If you’ve ever lived with undiagnosed Celiac Disease – chances are you’ve been to a psychologist at one time or another.  Perhaps your doctor told you that you had severe depression, bi-polar disorder, anxiety, or simply that it was “all in your head.” Believe me – I’ve been there, done that. I had even convinced myself as an undergrad in psychology, that with all the knowledge I was gaining, I would not only be able to fix my own problems, but that I’d some day be able to help everyone else fix their problems too. I would become so mentally tough that nothing could conquer me. The problem was -something was wrong … and it wasn’t really in my head. No amount of “positive thinking” could get me out of what I was going through. I didn’t want to be depressed – and yet I had depression. I didn’t want to feel anxiety, didn’t have any reason to be anxious – and yet, I had anxiety all the time. I knew who I was – but when I looked in the mirror, I wasn’t that person. Something else was going on- and it was beyond my control.

During my time as a psych student, I had begun to realize that what I was putting into my body had a direct effect on my mood, energy level, and overall happiness. I started paying close attention to what I was eating and how I would feel afterwards – which eventually led me to walk into my doctors office and ask for a blood test for Celiac Disease. When I finally got some answers – I thought, “Wow, no wonder I felt horrible at school all the time” because I would eat a Gordita or Mexican Pizza just about every day on the way to class at our campus Taco Bell. (Just for the record, Gluten + addicting Taco Bell cheese opiates = not a good combo ;) I began to truly understand that what I was putting into my body had a direct effect on my mind. (The GUT-BRAIN connection).  Read More »

Living 100% Gluten-Free is a challenge. Most of us, even after we’ve learned about hidden sources of gluten and done our best to stay away from them….are going to get “glutened” from time to time. This happens most often with:

1-Cross contamination
2-Eating out at a new restaurant
3-Eating products that don’t have any “gluten” ingredients…but still aren’t 100% GF.

We have to be extremely careful with cross contamination in our own homes. Most of us are living with non-GF people. So make sure everyone knows which toaster is the GF one….and when your grandma is baking glutenous pies, cakes, and bread….stay far away from the kitchen.  Trust me, I know. Even a TINY bit of gluten will do THIS to me:

Of course, I often get the same reaction when eating out at a new place I’m unsure about. Many restaurants  offer “gluten-free” items, but they Read More »

For us Gluten-Free girls, it’s a little more difficult to shop for makeup, because we have to make sure all of our cosmetics are GF as well! Thankfully, a lot of companies are developing some amazing GF make-up products. This week I got to try this fabulous lipstick from Red Apple Lipstick – a company who’s products are all GF, Soy-Free, Lead-Free, Enriched with VITAMIN E (woo-hoo!) and Paraben-Free. It is definitely the highest quality GF Lipstick I have found. It’s safe and 100% non-toxic. One of the reasons I love being gluten-free, is it has made me more aware of toxins in popular brands of makeup.Since going GF, I’ve been on the look-out for safe, quality GF brands of make-up, and I have to say that Red Apple is one of my new favorites!

This recipe is identical to my Gluten-Free Cream Puffs, they are just made bigger and cooked for a little longer.

They make a perfect lunch for any day of the week, and are also great for formal events like weddings, baby showers, family dinners, and holiday parties!

Have you been told that along with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance, you also have Fibromyalgia? If you have, you’re not alone. What exactly is Fibromyalgia? Well, there are certainly a lot of theories out there about what it is, and how it should be treated. Up until recently, it was considered an “invisible disease” (much like Celiac), and doctors would often diagnose it if they couldn’t find anything else wrong with you. In other words, instead of telling you, “you’re a hypochondriac,” they would say, “You have Fibromyalgia,” and give you an anti-depressant like Cymbalta, to help ease your symptoms.

The other day I was out with some friends at our local climbing gym. After a few attempts to reach the top, I was feeling worn out and super-duper hungry. Luckily, when I opened the snack fridge, I happened to find these Gluten-Free Energy Bars. I tried the ALMOND BUTTER flavor, which is made with organic almonds and honey, and other healthy ingredients like pumpkin seed oil, flaxseed oil, and dried whole food powders from organic carrots, bell peppers, apples, tomatoes, spinach, and more. It was like nothing I had ever tasted….and definitely, VERY TASTY indeed!

The next week I contacted Perfect Foods Bar company and they sent me Read More »