*** MAGIC ***

 I think my word for 2010 is  * MAGIC *

This year already feels full of possibilities & opportunities.
& I'm seriously working on reducing clutter, both at home & in the office
(& yes, need to get off-line & on task!!!)

I take part in an on-line 'conversation' group of women who respond to questions every few weeks. This morning, the gal who invited me to participate sent a personal e-mail quiring if the ~ 20# weight loss I experienced over ~ 8 months & mentioned recently had been 'mostly' from the switch to coconut oil.

While that's defiantly contributed, the switch to Gluten Free has played a big part as well! This is what I sent to the group:

yes, (much of the weight loss) seems to have resulted from the shift in oils (using coconut
& olive oil while avoiding others) in the spring, then going GLUTEN FREE in the summer!
I love having  a waist again :) The mainthing I notice if I get some stray gluten is bloating.
I use high quality digestive enzymes or vinegar in water with questionable meals.

My energy level is up, & I WANT to move/exercise more because of the extra
energy, I find myself craving 'bad' stuff (anything with gluten, high
fructose corn syrup, & unsaturated oils) tho I still love things like GOOD
chocolate, fresh fruits etc. Pomegranates - I will miss those when the
season's over!!

This link to Grain Damaged offers a good overview of gluten sensitivity.
(the gal who asked about my weight loss suffers from IBS, & this article focuses
on food sensitivities usually playing a huge role in IBS, with wheat/gluten being the main
cluprit!!)

Hmmm - I also got a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership this
year, with a local organic farm. I tend to buy local/Organic as much as
possible (I choose coconut as one of the 'from far' foods - still OG) but
having the CSA membership really cuts down on buying 'other' (non-organic)
food. & prompts me to eat more veggies, which we 'should' anyway!

So that's another slight shift. Since 'my farmers' use  water from their own well, the
veggies are grown fluoride free - & fluoride interferes with the body's
ability to absorb necessary iodine, while the chemical fertilizers used by
NON OG farmers cut the amt of Magnesium available.
One of my 'additions' this year is a good water filter - that removes the
fluoride! Sigh. Why do *they* have to mess with our lovely NW water??

& 'of course' cutting soy as much as possible from my diet has helped (my
dau still uses some in cooking, & it's also 'hidden' in lots of things)
since soy depresses the thyroid, & coconut balances it, the inclusion of
coconut combined with the exclusion of most soy tends to boost the
metabolism (unless one had an overactive thyroid, then coconut would help
calm it down!) & much commercial soy sauce contains gluten, so Chinese
restaurants are pretty much 'out' unless they're conscious & REALLY offer
gluten free (soy sauce free) options.

Many women start eating more soy during menopause, for the phyto estrogens
- but with the thyroid depression, I suspect that's tied to weight gain!

Restaurant eating has gotten much more selective - I'm a Virgo, & have
been 'health conscious' for years; going gluten free gives me the 'excuse'
to say "Aw, I'm grain damaged - can you bring me .  . . ." (a salad w
olive oil & vinegar - or no dressing, a soup not thickened with flour, not
something breaded or fried . . . )  & lots of nice veggies . .  .& watch
my friends scarf down a huge plate of something greasy . . . (fried in
un-saturated un-healthy oils to boot!)

****** so that's my personal 'formula' for having dropped ~ 20 # in the last 18 months. & people
have begun noticing - one of the NDs that shares our office asked how much I'd lost the other
day! Her husband has dropped 30# since going Gluten Free last spring; she & their teen son still
eat some, but much less than in the past.
"LIVING WITHOUT" mag has a list of 10 'Must Dos for New Celiacs' (I so like the term 'Grain
Damaged!)
1: Understand your disease - research!
2: Build a Medical team
3: Join a Support group (my dau's best friend is part of ours, I haven't gone yet)
4: Check your Pantry (read lables & toss. Segragate gluten-containing food if one or more family
members still eat the stuff!)
5: Stock the Basics, including some good GF mixes! - Personally, I enjoy having a 'larder' of flours
as well, so I can add play with tweeking recipes (like the chestnut scones!) but I've always been
a 'creative' cook!
6: Dust off your apron (& make some new ones!)
7: Buy a bread machine (my dau got one for Christmas that has a low carb/gluten free cycle
I'm more an oven gal, myself! But do have access to it! & a dear client brot me several GF mixes
as a Christmas gift!)
8: Patronize Local Businesses - YES! & if they accomodate you, TIP WELL & let them know you'll
return!
9: Don't settle
  This could be our motto for life - don't settle!! Breathe it in!
10: Exhale - relax - it will be all right - & even better!

Exhaling reminds us to - INHALE!
A psychic friend told me in a reading that when I found myself craving bread, to remember to
take a moment to breathe! That my body was craving more *fuel* - & to think of Oxygen first!
so go outside, hug a tree, & take a DEEP BREATH!!

Oh, dear!! Here's a link to an article on how agave nectar (which I use sporadically) is made!!
Guess I'm retiring that bottle!!