Habits, Healthy Eating and Bento

I can be inspired by just a word or two. After a conversation with a friend a word stays in my mind. I read a blog, click on a link and that word opens up a new world.

During my last long distance phone call with Vacation Barb (my previously known as Toronto Barb friend) she said the word "habits". "Habits are the key...". She has developed amazing habits. Right now she is flying to Hawaii with her bike in a travel box. Cycling has become a habit for her. It is like her medicine or daily vitamin. Every time I see her she looks younger, healthier. It gives her the energy to work harder, grow her business and employ more people.

She says she is inspired by my new gym and rehab regime. But she has been inspiring me for years.

Along with exercising I am making healthy food choices. I'm not saying diet. After years of yoyo dieting and the damage done by wheat and food allergies I want to come to some understanding with food. We have to learn to get along and live together. And I'll be doing most of the work in this relationship.

My new word is Bento. Through the world of blogs I have found the Bento box lunch. Bento boxes are a Japanese style lunch often made to be aesthetically appealing. I am now excited to make my lunch everyday. I am excited to see what beauty I can pack into a container. Until I have some blog worthy pictures these are the blogs that are inspiring me: Just Bento, Lunch in a box and Cooking Cute.

I made a birthday Bento for D.L.P. (Happy Birthday! Hope you had a great day off!). She says I should blog about it to share this healthy way of eating. And it is very healthy. It is about colour, freshness, balance. There are even government guidelines for a healthy Bento in Japan: 2 parts rice, 1 part protein and 1 part veg.

I like the definition of inspire : to affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence. Inspire is to be "in spirit". Inspiration makes me excited about my world and the gift of this life. So when a word stays with me, I pay attention. Habits, healthy eating, Bento. These are the words that inspire me today.

I am blessed

That says it all about my Christmas. The people, the food, the gifts...this was one of the best Christmases ever. And the very best part was going to church with my daughter. We began Christmas morning together, at midnight mass. We walked in and immediately saw my former coworker and very wonderful friend playing and leading the choir. And when we sat down I realized who was behind me. I whispered to my daughter "It's him...right behind me...the young man who came up to me at Father's day...it's him..."

She looked into my eyes and knowing what it all meant to me said "I'm going to start crying..." This moment was my most precious Christmas gift.

He was the one who said the words that inspired me to write and finally share my words. These words so moved me, I put them at the top of my blog under the title and at the bottom of my blog under the posts. I remember coming home and immediately going on the computer to write an email to a handful of friends. I couldn't just keep these words to myself. And every week I began to share an email with a growing list of people. They would be the amazing moments and people that I encounter in my very ordinary life. Moments like the bird that touched me as it flew past, the people like Mrs Twist who will turn 100 years old in 2008. I got to see her on Christmas Day too!

Mrs Twist's laugh just cracks me up! She looked great, sounded great, and is doing just fine. I wish I could show you the pictures...but I want to respect everyone's privacy. Believe me when I say the pics are great! I bought myself a digital camera!

I have so much to be grateful for...family, friends, eating gluten free...yes I had GF pumpkin pie, cookies, butter tart squares and pizza shells from My Baker. I had cheese, butter and ice cream! For years my stomach would be so sore from dairy but now the gluten is gone...I can eat dairy. So I tasted all the wonderful GF food at my very wonderful friends' on Christmas Day AND AT A WEDDING!! We went to a very large and lovely wedding celebration on December 22 and I had a special gluten free dinner. It was delicious. But unlike many of my fellow bloggers I forgot to take pictures of my GF food...I forgot I had a new camera...so I took pictures of my drinks: gluten free martini, gluten free cappuccino, and gluten free wine. Not sure how I ended up with all 3 all at once...

And yet...at this time of year I remember being the one who listened to a litany of what other people "got for Christmas" and being the one who didn't get much. This Christmas is so wonderful because I remember the sad Christmases, when we couldn't get home, when we lost loved ones, when the money barely stretched to pay bills let alone buy gifts. So if you read this and feel your blessings come up short...have hope for brighter days, have faith in your future and always be grateful for what you do have...that is what kept me going....God is good.

What were your blessings? What are you grateful for this Christmas?

Have a coffee with your (GF) Banana Cream Pie!

I had seen him before at the bakery. He was a little different. Challenged would be the politically correct term. He seemed harmless. I just wasn't sure how to converse with him. What was his problem? Did he understand? Was he hard of hearing? He laughed and talked a little too loud.

Last week I saw Mrs Baker talking to him. And she talked to him just the same way she talks with everyone else: with a smile, listening to every word, with eye contact, making general comments and small talk. She was polite, courteous and interested.

