Gluten-free living is changing the lives of countless people for the better. It helps to alleviate multiple maladies and heals years of misery for most dieters. I went completely gluten-free (GF) and casein-free (CF) six years ago to support my son’s GFCF lifestyle. I quickly discovered the benefits of being GFCF – my digestive illness, pains, and allergy concerns were resolved. Two years into my diet change I became chronically ill with symptoms of autoimmune disease, arthritis, fatigue, brain-fog, emotional changes, allergies, and exercise intolerance. I went from being an active person to being a sick person. How did this occur when I was on such a healthy diet plan?
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When I was asked to speak at church about my experiences of motherhood, I heartily agreed. I was asked to speak this Mother’s Day which is just around the corner. Although I was given plenty of advanced notice, I continue to find myself at a loss for words. How do I condense eighteen years of being a mother into a ten minute homily? What does God want me to share with other moms? How do I explain motherhood?
“What do you think about ________?” My response to this question usually involves some form of circular reasoning or begging the question. Why do you seek my answer? Is your question loaded with bias? Is your goal contention or knowledge? Who am I to provide the answer? When one seeks wisdom, one must know the source from which it flows.
America is a great country filled with hard-workers, brilliant thinkers, leaders, and billionaires. Ideas and advances which perpetuate progress have the ability to create unimaginable ripples – with both positive and negative consequences. America’s healthcare rating is the worst in the developed world and the U.S. ranks sixteenth in the world for overall health according to Time Health and the 2014 Commonwealth Fund survey. What ripple(s) may be creating ailing Americans? 
Gluten-free living is changing the lives of countless people for the better. It helps to alleviate multiple maladies and heals years of misery for most dieters. I went completely gluten-free (GF) and casein-free (CF) six years ago to support my son’s GFCF lifestyle. I quickly discovered the benefits of being GFCF – my digestive illness, pains, and allergy concerns were resolved. Two years into my diet change I became chronically ill with symptoms of autoimmune disease, arthritis, fatigue, brain-fog, emotional changes, allergies, and exercise intolerance. I went from being an active person to being a sick person. How did this occur when I was on such a healthy diet plan?
I attended an in-service today presented by a National expert in nutritional therapy. My quest for new health-related knowledge dragged me out of bed an hour early, allowed me to sit through eight hours of listening to the speaker read an 800 slideshow narrative, and allowed me to ignore the dread of driving two and a half hours. Needless to say, I really wanted to learn about this topic, and my mind was completely open. It became apparent within the first ten minutes that I was going to be deeply disappointed. While the expert was brilliant and knowledgeable about nutritional interventions, her bias was apparent. 
While at Wal-Mart purchasing yet another package of Band-Aids for my son, Austin, I wondered, Why am I always buying these? I was raising two boys actively involved with being outdoors, swimming, fishing, hunting, riding bikes, and sports. Both of my boys bled and used Band-Aids for their multiple scrapes and injuries. Their injuries were a “normal” part of living active lives which allowed them to learn natural limits – pain is a good teacher.
Food choices – they define our generations – what can Traditionalists teach the Centennials/NeXters? Living in the present is the new “catch phrase.” It means to be mindful of your current surroundings, choices, emotions, and behaviors. It does not mean to close yourself off from the past. “Those who do not learn from history (the past) are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana
Does food really affect our health, and behavior? I hear this question often and I have to remind myself that personal knowledge related to the toxic effects and healing effects of food choices is unique to each of us. Most people are willing to believe that food directly affects overall health. There are tons of research articles, diet plans, books, and specialists explaining how bad food habits can be dangerous to our bodies and life expectancy. Emerging research explains how certain types of foods affect our mood and behaviors. While we may disagree with which health food plan is best for an individual’s needs, we cannot continue to ignore psychological and physiological diseases plaguing us, our kids, and our nation. 
