An ounce of prevention vs a pint of pleasure

How many times have I said, “sure, I can’t have bread, pasta, sweets, restaurant food, anything pre-prepared or whatever… but I can still have Guinness!”? Honestly, I’d rather say I could have oreo ice cream than beer, but you take what you can get. (and, if I ever buy a large high-quality electric ice-cream maker, I could make ice cream that I can eat. It would take a lot of time, but could be done).

Well, I’ve done an amazing job of staying away from my death-foods lately. I haven’t had ANY gluten, soy, sugar, or aspartame in over a month (except for the soy that lying @$#!*&% restaurant poisoned me with Friday), but I was still having tummy problems, so I decided to test myself and see if Guinness was part of the problem. Most celiacs say it’s bad, but some experts say that gluten is broken down during the fermentation process into harmless peptides. Anyway… so I’ve gone without Guinness some, and the two last times I tried to drink Guinness, my stomach acted up. Maybe I just hadn’t eaten enough, so the alcohol soured my belly. Maybe it was coincidence, but it looks like I just may have to give up beer.

I don’t like to get drunk. I rarely ever even drink enough to get tipsy. But, I really like to settle down on the leather couch at my favorite pub and slowly sip a tasty beverage while I listen to Dave pick on all the new people. It’s a place to go out, even when you’ve got no one with you, but it isn’t some loud bar-scene meat market kinda place. How will I hang out there if I can’t drink anything? Someone suggested I just get the root beer (the root beer they serve there is SO good), but of course I can’t drink sodas because of the sugar. I’ve always been a glutton. For me, looking forward to a piece of cheesecake at the end of the day is a reason to go to work. But, I can’t have any kind of cake… no cookies… no doughnuts, pasta, pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, etc… So, I haven’t really got a lot of taste-treats to look forward to. When Brussels’s sprouts become a treat to you, you know your eating options suck. But, Guinness is really tasty. It’s no chocolate stout, and sometimes I wish I could have a Beak’s Best or a something different for a change, but Guinness is the most belly-gentle, and tastes so smooth and creamy… it’s mild as milk, but with a heartiness to its flavor like bread and stew. It’s low in alcohol, has nitrogen instead of carbonation (thus is really smooth on the tummy), etc… It’s not a fancy beer, but it’s a nice treat. Another treat scratched off my list, I guess.

It could be worse, though. I’m lucky to know about my food problems and thus be able to make myself healthier. The longer I stick to my diet, the easier it gets. I’m working out a little, hope to get a heavy bag soon (my poor little boxing gloves have been so neglected), and we’re coming up on hiking season. Sure, I’ll miss brownies and beer, but feeling strong and healthy is a greater gift than any food. Gotta appreciate what you’ve got.