For a while now, my husband has been complaining about stomach aches. I've always chalked it up to him drinking too much soda and not making the healthiest snack choices. Granted, I've never cooked as much as I would have liked and we eat too much frozen/pre-packaged foods, but I do try to sneak some veggies in there. However, in talking more to my husband he told me that he's always had stomach problems. As a child he would often be sent home from school with stomach aches and he has memories of sitting on the couch nibbling crackers while the rest of the family ate dinner. Whew! So this wasn't brought on solely by my neglect of my wifely duties! =P
Then I read this article (Thanks, Mandy King!) about food sensitivity and it got me thinking. What if my husband isn't just eating too much fatty food? What if he actually is sensitive to gluten? The symptoms noted in the article matched what he had told me about how he has been feeling. I shared it with him and, while he did refer to the Huffington Post as the McDonald's of the news world, he agreed that his symptoms matched up.
SO! Husband and I have decided to become a gluten free and dairy-lite (copyrighting that term!) family - at least for a time. It's definitely worth a shot, and I'm hoping knowing that we've kicked gluten will jump start my dinner making desires that have lain dormant for so long. (I love to cook, I'm just really lazy!)
But now I'm kind of nervous. What if I can't do it? What if I'm not diligent enough to search out the right foods and then take the time to prepare tasty meals? And worse, what if people start labeling me as one of those hippie tree-hugger crunchy people?
Sounds stupid, right? If it's for the health of my family it should be no problem to get the ball rolling and phooey with everyone else! There's just one problem...my sinful nature. I'm lazy and self-serving above anything else...and I care what people think. You might wonder why it would matter that people know we're trying to be healthier. But I've been on the receiving end of judgement for buying the the more budget friendly tube of ground beef instead of the organic, grain-fed kind and I don't want people thinking that I'm that way. It's hip to look down your nose at people who aren't planting their own gardens or making their own clothes from fabric made from recycled soda bottles. Gluten free lends itself naturally to organic and home made (which is awesome, by the way. Not knocking healthy choices and conservation!)
So, why do I say all of this? I have rambled and I bet this whole thing reads rather confusingly. Mainly, I wrote this out to help expose my own heart and come to terms with why this is making me nervous. My prayer now is that God will work on my heart to become more diligent in creating a healthy lifestyle for my family, and also that He will help me to not be so ridiculously concerned with what I think other people my think about me. (So silly, whose opinion matters but His anyway?)
Has anyone else had to make lifestyle changes to accommodate health needs? Or have you maybe made a switch just in an effort to be altogether healthier or more mindful or your environmental impact? Thoughts or advice appreciated!
