What I never thought I'd do...

I don't do fad diets.

I never did Atkins, I don't detox (although maybe I should…), I don't even drink protein shakes.

So many fad diets have been denounced and have been shown to harm you more than help.

I guess I just figure we should try to eat how God originally planned on having us eat! Fruit, veggies, meat, grains, etc… As much of a whole foods diet as we can.

Don't get me wrong. We eat yummy stuff. We love taco night and pizza night. The hubby and I have a (not so) secret obsession with sour patch kids (a must have at the movies!). I love chocolate. And, not the healthy 90-something% cocoa… I like milk chocolate. LOVE it, actually. I also bake… often. I don't think a kitchen should ever be void of some yummy baked good. And, there is ALWAYS frozen yogurt in my freezer. Always.

We just try to stay away from boxes at the grocery store, foods with lots of artificial ingredients, colors, flavors, etc. I personally don't drink soda or very much juice. If I do, it's watered down.

But, then… the unthinkable happened.

We went to WI for Christmas. My brother-in-law and mother-in-law are eating primarily gluten-free due to some health issues. So, we naturally ate more that way because we were staying with my in-laws.

For the first time in my life, I noticed a difference with my stomach. Normally, I experience mild discomfort daily. Nothing bad enough to send me to the doctor. I usually credited it to pregnancy hormones and my body adjusting to all that goes into that.

But, I felt good!

Then, I'd eat a piece of bread or kringle or a Christmas cookie and the discomfort would return.

Honestly, I was in denial.

I love carbs. Bread, muffins, pancakes, pizza, rolls,… LOVE IT ALL.

I eat sandwiches every day for lunch.

But, the way my stomach felt was undeniable.

And, my MIL is sold. She's a nurse. She researches things. She's skeptical until proven. I trust her. I don't call the doctor. I call my MIL.

She buys this.

All you have to do is read the introduction to Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD, and you will be intrigued. I promise.

Dr. Davis brings up the point that if you look in your grandparents photo albums, you will see thin people, thin children, all from before our crazy workout fads started. Housewives were thin, and they never went out for a run or to the gym.

He credits this to the fact that our wheat has been so genetically engineered over the last half of the 20th century that it resembles original wheat to a lesser degree than chimpanzees' genetic makeup resembles ours. In other words, we are more genetically similar to chimps than modern day wheat is to the wheat God originally put on this earth.

Now, I'm not going to give away everything from this book, nor am I going to tell you exactly how it effects our body. You just need to read the book yourself.

I will say that I think there's something to this.

I have made my own baby food since we had our first child because I don't trust baby food companies. And, with the whole grain vs whole wheat debate lately, why are we just assuming that what has happened to our wheat has actually proved beneficial? Why do we think these companies actually care about our health vs. their bottom line?

Ok, ok… I'm getting a little off topic.

Point being: do your research and make up your own mind.

We don't have celiac disease but believe the benefits of going gluten-free are worth it.
So, we're doing the 80/20 ratio. We're not going to stress about it. We're taking baby steps. Adjusting to this new lifestyle. Trying to eat gluten free 80% of the time, but allowing ourselves some grace. (We do a lot of eating at camp and since we don't NEED to eat gluten free, we're not going to ask for special food while we're there.)

And, I'm learning.

My sister-in-law has been a HUGE help. She took me to her grocery store and walked me through some brands to try. (She writes a blog about being gluten/dairy free! Check it out!)

I found out I really really like this Rudi's bread. I mean, YUM!

My next goal is to come up with my own flour recipe so I can make my own bread, pancakes, etc… Send any tips my way!

We've been eating eggs and yogurt for breakfast pretty often.

We stick to meat and veggies at dinner, usually with rice or potatoes… dinners were an easy transition. We just had to leave out the rolls!

And, I assure you, Rice Krispie treats are just as yummy when made with Rice Chex, which are already gluten-free!

I've slowly started tweaking my dessert recipes to see if I can make them yummy and gluten-free. I haven't gotten to try many yet, but one I tried turned out so good I shared it with Mandy and she liked it so much, she featured it on her blog!

Go here for the recipe: Tasty Thursday - Delicious Date Bars (WF&DF)

I hope you like it!

And, I hope to share more of my gluten-free journey as I get better at it.
Thanks for listening!
-kt