I have had the opportunity to connect with Dr. Stephen Wangen, the founder of the IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, WA. Awhile back, at a CSA (Celiac Sprue Association) meeting I had the pleasure of helping Dr. Wangen with his book signing. He had flown in to Denver to speak on his books, Healthier Without Wheat and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution. There was a full audience of folks, just like you and I, who were able to ask personal questions and learn more about living with Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, as well as exploring other areas such as food allergies.
Since that time, Dr. Wangen and I have had the chance to talk about what the IBS Treatment Center does to help people really understand their bodies and how food can be affecting them. He explores the possibilities of Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance and food allergies and helps people to develop a healthier lifestyle tailored to their specific needs. At the same time, Dr. Wangen has observed the emotional affects these conditions can have on people and understands that not feeling well emotionally has an affect on how people take care of their physical well being. What makes his practice so fantastic is the positive nature. Dr. Wangen helps people view the changes by looking at the benfits and the gains and focusing on what people can have, rather than on what they can’t. Here is what Dr. Wangen had to say when I asked him about his own experiences. (more…)
In the past few weeks, I’ve had the chance to ponder the question “What is healthy food?” It seems that many of us have very different perceptions. Maybe that’s what stands in our way some times, we think healthy food and healthy eating is not obtainable.
It would be so much easier if my brain did not crave things like salty chips or sweet cookies but the reality is, it does. Maybe it’s a combination of many years of being bombarded with advertising to make me think I want it or maybe it’s as simple as it satisfies something in my head. I didn’t take enough psychology in college to answer that. I do know if it’s around me (like it is now as I write; you wouldn’t believe what is at the end of the table at my sister’s house) I’m less likely to eat well.
In my older years, I have realized that if I allow myself a little rather than denying myself entirely, I can balance the cravings with (more…)
Earlier this summer California Pizza Kitchen debuted gluten-free pizza on their menu. I was giddy. I loved CPK pre-gluten-free and couldn’t wait to go back and try their new pizza. Well,we did,and it was great,but our spirits were quickly dampened by the news that there could be major cross contamination issues going on in the kitchen.
I decided to go back and investigate to see what was going on and whether what I had heard about their procedures was indeed true. I was saddened by what I found out. While it had appeared that CPK went to great lengths to add the gluten-free pizza to their menu,they didn’t consider some of the most important issues. Cross contamination is real and can be very serious. Sure,some of those with Celiac Disease don’t react right away (or even at all),but some do and it isn’t pretty. This doesn’t even take into consideration those (more…)
I was recently reading a press release from Nature’s Path Organic about two of their new cereals. The press release made a familiar argument: the cereals “provide gluten avoiders with whole grains… unlike many gluten-free cereals which forfeit nutritional benefits…” The implication is that many gluten-free cereals (and other gluten-free processed foods, by extension) are more highly processed in order to improve taste and texture. But they do so by sacrificing nutritional quality.
There is some truth to this logic. Foods made from whole grains are inherently healthier than heavily processed foods, and I’ll use our good old enemy – wheat – to demonstrate. I compared whole grain wheat flour (less processed) with white, unenriched wheat flour (more processed) across a range of nutrient measures. Not surprisingly, the wheat underwent a profound loss in (more…)
Finally it seems that athletes have become savvy to the benefits of a gluten free diet. As the general population has started to become more aware of the prevalence of gluten sensitivities and Celiac Disease, there has been a noted increase in the number of athletes turning to the gluten free lifestyle in an attempt to maximize their training and find greater success in their respective sports.
Among the most notable athletes making the gluten free switch are Raul Ibanez of the Philadelphia Phillies, Cedric Benson of the Cincinnati Bengals, and tennis player Novak Djokovic, the 2011 winner of Wimbledon who went on an unprecedented 43-match win streak. Most significant about their decision to go gluten free is the marked improvement in all three athletes after the switch. (more…)
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Mary Klinnert, PhD at National Jewish Health. Mary is an expert in child psychology and has numerous previous research studies on the effects of asthma on mental health. She started her career mostly focusing on asthma, but in recent years, has turned much of her attention to the psychological aspects of living with life threatening food allergies.
While meeting with Mary, she briefed me on a study she is conducting on the psychological aspects of food allergies and how this study differs from the majority of previous studies that mostly focus on quality of life issues related to living with food allergies. The hope of Mary and the rest of the team is to get to the root of what is happening to families that sometimes contributes to deeper (more…)
Save up to $50 on Medifast gluten-free diet meal packages through September 30th.
Medifast Gluten-Free 4 Week Package. Click image to see more.
Medifast has developed two gluten-free packages for people on the gluten-free diet who want to lose weight quickly and safely. The gluten-free packages come in a 4 week package and a 2 week package.
Discount codes are good until September 30th, 2011. Use these codes at checkout:
The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan was developed by a medical doctor in 1980.
Medifast Meals are individually portioned, calorie- and carbohydrate-controlled, low-fat meal replacements.
Every Medifast Meal is based on a similar nutritional “footprint” that provides a proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. Medifast Meals are fortified with (more…)
As a runner I have learned the importance of properly fueling my body.
Skimping on calories & nutrients hurts performance and can hurt your body, too. Carbohydrates are important to supply muscles with glycogen for exercise and a snack of protein & carbs is important after running to help refuel & repair muscles. It imperative to begin this process as soon as possible after a run, but absolutely within 30 minutes.
I have been a little lax on refueling recently,but that has to stop. My current,soon-to-be history, routine for my long runs involved meeting up with my MIT group, running, socializing, driving home (with a coffee detour) and then eating breakfast. By the time I was actually sitting down to eat it was easily 1+ hours later. Not good.
Last week I shared my plan of action for better training with you guys. I am taking it seriously and am now going to include these Mix 1 Protein Shakes in the Saturday routine to see how they work for me. (more…)
Back in May Chick-fil-A added sweet potato waffle fries to their menu. The sweet potato fries are still in development, so they are just gathering feedback at this time, which also means they are only available in select locations.
Unfortunately, they were not available anywhere in Atlanta, but you can get them until August 31st at Chick-fil-A in Athens, GA.
Chick-fil-A is a great place to get fast food if you are on the gluten-free diet because (more…)
Ever wonder why all of these digestive problems, food allergies and intolerances were rarely heard of up until the past 10 years or so? It seems that many problems like Fibromyalgia / Chronic Fatigue, Gluten-Intolerance, Candida, Celiac Disease, and food allergies, are a relatively “new thing”, and that more and more people are being diagnosed each day. Many of the symptoms of these problems are similar… digestive upsets, fatigue, chronic pain, vitamin deficiencies, bloating, etc etc etc. So…what is causing all this stuff??
In my opinion ANTIBIOTICS are to blame. Most people are unaware that antibiotics have only been prescribed by doctors since the 1940s or so. Antibiotics do not make the immune system stronger, they just temporarily replace one of its functions: killing harmful bacteria. The immune system functions like an organ or muscle. When it is not put to use, it atrophies. So when an antibiotic does one its jobs, the immune system performs that job poorly once the antibiotic leaves the body. Because of this, someone who takes antibiotics to cure a bacterial based illness may end up catching the same illness, only with more (more…)
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