Wheat Free/Gluten Free Flour

So my first attempt at finding a good flour substitute led me to try one that was already premixed and widely tested. My choices were limited in my region of places to shop, but I found one to try and have used it a time or two thus far. Haven't really been home as much as I had hoped to do more experimenting.
The flour is Jules All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. It is a five pound bag and cost nearly $20 on the website, but I paid $2 less at the store I got it at, so, guess that was a good bargain.
Posting picture of the bag and the nutritional contents.
So far have made pancakes and muffins. Pretty close in consistency/taste to the "normal" wheat recipe. I'll post my version/outcome in another post.

Substituting Ingredients

So, in order to make some of your every day recipes, you need to substitute several ingredients in order to attain a decent comparable product. I did research quite a few suggested recipes to use in replacement of wheat in my food. It is complicated. For instance, it takes four or more base ingredients mixed together to achieve the same cup for cup ratio you would use in regular old flour. Again, I'm sure I'll get used to this eventually, just starting out is tough on several accounts.
The investment into this lifestyle can seem quite daunting. Ingredients ARE more expensive. Period. No question about it. The choice to live this way isn't an option for some. I am CHOOSING this. I do not have a known allergy to wheat. Gluten free is a byproduct because so many alternatives for wheat free tend to also be gluten free. And initially, when you are starting with nothing, it is very daunting, so I'm trying to be positive as I make my purchases and remember it's for the greater good. As I mentioned before, it's also a lack of availability in my area. I wish we had better options.
I need to grow my confidence in making my choices and some of that is going to be through trial and error. I am grateful there are so many helpful blogs and websites to peruse. The library is also quite helpful. I love that they connect with other libraries to make other books available to me. I am adding links as I find ones that are helpful to me. Feel free to comment if you find something useful and if it fits my criteria, I'll add it.
Thanks for following the journey

Egg Noodles? What to do?

So, I've been wanting to make chicken noodle soup, but knew that normal egg noodles are made with wheat just like any other pasta. So, what to do?
I could make homemade noodles with a substitute flour, but upon looking up recipes, it seemed so complicated. I am sure that once I get the hang of substitutes and mixing the various ingredients, it will be easier for me, but still at the start of this journey more or less.
I've been searching wheat free options for most noodles and end up with either rice pasta or corn pasta. Rice pasta is nearly identical to "normal" pasta, just taking a little longer to cook. Corn pasta is something else I have found, but not tried yet. In my journey to find ingredients to suit this diet, I have searched several locations in my region, but not finding a great deal that I am happy with. In my travels north this past week, I saw just how limited my options really are in my area. We are very much lacking in southern Indiana/Illinois. I wish to change this, but, that is a whole other blog.
So, there is a store in Winona that is similar to a Co-Op in that they have a ton of fresh local produce as well as specialty products and international products. I so wish I had this store at my fingertips all the time! I was looking through their pasta options and found wheat free egg noodles. They are made from barley. They were pretty close to what we are all used to, having a mild aftertaste that "normal" egg noodles don't have. Cook time was longer of course, but the end result was nearly normal chicken noodle soup! I was ecstatic! So yay barley!
Just as a final note, barley is wheat free, but not gluten free. If you are looking to eliminate just the one ingredient as I am, this is a good option for you. If you are allergic to gluten, then you know barley has gluten, but wanted to make sure I made this clear.

Research

The main part about starting this diet and/or choosing this lifestyle was research.
Initially, I read an article in Woman's Weekly that gave me the idea for trying this diet. In the article, they suggested a new book called Wheat Belly by William Davis, M.D. He and his research are the driving force into this article. I could not get my hands on this book in particular, but found plenty of information online and at my local library.
If you Google wheat free diet, you can find all sorts of articles, recipes, blogs and research. Most people seeking this lifestyle do so due to an allergy. Same is true for going gluten free.
We are not allergic to any of these ingredients. That we know of!
Going wheat free only COULD lead to the potential of:
Relief of arthritis
Relief of high blood sugar
Relief of high cholesterol
Relief of acne
Relief of tummy troubles
Relief of fatigue
and of course, the kicker for us in our final decision, weight loss.

Today's wheat is nothing like the wheat of our forefathers. It has been so dramatically changed due to breeding, trying to grow super crops, trying to prevent bug infestation, etc.
I like to read articles from Dr. Mercola's website and from Natural News. These are just two very good websites of many with articles related to what they call GMO's or Genetically Modified Organisms. When something like wheat is genetically modified, it can lead to serious health implications, only people don't realize it is being done to them!

I urge you, if you haven't already, do some research and educate yourself. Don't take my word for it. Educate yourself and form your own opinion. I promise you, it will open your eyes. You will be shocked and horrified at what you see.
Today's wheat is very much genetically modified, and thus causing many medical conditions.