So when I dropped in this week I wasn't quite so standoffish when I saw him there. "CUSTOMER!" he shouted, as I walked into the bakery. I could see The Baker and Mrs Baker in the kitchen tending to cookie sheets and flour, as they tend to do. My usual chair at the back table wasn't there. I would have had to pull a chair from the table that the guy was sitting at...the guy that laughs and talks too loud. I should also say he always has a big smile.

He smiled big and told me to sit with him. He said he was bored. He was just doing The Baker's crossword puzzle. I asked Mrs Baker for a glass of water and she said she would be back out in a few minutes to get my order.

So I sat with the guy and told him I was here to have the banana cream pie (did I mention it was gluten free??). He was aghast. HOW COULD I DRINK WATER WITH THE PIE?? I told him he was right...how could I??? I need coffee....and he shouts back LOUDLY for someone to "BRING HER SOME COFFEE!". Now I think this is pretty funny because it's like in the movies when they shout "WAITER!" Does anyone do that? Mrs Baker doesn't even blink about the shouting and just comes out with my pie and pours me coffee. One word....AMAZING!!

The pie, the coffee, the pie, the coffee....the whole melange in my mouth. I should have put the fork down but I frankly didn't think the guy that talks too loud would notice and he didn't. And I told him he was right, I had needed the coffee.

And he said he would buy me the coffee...but not the pie. I was on my own for that. But he wanted to treat me for the coffee. And I thanked him.

As I went to pay for the pie, I told Mrs Baker that he was buying my coffee. And I asked her for his name so I could thank him again. It was something in what she told me about his name, that they had been calling him the wrong name for years till he corrected them. And I realized she had told me about him before when talking about the regulars that come in. She had told me that he has schizophrenia.

And I wondered who is the challenged one? Certainly not the kind fellow who smiles big, shares his table, buys me a coffee, makes a menu recommendation (he was right about the coffee), makes small talk. OK, he talks a little LOUD. So what's wrong with that?? Nothing. Nothing is wrong with that. And I think I just learned something BIG at the bakery.

Remember your Nana's kitchen...

I went to the bakery twice last week. I smell like cookies and bread...gluten free of course.

I go for the cookies and bread. I stay for the stories. Some people go there twice a day. I forgot to ask if the unlimited coffee refill applies if you step outside and come back later. While there I met the first gluten free customer they ever had. She was just stopping in for an order and to give a Christmas gift before she left for a winter trip to Florida. She was very excited to have passed her driving test again. She always gives Mrs Baker a hug for carrying her gluten free goodies to the car.

There was a new GF product....Christmas "crackle". I love it!! However, the Baker says this may be the one and only batch of crackle 'cuz he has no idea how he made them. He is confident enough in his skills to admit they were ginger cookies gone wild. They all ran together in one mass of crackley goodness. They may never happen again.

The Baker and I are both allergic to real Christmas trees. We also both had those silver artificial trees as children, those ones with long, straight tinselly branches about a foot apart. Instead of "Andy Williams"... we had "George Jetson".

I loved hearing about their trip to Mexico in February. Since he was "in the business", the Baker got to tour the kitchen of the hotel/resort. It was their first big vacation in years and a well deserved one in my opinion. I hope they take another one soon. Getting up to bake in the wee hours of the morning can wear you down a little. We can't be having any baker burn-out around here. Please. Renew that passport. Plan another trip. Shut the shop...but not for too long! And make some more crackle please!

I think I am definitely a "regular" now...

It takes a village to be gluten free

"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."~~Matthew 11:30

I was going to title this post "My Butcher, My Baker, My Candlestick Maker." When it is order time, I get emails from a butcher that sells chemical free meat (one of my other allergies). It is really tasty and not as expensive as you would think.

I am on a first name basis with my Baker and his wife . In fact, I spent 2 hours chatting at the Bakery on Saturday and all I bought was 3 gluten free pizza shells. (Someone had just come in and scooped all the GF cookies!). They have an unlimited refill coffee cup and before you know it...they were closing the shop and I was still there. Mrs Baker is GF too after years of providing for others. Symptoms she had for ages are gone. So all I can say is: does gluten do anything good for anyone? (I really wanted to say kill the gluten or gluten is dead to me or gluten is the devil).

My Baker is thinking of starting a blog and I know it would be GOOD. Do they have stories! And they are very caring people who listen and do their best to help people with special needs eat great food and feel normal. The place if full of interesting people...and lots of cookbooks. If it's packed the Baker will tell someone to move over and make room for you. Once I was thinking of buying extra cookies, I was taking some for work and thought I might freeze some. He told me I had enough and why freeze them he was making more next week. Mrs Baker said to "sell up not down!" You might get called beautiful (no extra charge for flattery) or asked to runaway together...Mrs Baker doesn't even blink at the mention...they are an awesome team and it's all a laugh.

