Gluten Free Diets: Stop Following The Fad

So there is this newer trend I've noticed over the last year or so (probably has been developing over a much longer length of time, but I'm only just in the last few months aware of it) where people are eating gluten free diets but have no reason to eat gluten free diets.

What is a gluten free diet you may ask?  Well for those of us that haven't heard of it its defined this way:

1. A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and a cross between wheat and rye called triticale.

Now there is some confusion as to what the Gluten free diet is actually for, so to clear up the confusion  A gluten-free diet is primarily used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease.  Celiac is something that a trained physician needs to diagnose.

Now before I came out I dated a girl that had celiac disease and her mother had it too so gluten free was a must in that household.  But people who take up the diet these days, unless recommended by a doctor in the case of celiac, aren't taking it up as a matter health necessity.

The problem is not that the diet exists. The problem is that since the diet exists people who are in no position to diagnose themselves with anything are taking up these diets as if they had it.  Ive asked a couple of people why they eat gluten free and they tell me that they're allergic to gluten and when I ask them how long did they go with the allergy symptoms before going to a doctor and being diagnosed with this allergy, they look at me like I have two heads and tell me that they didn't, which means they probably aren't allergic to gluten at all, but saw something somewhere from a source they didn't bother to confirm and decided that they were going to put themselves on this gluten free diet without going to a doctor to make sure it wouldn't negatively impact their health.

In other words:  People have taken a diet designed with a very specific purpose in mind and turned it into a fad diet, just like people do all the time. Why? Because people have this wish to be healthy, which is not a bad thing, but in that wish they become "conspiracy theorist" level stupid about it.  Thus Miss Skinny walks around declaring her swearing off gluten or other things she just read about in some magazine that didn't bother verifying their own information, and then she without verifying it herself adopts a diet that may actually be doing nothing it was meant for because she doesn't have that problem to begin with, and worse yet, may be dangerously impacting her health.

When adjusting your diet and not talking to your doctor about it, the best and safest way to go is to cut things that are widely known to be bad for you, such as soda which we know rots your teeth and in people who are susceptible to weight problems, obesity.  Add in fruits and vegetables, preferably steamed or raw.  If you're eating a heavy protein diet, maybe adjust that by cutting down on your portion size and actually adding things like vegetables.

But when going on a diet that's more extreme, make sure you talk to your doctor first and make sure there is an actual need to do that.  Otherwise you're needlessly putting your health at risk.

Mind over Matter

I woke up this morning and came to a massive realization that might just explain the issues that Ive had over the last several years.  Last journal I touched on the fact that I feel like the standards and values and my thought processes go unappreciated and It made me realize something.

Who am I really living for?

Over the years Ive mentioned a couple of times that I wouldn't change myself for other people because I would lose my own identity to even myself, what good is a person without their own identity.

But you know, an awful lot of people keep trying to change how I do things, try to change the way I think and even though Ive verbally taken a "take it or leave it" stance where my personality is concerned, I dont feel like Ive really lived up to that expectation of myself more than subconsciously  trying to live up to other peoples expectations and making myself a clearly miserable person in the process.  And I think that no only distances myself from people I really should be distanced from in the first place, but also the negativity that projects from within me pushes away the type of people I do want in my life.

My mother always taught me that if people cant accept who I am as is and want me to change to make them more comfortable having me as a friend, then that person is not someone I need.  Don't worry about them, I'm better off.  I would argue that I haven't really followed that as much as I try to convince myself that I have.  That's a shame because I feel like I could have a stronger group of friends than I already have.

Frankly I dont need people in my life that are going to brow beat me every time I do something they dont like.  I'm not living for them or doing things to impress them. I'm living for one person, me.  I should be the one determining whats best for me and what kinds of actions I take for any part of what I do in my life, not the popular opinion of other people.

So in response changes need to be made, not in personal beliefs or involvement in social groups, but in how careful I am in letting people into my inner circle.  Because lets face it, over the last 7 or 8 years Ive carelessly let all manner of unsavory influences into my life and probably could have avoided a lot more drama had I taken more care to see a person for who they are first rather than just haphazardly letting people in.  Cant afford to do that anymore.

Time for me to stop being so careless with myself and commit to surrounding myself with people that are going to be encouraging to me rather than drag me down and act like I cant do anything right, or want to be negative about every move I make, as if somehow they actually have that kind of control or say in my life.  The hard unavoidable fact is, in the grand scheme of things, what they want for me doesn't matter.  Its what I want for me.  Me and no one else. 

