Two weeks and counting

Well, I'm now two weeks into my journey as I dive into the world of gluten-free eating. Surprisingly, it hasn't been that bad because there are a lot of options out there. And yes, I admit, I do cheat sometimes. But I am definitely more conscious of what I'm eating.

For those of you who are new to the world of gluten-free eating, you may be surprised to learn how many options you actually have. I've found I can actually eat a lot of "normal" foods, including Chex cereals and rice noodles, which taste just like normal spaghetti noodles. Also, potatoes have become my go-to food. I eat them with EVERYTHING. But hey, it's worth it when you feel you can actually eat something that is somewhat familiar.

I've also added a drink to my diet called "Green Magma." It has tons of vitamins and minerals and can be purchased at health food stores. The idea is to drink it one to two times a day to cleanse my body of toxins. It may look like green slime, but it's actually not bad when combined with juice. (See photo)

For now, I'm still experimenting with recipes and such but I can definitely say I am feeling better. As I come up with more, I will add them. Well, onto week 3!

Boy Scouts among us

There is a community of helpers out there, in the Belleville area. These helpers provide services to others, to us.

Some do it for a salary, whereas others either donate the money they earn back to the organization they represent, or provide the service for free.

Their fundamental drive is to help others. They are angels among us, and act on the same desire to help others that drives organizations like the Boy Scouts.

Would you charge to help an elderly person across the street? Surely not.

They are motivated to do good, and it is often enough for them to recognize that they have helped.

They are, in fact, boy scouts among us, in a manner of speaking. You know the Boy Scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

Boy Scouts are everywhere, and numerous. They are young, old, girls, boys, men, women. And they are blessings.

We all know boy scouts. They often become public servants like police or firefighters. Did you know, for example, that Van Buren Township Fire Chief Darwin Loyer is an Eagle Scout?

As the new firefighters in Van Buren Township were welcomed to the community the other evening, I wondered how many of them had been in scouting.

Did you know that Frank Sobecki and George Kennedy of Troop 793 from St. Anthony Parish have been involved in scouting for years, continuing to this day? You saw them recently in the Strawberry Festival Parade, or parking cars behind St. Anthony Parish during the festival.

Or keeping Main Street tidy during the Strawberry Festival, like Assistant Scout Leader David Radecki.

Full disclosure: David is my neighbor. I met him when he was growing up. He is about the same age as my son Matthew, and they were in the scout troop together.

David stayed in the troop long after we left, becoming an Eagle Scout, and continues to play an important role.

He is the troop committee chairman, helping to coordinate plans and fundraising efforts with other troop leaders, and attends weekly troop meetings and camping trips.

Most recently, he patrolled Main Street during the Strawberry Festival, helping to keep the streets clean for the festival’s visitors.

David has lived in the tri-community area for most of his life. His parents are Mike and Cathy Radecki, and siblings are older brother Steven and twin sister Karen.

He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow in scouting, a sort of National Honor Society in scouting, he explains.

He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and is the vice president of the Wayne County Young Republicans.

He continues to participate in scouting, and in fact never left the troop.

He views scouting as a blend of fun and work, whether as a young person working toward merit badges, or as a scout leader.

“It’s so much fun to see the boys grow,” he said, to witness a youngster at 10 years old grow and develop into a young adult.

“Scouting gave so much to me, and I feel I want to give back to scouting,” he added.
The beneficiaries of David’s care, generosity of spirit and commitment are not only the Boy Scouts, but each of us in the community, as boy scouts operate among us each day, enriching our lives.

Thanks to David Radecki and the boy scouts among us.

Allergic to food

My magic number is 24. Why, you ask? Because that is the number of food allergies and sensitivities I recently found out that I have. Yes, I know, it's a lot.

Even though I may have a number of allergies, my top 3 being gluten,yeast and peanuts, I am one of the lucky ones who doesn't have a severe reaction such as my throat swelling or breaking out in hives. I more or less just get really fatigued and have other stomach issues that you probably don't care to know about.

Through my limited research, I'm coming to the realization how many people actually are allergic to gluten. Gluten-free cooking is not as hard as I thought because there is so much information available. However, now I'm realizing how conflicting some of the information is.

Some people say that a blood test for food allergies can result in a large number of false positives while others swear by it. I'm wondering if anyone else is or has had a similar experiences and what their results have been?

I'm wondering who else has food allergies and the recipes they may use. Also, if you had a blood test, just how serious did you take the results? Any input would be appreciated!

I am considering making my journey into gluten-free living a weekly blog post if I get enough responses. So come on, help me out!!