So what the heck am I even eating?

A lot of people say to me, "so basically you eat air then" when I tell them what I am allergic to. There are quite a lot of things I actually CAN eat! Here is a yummy recipe (remember the 1 pound of Cruciferous Veggies A DAY that I need to eat?) for a Gluten/Dairy-free Coleslaw:

http://www.wholeliving.com/132454/sweet-and-spicy-coleslaw

*I did not include the jalapeno nor the apple which would make it spicy. I wanted the salad to last several days as I was doubling the recipe. I ate it one night with shrimp, another with salmon, another with chicken...and it always tasted good!

**19.5 days of being "allergen-free". Praise the Lord!!!

***This is a shout out to all my friends at the Young Adults group in Fresno...you know who you are!! :). After being busy or gone for the last 2 months, trying to get a hold on what I CAN eat, etc, I haven't been able to go but once. It was SO AMAZING to see all of you last night, to worship, laugh, and talk.

~2 whole weeks!~

It has been 2 whole weeks and 2 days of being "allergen-free" and let me tell you...it has not been easy. However; I feel a lot better. Whenever I feel a moment of weakness coming on, I just tell myself, "this is a new way of life - not a diet - this is something I'm choosing to do so that I feel better and can better glorify God." And it helps.

This is the longest I've gone "allergen-free" and I'm so thankful! I just take 'one day at a time' as the ol' saying goes and regularly pray for God's courage to get me through. Hopefully, one day soon, it won't be such a struggle and it will come as second nature to me; because (as I'm sure you all know) changing things in life are always hard at first but having good discipline always pays off in the end. The verse, Philippians 4:13, is one that I have been clinging to, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Something that has been super helpful is the full version Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr

I've made it FIVE days! And let me tell ya...today was definitely the hardest one of all!!!

Here is a tip for anyone who is trying to change their eating habits:

There will always be a time when temptation is at its finest. You need to be a detective as to when those times are. A lot of people will just try to use "self-will" in order to not cheat when they are around friends, in a stressful situation or out shopping.

The key is, to have a SUBSTITUTE. I'm sure all of you have heard that at some point in your life, "when you are trying to change a bad habit, replace it with a good one." Well, how can you have a 'good habit' of eating a sweet with friends, craving a chocolate in the check out line or you want to get your hands on whatever food is closest during a crisis?

Since I'm not on a "diet" where I have to count calories, I'm able to bring along some chocolate I have found that I can actually eat. There are also some recipes for "baked goods" also. I also bring rice cakes with honey or caramel flavor, etc. This takes away the temptation for me while satisfying my sweet tooth!

***The chocolate I have found can be found online or at Whole Foods. I always look for a sale as they aren't the cheapest. For anyone who has loads of food allergies, make sure to look for the ones you can't and can eat (ie: they also make milk chocolate products, so I can't eat those). They have an amazing dark chocolate with real mint! For those who also love mint chocolate.