I'm going to start scrutinizing who I know, mentally of course, and start really thinking about whether I want each person in my life and what they've brought to the table for me and decide if they are someone I really want to be associated with or not.  This is something beyond a simple contact list clean up because a group of people dont want to talk to me or have little time to do so.  This is a self improvement venture.

A friend of mine back from when I was a Witness had this saying. "Its mind over matter.  I dont mind because you dont matter"  So go ahead and say what negative things you want about my sense of morality, or my thought processes or or decision making or what things I do.  like my friend from way back when I'm taking the stance "Its mind over matter.  I dont mind because you dont matter"

Distances

In June of 2008, I came out.  This was a big decision in my life and I wasn't sure if I should at the time but I did so anyway.  Id like to say I've been generally happy since I have, and its true I have.  But at the same time it saddens me that to be myself I have to cause a rift between myself and people that care about me and I them.

Most who know me, at least in passing, that I had been raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.  The dynamic in that religion is such that when you have been baptized into the religion, as I was, and you do something or act in a way that's massively inconsistent with the teachings of the Witnesses, one of two things happen

1.  You are disfellowshiped.  This word means that you are unilaterally removed from the books as being involved with or officially recognized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
2. You disassociate yourself.  In this case you tell them you no longer want to be known as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and want to be removed from their books as such.

 Both cases come with a hearty price.  On the one hand if I had remained a Witness as my upbringing stated and I followed for several years I would have the fact that I'm gay buried deep within me, not seen by anyone and probably still hidden away from even me, something I had been trying to do for many years and badly at that.

But of course I came out and...well caused that rift. You see even though I've never formally disassociated myself from the religion, I have by my actions done so.  I mean I came out, Ive been practicing a religion not bible based and most certainly condemned therein.  By my actions alone, I'm considered a bad associate and even though I dont fit the exact definition, could potentially be considered an apostate which means my friends there can never talk to me again.  More importantly than that, and grievously...neither my mother nor any one of the members of my family who are Witnesses, can ever talk to me or associate with me again.

Yes that means my mother, and my aunt who were the principle people who raised me are people I can never speak to again.  With everything thats happened in the last 8 years, some times I wonder where it's to late for me to go back because of my actions in that time, if I really made the right choice in leaving in the first place? Should I have just stayed where I was, weathered the storm that was my failed attempt at getting married and just buried myself deeper? Hid myself further from myself?

I mean I look at the things that have happened to me in that time and I sit here and think to myself "hmm...that would have never happened if I were still in X situation". My level of honesty is clearly not appreciated, and in some cases, not even welcome outside of that group, and have been told as much by several people over the years.

Now thankfully I know my aunt will at least contact me if something happens to mom, and I'll certainly attend funeral services when mom passes away.  But thats probably as far as that will go.

That does not mean, of course that I dont love my family.  Actually I love them very much.  I wouldn't be alive if mom hadn't taken me in after raising 5 children herself.  Most of my beliefs about honesty and my values where right and wrong are concerned  come from her, albeit some evolved since I left since wrong in moms view is being gay.

Someday I just dont know.  It feels like my life is largely dark clouds with maybe a happenstance glimmer of light...and I dont deserve to feel that way.

Seattle Life

You know? My reasons for moving to Seattle area may have significantly been upset, I find myself in many ways, at peace with my new situation.  I'm looking around and I see lots of opportunity, and I find myself making plans both short and long term as far as more permanent living arrangement,  but beyond job and living arrangement, Ive got other plans too.

Leg 1 after finding a place?  College.  With a duel direction!  As my primary focus, after fulfilling my general education electives of course, I'm looking at getting a degree in pastry arts.  Most people who know me knows I LOVE baking, and I love cooking too.  Where will that lead?

Well to my second goal.  Most of my family knows what my goal has been, at least on and off.  Opening a bakery/coffee shop.  For the last 15 years or so Ive been wanting one.  I often find myself looking into the windows of available business locations and dreaming about how I would set the lobby off, and wondering how much room was in the back where I cant see and how I would set that up for efficiency and what I would need.  On my Google drive I even have a list of major equipment that I would want in the kitchen area, and some of the cases, complete with model numbers and price.  Ive even looked online from time to time to see what kind of serve wear I would want from plates to utensils.  I think its time to start reaching out for what I want rather than dangling by a thread.

The really cool thing about Seattle where my goal in the food industry is, one of the schools up here is considered the second top most culinary school in the nation (I think it was second in the nation...I'll have to check on that.)  Hows that for setting up for winning?  And I already have a predisposition for baking, its what I was raised around and I love doing it!

