Gluten free on tv

I happened to have the Today Show on this week when they did a segment on gluten free diets. You may have heard that Chelsea Clinton's wedding cake was gluten free, and I think that may have sparked a lot of hype. The doctor in this segment explained things very well, and I hope it raises more awareness for celiac and gluten free diets so that more restaurants will start offering gluten free options...

And speaking of gluten free food, here is my favorite snack/meal lately. I love love love Fellini's salads (they're located in Atlanta, and I miss them!) and I tried to make one at home that was as close as possible to theirs. It is VERY simple...but delicious!

lots of fresh tomatoes, loads of freshly grated mozzerella, and a creamy italian dressing

Yum!! I think I'll have one now...

Cousins

Matt's sister Casey and her husband Eric brought their 3 month old, Otto, to St. Simons this weekend to see Will! They were so cute together!

Yesterday we drove to Savannah to hear our friend Craig preach! He did a great job, and it was good to catch up with him and Ashley. And Will got to play in the nursery with their son Benjamin, who is only 2 weeks older than Will! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of them.

After church we went to downtown Savannah and had lunch at Huey's on the river! We had a view of the river and had a great time. I had french toast and Matt had eggs sardou.

Last night we went to see Crazy Heart with Beau and Kate. It's the story of an older, alcoholic country music star who eventually cleans himself up. I thought Jeff Bridges did a great job, but I thought the story was unbelievably slow (maybe I'm just used to the speed of 24??). I also thought the romance between the two main characters was creepy, and the way he just quit drinking so easily was laughable. My opinion: wait until it is out on dvd.

Our weekend

My mom left Friday - we had such a good time with her and miss her already! Here are a few more pictures that we took before she left.

We had a GREAT weekend. We rented several movies - State of Play (we both enjoyed), Hurt Locker (Matt liked, a little intense for me), and Love Happens (it was ok). And Saturday we made Pioneer Woman's restaurant style salsa and ate more chips than we'd like to count! Does it make it better that we went to the gym first ;) The salsa is delicious - I think we'll be making this often!

Sunday we went to church and then to a southern brunch at Big Jones in Andersonville. I got fried okra and I was happy!

After brunch we went to the Art Institute of Chicago. This was the first time I'd been, and it is free during February.

Matt in front of Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon"

Thankfully Will kept himself busy most of the time...

Will and I checking out some art

When we left the Art Institute we went to the Russian Tea Room for tea! It is right down the street from the Art Institute, and was a lot of fun! They serve tea in the traditional tea cups like Matt remembered from Russia. And Matt got a piece of chocolate cake! All in all it was a great afternoon!

Oprah

Oprah's show today was on America's Silent Killer....diabetes. I turned it off about 20 minutes into it because I was so frustrated. The show was about Type 2 diabetes (a preventable, curable disease primarily caused by being overweight). Which was fine...I understand that the message needs to get out there, and I applaud Oprah for trying to save lives with this message. What I found frustrating though, was that as a scare tactic for Type 2's, they show a Type 1 diabetic (what I have...a disease that cannot be prevented, has nothing to do with eating too much sugar, and there is NO CURE) that is a double amputee on dialysis and awaiting her second kidney transplant. At this point I turned the tv off.

I then went about my day and tried not to think about it. But then tonight we got a phone call from someone who'd seen the show and was worried about me. I really appreciated the concern, but got even more fired up because it confirmed how terribly misleading Oprah was today. I checked Kerri's blog to see if she'd written about it. Sure enough, she had. She said exactly what I was feeling, and she worded it wonderfully. So, I am copying her post in it's entirety.

Dear Oprah and Dr. Oz,

Diabetes is very expensive to manage and to treat the complications of, but what comes at an even higher cost is the damage of statements from a doctor, claiming that diabetes is reversible. I was diagnosed as a child, and my type 1 diabetes is not the result of any controllable factors. However, I have many friends who have type 2 diabetes who can make the same claim.

