Going paleo?

I saw this cool infographic on Facebook:

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Sunday afternoon thoughts

My parents saved me an article yesterday from the Oregonian newspaper that talks about being gluten free.  It also includes a quiz on the signs of celiac disease created by Dr. Peter H.R. Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.  My search for this article online also led me to another Oregonian article about some great places to try in Portland with chefs who know first-hand about dietary restrictions.  I always love trying new restaurants where I can eat food without worries.  And, now that I am currently dairy free, too, that has added a whole new element. 

In any case, this leads me to thinking about how much easier it is to eat out (parts of my recent DC trip withstanding), and how much more prevalent this seems than when I started this journey 10 years ago.  I also know that this means that Martha Stewart gets to make disparaging comments and newspaper articles can  have titles such as "Going gluten free: Nutritional buzz word or serious health threat?" Seriously, I think it is okay to question dietary fads.  At the same time, I don't have any problem being certain that I have a gluten intolerance, and that undiagnosed dietary intolerances can lead to a host of other health issues.  I learned that first hand, and have now seen studies that back this up.  There was also the very sad story on one of the blogs a few months ago where a child died due to a food contamination.  That is tragic.

I also clearly remember that I used to be skeptical about dietary issues, and probably was a bit snug in my assertion that I could eat anything.  I like to think of my current situation as some sort of karmic justice and/or dose of humble pie. :) I am grateful that the issues are not more serious, and hope that they never become that way.

Ten years was when my journey to figure out how to regain health by changing my diet (i.e., cutting out wheat) started.  This is not a new idea, of course.  My dad had to change his diet years ago to manage his heart disease, my friend and former roommate, Megan, discovered diary restrictions 20 years ago, when we were roommates, and I know many more people who have other dietary restrictions (nuts, eggs, soy, dairy, etc.).  

So, where am I going with these thoughts?  As the title suggests, these are just Sunday afternoon musings as I have time to write while Alexander naps and Geoff runs errands.  This actually feels like quite a luxury to sit here just thinking and typing!  And, perfect timing, I hear Alexander start to stir upstairs.