I thought it would be funny to say the position of Candlestick Maker is available but there are many candle sellers at work and even someone who makes them out of soy. And I don't actually burn candles anyway.

I want to thank my friend Toronto Barb a.k.a. Vacation Barb for sending me quinoa in the mail. Zehrs had been out of stock for months. And in a Murphy's Law kind of way as soon as I got mine in the mail the shelves were full of it. We got quinoa in abundance which makes me very happy. Liz and I have been discussing a possible turkey stuffing with quinoa, that Peruvian grain that I love so much. It would include dark wild rice. Liz(aka my gluten free angel) also has a great post called It's just food!. She made me GF Butter Tarts today!! Giant ones. I almost cried even before tasting them! Then I was just too happy to cry. They are amazing.

These are some of the people who have helped me be gluten free.

I said I would not be anxious about food. Now I know when I have an incident of glutenation it won't be long till I'm back to normal. Not like the prospect of increasing illness I felt before. So this is really relaxed food discussion. And it feels really good to talk. Thanks for listening.

Gluten is (just) a word.

Here's what one of my favorite blogs had to say about My Baker.

Gluten is a word...part 5

After years of suffering and the downward spiral of symptoms it would be easy to think why did it have to be this way? Part of it was my own narrow mindedness. Someone mentioned gluten to me years ago and I dismissed it because I didn't understand it. But as in so many things I couldn't understand until I was ready. Ready to reach for wellness out of desperation. Ready to change. When you are living with tolerable problems it's easier to stay the same than try something different.

And the people along the way...I am so grateful they are in my life. I found out the great power of friendship and kindness. The friends who were understanding, the ones who encouraged me, helped me get through every day. And of course the ones who were instruments of healing. The gifted professionals who chose their work to help others. Even my doctor is happy for my improvement. He complimented me on my correct diagnosis. I told him it wasn't me...it was my coworker! Now I am now the one telling others.

It was worth every moment of pain to connect with people in a new and deeper way. There is meaning and purpose in suffering even if we can't always open our hearts to its power. I am also reminded that, even though I am stronger right now, I should never forget what it felt like to feel weak and hopeless. I should never forget to have compassion and understanding for those still suffering. I think back 5 years to my simple short prayer for physical and emotional healing. I wrote it because I hoped that it would have more power if the words were written. There is power in the words.

When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"
~~John 5:6

Gluten is a word...part 4

I lived with my symptoms and some days were better than others. Now I know that the "better" days were most likely days with less gluten. I started an exercise program that was designed for people with low mobility. I hadn't had the sensation of exercising for years and it was great. I lost inches off my waist and increased muscle tone.

The trainer would tell me to try other activities like walking but I was still in pain. I used pain killers to get through the week but tried to give my body a break by using less on the weekend. That meant limiting activity. It seemed like a vicious cycle.

Everything I ate seemed to cause more pain or swelling. I had eliminated most of the common allergens. I'm not sure why, but I neglected gluten. It was last on my list of things to eliminate. Gluten seemed so foreign a term, more about food science than anything else, and I didn't know much about it.

Then someone new started on my shift at work. She had been told to talk to me because we had something in common: food allergies. She was enthusiastically gluten free. No more pain. No more inflammation. Life was good gluten free. She has become my gluten free "angel" of information and encouragement!

I started eating gluten free during the week. Typically, by the weekend, I would be feeling fabulous. And then I would think, "it can't be the gluten"...and I would indulge (people battling food allergies can be a little delusional at times). Mostly in social situations because I was unprepared or didn't think I should burden others with my problem if I was at someone's house. All the symptoms would return.

As the weeks went by, I was gradually feeling so much better and with lots of reading on the Internet, I learned how to eat gluten free so I didn't feel deprived. And I realized I had to speak up and take care of myself which has always been a challenge for me. I still have some setbacks and reactions but my body seems to recover quicker now. I have to be careful with cross contamination and read labels carefully. My best bet is to eat unprocessed, simple foods that I call "peasant food". It will most likely take me a year or two to heal completely. But for now, everyday feels better than the day before.

My gluten free "angels"...they make life very good. My coworker is am amazing cook/baker and she shares, Doug and Barb from "Nana's Bakery" make me laugh and bake for me, even Zehrs...I couldn't live without the gluten free products. Living gluten free is not so bad. Feeling healthier is very good! I feel GLUTEN FREE GREAT!

~~to be continued, part 5...

Gluten is a word...part 3

Everything started to get worse about 5 years ago although I've lived with stomach problems all my life. I don't blame my doctor. He tried to address my symptons and give me some relief. Tests, specialists, meds. He really tried. I told him I couldn't walk. He signed a handicapped parking application and I stopped complaining and lived with it. But it was no life. I rented a wheelchair one summer to take on vacation. The next summer I stayed home and while walking in the yard I fell like a chopped tree. I spent the rest of the week on the sofa. By God's grace, I went from a job on the road to a physically easier inside desk job.

