Clearing out the Gluten

This post is perhaps more about body clutter. (Fly Lady Marla Cilley has a book by that title.) I don't know about you, but that Dr. Oz has me freaked out about dairy and gluten allergies/sensitivities/intolerance. If you keep eating irritating foods, your body will suffer from inflammation, a major cause of disease. So I asked a naturopath about allergy tests and she said they're so unreliable that the best way to test is to "challenge" certain foods by fasting from them for at least two weeks. So I've given up gluten and am on Week 2. And I am hungry! My mouth often waters when I go to the store. Clearly I don't know how to stay full with gluten-free options, partly because I simply have to be more creative and buy new foods.

Good news: I can still eat all the dairy and tortilla chips I want.
Bad news: Eating eggs and hash browns for breakfast gets really old, and I think corn chips actually irritate my skin a bit. Might have more of a corn allergy.
Strangest food buy: Seaweed rice crackers from Whole Foods, used to transport guacamole to my mouth.
Comfort food: Gluten free mac n' cheese with rice noodles.
Surprisingly okay food: A cheeseburger wrapped in lettuce. I never did the low-carb diet, but I felt pretty happy w/ my lettuce wrap. fries, and lemonade. But the fact that this is only two weeks makes this more okay!
Bright side: I am more educated now that I know gluten is a protein composite found in wheat, rye, and barley. And you can eat yeast because that ain't gluten.

I am optimistic that I don't have issues with gluten....and I've told friends I think the dairy weeks will be when I whine the most. Still, it's fascinating to see how one can handle going gluten-free and to consider all the folks who do this all the time.

Declutterin' and Shoppin'

So, haven't posted for a while, but I'm still slowly decluttering. Was told by a wise person to limit it to an hour a day, if that, and I'd probably get more done and enjoy my summer more. I agree! I find it draining to go through my own old box of papers--last week it was my taxes from 10 years ago, old leases, and some fun old pictures and cards. To not be like my relatives, the non-sentimental stuff has got to go now. And yes, I am happy to say, I'm doing fun things that do not involve decluttering.

One of those things is hitting the gym with a friend. But now that I'm at the gym 2-3 times a week, I need more workout clothes. And man, I've worn out the Danskin pants I bought, oh, 6 or more years ago. They have some tiny holes. And they're now that faded black where you know it's just been washed too many times. (Why is it so hard to find flattering workout pants?) So I've picked up a few new things. Then I also decided I needed to update my sleepwear. I tend to keep things at least five years if not more. I loved my old green H&M t-shirt I bought in NYC, but it had two or three holes in it, so yeah, had to part with some old faves. I usually only do a few big shopping trips each year because that's all I can stand, but you can get cute stuff for reasonable prices, so it's good to remember I'm an adult and it's okay to restock when the rotation is pretty old. I even heard a story on NPR about how the price of clothing is extremely low compared to the past, which is keeping customers shopping more often. Good news for this anti-shopper. Might as well enjoy it and part with the old stuff!