Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Gluten Free Lifestyle



It has been way too long since I have posted. I am not great at this because it takes what little time I have left over and consumes all of it! Well- Blake's headaches are getting closer together and he is having to miss half days at school here and there. For those of you who do not know, Blake and his daddy suffer from migraines. Sometimes they are severe and other times they are not as bad but for a 9 year old they are all BAD.
Today we are starting a process that leans more toward natural healing. This weekend I started researching a Gluten Free diet thanks to my friend Brooke. I have been very impressed with what I have read. Dr. Asa Andrews believes their is a connection between gluten and headaches. So today we have eliminated all wheat and flour from Matthew and Blake's diet. OH NO- you might ask- Is this the end of chips, snacks, cakes, and breads????? Well- last night I made a trip to the oh so expensive Whole Foods market and I just wanted to sit in the aisle and cry. There were so many choices and I did not want to spend a fortune on snacks that taste like dirt! My first experience with a gluten free shortbread cookie was a bad one. The birds probably left that cookie in my yard it was so bad.
Well- as I was frustrated God sent a couple of angels in my path. Some were headache sufferers that were buying gluten free products and others had digestive problems. They pointed away from the bad stuff and toward the good stuff.
So- I am proud to say that Matthew and Blake sampled tons of yummy treats that I brought home last night and only ONE was a no go!
Blake had gluten free waffles this morning and in his lunch box he had a parfait with gluten free granola and organic fruit. He also had a gluten free rice cake topped with peanut butter and honey, which he loved tasting last night. For a treat I added a gluten free chocolate wafer cookie that tasted amazingly good.
For his snack he took nut thins. They are crackers that are made out of almonds and rice and they are flavored with ranch seasoning. They are sooooooooooo GOOD!
So- as odd as all of this sounds it is very tasty. I packed Matthew the same lunch. He did not want to full blown parfait so I omitted the yogurt and sent that separate.
Tomorrow I am thinking I will pack a baked potato stuffed with cheese and butter and sour cream. Thank the good Lord he can still have potatoes and rice!!!!!!!!!!! They only meet we have to stay away from is Pork. But after reading about how disgusting pork is I am fine with my decision. Pigs are scavengers and they eat some pretty nasty things and then we turn around and eat them. And shellfish are the scavengers of the sea and their main job in life is to keep our oceans clean from waste. Just some food for thought!

Blake is looking at this as a fun adventure!!!! I am so proud of him.

5 comments:

Liz in Memphis said...

I am so glad y'all are taking a positive step toward relieving little Blake from his headaches! My friend Nikki has Celiac's disease and has been on a gluten free diet for many years. She still goes out to eat with us and enjoys all the same stuff we do - just without the wheat! She loves mexican because of all the corn used to make their chips and tortillas. And, she drinks gluten free beer. This is a fun adventure for your family!!! I can get some tips from her on how NOT to go broke doing this, too. :) Love you all!

Courtney said...

I was going to say that I had read about a gluten free diet about a year ago when the doc mentioned Cole could have celiac disease b/c he hadn't gained any weight (not to worry- he gained 5.5 lbs this year and is fine). I remember feeling overwhelmed just looking at everything. In the end, you just have to do what is best for Blake and Matthew! If this cures or helps the headaches, it will all be well worth it! Not to mention, it is all healthier!

3lackeys said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
3lackeygirls said...

I hope so much that this will help both Matthew and Blake find out the cause of their migraines. :-) Sorry the cookie sucked...no wonder it was in the back of my pantry for so long. If I won't even taste it, I don't know why I think Harper will like it. I finally threw out the organic hot dogs today. Some things are meant to be full of junk. That's why they taste so good!

Becky said...

i went today to Whole Foods and bought some gluten free stuff. I want to have more energy so I'm going to experiment!