But I hid how bad it was getting. Lots of painkillers and a few supportive friends. I was inspired by someone who had overcome many physical challenges herself (you know who you are!).

I wrote a prayer asking God to show me my pathway to healing, both physical and emotional. Twelve days after that prayer, I got a phone call from an acquaintance I had met at a woman's group. She noticed my problems walking and said she was selling a powerful supplement that might work for me. Later on I would find out that she had said a prayer to connect with people who she could help.

The supplement helped immediately and I experienced relief for a while. I was able to walk easier, there was less swelling and pain. But I had to take large quantities adding several products to get results. Now that I know what the problem really was, I realize it was like trying to put out a house fire with a bucket. The supplement was good detoxifier but the problem was systemic. If I was still ingesting gluten which my body viewed as a toxin, the supplement would never really work completely. The inflammation grew and affected so many areas. Each problem had it's own name: edema, rosacea, cellulitis, ovarian cysts, arthritis, psoarisis, acne, gout, fungal infections, irritable bowel, chronic fatigue. Since giving up gluten 3 months ago EVERYTHING IS BETTER OR GONE! Thanks to a new coworker who was enthusiastically gluten and PAIN free...

~~to be continued....Gluten is a Word...part 4

Gluten is a word...part 2

1 out of 100 Americans, it is estimated, has celiac disease. Only 3% of us have been diagnosed. Now, some of those people have skipped the doctor's visit, the blood test, and the biopsy. They stopped eating gluten and felt so much better that the official diagnosis doesn't matter. They aren't counted in the official statistics. But most of the people with celiac have belly aches or anemia or swollen joints or infertility problems or exhaustion or a multitude of little complaints that they have come to accept. They don't know that they could feel better. They could be reborn.
~~gluten free girl from the blog post "do you have celiac?"

I have been reborn. "Gluten free girl" said it so well I had to quote her.

She has a book by the same name coming out this week and I'll be buying it.

Last week someone told me I even sound stronger. Every week I feel better than the week before. But strong is definitely not how I felt for most of last winter.

I won't go into all the symptoms in this post but I will say I experienced the most physical pain I have felt in my life. Pain and lots of swelling everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Swollen joints, feet so swollen I couldn't do up my shoes, fingers so swollen I couldn't close them, eyes so swollen it hurt to open them. Even my ovaries were swelling. My doctor asked me if it felt like a knife was going into my body. Yes I said that's exactly what it felt like.

One day at work after eating multigrain oatmeal I felt like someone was stepping on my feet wearing steel toe work boots. I started to cry and begged a coworker to get me water so I could take painkillers. I couldn't even walk to get myself water. Multigrain oatmeal with good things like whole wheat and spelt. It sounds so healthy right? I came home and threw away the box. For someone with wheat intolerance or Celiac it is definitely not healthy. But I didn't know it at the time. I was playing hit and miss with the game of find the food allergies.

~~to be continued...Part 3

From the archive: Gluten is a word...part 1

Gluten is a word...part 1

I've been debating whether to blog about my struggle with food allergies. It is has been a long and winding road to wellness. Some of the people who know me have heard this story. But many have not.

I'm seeing a ripple effect as I share my experience. People who have symptoms they have lived with for years, symptoms they have been given medication to treat, symptoms that never completely go away no matter what meds they take...are getting better when they remove gluten from their diet.

I've mentioned that some of my earliest memories of childhood are of reading and books. The other big memories are stomach problems, rashes and pain. I just found out that there are countries in Europe where children are routinely screened for Celiac disease. The term Celiac was invented by a Greek. That's where my people came from. This is all new to me and many of the people I know. And maybe it is new to you.

This is not going to be a blog with all the info on Celiac Disease and food allergies. This will just be my story and a little of what I've learned. Because this blog is about how words change and transform our lives. And gluten is a word that has changed mine.

Just so you know...this story is definitely going to have a happy ending.

Mama's Kitchen

My baker told my about a Jamaican take out place. I was in the neighbourhood so I decided to stop and try it. It's a little place that used to be a hair salon. The place looked immaculate to me but the owner was busy cleaning. I chose the jerk chicken which I love but decided I would try the curry goat next time (really I will).

He apologized that it would take 5 minutes...I said no problem I've got lots of time. As I sat waiting I looked around. There was one wall filled with boxes of salt cod, spices, canned peas, special beverages, and lots of products that I have never seen before. I had also never heard the music playing before. It was definitely Gospel.

When my order was ready he thanked me for waiting. I name dropped and told him my baker sent me. And then I saw the words written on the wall behind the cash register.

God Bless You and Please Come Again.

Next time...curried goat.