beth,

I think it is because of sj's intestinal difficulties.

I was thinking about the question more in general terms. My sister stopped most of Her problems by avoiding wine And leafy greens. . My DH needs to watch the salt or digestive chaos happens.

When I was diagnosis end with diabetes,it was at the beginning of the low carb craze. Lots of people needed to. Eat less carbs- especially refined carbs, but it became more of a fad than a health trend..

Typing on an iPad is frustrating .

when I had high blood sugar almost two years ago, it certainly helped me to go strict low carb for about 4 weeks. But apparently my "real" state is "pre-diabetic" because I can control things okay with diet. Which means moderately low carb now.

My grandmother swore that when she gave up bread (which I guess in her day was gluten free), she felt better and lost a lot of weight. Giving up bread to me seems like a form of punishment, so I'm not there yet, but I suppose I should get there. Bread tastes great, but quite a lot of it doesn't really have a lot of fiber.

I've been shifting to a higher-protein diet lately. It's helped my energy and, to a lesser degree, my mood.

The problem with giving up gluten entirely, if it doesn't actually cause health problems, is that once your body adjusts to not having it, re-introducing it is nearly impossible. I have a wheat sensitivity, which means that I *can* tolerate oat, corn, rice, and other grain gluten, just not wheat gluten, *or* wheat. I can sneak a little of it into my diet at widely spaced intervals, thus, a cupcake on a special occasion, or a bite of muffin or bread. I know my symptoms, and I know how much and how frequently I can indulge, and what happens if I go over that limit. I keep to those amounts, rather than giving it up entirely, because once I do that, those little indulgences won't be possible--even the smallest amounts will trigger a reaction.

Oddly, for someone who made homemade white and whole wheat breads in many forms, and enjoyed them all, plus artisanal wheat-based breads, now any white bread, from sourdough boule to buttermilk biscuits, taste like library paste. Way to spoil a lifetime of wonderful associated memories. Makes me grumpy.

I probably should cut back on carb and gluten things, but I do not see myself ever cutting them out entirely. She went through my food list and checked off any carb I had on any given day. She wants me to stay under six portions a day (including beans and starchy veggies), which I mostly did. However, I will say that putting beans and veg on the same level with pasta and bread does not encourage me to eat less pasta and bread.

Tonight I am having turkey meatloaf (which mom brought over last time she was here and I defrosted), and roasted potatoes and red peppers for dinner.

IcompletelyON, I may have brought this up before, but does anyone have any advice on how I can get my former college to stop sending me things, other than calling and asking politely (because I did that already). My attendance at this college was one of the lowest points of my life, and even seeing the mailers really freaks me out.

Send a letter in the mail to the alumni office, sj.

sj,

You might call the development office (fundraising) and see if you can get off all lists. They usually have stealth lists that you have to get off even after all others.

Amy, I was thinking of doing that and wondering if that would be any more effective than calling them.

You could also email them, sometimes they have contact forms on the Web site.