The other thing I'm going to do along side working on my pastry arts degree is work towards getting a degree in Political Sciences.  If you know me at all you probably know, there's some chance that I'm very political these days.  One thing I'm floating around my mind is maybe running for an office.   I wouldn't be looking for anything grandiose, and I probably would stay at the state level but its a thought anyway.  Someday  I'll explain why I'm playing with the idea of running for an office of some kind...but not here.

All in all I love it it up here in Seattle and I see myself actually reaching goals that I've been wanting to reach for a long time, and perhaps some lofty goals later on.  We'll see what the future holds!

Later!

Gay Parenting Gets ANOTHER Pro Added!

I always have a good chuckle when I see people people on the Right and people who are in religion and not necessarily involved in politics at all, try to provide proof that Gay and Lesbian parents cant raise successful happy children.  Of course their reasoning is never really solid.  They usually just use the "Because God" card.

Whats always been fascinating to me is that science is constantly mushroom clouding that idea, which is based in...because God...with tangible proof to the contrary.  Watching the religious conservative groups driving themselves into the loony bin...also known as church...so they can feel better talking to their sky god and getting the self proclaimed yet baseless proof they need to continue making themselves look like fools to the rest of the world.

Ive always wondered why people will latch onto a God that tells them they were created to be who they are and then immediately turn around and tell them that they are sinners for being who they were created to be.  Its a grievance I see in many religions, but the most notable is here in America of course.

So what spurned this topic today, even though I'm relatively quiet on this blog?  Because I woke up this morning to this wonderful Huffington Post article about the mental health of children who've been raised by Gay and Lesbian parents.

Australian  researches at Australia's University of Melbourne, scored hirer on everything from general health and family cohesion, and then scored the same when it came to things like behavior, mental health and self-esteem, children raised by same sex couples scored just as well!

This was fantastic new for Gay Couples everywhere.  awesome validation for pro same sex parenting!  the research was conducted by Dr. Simon Crouch who works from the Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program, Centre for Health Equity at the University of Melbourne.  Doctor Brockhoff...I hope to see more about you in the news as you pave the way to furthering the rights of same sex couples worldwide, even if that's not what you originally set out to do!

The original Huffington Post article can be seen HERE.

The Experianced Inexperianced!

Just moving to Washington, I find myself having to look for another job, which is fine!  It gives me a chance to either find employment that I have experiance in, or even find a job I've never done before and maybe eliminate a job type that I dont want to do and further narrow down what job field I want to be in and is best suited for me. 

But in looking for work there's always been one thing that's always boggled my mind:  Experience!  there are so many jobs that, for whatever reason, seem like they should be entry level jobs that the employer still wants experienced people to fill.  

So let me get this straight:  You want a offer a job to only experienced people, that's entry level and would normally be offered to someone without experience that people with experience would avoid because they can move to a better paying job because they do have background to apply for employment that better fits their credentials?

I got a first hand look at how this works early on in my workforce history.  There was a movie theater in walking distance of where I was living when I was in my early twenties.  I was looking for work at the time, because Walmart had driven all the good jobs away in the area so I was looking where I could.  I decided to ask about working there since they all knew me pretty well (when I was working I had been to that theater many times) I figured that I would ask about working there.  Hey it was something to tide me over until my next job came into play.  so I asked  and found they were looking for people to work the projectors, admittedly something I had never done so far.

I of course wanted to apply.  it was something new, I had been working fast food most of my early working years and I wanted a change.  So I asked for an application thinking that they would train me for the job.  I mean its a movie theater.  My age group of the time is primarily the age they like to hire for any of those positions.  They wanted experienced projector people.  But we were living in a small town...how in the world would they find someone whose worked movie theater projectors before that would be willing to take a job that likely paid less then they were worth at a time where the economy was much stronger than it is now? 

The reality was they couldn't, and they weren't willing to budge on their criteria. The reality today in our economic environment, in my opinion, is that there is no place for that kind of picayune thought process.  People need jobs.  Honestly if I had my own brick and mortar business, I would be looking for anyone that can be trained to do the job I needed them for.  Experience is not really something I would look for except for very specific jobs, like cake decorator if I wasn't planning on learning how to do it myself and so on.

I just dont believe that the way the job market is today that businesses that can offer entry level positions that dont really require experience should only be seeking people with experience.  That feels like a destructive ideal to me.  Besides, if you hire someone that is not experienced with the field that gives you the chance to train them how you want.  In my opinion, a person with the equivalent of a "clean slate" is a more desirable person to hire than someone with lots of experience.  But that's just Husky Thoughts.