Gluten Free: Sugar Rush

Lots of questions lately about eating Gluten Free and how I stay on track, now that my health depends on it. It’s not easy, in a world where most of your favorite smells and textures can no longer be yours, unless you make them yourself or are the most annoying person at the the table, asking the waiter/chef for a detailed rundown of how everything was made.

Still, when you’re talking either a week of being sick vs. being judged as a picky eater or a pain in the ass, who are we kidding? I’ll have the baked potato, even if it’s gluten-free pizza dough, if all your dough is rolled out on the same counter, or if you use pre-grated/packaged shredded cheese, canned tomatoes that aren’t labeled GF or flavoring/meets of any kind that contain artificial anything. That’s just the charm of me.

I’ve learned a lot the last few years.

Rule number one–NEVER settle. My husband is even on board now, annoying man, leaning in when we’re out and I want just one bite, to say, “Be careful…” Argh!

But he’s right. I’m always right, when I’m taking care of my health.

Eat clean and natural and mostly home/handmade. That’s my life now. And I’m a healthy girl again because of it. We can all be healthier, I’ve learned, by cutting back on the gluten. Even if it’s not a sensitivity acting up for you, the inflammation and bloat and blood sugar spikes (sleep disorders and aches and pains and cognitive function issues and energy levels) you’ll trim away as you cut back on the gluten in EVERYTHING is a given. So, maybe give it a try, just a little?

Hope you’ll join me on my journey and share my favorite staples, recipes and goodies!

Today’s tip:  Sugar Rush!

I eat sugar sparingly, but when I’m out and others are snacking or deserting or basically indulging and I can’t have ANY because most processed and pre-prepared sugary anythings contain gluten, I need a back up plan. Here are three of my easy to travel with favorites:

tic tac strawberry fields

Tic Tac’s Strawberry Fields.

Just one or two, sweet and tart, and you won’t be craving that cheese cake as much!

Yumearth leomn

YumEarth’s Organic Lemon Drops (Cheeky Lemon). These are tarter that tic tacs, but long-lasting and fizzy and a bite of satisfying sweetness. I always have some in my bag. Sometimes Marshals and TJ Maxx cary them. Order from Amazon, if you can’t find them near you.

And what’s my indulgence at home (in a crystal jar, to tempt me to taste when I’m in the kitchen and my kid’s snacking on something I’m dying to have but can’t)?

jelly belly buttered popcorn

I have no idea how they do it, but all Jelly Bellies are GF. And how do they make these taste like buttered popcorn? Magic? Witchcraft, perhaps, like Turkish Delight. I don’t let myself down them by the handful (and I could, no prob, if I wanted to), because of my low blood sugar. But a few at a time do the trick, when someone’s in my face (say the teenager) downing something buttery and tantalizing and mouthwateringly chewy. Some grocery stores carry bulk Jelly Belly dispensers. Sometimes you can find specialty packs like this one in Marshals and TJ Maxx stores. They’re always there on Amazon, too.

So there you have it, my secret weapons to keep me out of the cakes and ice creams and party drinks and cookies and you name it that are in my face every damn day.

What’s your GF sugar fix?

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