Another change in the lifestyle

Recently I’ve adopted the mostly gluten-free diet, in addition to the vegan lifestyle. In some people, gluten inhibits serotonin absorption in the gut, which is where 90% of the neurotransmitter is made. This can slow someone’s mental process down, since serotonin is a key factor in mood regulation. Considering that I manage depression daily, I decided to see if cutting out gluten actually works. My head has cleared up some, and I feel more centered. This is something I will continue.

However, maintaining a gluten-free diet along with being vegan can be challenging, so a nice compromise is that I won’t seek it out. This means that if someone lovingly prepares vegan food with gluten, I will eat it. If there are no gluten-free options, I will eat it. If I‘m traveling and know that I don’t need to work that day (it impacts my mental process), I can have it. Overall, it has been cut out by 90% and I’m feeling pretty good about it.

Of course, gluten-free breads and the like have fillers, which can still cause brain fog. They’re also so much more expensive—one can expect to pay $2-3 more than a standard vegan loaf. I’m slowly cutting those out, too. That part is a little difficult, because who doesn’t love bread?

A good autumn dish

But I can manage. It’s been surprisingly easy to be gluten-free. Here’s a acorn squash soup that I made this morning. No fillers, just a few simple ingredients and a blender.

You will need:

• 4 halves of acorn squash, roasted (this is 2 whole squash)
• 2 Tablespoons of Better Than Boullion vegetable stock base
• 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 Tablespoon of cumin
• 2 cups of boiled water (adjust accordingly to how thick you like your soup)

Toppings such as pumpkin seeds or coconut spreads (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the 2 acorn squashes in half, and scoop the seeds and guts out. Brush the insides with olive oil. Put it in a baking dish, the insides facing up, with 1 inch of water in the dish. Roast in the oven for 1 hour. Let it cool for at least half an hour.

Scoop the acorn squash from the skin and into the blender. Add the veggie stock base and the spices.

Boil the water in a kettle, and then pour into a blender. Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Add toppings if you want.

It’s such a wonderful autumn dish, and it’s easy peasy! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Let me know what you think!