A Celiac Vegetarian Day

I've eased into Vegetarianism slowly. Previous diet experience had me rushing head first into the Eat Clean program and I'm ashamed to admit, I crashed. I did great for almost a week and then life happened and I cheated a little, then a little more, and then forgetaboutit!

I'm caught between wanting to be a Vegan or just going Vegetarian. Its a tough choice. Which is healthier? Which one will I be able to sustain for life? I'm going Vegetarian for now. Once I get this nailed down I'll consider the Vegan aspect. I think as a Celiac our choices are a bit limited anyway and I wonder why I want to limit it even more? From everything I've read I think a plant based diet is healthier.

So here's my typical day as a Vegetarian so far;

Breakfast;
Coffee with Vanilla Coffeemate
Udi's gluten free bagel with humus
Orange

Snack:
Banana or Yogurt or other fruit-I cut up the fruit and stir it into the yogurt.

Lunch:
Salad with Romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, shredded carrots, olives, dressing
Nuts (I buy a couple different kinds and mix them together)

Dinner;
Spaghetti with sauce with kidney beans and Parmesan

That was yesterday. I vary this from day to day. I still need  a vegetarian cookbook because I'm a lousy cook! I need to learn how to be a creative vegetarian in the kitchen so I don't get bored.

So far, I don't miss meat at all. Feel pretty good and I'm sleeping well.

Healthy & Gluten Free - What to Eat

My Celiac Disease was undiagnosed for most of my life and I believe this put a major dent in my health. I've been gluten free for 10 years now and I have a never ending quest to make the best choices for my food. I try not to chose foods that are overly processed (very hard to remember in our hurry-up society) and I buy a lot of books on the subject. I ate wheat for my whole stupid life and it was killing me! Who knew? Now I want to know the who, what, and why of what goes in my body.

What to Eat by Marion Nestle is something I picked up a few years ago but I want to review it today as it is one of the best books out there on food.

Marion Nestle answers questions about organic foods, fats, bottled water and more. She goes in depth on good and bad food and explains why. She explains, in plain speak, about the scientific studies and all the pros and cons of foods like soy milk, margarine, and high fructose corn syrup. She even includes a section on Baby food.

My confession; I didn't sit down and read this book cover to cover. I read it in bites. I flipped from section to section because once I started questions started popping up in my mind and I wanted to investigate different subjects. I drink bottled water over tap water and I wanted to know if I was making a good choice or just wasting my time. I found out bottled water has the chlorine and fluoride removed. If not, they have to put it on the label. I always wondered about the fluoride issue since I think we ingest too much of it. As I thought of things when reading this book, I'd jump to the index to find what I needed. I've had this book for a few years and still pull it out from time to time to look things up.

If you want to know what's in your food and want the information to make healthy choices for you and your family, I'd definitely recommend What to Eat.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars!