Hello

I was diagnosed with celiac disease two years ago. Thank God I was. It forced me to read food labels. I never paid much attention to what was in our food supply until then. If it tasted good, I ate it. Things like sodium counts, high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, and hydrolyzed soy protein meant nothing to me.

I was concerned enough about hormones in milk that I bought only organic milk once we started having children. I made a lot of my oldest son's baby food. But! When he was old enough to eat really solid foods, they made toddler convenience foods! Score! Pop it in the microwave and within minutes he's eating a perfectly healthy ravioli meal and peas! When my second son came, I exclusively breastfed, but didn't make much of his food because he didn't like food much, and having a baby and a two year old is hard! When he was old enough, score! Ravioli and veggies for him too! My daughter was recently born and we are exclusively breastfeeding. I already have plans to acquire a baby food processor from Williams Sonoma and I will make all of her food.

Why was I concerned about milk? I remember reading an article about changes in development and earlier onset of puberty that corrolated in time with the introduction of hormones in our dairy supply. Why wasn't I concerned about the other stuff? I don't know. I didn't know that I needed to be. Until that changed on October 2, 2008 when I got the news at my desk that I did in fact have celiac disease. I focused on changing my diet, but the children loved chicken nuggets and spaghettios, and Chef Boyardee and Nutrigrain bars. My diet improved. Theirs didn't.

Over the last two years, I've opened my eyes to food. I've started asking questions. Why do they put soy in mashed potatoes? Is it really necessary to have high fructose corn syrup in bread? I've made some changes, but I am finally ready to change it all. It's not going to be easy. It won't happen overnight. There will be times when it will be easier to succumb to the lure of convenience foods.

I will make my family healthier. It won't happen overnight, but slowly they will move away from processed chicken nuggets to real chicken. They will not eat pasta from a can, but pasta with fresh sauces. Wish me luck on this endeavor. I'll need it!