged food. This whole cross contamination things gets even trickier when you go out to eat. The best way to explain it is to give an example. . . There are a lot of places that now offer gluten free pizza. The problem is, if they make that gluten free pizza and, for example, have some flour on their apron from a regular pizza and a fleck of the flour falls on my gluten free pizza, it's been contaminated. That can be enough to make a person sick for days. Personally, I can tell if I ingested it, it won't make me violently ill, but even that speck is damaging my intestine. It's easy to think, well I'm not super sick so no big deal, but it is still damaging my insides even if I'm not physically ill. Make sense?? Just because a restaurant has a gluten free menu doesn't mean it's safe. Unfortunately, you really have to talk with managers, cooks, etc if you want to be sure. This also makes it difficult to eat in others homes. You can have the best of intentions making me something gluten free but if it was mixed with the same spoon or in the same pan as something else, I just can't eat it. Plus, gluten is found in so many places that you don't even think to look if you aren't used to it including spices, non-organic meat, sauces, dressings, beverages, etc.
How to treat a Celiac:
If you work in a restaurant. . don't be an asshole. I am not "doing that gluten free thing" to lose weight, you telling me "I'm sure you'll be fine" is not encouraging, and telling me "there are no substitutions" before you even hear my request just pisses me off. If you don't have, can't make, or just don't know about anything gluten free, that's ok. Just tell me. I'm not going to get mad, I am not going to demand you make something special, I just need to know so I don't eat something and get sick. I try my best to research and contact places before going out to eat and usually just have a few questions when we get to a restaurant. Just be nice and be HONEST about your food.
If you are a friend or family member. . .my not being able to eat certain things bothers YOU a whole hell of a lot more than it bothers me. I am perfectly content with a drink and a salad if there's nothing else I can eat. I don't care that I can't eat the cookies and if you want to go out to a certain restaurant than by all means lets go! Let me worry about me. If I have a special request I will let you know. And PLEASE do not be offended if you make something and I don't eat it, or if I ask to see the package something came out of. It's nothing to do with you or your cooking. Finally, do NOT feel guilty eating something in front of me. Yes, there are foods I miss, but its ok. Don't not eat something because of me, that just makes me feel bad. It has been a huge mental and emotional journey through this process that I never expected. I have been so grateful for my friends and family who have embraced learning about the disease and who have even experimented with making me special foods. I appreciate all that more than you know, but most of all I just want to be able to enjoy my time with you without the constant focus being on food. And one final note, Celiac Disease is forever. I will never be done with this and odds are, if Dan and I ever have children, they will have it too. So my one last request is, please, please don't ask me if I'm done with that "diet thing".
So there it is, your lesson for the day! I may have made it sound horrible, but it really isn't all that bad. It's been a big adjustment but nothing I couldn't handle, and my quality of life has only gotten better since being diagnosed. I really am happy to answer any other questions you might have. While I don't like talking about it in every single social situation, I don't mind answering questions at all! It's a lot to understand and it's becoming more and more prevalent now-a-days. I am happy to do what can to help people understand it a little more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)