So I will not be drinking alcohol for a while. No, I'm not pregnant.
Adam and I recently switched from insurance through my employer to Samaritan Ministries. We started looking into it last year, and made the switch this year. I'm really excited about it. It is a Christian organization that allocates money among its members as health costs arise, while encouraging prayer and making healthy lifestyle choices to decrease health costs. The application includes a statement of faith, as well as your commitment to not use tobacco and either not consume alcohol, or consume alcohol only in moderation. I don't think it's wrong to drink alcohol, but I think it's just easier to not drink it at all. I think it's very easy for people to go from "a few" to "a few too many."
Reasons I decided to stop drinking:
1. Save money. Holla.
2. I can always be the designated driver, no matter what.
3. When I do get pregnant, me not drinking won't be a dead giveaway.
4. Much like wheat, I don't miss it. I have had about four drinks/sips of alcohol in the past two years (much of that time I was pregnant or breastfeeding often), and even around Christmas when I had my last glass of wine as a "farewell" to drinking, I had maybe half a glass and thought, yep, really not gonna miss this.
So it may not be forever, but as long as we're members of Samaritan Ministries, you can call me for a ride home if you've had too much (assuming someone is home to stay with my sleeping child!) :-)
23.1.14
20.1.14
Gluten-Free & Me: Introduction
For those of you who don't know, I have decided to go wheat/gluten free. I usually specify "wheat" because I do technically have rye or spelt gluten on occasion. So, why am I jumping on this bandwagon now? I decided to try it on a whim a few months ago and noticed a significant improvement in my acne, which I have had since I was twelve. That's reason enough for me! A few thoughts/notes:
1. I don't feel better now that I'm gluten-free. I didn't feel bad before, didn't have digestion issues, etc. so I can't say, like I'm glad some people can, that "I just feel great now!" I guess I always felt great :-)
2. I like it. I don't know if there's one big reason I haven't figured out yet, or if it's various small ones. I like having minimal (residual hormonal) acne. I like that I'm not allergic to wheat/gluten, so if I decide to "cheat" one day, or if I unknowingly consume some wheat, the worst that will happen is a pimple or two. But I haven't cheated since Christmas, and I don't really see myself cheating again in the foreseeable future.
3. It's not as hard as I thought it would be a few years ago. My family has been gluten-free since 2011, and at that time I thought it would be very difficult. I think it is easy due in large part to the wide array of gluten-free goodies/flours now available, and also because I largely do not crave wheat, knowing what it does to my skin. It's just not worth it.
4. I think the issue I (and many others) have with gluten is not an issue with gluten itself (sufferers of Celiac excluded, of course). I believe it is because the wheat people consume today has a much higher level of gluten than the traditional (original?) wheat of years ago. The sources I have found claim there is no genetically modified wheat on the market (yet). I'm not sure whether or not I believe that, but even if the wheat we eat is not genetically modified, it does, indeed, have more gluten than it did historically. My untested hypothesis is that if I (and other gluten-sensitive individuals) were to eat traditional, unmodified wheat, with a normal and natural amount of gluten, I would not have any issues. I am searching for evidence to support my belief, as well as traditional, unmodified wheat with which to test my hypothesis.
That's it for now. I'm sure there is more to come on my gluten-free journey!
1. I don't feel better now that I'm gluten-free. I didn't feel bad before, didn't have digestion issues, etc. so I can't say, like I'm glad some people can, that "I just feel great now!" I guess I always felt great :-)
2. I like it. I don't know if there's one big reason I haven't figured out yet, or if it's various small ones. I like having minimal (residual hormonal) acne. I like that I'm not allergic to wheat/gluten, so if I decide to "cheat" one day, or if I unknowingly consume some wheat, the worst that will happen is a pimple or two. But I haven't cheated since Christmas, and I don't really see myself cheating again in the foreseeable future.
3. It's not as hard as I thought it would be a few years ago. My family has been gluten-free since 2011, and at that time I thought it would be very difficult. I think it is easy due in large part to the wide array of gluten-free goodies/flours now available, and also because I largely do not crave wheat, knowing what it does to my skin. It's just not worth it.
4. I think the issue I (and many others) have with gluten is not an issue with gluten itself (sufferers of Celiac excluded, of course). I believe it is because the wheat people consume today has a much higher level of gluten than the traditional (original?) wheat of years ago. The sources I have found claim there is no genetically modified wheat on the market (yet). I'm not sure whether or not I believe that, but even if the wheat we eat is not genetically modified, it does, indeed, have more gluten than it did historically. My untested hypothesis is that if I (and other gluten-sensitive individuals) were to eat traditional, unmodified wheat, with a normal and natural amount of gluten, I would not have any issues. I am searching for evidence to support my belief, as well as traditional, unmodified wheat with which to test my hypothesis.
That's it for now. I'm sure there is more to come on my gluten-free journey!
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