Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend a gluten- and allergen-free expo. Billed as a consumer event to meet the needs of the celiac community and others, the organizers proclaimed that “athletes and the health conscious community will greatly benefit from the expo’s offerings as well.” The website for the event says that the organizer “considers it her personal mission to help others who follow a restricted diet learn delicious, nutritious and convenient ways to live a happy and healthy life.”

There is nothing I would want to take issue with there, of course. It’s a challenge to have dietary restrictions, and those facing such obstacles welcome any support. The problem I had with the expo isn’t really about the event itself, it’s about the myopia that results when people become too focused on one single thing. Whether it’s an issue or an ingredient, considering one purpose or object—to the exclusion of everything else—is dangerous. In the case of a gluten-free expo, the single focus is avoiding products made from certain grains. There were gluten-free crackers, cookies, cakes, pizza crusts, personal care products and even beer. For the gluten-sensitive or allergic crowd, these goods represent the hope that a somewhat normal lifestyle may be within reach. But a step back—and a quick glance at labels—will reveal that such hope comes at a price, and the price may be other areas of health.

With few notable exceptions, nearly every gluten-free packaged product I picked up had great quantities of sugar or salt. Also seen in abundance were artificial flavorings and colors, preservatives and even other ingredients that are known allergens such as corn, soy, dairy, etc. But few of the attendees seemed to notice, and, in fact, not many read beyond the front of the packaging, where the words “gluten-free” were highlighted in bright colors with oversized fonts.

The truth is, people with compromised health—whether from sensitivities, allergies, immune deficiencies, diseases or other ailments—may well benefit from the encouragement they receive from others at expos or other support groups. What doesn’t help is trading one poison for another. But until we step back from the monovision idea—whether it’s avoiding gluten, cutting calories, eliminating fat, sidestepping sugar—and look at the whole picture, we’re rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship. What if, instead, we ate mostly foods that did not even have ingredient labels? It’s possible. It’s easy. It even tastes good. Here’s an example of gluten-, dairy- and refined sugar-free yummy-ness at its best!

CHERRY BLONDIE MUFFIN CAKES
Yield: 2 servings

Equipment
Mini food processor

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup macadamias
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons maple sugar
1/3 cup dried cherries
2 dates, pitted
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch sea salt

Combine the macadamias, walnuts and maple sugar in mini food processor. Pulse the nuts and sugar together until the mixture is ground into a coarse powder. Add the cherries and dates, and pulse until mixture is well incorporated.

Add the vanilla and a generous pinch of salt. Pulse several more times to distribute everything evenly. Transfer the mixture into two single muffin cups, and use your fingers to pack the mixture down tightly. Run a knife around the edge of the muffin cup, and invert the finished Cherry Blondie Muffin Cakes onto a plate.

Image source: Business News Daily

April 1 is right around the corner, and just around the bend from that is April 15: tax day.

Once again, I find myself right where I was last year. I have one silly bit of bookkeeping I need to sort out before I can get everything off to the accountant for the final signatures, and then I’ll be done with it all.

Last year—despite several solemn promises to myself to the contrary—I didn’t get to that administrative detail before the mid-April deadline. So my accountant filed an extension for me. An extension would give me until September to get it worked out and submitted. So guess when I finally got it done? Yep, the night before the extended final deadline. The worst part of it all was that by the time I did “do the numbers,” it only took me a total of about 45 minutes to get the stuff assembled and off to the accountant. Forty-five measly minutes of my time, and what did it cost me? Easily a couple hundred dollars. But worse than the unnecessary hard dollar cost was the mental toll, the agony of seeing “the pile” on my desk every single day from April 16 until the end of September. Each day, I’d look at the heap/stack/mountain, and I’d think “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Or, “I will get to that this weekend.”

Most of us have had a similar experience. The thing on your desk you’re convinced you’d rather die than have to do. You finally tackle the dreaded task and emerge feeling exhilarated and accomplished. I know I did. And in the back of my mind, I was asking “why the hell did I put that off for so long anyway?”

