laceyvail- Long before reading "Wheat Belly" I was utilizing more low-carb and low-glycemic foods, including coconut flour and almond flour in our diet, and using less wheat products. I'd been using more spelt than wheat for about a year, since it was lower on the GI. Diabetes is rampant in hubby's family, so we are trying to avoid it with food choices. Consuming whole foods on the lower half of the Glycemic Index of Foods and reducing the amount of wheat in our diet was already happening. I've been involved in gluten-free cooking/baking for years, including developing gluten-free recipes for a local sorghum mill, which started because my mother had celiac disease and I did a lot of food preparation for her before she died. Comments shared here made me head to the library and read "Wheat Belly", as well as "Perfect Health Diet" by Paul Jaminet, Ph.D. and Shou-Ching Jaminet, Ph.D. After that, we had a big food discussion and decided to do a 4-month trial without wheat products. After 4-months, and feeling great, I consumed a flour tortilla on Friday and a whole wheat bun on Saturday and by Saturday night I had a huge flair-up of arthritis like I haven't seen for many years (I've had arthritis since I was 14-years old). So that was enough to make me continue elimination of wheat in my diet. We also both dropped 10-pounds :-) I really don't make a big deal out of it because it's not a one-size-fits-all world when it comes to food choices. Ironically, during this time the Extension Office contacted me to see if I knew anything about using coconut flour. Evidently there are a number of "Wheat Belly" folks asking for information and guidance and the agent isn't up-to-speed on the subject. I've been mentoring individuals through the Extension Office, which suits me fine. I still teach food and nutrition classes at the local Food Bank and they generally include food available through the Food Bank and through the Commodity Distribution Program. My sister suffers IBS and a number of "gut" issues and is following a Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAP Syndrome or GAPS) Diet, which includes elimination of grains, and is seeing some great improvement after 2-months. We think our genetics (mother with Celiac Disease), as well altering grain, pointed out in "Wheat Belly", hasn't been a good thing in our family. Eliminating it has done wonders! -Grainlady

Petra I am so sorry to hear about your baby. My Rex was diagnosed with probable liver cancer. (I say probable, because we never did a biopsy, just an ultrasound which showed many masses, and 2 vets agreed that is was most likely cancer) I ordered him the c-caps, and he survived over a year longer than they told me he would. He eventually died from what they think was a blood clot, because he had been doing so great otherwise. (he also had CRF, hyper-t) I am definately not saying that the c-caps did it, I'm not even sure if he did in fact have cancer, and I would NEVER give you false hope....but maybe it's worth a try. I know how hard it is to hang in there sometimes, I am going thru hard times with my Jazz right now. He also has CRF and hyper-t, and is now anemic, but we are hanging in there. I read thru all the posts...what's your baby's name?? Did I miss it? Rita

Sylvia, "good plain country cooking" differs depending on the region where you are from. A person would never consider "fried chicken & mashed potatoes & baked beans & ham..." plain where I am from. Baked beans contain maple syrup, molasses or brown sugar (or all three). Fried chicken is very hard on the heart. Where I'm from, "good plain country cooking" means a lot of vegetables, fresh fish and seafood, and rice. I'm sure "good plain country cooking" in what sounds to be the N. American South does not include raw fish for dinner, but it did in the part of the country where I'm from. "& like beauty, "icky" is in the eye of the beholder. It's not up to a negatively motivated or faultfinding or control freak parent or stepparent to judge whether a preference or aversion or quirk is unreasonable; our preferences & aversions & quirks should be respected as long as they aren't dangerous" What about the positively motivated parent or stepparent? I think most food quirks are unreasonable. I have seen too many little children (and adults!!) decide just by looking that they will not eat a dish. I think it is a parent's responsibility to feed their children healthily and to introduce them to as many different tastes as possible. I think it is a lack of character that shows when someone refuses to eat something based on "quirks" and there are far too many people who go without for me to be willing to indulge a child's whimsical decision not to eat something on principle. As long as it's not going to hurt them, when they are hungry, they will eat. I would never force a child to eat something. Nor will I allow a child to hold me hostage in my kitchen. Only in recent history have children had a say in "what's for dinner". I ask DD that on occasion, and she plans a lot of our meals but she is not the final judge on what I'm cooking for my family. She is willing to try "just one bite" of anything because if she doesn't like it, she doesn't have it eat it. But she does have to try. Mealtime is never a battle at our house, and never has been. And if a child told me "I can't eat anything but jelly" I wouldn't consult a pediatrician. I'd tell them "you'll get pretty hungry then, won't you". Kids will not starve themselves. As an aside, I met a man from Kentucky through a friend. He was over and the subject turned to tofu as all the snacks I had out were Asian (something I didn't realize until I had put everything out, it was just standard fare for us). He said "tofu, blech, ugh, looks like jiggly fat, blah blah blah". I asked him if he'd ever tried it, he said no. So I got him out a piece, dipped it in some warm soy sauce and handed it over. Said "just one bite???" *grin*. And that big ol' Kentucky boy with the cut off shorts and plaid shirt and John Deere hat with the grease stains (no, I'm not joking) tasted the tofu and actually asked for more. He was slapping me on the back and laughing by the end of the night "them boys are never gonna believe I ate bean turds (curds)". My cousin caught sand crabs and cooked them up this summer. Offered me some. His wife said "you're not going to try those are you? ewwww". I sure did. And they were delicious. DD tried one, didn't like it, and I didn't make her eat any more. Why would I? They were great and I don't like to waste good food on someone who isn't going to enjoy it!

I just wanted to le y'all know that it's the season for Giant Swallowtail butterflies and their babies again. If you see them on your citrus trees PLEASE don't kill them as they are harmless. Yes they do have a ravenous appetite but I had them entirely strip the leaves off my lime tree one year and thought it a goner. It came back bushier than ever ! Those caterpillars actually did the tree GOOD ! So, please, if you see them, welcome them and enjoy the beautiful butterflies they will become ! For more info visit: entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/citrus/giantswallowtail.htm.  Thanks All !