We try to eat pretty healthy at home.
We try to follow a roughly paleo lifestyle, which for us basically means lots and lots of veggies, good protein (like grass fed beef from a local farmer), low amounts of dairy, no milk (before anyone says anything about calcium, me and my son are sensitive to lactose- I will not not go into what a big ol’glass of milk would do to us, but it isn’t pretty) and if we can help it no wheat. We are pretty loose on the fruit thing too, but paleo encourages no sugar, so only low glycemic fruit and small amounts of it.

Kids don’t really like eating like this. My kid is not too different from the norm, but in addition he has other food issues like an intolerance to eggs. SUPER!
And so, when he’d much rather be eating Kraft mac n’cheese with mystery meat hotdogs mixed in, instead we make burritos with home made guac and pico. Or a fresh spinach salad with homemade meatloaf.

At most evening meals the discussion goes as such:
(the following conversation has been fancy-fied to make it more fun to write.)

Son: “Do I have to eat these miscellaneous green things that you have prepared as well as this tasty meat substance?”
Me: “Yes”
Son: “How much of the miscellaneous green things do I have to eat.”
Me: “This much.”
Son: “That much! But it’s sooo much.”
Me: “Hmm okay, here you should eat a (cherry) tomato too.”
At this point my child may throw himself to the ground, he’s very good at it really. If he wasn’t stage shy he would have been a great actor by now.
Son: “Oh I will die or be violently ill if I eat that, you are cruel and mean parents! Ahhhhhhhh………”
We wait this out.
Me: “Would you like two tomatoes?”
Son: “Really? – No! This would make me even more distraught.”
Me: “I can make it two tomatoes.”
Son: “Fine, I will eat this miscellaneous green stuff, this small red orb of pure disgusting, and my unsatisfactory first helping of the yummy meat substance. In return can I have an additional helping of the yummy meat?”
Me: “Yes, these actions will guaranty one additional helping of the meat of the same unsatisfactory size. I would like to clarify though, that any additional helping of the miscellaneous green stuff will be necessary for a third of the meat.”
Son: “Really?”
Me: “Yes.”
My Partner at this points interjects with:
“You better hurry to because I’m hungry and this looks good.”
Son, eyeing up the remaining yummy meat substance: “Fine”
Me: “Oh look! I need more wine, good thing I switched to boxes of it.”
(Wine and alcohol in general is not really paleo either. This is just silliness.)

So ,  I try very very hard not to eat wheat, and this is hard. I luvvvvv wheat, in so many of it’s tasty forms. But there is so much evidence that it may not be in love with me anymore. I finely decided to try to cut wheat and there for gluten out, when I read that Keratosis pilaris is also known as “chicken skin” can be a side effect of a gluten intolerance. (here is a not gross pic of it from the Mayo Clinic)
“It can’t hurt to try”, I said “right?”
Well it doesn’t technically hurt, but it sucks. But overall, I feel a little bit better. Less sugar crashes around 10 am or 2 pm. I don’t feel as heavy. So  with these general diet changes, along with going to the gym, I’m finding I fill up a little faster. And so less sluggish later. And this is all a good thing, I’m finding what works for me.

But I still have to give in when I visit Our Kitchen, a tiny greasy spoon that serves quite possibly the best buttermilk pancakes I have ever or will ever have. Pancakes are my gateway gluten.

Now the rest of the day I have to be good, we are doing crockpot chicken with collards. Surprisingly, my kid likes these.