Check In Time

Life has been crazy around the Byrd home lately, what about yours? There’s something about this time of year that makes everyone want to get together. But daylight savings time is upon (most) of us and that is something I look forward to – an “added” hour for one day.​

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We have had lots of family time. Our oldest niece was in town from Kansas City and spending time with her was lovely.  Dustin’s family was in town to celebrate one of his brother’s graduation from career training with the military. There was a big get-together with family and friends, and of course, LOTS of food. My family is greatly supportive of my gluten free lifestyle and tries to accommodate me as much as possible at meals. Of course, I always try to contribute food as well because gluten free replacements can be expensive. The last few weeks has truly been wonderful seeing everyone and enjoying fellowship.

Dustin and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary (love ya, honey!). We enjoyed a nice dinner on the town and a gluten free cake from a local bakery here in Tulsa. We have been short on time lately and I was not about to attempt a cake project! I left that to the professionals and they killed it. We are going out of town this weekend for our anniversary to see our first major league hockey game. It’ll be refreshing to get away, spend time alone and have a new experience together. 

Before we know it Thanksgiving will be here, then Christmas and then the new year! Holy moly! Spring seems like just yesterday. Time really does fly once you hit adult life - how annoying! Right when you need it to slow down.

Gluten Free Diet

My return to the gluten free diet is going pretty well. I’m still on track but meal planning was pretty lax the last few weeks, which has led to near misses. What’s the number one rule for gluten free eaters? PLAN! Plan, plan, plan, especially when life is busy. You don’t want to have another worry (where am I going to find gf food, what do I have gluten free at the house, etc.) when you are already busy.
 
As an example, a few weeks ago I was out running errands and Dustin was doing the same. We decided to meet at one of the few Mexican restaurants around us the offers an AMAZING gluten free menu. Bad news: we couldn’t even find a parking spot because it was so busy. Bummer. Since we had planned multiple meals that week (and ended up extending a few of them), we had food to make at home - food that was actually appealing (rule number 2 of gluten free eating: buy food you will actually eat). Long story short: we went home and made a quick, delicious dinner on the fly when our “plans” were changed.
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After eating gluten free for about a week, I added back tracking my calories and macros(ish). I have been eating a little bit healthier lately, such as chicken wraps, precut veggies and dip, breakfast smoothies, etc. Within the last month I’ve lost a few inches of bloat around my belly from the gluten free diet and cleaner eating. I am not 100% on point with a healthy diet, but I am 100% gluten free, which is my goal. Don’t get down on yourself if you slip from time to time if you are making a lot of lifestyle changes at once. Your mind is full of habitual pathways that are easy to fall back into. Just pick yourself up and start over the next meal. It really is OK.

Hypothyroid/Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
 
My bi-annual thyroid check is coming up this week. Since I’ve started paying more attention to my eating habits over the last few years I’ve noticed that my antibody levels have gone down. In April of this year, my antibodies were the lowest they’d been in over 3 years. I certainly feel better when my antibody levels are lower, in addition to my TSH levels being regulated (which we will talk about more later).
 
I’m anxious to see how my thyroid levels reacted to resuming a gluten-full lifestyle (with a vengeance) for nearly a year. I’ll be sure to let you know my results!

I’m sure you are saying, “Um, Lyndsy, what do these abbreviations mean?” Well, let me explain.

The Anti-Tg (or Anti-Thyroglobulin) test measures the amount of thyroid antibodies present. Antibodies are present when your body mistakes your thyroid as an invader and begins to attack it.

The Anti-TPO (or Thyroperoxidase) test detects antibodies against TPO, which is important to the production of thyroid hormones.
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We will talk more about the role of enzymes, hormones and antibodies in later posts. But I wanted to give a brief explanation of the chart above.​

On to the yummy stuff…

DRY RUB RECIPE
Ya’ll. This recipe is. on. point. We were recently looking for a new recipe for grilled pork chops. We have been using the same two recipes for quite some time, and Dustin was hankerin’ for something new. So I set out on Google.

I needed something that called for ingredients we already had, wasn’t barbecue sauce based and not spicy.

That being said, I ran across the Cooking LSL website. In addition to many other tasty-sounding recipes, I found this one, which was originally written for pork chops. It is phenomenal on pork chops, but I have also been using it on chicken for my lunch wraps, and it is excellent! So good.

We make this is big batches and store it in an “up-cycled” spice container so we don’t have to make it up every time we want to use it.
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Dry Rub Recipe:
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
 
Rinse off whatever meat you want to use it on and apply the rub to taste. I use quite a bit because I love flavor but you do you, boo boo. The ingredients above makes six pork chops, but the way I smothered mine, it only made two. SO, it’s really all in the eye of the beholder.

Pro Tip: Always be sure to let your meat sit after you finish cooking so the juices are retained (Yum!).

Pro Tip #2: Be sure all of your spices are gluten free. Don’t just assume! I know it’s weird, but some manufacturers put anti-caking ingredients in that aren’t gf.

Try it and let me know how you like it!
 
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”     - James 1:12
 
Community Discussion
What about the gluten free lifestyle do you struggle with? Do you have any tips for reducing your thyroid antibody counts? At what thyroid levels do you feel the best?