Gluten-Free Simplicity

What looks like Fire, may only be a really cool Sunset. (c.2009, wtb)

  So for me when it came to the Doctor’s Gluten speech.  I had lots of emotional reactions.  Even for years following my diagnosis.  Did you?

  I can admit it… YES, sometimes I got issues with authority.  Even if their rulings are really in my own best interest…  How bout you?  If you did could you admit it?  I get even more riled up when it is regarding something I love and I am used to like Cakes, lots of bread with every meal etc… That’s not to mention those hidden sources of Gluten.  And in short, this resistance leads to lots of self-destruction for me.

  Allowing anyone (especially an Authority Figure) tell me “NO MORE” of anything, is hard for me to do.  But once I admitted this to myself, I could more readily reverse my self-destructive tendencies — and my perverse need to spite the authorities.

  Then, I  could start to heal.

  It is frustrating though, with or without authority issues… to be told you cannot do this or your can no longer eat that.  Yes it is!  And at the moment it may seem like  ones world has now been severely limited.

  But I found that when I opened my mind, and I got real curious about other cultures that were NOT necessarily wheat-based there was hope.  Particularly cultures with in climates other than U.S. climates, I found cuisines (e.g., Mexican, Asian, Indian etc…) that I could enjoy, with lots of choices.

  I had to admit to myself that there is a whole world out there.  This world is full of great food ideas.  And sooo sooo soooooo many of them are naturally Gluten-Free.

  I just had to let go of the resistance and get on a more open-minded pathway.

  I started to experiment a lot and I found that there are bountiful options available to me.  Sure, there are always the various newly developed wheat-substitute/fake items.  And I praise those kitchen adventurers who are seeking to make items that used to be made with wheat — without wheat.  More power to them!  I do that too.

  But as I let go of trying to replicate U.S.-type wheat-based items (like Wonder Bread, Cheerios or Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup).   And I have to say again, “those gals and guys who work hard in their kitchens to replicate typically gluten-filled foods without Gluten are angels — they really are”.  But my kitchen ain’t got one of them these days.  So I got to find alternatives.

  I started to explore other cultures.  And I was truly learning – not just about food either!!! 

  As the Gluten-Free Girl will tell you, there is a life beyond Wonder Bread — even though I really did love that stuff.

  Try new foods.  Try new cultures.  Think about climate and how it effects food choices.  Think about centuries of climate influencing food choices and the unlimited bounty of cuisine choices that can create.

  I tried to let go of those boundaries that kept me within a certain mindset of what is -, and is not NORMAL food.

  Give it a shot.  You might discover a whole new world.

* Helpful Hint/Notes:

• This article in Wikipedia about Staple Foods and this one on Tradiational Diets and Culture might be helpful.
• Also check out the various hyperlinks in this article in order to learn more.

: : : : : : : : : : :

• G-F Flash! Recipe for Gluten-Free Double Cheese Grits   I found an easily  adaptable recipe for Gluten-Free Double Cheese Grits at the website: "Tales from the Oven: Good Food Recipes from the Lunch Pail". [/caption] Among other ingredients, the recipe calls for:  quick grits shredded Cheddar cheese grated Parmesan cheese   Each of these items can be commonly......
• Way #33: Memorize Basic Word Clues that Indicate Gluten is Hidden in Food Ingredients in order to Get Closer to Gluten-Free Simplicity Way #33: Memorize Basic Word Clues that Indicate Gluten is Hidden in Food Ingredients in order to Get Closer to Gluten-Free Simplicity.   There are a few basic words that one might run into on a U.S. food label that indicate that Gluten is probably hidden in the ingredients.  If......
• Way #35: Gluten-Free Tax Breaks on the Way to Gluten-Free Simplicity Way #35: Gluten-Free Tax Breaks on the Way to Gluten-Free Simplicity.   I am not a tax professional, but basically, there are at least 3 places where Gluten-Free Issues cross Tax Breaks and they are the possibility of using ones Flexible Spending Account when buying certain items, Tax Deductions for......
• Forgiving Might Help one Attain Gluten-Free Simplicity 6. Humility, Forgiveness, and Grace Might Help one Attain Gluten-Free Simplicity.   On my journey toward Gluten-Free Simplicity I have frequently hesitated -- if not downright sabotaged myself -- during periods while recovering from a gluten relapse.  I have blamed myself, my family, anonymous waiters, waitresses, snack-food manufacturers ...  you name......
• Be Careful, Gluten Can Be Where One Least Expects It   It is important to warn you that while a positive outlook is necessary in this quest for gluten-free simplicity; one needs to be critically informed to carry a bit of skepticism about the possibility of hidden sources of gluten. [/caption]   How can this be.  The most popular belief is......

• 101 ways to increase website traffic [affmage source="chitika" results="0"][/affmage] [mage lang="" source="flickr"]101 ways to increase website traffic[/mage] Amazing Secrets Of A Free Traffic Generation MASTER??/Without traffic to your website, you're not going to make any money in your online business (unless you're able to tap into someone else's traffic). For many websites... especially new sites, one......
• Voluntarily Choosing Simplicity As A Middle Ground Everett S. blogs about his family's experiments in simple living on his blog about living the simple life and shares how-to videos from his Simple Living Skills Channel on YouTube. When we hear "voluntary simplicity" most people think about hermits who quit their jobs and trot off into the woods......
• 2010 Financial And Business Goals I've often heard it said "a goal without a time limit is not a goal."  To that end, last year I made a concrete list of goals for 2009 (you can see the results here).  While I didn't accomplish every single one of my goals last year and I don't......
• 10 Ways To Change The World Through Social Media. Citizen journalism, open government, status updates, community building, information sharing, crowdsourcing, and the election of a President. Editor's note: This is the first guest post from Max Gladwell. Our children will inherit a world profoundly changed by the combination of technology and humanity that is social media. They'll take for......
• the global business opportunities handbook Opportunities and Obstacles for Transit Oriented Development in Tel-AvivSection 1 - Introduction Until recently, suburbanization, urban sprawl and the consequential automobile dependence were issues of concern mainly in the United States, Canada and Australia. These days these issues have spread elsewhere, including Asia, the Middle East, and even Europe. Although......