I am thankful for... Pt 2

Happy Black Friday everyone,

Hope everyone got the deals that you were looking for. I on the other hand avoided the crowds and am spending at least one more day sharing what I am thankful for before jumping right into the holiday hustle and bustle. As I mentioned last week, even though my restrictive diet can seem difficult to deal with I am very thankful that it continues to get easier with time. I am thankful for the number of things that I can eat, and that my allergies are not worse. I am so grateful that I don't have a severe or life-threatening reaction and that, even though they can be aggravating, they do not cause more permanent damage to my health. I briefly mentioned how much it means for someone to take the time to answer questions, double check ingredients and make exceptions for me. But when friends, and coworkers go out of their way to try to understand and accommodate and include me instead of disregarding my allergy it doesn't go unnoticed.

I am also thankful for this experience of blogging and being able to document and share my journey. The recipes I have created are dishes I have prepared for myself and it keeps me creative and I hope maybe someday I can help make someone else's journey a little easier too. It can hard enough to be inspired to cook a single meal, or find heathy recipes, while staying on a budget but throw in a even shorter list of ingredients that you can use and the task can seem downright daunting. However, I am living proof it is not impossible! Sometimes it can even be fun, and turn out pretty tasty.
Overall I am thankful that I feel healthier and more in control of my body than I have in the past. For me, not knowing what foods were affecting me (or even if it was food related) or how each ingredient played a role was much more frustrating than making an effort to avoid a few items now.

I hope you'll continue to join me as kept learning and moving forward on this journey.

I am thankful for... Pt 1

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I have decided to spend a couple posts sharing a few things I am thankful for.

I am thankful that I have been able to discover how food affects me and am continually learning new way to avoid the adverse affects. I am grateful that I live in a time when food allergies are beginning to be taken more seriously and are becoming increasingly recognized. Even a few years ago it would have been much more difficult to maintain a gluten free diet. Now because of a greater awareness and more proficient labeling on most food products it is manageable. I am also thankful that I live in an area of the country that keeps up with food trends and offers options to people with restrictive diets. Having worked in food service, I understand how annoying modifications can be sometimes, but for those who do take the time to double check ingredient lists for me or allow substitutions I really do appreciate it. I also am glad to have access to a growing number of resources for tips and recipes. Speaking of which, I just purchased a gluten-free cook book which I am looking forward to trying out and sharing the results with you in future posts.

Next week I will be posting part 2 of this article. Until then please feel free to share any shout outs or bits of thankfulness that you have relating to your own journey with healthier eating, solo dining or cooking for people with allergies.