One, Two, Three, Four, Five ....

I suddenly have the Lou Bega hit 'Mambo Number 5' in my head.

I digress.  Are you read to tackle the next steps down the road to a gluten-free life??  Ready or not, here we go.

Step Three

Remember the old AT&T commercials from the late 80's?  Reach out and touch someone?  That's what's recommended for step three.  To actually reach out and write to a manufacturer.  Now, if you chose to do this, make sure you're using proper terms, and being very specific in what you're asking, and the information you're trying to obtain.  Don't make things too difficult.  Simple, straight, and to the point. You'll be surprised at just how willing they may be to share information with you.

Step Four

Fine tuning.  As with any 'repair' you've got to maintain it, to make sure it's running smoothly.  Take your car for example.  You get the oil changed (or you do it yourself) every 3,000 miles (give or take).  You don't just change it once and then never have to do it again.  It wouldn't end very well for your car if you only ever did it once.

Same principal applies to going gluten-free.  Once you've gotten a handle on identifying potentially harmful food items, you're going to want to start looking at things that are much less suspect.  Things like medicines, mouthwash, and even toothpaste.  Consider cross-contamination (we'll talk more about this in an upcoming blog) issues - such as toasters, shared food products like mayonnaise, margarine, and jam.  Even chewing gum and breath mints.

If you're experiencing Dermatitas Herpetiformis, you're going to also want to take a look at things like shampoos, and lotions.  I wasn't kidding when I told you before that gluten is in almost EVERY thing.

Step Five

Step five!!  The last step in the process!  We made it!!  Now, you're going to finally be able to begin to explore new foods that are naturally gluten-free.  There are a lot of products that are gluten-free that you may or may not have tried before, maybe you haven't even heard of them.  Things like sorgum, teff, and buckwheat (which is naturally gluten-free despite it's name).

Look at your gluten-free diet as an opportunity to discover the undiscovered.  New and exciting foods (gluten-free of course) and cuisine.  Get inspired!  Try new things!  Concoct your own recipes!

You'll never stop learning if you choose to keep your eyes and mind open.

And remember, we're in this together.