Lessons Learned for Tuesday

Decaf coffee is not worth it.

Millet rice cereal contains barley malt (man, does my face itch now!)

Back to Nature Sesame Seed GF Rice Thin Crackers are actually very tasty and have none of the things I can't eat  - hooray!  My old GF cracker standbys contained soy.

Rice milk is fine on cereal, but only if it is cold.

So there you have it.  Learn from it, grasshoppers.

A (Hopefully Temporary) New Way of Life

After a visit to my wonderful doctor (not kidding, I really do love her!) I am now on what is technically called an elimination diet.  I call it the "eat nothing that tastes good" diet.  In an effort to get to the root of some of the health problems I have been having, I have to spend 4 weeks NOT eating the following:

Oranges and orange juice, all dairy and eggs, wheat, corn, barley, spelt, kamut (don't even know what that is), rye, pork, beef/veal, sausage, cold cuts, hot dogs, shellfish, any soy products, peanuts and peanut butter, corn, butter, margarine, shortening, any processed oils, salad dressing, spreads, alcohol, coffee, soft drinks, refined sugar, white/brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, chocolate, ketchup, relish, chutney, soy sauce, bbq sauce, teriyaki sauce, etc.  Bored yet?

Did you know that baking powder usually contains corn starch?  That the vinegar in ketchup, mayo and mustard is usually made from wheat or corn?  Canned tuna often has soy in it?  I know that now.

I'm not going to kid you, this is hard.  Thankful I like grilled chicken and veggies and rice.  I'll be expanding my (non-yogurt based) smoothie menu and reintroducing myself to my juicer, if only for the sake of variety.  Wish me luck!  At the end of the 4 weeks I reintroduce each type of food, about 1 new one every 3 days, to test for reactions.  I've got a bad feeling about dairy.....

Time Lapse

I didn't realize it had been so long since I had posted.  Lots going on work-wise, which is good, but it doesn't leave much time for blogging.  Oh well.  Making this one brief, just stopping in to say hi.  I'll leave you with a fun picture from our trip to Alaska:

Put Your Dream to the Test - Book Review

Put Your Dream to the Test

10 Questions to Help You See It and Seize It

By John Maxwell 
Published by Thomas Nelson

New York Times and Business Week best-selling author John C. Maxwell states “It’s one thing to have a dream.  It’s another to do the things needed to achieve it.”  In his book Put Your Dream to the Test, Maxwell outlines the critical thinking necessary not only to achieve your dream, but to ascertain if your dream is something you truly want vs. an abstract idea. 

If you are like me, you often have multiple “dreams” percolating in your thoughts.  What struck me most about this book was that it forced me to look at them and decide if they were just ideas or ideas worth pursuing.  Dreams are much more than to-do lists.  The book provides a list of what you must do to quantify, evaluate the stakes, and accomplish your dream, but makes clear it must be something that an “inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it.”

Have a dream?  Read this book.

FTC required notice: Booksneeze has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

What Do You Know About BPA?

More on the Big Cleanse:  looking at other websites and getting ideas for gaining control of my health.  Found this post on fastcompany about how to reduce BPA, which  is a potentially toxic estrogen-mimicking compound used in plastic production that has been linked to breast cancer, early puberty, infertility, and other maladies. It's dangerous enough that it has been banned in baby bottles in Europe, Canada, and even China--but not in the U.S.  So, how important do you think it is to reduce them in your life?  Is this something I should do for the health of my family, or is it over-reacting?

Desks, Offices and Signs

I am by nature a sarcastic person who often wonders about the collective brain power of the human race.  This website confirms my worries.

So, you ask, how else have I been amusing myself in the vast wasteland that is the internet? Well, let's talk office health and desk decor:

I found this desk yoga video helpful - the stretches actually work.

To hold up the books currently in piles all over my office and desk I need this.

Fun uses for alligator clips are found here.  I can't help it - I love office supplies.  Does that make me totally weird?

I also want a stand up desk. I have major back issues and lately sitting seems to make it worse.  I think the Pottery Barn Bedford Desk would be way cool:

Too bad for me it is ridiculously expensive and I am cheap.

I could go for one of these balance ball chairs, but I am notoriously uncoordinated and would probably roll off and hurt myself.

What is your dream office or desk set-up?