I can't lie - I had a lot of hope about your episode regarding diabetes. Even though it was billed as "the silent killer" and even though I knew you'd show the darkest side of diabetes-related complications possible to "sensationalize" this disease, I was holding out because I wanted this episode to be accurate.

Dr. Oz, you are a doctor, and a mouthpiece for the medical community. I realize you are a cardiologist, not an endocrinologist, so you can't be expected to know everything about every medical condition, but I'm surprised you were chosen as the expert on diabetes. I understand that doctors are human, as are their patients, and no one expects you to be an expert on every medical condition. I actually respect doctors who admit that they can do a lot, but can't do everything. And since you aren't an endocrinologist, I'm not shocked at your casual mentions of the two types of diabetes, not making clear distinctions between the two. (Actually, I believe it was Oprah (or her husband, Richie Cunningham) who continued to bring up the "type 1 or type 2" question.)

I was hoping that you take a clinical approach, instead of one that generalizes diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a very serious disease and shouldn't be put in that "lose weight and you'll save the healthcare system millions" category. You had an opportunity, and a duty, to educate the public about the different kinds of diabetes, and to help people understand what methods of treatment work best.

I was disheartened to see how this show was handled, editorially. You two started off by saying that diabetes is an epidemic, one that will eventually bankrupt our healthcare system. After discussing how insulin and glucose work in the body, you then cut to Laureen. Laureen is 44 years old, on dialysis waiting for her second kidney transplant, and a double amputee. You zoom in closely on her tears as they fall, as she laments how she has been dealing with diabetes for most of her life and wishes that she took better care of herself when she was young.

(Back to the studio: Oprah asks if Laureen was a type 1 or a type 2 diabetic. Dr. Oz says she was type 1 diabetic. "She's type 1. She's not making enough insulin. Type 1 is genetic." I'll admit this is one of the first times I've ever heard type 1 and type 2 even mentioned in the same breath in mainstream television. And then in the next breath: "Diabetes is an epidemic.")

Why show a type 1 diabetic with serious complications, and then say that diabetes is the fastest growing disease in the country? You need to specify that diet and exercise, or lack thereof, did not cause Laureen's type 1 diabetes. Yet you want people to see the horrible effects of type 1 diabetes on her body and then say that a generalized "diabetes" is an epidemic. Type 1 is not an epidemic. Type 2 diabetes is. And thanks to your mishandling of the facts, ignorance now joins the epidemic status as well.

Do you realize how frustrating it can be to live with diabetes, of any kind? The testing, the injections, the complications, the daily fear of what may happen while you're driving or - worse - what may happen while you sleep? The physical impact of diabetes is tremendous, as you both illustrated with your jar of glass shards, representing what an excess of sugar in the blood stream can do to blood vessels.

But do you realize how equally frustrating the stigma of diabetes is? How we are so often viewed as having "brought this on ourselves" or as not working hard enough to prevent complications? I've written in my blog countless times about the impact of diabetes and guilt, but you wouldn't understand that. You understand ratings. You understand getting your name out there and having people click on your website ads and tune into your show. You understand that showing a woman with missing limbs and streaming tears will make people sit on their couches and watch your show. What you don't understand is how some of us felt, watching from our homes. Opinions vary on how your show handled diabetes, but for me, personally, I feel like you just blended the worst of both kinds and then barreled into generic advice about generic diabetes symptoms and "remedies."

Now please don't get me wrong: I'm grateful for having more of a spotlight on diabetes. For all the times I've wanted to see diabetes featured on the Oprah show, I feel somewhat guilty for criticizing how your portrayed the disease. But it's hard for me to disconnect logic (i.e. not everyone has type 1 diabetes so not everyone will understand what information is correct or incorrect about diabetes) from my body's visceral response. I know that during many points in your show, I felt so frustrated. I wanted clarity to be delivered to the parts of society that are unfamiliar with diabetes. I wanted to have people watch your show and come away thinking, "Wow. There's more than one type of diabetes? It's not all about diet and exercise, but there are people who don't have a choice in this diagnosis?" Instead, I'm afraid that people will continue to think that diabetes is just diabetes, and that there is no distinction between the causes or the treatments. They'll think that all diabetes is controllable and treatable and potentially reversible. That it just requires work, and for the diabetic to not be lazy about taking care of themselves.

