Big Changes Around Here (Not pregnant)

I'll keep the suspense to a minimum and just come out and say that I'm gluten intolerant.

I realize this probably isn't interesting to anyone except my mom (love you mom!) but at the very very least maybe I won't have to answer questions of why I've lost weight when I'm in Texas next time:).

I'd been having mostly mild stomach pains for years and years (I don't even know when it started...pre-high school probably) and finally Brent and Amy convinced me to see a professional about it. It's been quite a process and a pretty big change for me and Brent. Brent has been such a trooper! Love him!

I've been doing a lot of research. Mostly trying to find recipes I can eat. I'm on an even stricter diet for the time being (overseen by a nutritionist). I can't eat: processed foods, added sugar, gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nuts (almonds are allowed), corn, citrus fruit, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant)....so you can see why I'm scouring the internet for recipes. Luckily there are some really delicious recipes out there even with all these restrictions, it just takes time to find them. I'm on these restrictions until I test each food one-by-one to see how my stomach reacts to them. (I've tested gluten and dairy so far)

Most of the recipe blogs I end up reading mention something or other that divert my attention from finding recipes to reading about food and how they effect our bodies. Just thought I'd sharing some of the interesting articles I've come across that have helped educate me a little more (or confuse me a little more:).

The jury's still out for me on a lot of topics although I can say for me I feel better than ever and have noticed improvement in my skin, hair, energy level, and obviously for me my stomach feels so much better. But as far as the research goes there are a lot of different ideas and opinions and even contradicting studies that make it hard to decide what's true. I do know I will need to avoid gluten, though I do cheat for special occasions.

Just saw this one today...
14 Foods You Should Never Eat. A few of these are obvious like McDonald's or diet soda but some might surprise you.

The New York Times article last Sunday about Breeding the Nutrition Out of Our Food gives an interesting perspective about the produce in our grocery stores. "The United States Department of Agriculture exerts far more effort developing disease-resistant fruits and vegetables than creating new varieties to enhance the disease resistance of consumers."

This one's for my doctor who told me that dairy is the devil. Haha. Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at All Cost or Why Following the USDA Food Pyramid Guidelines is Bad for Your Health.

I particularly enjoyed the authors sense of humor while challenging the age old idea that dairy prevents bone fractures, his encouragement to get calcium from foods other than milk, and this quote about the USDA food pyramid:  

"Some of the "experts" who helped create the pyramid actually work for the dairy industry, which makes the US Department of agriculture's recommendations reflect industry interests, not science or our best interests." 

I love a good conspiracy theory and how hard is it to believe that there are greedy and powerful people out there trying to keep us consuming their product?...milk is tasty though. 

Man, you guys are gonna think I'm such a hippie! Hope all you're tummies are well! Mine's getting there!