Everyday Baby Steps

I'm still eating wheat and milk free. It's been nearly two weeks, and I am noticing a difference. My pants are fitting a wee bit better. My guess is that I'm losing water weight and bloating more than anything else. But it's something at least. And I have to keep reminding myself of my baby steps philosophy. It certainly won't come iovernight. Baby steps.

I'm pretty proud of myself though. Not eating ingredients that are in everything is pretty hard. I sorely miss my chocolate and cheese. Recently, I've realized that my good intentions are being sabotaged by some very sneaky snacks. Some of the snacks foods I've allowed myself, thinking they are free of wheat and dairy ingredients, have surprised me. You'd be surprised what foods contain wheat and milk.

I've told you about ingredients like casein and whey that you need to look for in the ingredient labels. These are milk derivatives contained in the flavorings of many products. But let me tell you about some of the surprising foods I've found to be culprits containing wheat and/or milk.

• Licorice - Who knew that licorice has wheat in it? Oh, yes, it does! Check out the ingredient list of your favorite licorice products like Twizzlers or Good N' Plenty. They have flour in them. My guess is the flour helps to bond the other ingredients.
• Honey Roasted Peanuts - They contain milk. Yep. At least the ones I bought last week do. I had no idea. I thought this would be a good choice for a sweet, salty, and crunchy snack. Oh well, it's probably more sugar than I should eat anyway. Bummer.
• McDonald's french fries - I so love McD's fries. Yum. But, alas, they have both wheat and milk in them.  Last I checked, anyway. Has anyone heard differently? If so, let me know!

These are just a few of the big examples coming to mind. I know there are so many others I need to be careful of. I can't avoid all traces of wheat and milk, but I'm sure trying. As a matter of fact, I'm sitting here in Panera Bread typing this blog post. And all I ordered was a coffee. No yummy, crunchy bagels. No pastries. I'm so good. Aren't you proud of me? I do have some incentive, though. My goal is to be able to wear jeans with snaps by February 20th when I go with my girlfriends to visit a member oif our group who lives across the state. I think I can do it.

Photo courtesy of evelynishere from flickr