Saturday, March 27, 2010

Gluten Free Me

I have been recovering from a number of health issues. About 6 weeks ago, I decided to give up gluten and sugar for Lent. I usually don't give up anything during Lent but it seemed fitting since I wanted to try 6 weeks of eating this way which is about 40 days. Plus I figured that perhaps I would draw strength from knowing that others are abstaining from this or that.

Soooo. . .here are some reflections from gluten free me. Brown rice takes 45 minutes to cook. Brown rice chips are tasty. Brown rice bread has an interesting texture and is expensive. Brown rice pasta is better than wheat in my opinion. So you probably get the picture that I've been eating a lot of brown rice products. Beans and corn are my gluten free friends. Eating out can be a pain unless it's tex mex which I really dig anyway. Thai and Indian food are also really good picks. I miss pizza.

I miss brownies and chocolate. I have noticed that once I gave up sugar and in my case including fruit, it tastes incredibly sweet when I have a nibble. Yes, I've had a few but I must say that there are quite tiny. The taste is so sweet that I don't really want a lot of it. So that's a bonus. It does seem possible to train our tastes.

A friend and I did go to one of my favorite restaurants in Dallas called Bread Winner's this past week. Just the name of it should scream, "Making provision for the flesh". I knew I would eat the bread when I sat down and yet my portion was much less than usual. However, did this momentary relapse affect me? I confess that I ate a portion of my sister's delicious banana bread today. It is a helpful analogy of letting sin in~ we open the door a tiny bit and then get used to the taste so that pretty soon we indulge more frequently, forgetting the consequences will come.

I haven't seen all the results I was hoping for and yet I am experiencing progress. I think this means I will need to remain on this eating plan for longer than 40 days. uggh. I have to remind myself that my health is worth the delayed gratification. That's on my good days. On my bad days, I think, "Why do I have to eat this way when most of humanity is partaking of dessert, fried foods and Diet Coke?" I am going on vacation mid May so my new goal is to see further results in the next 6 weeks so I can relax my eating. Please pray for this sister's full recovery. By the way, my hat goes off to those of you who eat consistently gluten and/or sugar free.