Celiac

May is Celiac Awareness Month. I had no idea until this morning when I was reading my Wegman’s Newsletter. Wegman’s for those that do not know is a grocery store chain. They carry a lot of unique, high end, gourmet items and also a ton of gluten free items that are not only very tasty, but very affordable.

Anyway, since it is awareness month, I thought I would spread a little awareness. The link about is a pretty good, simple explanation of exactly what Celiac is and how it differs from an allergy or sensitivity.

As many of you know both my husband and 15 year old daughter have Celiac and we have had to make major adjustments to our diet to accommodate their needs. We are in full swing now and it is hardly even an issue anymore for us, but there is still a lot of misunderstands and misconceptions about gluten and the disease itself. Good news for our family is that we have seen huge improvements in both my husband and our daughter’s health.

Interesting thing though, my husband is still not feeling as optimal as he should be for a man his age and size. He is fit, not overweight, don’t smoke, doesn’t drink soda except for the occasional can of root beer and even more rarely alcohol.

He still gets some headaches and even though sleeps several hours is not happy to get up in the mornings, so we have been adjusting our diet even more. I have always been a firm believer in what you put in your body determines how you look at feel, but have never really gone overboard on diet. I have been fortunate that a balanced diet of everything in moderation has worked well for me, but I have to admit as I hit 40 staying toned has become much harder for me and of course the tiny “cancer” thing has gotten me thinking more about healthy and living and wanting to do both for a very long time.

I am not a fan of diets or fads or exclusion unless allergy dictates, so low fat, low carb, no carb, no sugar, all vegetarian just isn’t going to do it, but we are trying to eat less processed foods and more “whole” foods. I have added a ton more water to every ones diet and at least one 16 ounce of juice from our juicer and a lot less breads(even gluten free) and empty foods that do not offer any actual health benefit. Taste and pure enjoyment is not an empty calorie to me. That food offered something and joy is very beneficial, but if I can combine pure unadulterated joy with something that also added something to our overall well being while not taking anything from it(like energy or needed vitamins) then that is what I want to do.

In the short time we have been doing this everyone has seen improvements in skin, hair(those only took about 3 days) energy, sleep and less logy-ness and headachy.

We love food and we love different things. We have diverse palates and truly look forward to meal time That is a family thing I do not want to get away from. I do not want eating to be a mindless thing that we do for the sole purpose of nourishment  Brown rice, chicken breast and alfalfa sprouts(although we love all 3) isn’t gonna do it.

I am fortunate that I love to cook and love to experiment. I have the time and support and even screw ups are fun. Last night I tried to juice frozen blueberries. I defrosted them slightly, but not enough. Not only did my kitchen look like a crime scene because the blueberries were jumping out of the machine, I almost blew up my juicer…no biggy. TSM and I just laughed and spent 30 minutes cleaning up the mess while enjoying our hard earned juice which was devine!! Not everyone had the time or desire, but I do, so I am!

All of these new adventures(along with ammo shortage and economy worries) have left little time for guns stuff and since I am no longer wack-a-doodle(or at least a little less) there doesn’t seem much to write on the blog that goes with A Girl and Her Gun(I do have some product reviews and a gun course coming though). I thought about stopping the blog, but I would miss you all to much. I thought about changing the name to include all the new things, but A Girl and Her Gun and Family, and EMT and Self Defense and Healthy Eating and the Search for a Tighter Ass seemed a bit much, so instead I will keep the name (because really I just adore my identity as AGirl so much), but add more of my other goings on.

This blog really has always been about my life and my journey. Guns, supporting and encouraging women(and men), & the 2nd Amendment will always be a part of my life and this blog, but healing and how guns have played a role are not so central anymore. I can now expand beyond that. Not sure how it will look or take shape, but just wanted to give you a heads up.

I will say that this gun journey with all of you has been such a healing, rejuvenating time for me. I can say that each month(with a few setbacks) I have become stronger, healthier, more peaceful than any other time in my life. The changes that have come about from the “simple” notion of taking more responsibility for my own safety is nothing short of remarkable. That idea and the support I have found have helped me take risks, accept my new self(which is really the old me only more so) and find a whole new freedom I honestly never knew existed and as I have said countless times, I was a happy, peaceful, joyful person before this road.

Even with all the uncertainty and craziness our country is dealing with, this really is the best time of my life. Thanks for letting me share with you.

