new puzzle pieces every day

Wow. If you are trying to have a baby, all of your health issues come to light, one by one. Never have I had my health scrutinized so thoroughly and completely, nor have I ever had such good care. I guess this is a good thing. But so many things have been unearthed that sometimes it feels a little overwhelming...I am taking it one day at a time and am reminding myself that I used to feel much, much worse before I took gluten out of my life on Jan 2, 2007.

What seems to be the key to my health in every regard? Diet. Almost every single thing that I am struggling with can be stabilized or turned around with diet, or has been already.

The underlying mystery tying everything together is no longer a mystery. Gluten. My old friend!

Gluten, when you cannot tolerate it, takes its insidious toll in hundreds of ways. Here are some of the ways it's worked its evil spell on me:

dermatitis herpetiformis
anxiety
depression
hormone imbalance
acne
pms
reflux
malabsorption
endometriosis
hypothyroidism
infertility
interstitial cystitis
fatigue
headaches
irritability
gas and bloating
all manner of digestive issues

So many of the above are controlled, abated or have been cured by my strict gluten-free diet. The biggest thing was turning around my infertility. Feeling better overall has been pretty great too though :).

It's been a transformative summer. Ill health and finding solutions to the root causes of your symptoms can be life-changing.

If you're reading this, you might be sick and looking for a way to help yourself through diet. Food is medicine. Give it a try; you may find the path to wellness too. You'll never look back.

I leave you with the sage words of meatwad:
At least you got all your fingers and toes, know what I'm sayin?

surplus zucchini = zucchini bread

Ah, sweet August. So glad you're here -- June and July were long and difficult months. Doing much much better now.
So much better that I am writing songs again and posting up recipes on my blog!

Getting tired of all the zuke action? (Our friend Jesse would never, ever get tired of zucchini). Just in case, here's some amazing zucchini bread I altered from a celiac.com post.

Zucchini Bread

mix:
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c honey
2 eggs
2 t vanilla

add to these ingredients:
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t xanthan gum
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t sea salt
1 c brown rice flour
1/2 c tapioca flour

fold in 1 1/2 c shredded zuke

add chopped walnuts, choc chips, whatevs.

pour into greased baking pan (8 inch is best)

25-30 mins @ 350 (muffins around 15-20) til knife inserted comes out clean.

enjoy~

bready!

my xmas list this year has one thing on it:

bready