If one dollar of funding towards type 1 diabetes research is put back into a potential donor's pocket because they believe, as a result of your words, that all types of diabetes are the same and that all diabetics simply didn't take the measures to "prevent" their disease, this is your burden.

And for those of us with diabetes, we will have to carry the burden that society doesn't deem us "worth curing" because they think we did this to ourselves.

Sincerely,
Kerri Sparling
Type 1 diabetes for 23 years … and counting

Food, Inc.

Matt and I watched Food, Inc. last night. The movie basically shows where food comes from - the enormous slaughter houses, industrial farms and factories controlled by a handful of the world's largest corporations. It was eye-opening, alarming, and disturbing. Most of the food I eat is "genetically modified" - even the seemingly natural fruits, vegetables, and meats. And even worse - the animals that produce meat products are treated deplorably, and the employees are not treated much better (most of them immigrants). I understand that the directors had an agenda, but there isn't any denying many of their claims.

I admit, I was about as cynical as they come towards organic foods. To me it just seemed like a bunch of mumbo jumbo hype - the latest craze in the food world. I thought Whole Foods was for two types of people - yuppies who feel hip and cool shopping there, or granola eating weirdos. But after watching this movie, I feel differently. I don't want to support what I feel is detrimental to humans, animals, and the environment.

So, we are going to start buying more organic and more from our local farmer's market. Luckily, we have a Whole Foods a block from us. I'm not naive - I know it will be hard (for me!), and more expensive. But it's worth it. I'm sure we'll still go to the "normal" grocery store...just not as often. And I'm sure I haven't visited McDonalds for the last time in my life. But, I will be thinking about food differently.

I'll let you know how it goes;)

And just in case you need a little humor in your day...

Christmas gifts

Tomorrow is our last day in St. Simons. I'm really sad about it and wish we could stay longer. It has been a GREAT past 5 weeks of enjoying family, warm weather (comparatively!), good southern food, and the slow island lifestyle.

We've seen 2 movies over the last couple of days: Blindside and Avatar. Here is what I think of each:

1. Blindside - A true story that is an inspiring, feel-good kind of movie. Definitely go see it!
2. Avatar - The computer graphics and scenery were amazing and make this movie worth seeing, but be prepared for the over the top worship-mother-earth concepts, which were almost as bad as the blatant anti-military propaganda (an OBVIOUS critique on the War on Iraq). It was so bad that a few times Matt and I just looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

And, I thought I'd share a few of our Christmas gifts this year:

This shows basically what I've looked like over the past 4 days! It's a Nikon D90 and I am in love! And MB gave me Photoshop, which I can't wait to learn how to use!

If you remember, our other casserole pot had a nice death when we attempted Boeuf Bourguignon a few months ago. This one will be able to stand up to Matt's cooking, and I love it in this cobalt blue color!

My mom brought Will (before he was even born!) back these suede mittens from Italy! I LOVE them! She also brought back a scarf and leather purse for me and olive oil for Matt.

Matt's dad and Shelia gave us this BIG box of spices from Penzy's! Matt was in absolute heaven! And I can't wait to taste what he makes with these:)

Jessica gave me these BE-EWWTIFUL Kate Spade earrings and bracelet. Love it.

Anyone who knows Matt at all knows how much he loves to read (side story: one of his neighbors called his mom all worried when he was little because she saw him riding his bike down the street while he was reading and she was concerned for his safety!). He also loves reading to Will, and these Dr. Seuss books from the 2 grandmama's are his favorites!

It goes without saying that we got many generous things from our family and are thankful and grateful for ALL of them!

A long random post

Matt flew back to Chicago this morning. His flight was at 6:30am out of Jacksonville, so it was an early morning for him! But thankfully he made it back in time for his 10:30 class.

