Thinking Outside the Box

“Variety is the spice of life.” Anonymous

Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut?

Maybe you eat the same foods all the time? Wear the same clothes. Drive the exact same route to work, or wherever you travel on a regular basis.

The fact is – for anyone living with Celiac Disease, and/or multiple food allergies, your diet is limited by default, easily leading to meal-time ruts.

In other words, the tendency is to consume the same ‘safe’ foods over and over again.

Speaking for myself, when I find something I like, that is easy to prepare and nutritious, I will eat it repeatedly, day in and day out, without ever getting tired of it.

Well, all that changed for me recently, when my naturopath started me on a Rotation Diet.

This has nothing to do with weight loss, by the way, although I wouldn’t be surprised if a few pounds drop by the wayside while trying to maintain this new way of eating.

The goal of a Rotation Diet is to reduce repetitive intake of the same foods, giving your immune system a chance to recover from any foods you might be reactive to.

In a nutshell, it means limiting consumption of most foods to every three days, with a few exceptions here and there.

By the way, I’m in no way an expert on this subject, nor am I suggesting that anyone adopt a Rotation Diet, except on the advice of your doctor.

However, let me be honest, here.

There have been more than a few occasions – in as many weeks – when I’ve been ready to throw in the towel and say “the heck with it”.

Whether you are new to the gluten-free diet or mastered the basics years ago, you will understand.

You already know how challenging the initial adjustment can be when you need to eliminate whole categories of food from your diet, things that the rest of the world typically takes for granted.

Having to limit my meal time choices to every third day has me seriously challenged.

My solution?

I’m not sure I have one yet, although I know it means being more creative than ever in my approach to meals.

And learning to really think outside the box!

Which brings me to this weeks’ recipe.

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1 IN 133

What is 1 in 133?                                             

It is first and foremost, a statistic – one that describes the prevalence of Celiac Disease & gluten intolerance in our society.

It is also the name given to a clever marketing campaign, designed to draw attention to food labeling laws.

Yes, this weeks’ post is a bit different from the norm.

However, I was motivated to get on the bandwagon, due to my personal interest in this common digestive disorder.

Since May is National Celiac Awareness Month, this is a fitting time to drum up support.

Whether referred to as Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity, it all boils down to the same thing – an inability to digest gluten, a common protein in food.

The only known cure does not involve medication or surgery – a big plus – but it does require life-long adherence to a special, gluten-free diet. (Please note that his has nothing to do with the current fad to adopt a gluten-free diet in order to lose weight).

The ‘1 in 133’ website neatly sums up their mission with the following statement:

‘In 2007, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) tasked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to finalize standards for gluten-free labeling. Four years later, the FDA has failed to fulfill that mandate. To the millions of Americans who eat gluten-free food, this inaction is a big deal’.

So, here’s where it really gets fun:

To highlight their cause, the campaign has set out to create the world’s largest Gluten-Free Cake, which will ultimately be 12 feet high!

This is no small feat for gluten free baking!

For anyone not familiar with gluten-free baking, it’s problematic at best, since gluten is the very substance which lends elasticity and moisture to baked goods.

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