How To Find Your Path & Stick With It

Tree blocking the roadIs exercise a challenge for you?

If so, I hope you know that you’re not alone!

Getting regular exercise wasn’t always easy for me, either.

Yet nowadays, people often ask me how I stay so fit and trim. (They don’t know that I use to be 15 pounds or so heavier).

I wasn’t an overweight kid, but I wasn’t skinny either – as much as I wanted to be.

(My mother would describe me as cute and round. Which I didn’t like at all.)

I also wasn’t the least bit athletic.

That all changed about 30 years ago when I went to my very first aerobics class.

I was instantly hooked.

Or rather, I was SO sore the next few days – every muscle in my body ached and I could hardly move.

I decided, in that moment, that I would never again let my body get to the point where it would be so PAINFUL to get back in shape!

Regular exercise instantly became non-negotiable!

And I’ve never gone back on my word.

[Read more…]

Is There A Frat Party In Your Gut?

Teen girl with bellyacheTruth be told, while I’ve been to a number of Frat Parties in my day, I never actually drank the beer.

That’s because I never acquired a taste for it – not even to this day.

(As you can imagine, I was the life of the party.)

Perhaps this was my body’s way of telling me that gluten wasn’t my friend – long before I knew the first thing about Celiac Disease or gluten-sensitivity.

As you likely know, Frat parties have a reputation for being a bit on the wild side, with lots of drinking and misbehavior.

So, what does a Frat Party in your gut look like?

The key word, here, is “misbehavior”.

With that in mind, let me share with you 3 things I’ve learned about my own body over the past year:

  • Yeast Overgrowth

Sounds like a Frat Party for sure, doesn’t it?

Well, here’s the thing.

[Read more…]

Coffee, Tea or Chocolate?

teaThere’s definitely a nip in the air lately.

With the weather getting cooler, and Halloween just around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot these days about things like chocolate – and hot drinks, in general.

Depending on my mood, I might opt for a mug of hot chocolate – dairy-free, of course – or a steaming cup of tea.

And while I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker, I do like a good, bracing cup of tea first thing in the morning, preferably a robust variety of green tea such as Hojicha or Gunpowder.

The names alone are part of the experience!

Regardless of whether you’re a tea or coffee drinker, chances are you’ve visited a local Starbuck’s on at least one occasion.

Perhaps it’s a regular part of your daily routine?

Of course, you could just as easily get your tea or coffee fix in the aisles of your local grocery store, which usually offer such a wide assortment of brands and flavors, it can be really hard to decide.

And – if you’re not careful – this is where being gluten-free presents just one more challenge, since any of these flavored brews just might be suspect.

Yes, you read that correctly – tea and coffee may not be gluten-free.

[Read more…]

Coffee, Tea & Chocolate!

This trio of warming drinks has been on my mind lately.

And while I’ve never been a coffee drinker myself, I do like a good, bracing cup of tea.

In fact, my morning meal doesn’t seem complete without a big mug of this steaming brew, preferably a robust variety of green tea such as Hojicha or Gunpowder.

The names alone are part of the experience!

Whether a tea or coffee drinker, who among us hasn’t visited their local Starbuck’s on occasion, or made this a regular part of their daily routine?

Not only are there coffee shops on just about every corner, but the coffee and tea aisles in the local grocery store are nearly filled to overflowing with a wide assortment of brands and flavors.

And here is where the gluten-free among us can definitely run into some challenges, since these flavored brews may not be gluten-free.

As always, you need to be diligent about reading labels, and look for words like “natural flavors” listed in the ingredients – which indicates that particular beverage may or may not be suitable.

It isn’t always clear.

If anything sounds the least bit suspect – and the words gluten-free do not appear on the label – my advice to you is to keep looking!

As for chocolate – whether hot chocolate or chocolate candy – the same advice applies, especially if you are looking for suitable Easter candy.

In honor of the Easter holiday – and this trio of beverages – I’m sharing 3 recipes that feature chocolate in one form or another.

This way, you can indulge both your sweet tooth and your chocolate cravings while knowing these treats are absolutely safe for your special diet.

[Read more…]

Sugar & Spice

Welcome to 2012!

It’s the New Year, and many of you have made your New Years’ resolutions – for better or worse.

Among the more popular resolutions, are vows to revamp our diets and exercise more.

Or cut back on sugar.

All this in addition to mastering a gluten-free lifestyle!

I admit, I was a bit ahead of the game this year. Although, I don’t put that much store in New Year’s Resolutions per se – I’m more likely to adopt new habits throughout the year, as ideas present themselves to me.

And so it was this past year, as I decided late in the year to cut back on the usual excess of sweet treats over the holidays, challenging myself to new heights.

Normally, I love to bake this time of year, taking full advantage of the holidays and the opportunity to splurge.

However, I had a different goal in mind, wanting to rid myself of the usual sugar highs that accompany the holidays and family get-togethers.

I’m not entirely new to baking with alternative sweeteners. In fact, I’ve experimented for some time already, with options such as agave, or honey.

I particularly like agave, although it has a reputation for being somewhat controversial.

What was new for me, however, was the decision to go cold turkey, so to speak, and to bake our holiday treats without any refined sugars whatsoever.

[Read more…]