Day Nineteen: Coming Un-Glu-tened.

I was reading a really interesting article in Men's Journal (yes) last weekend - an interview with a physician who re-tooled his practice by paying more attention to what his patients were eating and drawing (often correct) conclusions between what they consumed and how frequently they felt ill. I mean, when you think about it, it's common sense. Eat crap. Feel like crap. But in this instance, walking the walk seems to be much more difficult than talking the talk. I'll use myself as an example. Sugar isn't good for you. When consumed in abundance on a daily basis, it leads to a myriad of health problems.

I know this. I do.

But if you were my doctor and you told me I couldn't get sugary delicious iced coffee every morning anymore, I would smile politely and then punch you in the throat and run for my life. You'll have to pry this latte out of my cold, dead hands! Of course, because I consume too many of these lattes, I'd probably get down the street before I start wheezing and complaining about the stitch in my side.

That's a very roundabout way of saying I have no intention of giving up caffeine or sugar, both of which I know aren't good for you. In my 20s, I developed a bit of a fussy stomach, largely due to poor habits and lack of stress management skills. Often it feels like my stomach is a washing machine, but instead of churning and whirling soapy water, it's throwing acid violently around my insides.

So back to the article. The doctor said that the first thing he does with new patients is to remove sugar (no fucking way) and gluten from their diets. I didn't really know much about Gluten-free eating. Apparently, even those without Celiac disease can sometimes experience inflamation and discomfort from consumption of foods containing gluten, because wheat and grains have been so cross-super-bred to resist bugs and weather that it's like a foreign body our system doesn't understand how to digest. Interesting.

I think fad diets are stupid. I hope that someday the Atkins diet is credited with a generation's worth of heart disease, because it is so goddamn illogical. Was it really possible, that everyone thought "I'm eating all this cheese and bacon, I'm sure my arteries are free and clear." I think the Paleo diet sounds incredibly dull, and nobody really wants to consume 2 Slim Fasts or bowls of Special K every day for the rest of their lives. So how can I at least try to eat better? Inspired by the doctor in this article, I'm going to try eating Gluten free next week. Just to see how it makes me feel. I don't think it's going to be some kind of huge lifestyle overhaul, but hopefully it will inspire me to find a few new creative ways of ingesting things that are better for me. The only part that sucks is my grocery bill is going to be so much bigger now. Sigh. Well, it's only a week-long experiment. We'll see how it goes. I'll keep you posted.

Goodbye for now, my delicious, life-shortening friends.

Guys, my work crush looks SO HANDSOME today and he just held the door (like he does) for a bunch of ladies. Viva Gentlemen. Viva Chivalry. Viva Work Crushes.