If you are a regular reader of this blog, I’m sure you’ve figured out that I love trying out different experiments with my diet to see what works well for me.  There was my vegan experiment last year (which didn’t last), and this year, I tried eliminating soy, which has worked out well for me.

The huz has done an amazing job of getting back into shape and one of the things he did to get there was almost eliminate gluten from his diet.  I’m up for the challenge, but of course, there has to be some rules:

1. Going gluten-free doesn’t mean I’ll be looking for easy store-bought substitutes – especially since I’m such a sucker for toast with butter for breakfast.  I have to do this by getting creative enough to not need those items in my diet.
2. I’ll include oats in my diet – while these are generally excluded from a gluten-free diet, most references indicate that it is an issue of cross-contamination of grains that make oats not safe for those with celiac disease.
3. My one packaged cheat item will be Pure Organics or Larabar bars (gluten-free/raw/vegan for the most part) – I’m traveling for work quite a bit these days, and I think it is a lesser evil if I have these available for a snack.
4. I’ll allow a baked good cheat day in the event of a birthday or special occasion.
5. I won’t create a fuss about this if I am having a meal with friends/family.

I’m fortunate enough that I don’t actually have any issues with gluten, so obviously, any accidental consumption won’t be an issue.  That being said, I’ll be watching ingredient labels like a hawk (which I’m guessing will end up with me not eating many packaged foods – not that I eat much of that in the first place).

I’m hoping this diet change will help me tip over the edge on those last 10 pounds that just won’t leave me alone.  And of course, I’m looking forward to sharing new recipes I try along the way (here’s a start with recipes I already had on the blog). Wish me luck on my 60-day challenge, which conveniently ends just before our 11th wedding anniversary!