MSG Report: Wanna getta pizza?

This came up at Valentine’s Day weekend, during my mini-break at a hotel near the Mall of America (my “here, have some couple time” V-Day gift to HF and HM). I was lazy and decided to have pizza delivered. Both the huge chains had stores nearby, so decisions, decisions. Their allergen charts eventually broke the stalemate.

Win/Win: Support celiac research/Get gluten-free diet help

(July 5 Update: As noted here, Uncommon Knowledge ended up donating $200 to the Maryland Center for Celiac Research. Way to go!)

This post is coming a bit late, but I’ve only recently learned that May, in addition to being Mental Health Awareness Month, is also Gluten-Free Awareness Month.

On Tuesday, Uncommon Knowledge officially released their new Stick to Your Gluten-Free Diet hypnosis download, an MP3 session designed to help celiacs and anyone else who needs or wants to follow a gluten-free/reduced gluten diet. The program is structured to boost your instinctive drive to avoid foods with gluten and to help you feel naturally driven to eat healthier, while also improving your feelings around having to stick to this special diet.

In addition, Unk are doing something incredible with this program.

MSG Report: Chili’s & Tony Roma’s

M… S… G. Ugh. Those three letters (together and in that order) strike fear in my stomach.

In fact, all the women in my family are allergic to MSG, AKA monosodium glutamate. No, wait. Sorry. According to the FDA, there’s no such thing as an allergy to this insidious ingredient, so I’m supposed to say I’m “intolerant”. Whatever. All I know is, my night is going to be very unpleasant if I consume it.

We MSG-intolerants don’t get the same amount of press as those who must avoid, say, peanuts or gluten^¹; and to be fair, I don’t recall ever reading that our intolerance is potentially life-threatening (though I’ve had glutamated nights where I wished I’d just die already).

Racing for a Cure

50,000+ strong

What a day!

HF and I were up by 5:45am to get to the Mall of America for the 2010 Susan G. Komen Twin Cities Race for the Cure (the 18th anniversary of the event). The 5K Walk wasn’t until 9:00am, but there was plenty to keep us busy until then. There was the aerobic warm-up led by Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders at 7:00am. There were numerous tents and booths, giving out everything from information to keychains to ribbon-shaped bagels to Yoplait yogurt. And we had to park so far out that by the time we walked all the swag out to the car to drop it off, walked back, walked around inside the Mall some, we figure we added another 5 miles to the “official” 3.1 miles of the Walk.

Sugar Embargo: The Retrospective

Anyone remember me saying I was giving up sugar for Lent?

Anyone?

Okay, so this post is late. Easter is more than three weeks past, and lo, was the Cadbury Mini-Creme Egg massacre mighty that week.

Sugar embargo, Day 2

Last night, I did a 20-minute elliptical routine, rewarding myself with the promised cup (an actual cup – I measured) of chocolate milk. The milk I drink, by the by, is Over the Moon – fat-free, but with extra calcium and protein added. Their hype is true; somehow, they made it taste much richer than fat-free has any right to taste. Highly recommended. (And as an aside, watching The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson makes exercise much more entertaining.)

The mini-cupcakes in the kitchen were successfully glared down, I had no additional fruit, but I did indulge in a second travel mug of Earl Grey sans sugar.

No sweets for you!

Yesterday being Shrove/Fat Tuesday, a lot of my tweeps were discussing giving up things for Lent. This frankly came as a surprise to me, as I don’t think a single one of them is Christian – or even religious. Still, I suppose it’s the thought? Outside motivation?

They inspired me.