It's Not a License to EAT

We're still making the shift to gluten free... having decided that it would be easier and far more economically feasible to do a gradual shift rather than cold turkey. And since we don't have any specific diagnosis at this point, there was no real reason to make the switch all at once. But I am limiting the shit to one week.

As a recovering food addict, one thing has become clear very quickly. Eating "healthier" and eating gluten free are not automatically licenses to EAT EAT EAT. Some part of my subconscious has been very comfortably thinking "oh good, it's gluten free (or organic or healthy or...) so I can eat as much as I want." And, of course, at this point in my life, I've become quite good at letting that little justification voice rule the roost.

But seriously... Lay's Ripple Potato Chips and Edy's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream are both totally gluten free! And, unfortunately, I still shouldn't sit down and eat a whole bag or bucket of either one of them.

It's critical to keep an eye on the big picture at all times. Many gluten free products still contain some of the other ingredients on our list... Corn syrup being the predominant one. And moderation must still be maintained. It can't be about making one change and throwing all the others out the window.

Man it's hard work! And a huge disappointment to that little justification voice!

How I Got Started

I confess – I love food. Always have, always will. And, quite frankly, it’s pretty obvious. My relationship with food, even when I was a kid, has always been a rocky one. And, while I’m putting it all out there and confessing, I never really cared all that much how dysfunctional my food relationship was. It was what it was. I love food. It makes me happy, and comforts me.

But then I turned forty, and I had a sudden desire to really start taking care of myself. I got checked out by my doctor – other than the need to lose some weight, I was healthy. I started doing Tai Chi regularly, and walking not so regularly. And I started to think about what I was eating.

Yikes!

It all began to hit home when I watched Dr. Oz on Oprah one day. He had a bucket of margarine, which he squeezed in his fist, and said that’s what it was doing to the arteries as well. I was horrified, and immediately made the switch to butter only. I sat, intently listening to all his recommendations, and committed to memory Dr. Oz’s list of ingredients to avoid. And then I added a few of my own.

Here’s the list I started with – No foods with any of the following: sugar in the first five ingredients, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, bleached flour, lard, artificial sweeteners, or MSG.

But I don’t like to be deprived, even if I’m the one depriving myself. I need some flexibility and a little wiggle room. So I aimed to succeed at least 75% of the time.

For me, being addicted to food is in a large part about flavor. I’m addicted to flavor. And sometimes it takes a lot of food to be satisfied with the flavor. I’ve always loved flavored non-dairy coffee creamers for this reason. They have quite a lot of flavor packed into a single cup of coffee. But I gave them up. They’re basically just corn syrup with artificial colors and flavors after all. Instead, I now punch up the flavor of my coffee by using espresso beans fine ground for my automatic drip machine. It makes a strong flavorful cup, and avoids the corn syrup.

And that was my start…