What I am thankful for

Even though there are moments where I curse under my breath (or cry to my husband in the middle of the night when we have our "pillow talks") that I am a celiac, I do know deep down that it is a blessing.

Had I not been diagnosed a celiac, I would probably be eating horribly like I was in the months before I first found out I had the now more growing disease.
Had I not cut gluten, including all wheat, white, barley, rye and some oat flours out of my diet, I would probably be well over the 200 pounds that I was closely reaching back then and on my way to a self-inflicted early death.

But I did find out, and it changed my life. After watching someone die of colon cancer, you bet it changed my life.
I think about food a lot differently now than I did before.
I am thankful for healthy foods.
I am also thankful for sweets that are gluten free. Yes I still eat them, but no, no nearly as much as I used to.

I am thankful for the people who found out they had the disease before I did and were smart enough to figure out how to make gluten free foods that taste good.
I am thankful for the iternet and blogs full of recipes that I can steal, bake, and taste in the comfort of my own kitchen.

I am thankful for a husband who is willing to go gluten free with me, even though I know he doesn't have to.
I am thankful for people who love me enough to go out of their way to accomodate me with gluten free goodness when I come around for meals. I know first hand how difficult it can be to know HOW to make a gluten free meal. There are lots of meals out there that don't, and never have contained, gluten. But, it's just taking the time to figure out WHAT gluten is, that's the challenge sometimes.

Sure, there are times where I gauck at a hambuger and drool, thinking how good it would taste to bite into a real, bunned buger. But then, I also take a step back and realize how much I am saving myself by no longer eating those types of things. Do I still eat fat? Yes. Do I still eat sugar? Yes. But, do I make a more conscious effort to eat better, including using gluten free flours because they are not as processed and are better for your body? Yes. Definitely yes. And sometimes, it's not just beacause I have to. It's because I want to. I want to eat healthy. I want to take care of the body that God has so graciously given me, because in reality it's not entirely mine anyway, it's just on loan. For now.

So, Happy Thanksgiving to you, and you, and you.

This next month, I will be making a couple of things, including these tasty recipes:
http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2009/11/gluten-free-pie.html (this will be used to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving)

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2008/10/winning-him-over-to-oatmeal.html

and this http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2005/08/loving-kitchen.html (this will be my attempt to make something that Chas and I had in Jamaica on our honeymoon)