Well, hello there

It's been a long time. Since my last post, the running has eased (unfortunately...I'm constantly battling the clock), the gluten free diet has continued, and I got pregnant! I'm almost 12 weeks along now and am really excited for number 3!

As far as cravings go, I've been craving everything that I can't have, pizza steak subs, barbeque chicken pizza, chicken parm subs, and the like. Everytime I drive past an Italian pizza and sub place, my heart skips a beat. Alas, it is not meant to be...my intestines won't allow it, and ultimately, that's fine by me.

I've had a lot of time over the last year and a half to reevaluate my diet and while it's still not perfect, I have made changes, above and beyond being gluten free. I still have a long way to go, but never in my life have I realized just how important it is to eat good, wholesome foods. Most of my changes have been directed toward my children, I'm still a work in progress.

One of my long term goals is to start buying exclusively grass fed beef and chicken. I am fortunate to live close to drop off points for the Polyface Farm, featured on Food Inc. and in the book The Omnivore's Dilemma. Hopefully soon we will be able to start buying their meat. In the meantime, I buy 95% of my meat from a local meat market that uses local beef.

I go out of my way to cut out high fructose corn syrup. I give the boys organic ketchup (Heinz is not GF), buy non-HFCS whole wheat bread, buy organic jelly when I can find it (I tried natural peanut butter but that was an epic FAIL), I give them only organic milk or water to drink, and very rarely juice. I try to keep their snacks on the healthy spectrum, Annie's bunny grahams/crackers and macaroni and cheese are constantly stocked in my house. Do you know how hard it is to find products that do not have HFCS?

Today I read an article that made me so grateful that I have already made those changes for my children. Here's the link: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100319/Study-reveals-higher-than-normal-blood-levels-of-fructose-in-pancreatic-cancer-patients.aspx This is so important to me because my dear grandfather passed away last year from pancreatic cancer. It was beyond horrific to watch him waste away to skin and bones after being so robust his entire life.

Every day I am so grateful that I learned of my celiac disease, not just for my health, but the health of my family. Had I not gone gluten free, I probably would not scrutinize labels, and I probably would not have made the changes I've made so far. I recently read The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn O'Brien, she says that the box of macaroni and cheese we ate as children is not the same macaroni and cheese that our children eat today. The additives! The GMOs! The rBGH! Frightening is an understatement...I think of that quote every day.