Simplify Your Plate and Simplify Your Life

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”-M. K. Gandhi Have you ever heard anyone say: “I wish I felt more rushed and my everyday decisions were more complex. My life is way too easy!” I didn’t think so. One of the biggest blessings in disguise for me that came from having chronic illness was learning how to slow down the speed of my life. As life got a bit slower, I began to savor each moment so much more. Many of us crave a simplified, relaxed, down-to-earth way of life. Thus explains the current popularity of the now international Slow Food and Localvore movements. People all over the globe are slowing down their lives to make nourishment of body, mind, and soul a priority. What does this have to do with having Celiac Disease of food allergies? Most of us experience an initial overwhelm and complication of daily living when we get diagnosed with a food allergy. It suddenly takes half the day to complete the weekly grocery shopping trip as we find ourselves going to multiple grocery stores and reading the ingredients labels on every single thing we buy. And half the stuff we bring home either tastes like cardboard or our kids/partners refuse to eat it. We still feel sick and now we want to cry too. And we can’t eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s anymore to make ourselves feel better! STOP THE INSANITY I SAY! I have learned through much trial and error how to let having Celiac Disease and multiple food allergies teach me how to lead a simplified, less frazzled, more peaceful, and definitely more joyful way of life. Here’s 3 simply ways how you can do this too: 1. Make fresh fruits and veggies the cornerstone of your diet & stop buying foods that come in a package I am talking about making the cornerstone of your diet pure, unadulterated fruits and veggies that you can buy at your local farmer’s market, through a CSA, or even Safeway. There is never gluten in an unprocessed piece of fruit or green vegetable! How many of us are allergic to zucchini or celery? These foods are our friends in healing and simplifying our diets. It is during the processing of many foods that allergens are added in the form of: fillers, preservatives, chemicals, sweeteners, artificial flavors & food coloring. If you do this you will get healthy, save money, spend less time at the grocery store, reduce your carbon footprint, and your kids will inevitably learn to love green healthy stuff. 2. Put together a repertoire of at least 10 Recipes you can repeat over and over that make your body, mind, and spirit smile. Research has shown that most of us repeat the same 10 meals over and over, week after week and month after month. The meal most people with food allergies I work with struggle with is breakfast. I suggest trying out non-traditional breakfast foods: leftovers from last night’s dinner are a great time saver. For those of us that are not very hungry in the morning (many aren’t, and it is perfectly OK to not eat a big breakfast despite all the hype that you need to), having a green smoothie or a piece of fruit are great to-go breakfasts. There are also many healthy muffin recipes you can adapt to your particular dietary requirements. I can help you with this! Making the list will initially require some work, but it will soon become second nature and you won’t event have to refer to it when making your weekly grocery list. It will give you ease in knowing what sorts of things are safe to order when eating out as well. 3. Eat In More and Have Social get-togethers that don't Revolve Around Food Most people don’t like this idea at first. It is natural to be resistant to change at first. We think all the fun will float out of lives if we do this. Notice I did not write NEVER eat out or have food-related social events. First of all, getting together with other people who understand your special diet or are also on one for a meal at your place theirs can be one of the most nourishing things you can do for yourself. There are probably already people in your life who would love to get together with you and cook health meals together or have a potluck. I am simply suggesting you simplify your social life a bit. Healing doesn't happen solely in isolation, we all need community to heal. I am saying that often the stress and frequent ill effects of dining out need to be considered when planning your social calendar. Learning to speak up for my own needs has been pivotal in my own healing. I now suggest having people over to eat over going out to a restaurant, and I also attempt to do social activities that do not center around food: hiking or just taking a walk, dancing, having herbal tea at the local coffee shop (you can even bring your own and ask for hot water). The pace of your life will naturally slow down as a result of taking the steps I listed above. Simplifying your life by filling it with simple, whole foods, a menu plan of delicious & healing recipes, and a supportive social network will make all the difference in your quality of life and overall well-being.