Health

Giving Thanks for Health…My Story :)

 
 

Here's me at 1 year gluten-free

 This Holiday Season I am especially thankful for the health I now enjoy… it’s been a long journey these past 10 years or so…but I am so thankful for the knowledge I’ve gained about living a Gluten-Free lifestyle…the benefits that have come from it, and that after 10 years, I can finally say that I feel like “me” again. :) 
 
I’ve never really shared my entire experience, and normally don’t write posts that are too personal… but perhaps this can help someone out there who is wondering if they might have Gluten Intolerance or Celiac Disease… or someone who has been diagnosed  and wonders if it is really a “big deal” if they HAVE to go gluten-free or not. I can tell you from personal experience that it WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!! It changed mine… and here’s how: 

It all started back in junior high and high school. I just felt “tired” all the time. I can’t even tell you how many times a day someone would come up to me and say, “What’s wrong? You look tired.” I even remember someone saying to me once, “You look dead.” (ouch!) It seemed like maybe I was just depressed or Read More »

Gluten Free Soapbox: We Are Not Crazy!

This week’s gluten free soapbox comes from the personal archives. I’m absolutely certain that I’m not the only one who has encountered this, but it doesn’t seem to get talked about much…

Often times, it seems that people who are on strict gluten free diets get viewed as high maintenance, or picky. The constant need to check and double check ingredients tends to bother some people. The reports of contamination and reactions go unbelieved, and people give that knowing look when “gluten free” is mentioned.

I even had a doctor say that the worst that could happen with Celiac Disease is diarrhea, so not to Read More »

Staying Focused on Thanks!

As we approach Thanksgiving, I encourage you to spend a little time each day reflecting on what you are thankful for. 

It’s easy to get caught up in our life challenges and to start focusing on unfairness and negativity.  We often discount the positive and over analyze and give importance to the negative.  Even when struggling with life’s challenges, if we can Read More »

Top 10 Ways to Eat Gluten-free Safely for the Holidays

1)  Never assume.  Just because your host knows you’re on a special diet doesn’t mean they understand the nuances of your lifestyle.  Ask to see packages of foods before you eat them.

2)  Bring a protein-based dish to your next gathering.  That way, you know there will be something safe to eat, and you won’t be hungry.  Click here for a Holiday Read More »

Don’t Let Fear And Anxiety About Gluten Steal Your Joy!

Once you’ve been diagnosed with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, it is easy to become wrapped up in fear and anxiety about food.  This is absolutely normal as now there is an apparent “evil” out there just waiting to get ya. 

However, reality is it’s been getting you on a regular basis prior to being diagnosed or figuring it out on your own.  While the symptoms definitely suck, and for some people, can be debilitating at times, you Read More »

The First Step in Accepting a Gluten-free Diet

Finding out that you have to eat differently than you have your entire life can come as a complete shock. Receiving a diagnosis of Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or sensitivity and being told that you can no longer eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, may seem overwhelming, confusing, frustrating, and impossible at first. This can especially be true if you are not accustomed to reading labels, if you Read More »

How to Get the Most from Gluten-Free Supplements

 

Getting enough of the nutrients we need is the most important component of getting well and staying healthy.  If the foods in our diet are deficient, then we must turn to supplements to make up the difference.

But what do the ingredient labels mean?  What are the correct amounts we should be taking?  Do vitamins really expire?

Nature Made, a producer of vitamins, minerals and herbal products designed to promoted good health, answers your questions.  Read More »

Allergies Lead Churches to New Practices

By Jill Rosen, Sun reporter

The Rev. Bill Miller-Zurell was recently presiding at Communion, moving from congregant to congregant, offering the body, offering the blood, until he got to a little boy who, seeing the piece of bread, stopped the pastor short.

“He asked me if there were any nuts in it,” said Miller-Zurell, who leads New Hope Lutheran Church in Columbia. “His mom, who was standing behind him, made him. And he only took it after I assured him that there were no nuts.” Read More »

Old Spice Actor Reveals Gluten-free Diet Secret on Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Isaiah Mustafa, the actor build best known for his impressive build, good humor and over-the-top bravado in the Emmy-nominated Old Spice commercials, recently revealed the diet he follows to achieve his chiseled physique on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

According to Mustafa, celebrity trainer Tony Horton has him on a diet that contains no alcohol, caffeine, processed sugar, animal products or gluten. Horton is the producer of the wildly popular workout videos, P90X.

Read More »

Smoothie King Offers Gluten-free Choices

The idea for Smoothie King started back in the late 1960’s in the home of Steve Kuhnau.  Kuhnau was trying to remedy his allergies and low blood sugar and began to experiment with blending fruits, nutrients and proteins in a blender.  In 1973, Kuhnau opened a health food store selling his smoothies & vitamins and Smoothie King was born.  Smoothie King has grown to over 600 locations in the US and Seoul, Korea.  Smoothie King’s mission is “To relentlessly influence and help more & more people achieve a healthier lifestyle.”   Read More »