Lifestyle Changes

Back before Fiona was conceived and Skip had come home from Iraq after binging on Cheerios and M&Ms for a year weighing near 200 pounds we made a choice to go gluten free.  He was having terrible daily headaches and could hardly button his pants or bend over to tie his boots(seriously it was bad). I did quite a bit of searching for reasons he would be having the headaches and went out on a whim and cut wheat products.  We also got a glucose monitor and noticed his fasting blood sugar levels were pretty bad as well.  The headaches were gone within a week and he dropped 20lbs in about 2 months. His blood sugar no longer had us worried about the possibility of diabetes. We were quite happy and shocked that just that one change could make such a difference.

Since then we have stayed mostly gluten free, failing miserably at times and paying the price with headaches or upset digestive tracks.  Right after giving birth this time to Phoebe I immediately noticed I was  having some serious stomach issues.  I have a terrible history of digestive problems, GERD and being hospitalized on multiple occasions for severe stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea with no known causes.  After a couple of weeks of trying to figure out why I was getting so sick I realized it was the wheat products.  I stopped eating them and within 24 hours all was well again.  Pregnancy and childbirth have the ability to cause very dramatic changes to the body, one of them being food sensitives after birth.  Seriously, I researched it. It would seem wheat is going to be a potential permanent issue for me.

So with that I am back to eating gluten free with a small cheat here and there, being sure to keep it small enough that it's not causing an issue.  As a whole it is safe to say the whole family it about 98% gluten free, Fiona loves graham crackers...

Then we got to thinking about the rest of our diet.  What do we need, what don't we need and what should we be adding and why.  So hours of documentaries on food and health,  The state of this countries farming industries and what the human body is actually designed to digest, Skip made a radical decision.  One I did not expect for him to suggest.

Vegetarianism.

Yes, he did suggest that. And we have moved forward with it. We did agree we will be strict vegetarians at home and would make exceptions and adjustments when eating out or with family and friends. I personally find that I don't have much interest in making that exception for myself or for the kids, but I know Skip probably will take advantage from time to time.

We are going to continue to be wheat free as much as possible.  We do not drink milk, for more reasons than I care to go into here.  Any dairy such as cheese and yogurt I have always been picky about, must be either organic or hormone free.  Since my eggs come from my own backyard I don't need to worry about those.  At some point we may move more toward being vegan, but not at this time.

It's been exciting looking for new recipes, new ways of getting a healthier source of protein and adjusting to a new lifestyle.  We are already feeling less sluggish and digestion for everyone has improved a great deal.  I won't lie, I miss bacon, but that will pass with time.

Now with the holidays coming up, it will be fun to see what decisions we make and how we will feel about them afterwards.