I did it! I just left the world of twice monthly paychecks behind and Pleaped (took a Pink leap of faith!). *WOOOOOOHOOOOOO. . . and the Universe goes wild.* The last week at my day job was a swirl of emotions. Happy. Sad. Thrilled. Anxious. And that was just me. Those around me exhibited a whole host of other emotions going on as they watched me walk out a door I entered eight years earlier.

Gluten seems to be everywhere these days. From our food to our news to our celebrities, we can’t escape gluten. Why should you care? Because for some, booting gluten to the curb is a powerful way to own your health. So what's the deal with gluten? And should you kick the habit?

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein. It is found in wheat, barley, and rye. It's the stuff that makes dough stretchy and spongy and sauces thicken -- in short, it is the key to our comfort food.

Gluten is also the stuff that wreaks havoc for those with celiac disease. For those with this auto-immune disease (1 in 133 people have it), their bodies identify gluten as an evil invader and send their immune system into action. This battle results in collateral damage to the intestine, leaving it impaired. So while an active immune system may be great for fighting the flu, it's not so good for something found in everything from bread to soy sauce to crackers to soda.

Whether losing weight or having more energy, this is the time of year where lots of people are thinking about going on a diet or changing their eating habits. One of the biggest obstacles to any of these resolutions is a craving. Cravings can undermine the most well-intentioned radical self-care plan.

Have you ever been going along on your diet, losing weight, when all of the sudden you have the overwhelming urge to have a hot fudge sundae? You try to talk yourself out of it, but just can’t. You succumb. You feel good for a few minutes, but then you feel awful. All that hard work seems to unravel.