And now for some randomness:

• The season premiere of Hoarders starts tonight at 10/9c on A&E! Fascinating show.
• Check out Amazon's Deal of the Day: a year-long subscription to several magazines for only $5! And it includes 2 of my favorites: Real Simple and Southern Living!
  
• Speaking of magazines, check out the cover of Elegant Island Living:
  


Yep, it's my parents! They agreed to have their picture taken, but had no idea it was for the cover. Ha!

Also, notice the swing in the background? The picture is taken at the King and Prince, and they have swings overlooking the ocean. My parents sat in that very swing in 1980 when they were pregnant with me and tried to think of names for me (I was named Frances from my mom and grandmother's name, and Miller from my other grandmother's maiden name). When Matt and I were dating in high school, we loved going to sit on these swings to talk. It was probably our favorite thing to do.
• And here are a few more pictures from our weekend!

Aunt Karen and Uncle Hendley (my mom's brother and his wife):



Uncle Don and Uncle Bob (Mr. Dart's brothers):




Mrs. Dart, aka 'Grandmama':



Will enjoying his walks!


And Will's newest discovery: his feet! He thinks they may taste good, especially with socks on.

Our random week

Matt has been in San Fransisco this week so Will and I have been by ourselves for the last few days. He has been such an easy baby though...I've been very blessed! Yesterday we went to some outlets about 45 minutes away in Wisconsin, and he slept pretty much the whole time we were gone!

Matt got back today and we went to see the Amelia Earhart movie with some friends tonight. I love movies based on real life and couldn't wait to see it. The movie was really good - Hilary Swank does an amazing job playing Amelia. The ending is frustrating and sad, although it isn't a tear-jerker.

I've read some good stuff this week on different blogs I follow and wanted to share some of them.

• Kerri wrote an excellent post on the relationship between diabetes and guilt. Well worth reading.
  
  
• John Piper talks about why the "prosperity gospel" is a false gospel.
  
  
  Also, a different blog I read gave a link to this video done by Christianity Today showing the outcome of the prosperity gospel in other countries. It will make you sick.
  
  
• Unclutterer listed several questions to ask yourself when deciding what clothes to keep in your closet and what to get rid of. It has inspired me to get rid of more stuff. Also, great questions to ask when you are buying clothes - I am notorious for buying clothes and then never taking off the tags:(
  

Our weekend

The weekend was cold and rainy here in Evanston, but Matt and I still had a good time! Saturday Matt told me he'd watch the little guy and give me a chance to get out by myself to do some stuff, which was so nice! It felt weird though to be driving around without Will in the backseat.

Yesterday Matt got Will ready for church and dressed identical to himself - a blue check polo shirt with jeans - I thought they looked pretty cute so I had to get a picture (Will refused to look at the camera!)

KCF (Kellogg Christian Fellowship) started back up last night, and Matt and I made pulled pork sandwiches, deviled eggs, and brownies to take! Everything turned out delicious, and it was a great first meeting, with about 25 people there!

We rented Valkyrie this weekend, which is the second movie on World War II that we've rented in the last couple of weeks. The other was Defiance. They are both true stories and both very different. I am fascinated by anything that has to do with World War II, so I enjoyed both of these movies and actually watched them several times before returning them!

Here is a small review of each, in case you are interested:

1. Valkyrie - this is the story of German military who attempted to assassinate Hitler. Tom Cruise plays the main character, who sets a bomb off in Hitler's bunker in July 1944. It is amazing how close he actually got to killing Hitler, and the end is just agonizing!

2. Defiance - this is the story of a group of Jews who hid in the forest during the Holocaust. The story centers around the Bielski brothers, who organized, trained, and took care of this group of about 1800 Jews. The brothers miraculously survived and moved to the US after the war - one of the best parts is the extras on the movie where the family of the two brothers talk about these heroes. An amazing story.

Jon and Kate Plus Eight

An article on Jon and Kate Plus Eight came out in Christianity Today. It is pretty harsh on the family and the show, but perhaps deservedly so. You can read the full article here.