So I am writing this now in order to make a proclamation: I am hereby taking the silly bit of 2012 bookkeeping from the “things I don’t want to do list” and putting it on the “I’m not doing another thing before this is done” list. Right now. I mean it. No emails, no answering phone calls until it’s done. I have the afternoon set aside for catching up on important stuff, and I have deemed this important. I’ll let you know how I do….

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I am back. And I am happy. Not only did I get the 2012 fourth quarter stuff all reconciled, but because it’s so late in March, I decided to deal with the accounting stuff for first quarter 2013 as well. And then I made a little ceremony of getting the files sent off to my accountant. I turned up the volume on my laptop so that when I hit “send,” I would hear that “whoosh” sound that Macs make when email is launched. Then I did a little happy dance. So now, not only do I have my accounting up to date, I also have a blog done. Ahhhhh….

It’s hard to believe that two months have slipped by since my last post on January 1, when I wrote a summary of my 42-day blogging marathon. The journey began with a vague sense of adventure and the need to do a juice fast. It ended with health challenges, a strangers’ unsolicited advice and a broken relationship. But the truth is that “The Odyssey,” as I referred to it, didn’t end there and, in fact, its still not over.

On New Year’s Day I wrote that I felt the theme for 2013 would be “Trust My Gut,” and in staying true to that premise, I have spent the past two months trying to reestablish a connection to myself. I’ve done some things like commit to having a massage every week. I’ve changed my hair color four times since my last post (I think I’ve found a shade I like). I’ve cleaned out a lot of stuff I didn’t need from my house and my life. I’ve also done some work that has not been as exhilarating, like completely disconnect from any contact with my former significant other, Jeff. The relationship had become toxic which doesn’t necessarily mean it was easy to stay away from, but I quit cold turkey and I am healthier as a result.

Essentially I am writing this post today for three reasons. The lamest one is that I promised myself I would not let a month go by without posting, and today is the final deadline for February. Additionally, this arena has become a sort of placeholder for me; a spot to come and review, reflect and regroup as I plod along on the journey. And the third reason is frankly because I didn’t realize how many people actually do read this. I assumed that because I hadn’t gotten many comments on the blog I was essentially writing for my own entertainment. But lately I’ve been fielding questions from people who clearly have read at least some of the posts, based on the nature of their queries. So for those of you who are intrigued by the journeys of others, I want to send you a postcard that says “I’m Still Here.” I also want to point out that if you’re reading this, “You’re Still Here” as well. Sometimes, that in itself is pretty amazing.

In my initial post of the 42 day blog I wrote, “For the past several weeks I’ve had the sense that something was coming. Some new change or paradigm shift or…something. I wanted to create a space in my life for this new thing to manifest itself and I decided to dedicate six whole weeks—42 days—to opening up to the possibilities.” When I pecked those words I had no idea what was in store or where the path would lead. I simply felt that there was a place I was heading toward, and that wherever that place that was, it was my “date with destiny” in a way. So for six solid weeks I surrendered and allowed myself—maybe for the first time in my life—to be pulled along without resistance and to trust in the process itself. I wasn’t disappointed. Truth be told, even during what appeared to be the “bad times” I knew that “it” was working; that the paradigm shift I had sensed was indeed running its magic. Through it all I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite quotes by Anatole France:

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.

So what now? Well, here’s the funny thing. After six hard-core, focused, roller coaster weeks, I’ve had the last two months “off” in a way. I wrote a New Year’s Day post and then I essentially went into another dimension, one of massages and hair colors and reconnecting with old friends. But now (do I dare admit it?), a familiar sense of anticipation is back. I’m feeling once again as though I am stepping into a place of transformation. I have a vague awareness of fear but it’s eclipsed by a sense of anticipation and delight. So what I am hoping for, and what I want more than anything, is some encouragement from others. I want to hear a story other than my own. I’m going to start by going to hear my friend Debra Peckumn do a talk to my MeetUp group next week. Deb participated in one of the juice fasts I led last year and subsequently went on to lose over 50 pounds, take up running and then climb a mountain or two.

We’re all here on a journey. The journey is enhanced when we share it with others. I’m glad you’re here.

Note: If you want the full back-story, you can read the first blog in the series, which I posted on November 18, 2012.