 

15 thoughts on “Celiac

  1. This reminds me of the movie “The Girl, The Gold Watch and Everything.” Seriously, no worries. Post what you want, where you want and how you want. Don’t worry about the rest. Your friends will keep reading.

    Celiac is a muy no bueno ride. Gluten is everywhere. You have to keep an eye out for it in the most unlikely places. The Queen is highly allergic to gluten. I shouldn’t have it, but I cheat on any day ending in a “y”. The Queen is so sensitive that she has to watch out for MSG (and its alter ego autolyzed yeast extract) as that can also be problematic for gluten allergies.

    I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill gluten free products. Particularly their gluten free baking flour. It’s great stuff. Their pizza crust is pretty good (omit the yeast if you want a thin crust). Their brownies are awesome (and really good for the slutty brownie recipe).

    • Your poor wife. No one in my house is that sensitive, but since it isn’t just about external reactions and how they feel, but actually about the damage gluten does to their bodies I am very careful. Also, we have friends that are as sensitive as your wife and I like them to feel safe and comfortable when they come here.

      I agree that Bob’s Red Mill is very good although I have taken to making my own flour mixtures. A while ago Brigid told me about book called Cooking For Isiah. The author has a fabulous flour mixture and we use that for just about everything. I admit that the family has a weakness(not me. sweets are not my thing) for the brownie mix that Bob makes. I bought a life time supply when a local store went out of business and had a huge sale on everything. M likes to swirl cream cheese prior to baking.

  2. We have some good friends who’s eldest grandson has Celiac. It was a challenge for the family to adjust with 5 other kids not wanting to eat the same as he had too. Kudos to your family for taking this on as a whole family!

    Thanks for all you do both in and out of gun world!

  3. But..but.. you can’t go yet! The conversation has just started.

    We are watching you grow. You are helping us grow. Heck, I didn’t even know what celiac was until you mentioned it. Although I don’t do a lot of the grocery shopping, I am responsible for what goes in my mouth, so all your foody hints are much appreciated….although I suspect my favorite food will always be a peanut butter jelly sandwich! You are a presence here on the web, and we’re on this journey with you. Even tho I know your real name, I always think “oh, goody, AGirl has a new post up! Wonder what’s up in her world?”

    so just let the page evolve, just as you do. We’ll be here.

  4. A Girl,

    Hey there! We juice here, not as often as we should. One of our favorite is several carrots, 1 apple and some fresh parsley. Have you tried juicing sweet potatoes yet? I usually have to had another vegetable with because it a tad gritty.

    Sometimes life gets in our way and we don’t have time or topics to write about. We as blogger friends all understand. I’ve been busy myself, and haven’t posted as often as I usually do.

  5. Thanks for the sharing and honesty about this… The more people realize there are issues, the better (hopefully) the stores and other food processors will do with getting foods that are workable.

  6. It still works. Gun owners are just regular people with normal, varied interests. And who knows, maybe someone will stumble on your celiac posts and see that this girl and her gun isn’t scary at all.

  7. And in spite of all of this, you realize you’re living through the ‘good times’. And, you are. You are a smart woman for knowing that.

  8. I hope you will keep up the blog,I enjoy reading about your gun adventures,and all the rest,too.
    Life is always changing,sometimes one thing is a priority,and then something else takes its place for a while,but basically you remain the same.And we want to hear about it!!
    Billf

  9. Just an fyi. Root beer has caramel coloring. A frequent source of the caramel coloring is wheat.

    • Yes, you are right anything with wheat would be a problem for him. He has found some gluten free ones(like A&W which has never given him a reaction), but thank you very much for the FYI!!

  10. I deal with multiple food allergy and/or celiacs daily. My record is a little girl on vacation with over 30 food allergies, half of which were life threatening, who had never eaten in aa restatrant before. Rememeber you can be fine with certain foods all your life and then suddenlly your body decide it doesnt like something. Tracking down the culprit can be fustrating especially if it is a mild intolerance that may not always trigger symptoms untill a certain amount is consumed.

    For hubby a trip to an endocrinologist for fatigue might be in order as well as a sleep study. There are more things in those two areas that can be just a BIT off enough to cause long term fatigue symptoms than you can shake a stick at.

    • Yes, after I gave birth to my daughter 14 years ago, I suddenly developed an allergy to mango. That was rough as I adore mango. Took a while to figure it out.

      Thanks for the tips on the hubby. so far the change in diet, sleep and exercise has done wonders for him. He is like a new man, but we will keep suggestion in mind.

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