Archives for February 2012

Easy Tips For The Gluten-Free Traveler

The focus, this week,  is once again on travel. 

Even though Winter hasn’t quite let go of its grip, many of us having been dreaming of sunnier places, maybe even starting to plan this year’s summer vacation.

Where will you go?

Today, I want to share with you an extremely well-written travel article I came across a few weeks ago, that I think is a fabulous resource!

It applies to everyone, by the way, whether you’re gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, or dealing with any kind of food allergy, or food related illness.

Since going gluten-free eight years ago, I haven’t yet traveled to a foreign country, other than Canada.

Which doesn’t really count, since the language and food options are pretty much what I’d find here – just with different packaging.

I have a good friend, though, who is gluten-free and accompanies her husband on regular trips to Paris.

She says she’s never had a problem.

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7 Myths of the Gluten-Free Diet

It’s Too Expensive

While it’s true to some extent that eating Gluten-Free can be expensive, I do believe that there are ways to cut costs and still eat well.

I’m also a firm believer in emphasizing Quality – whether we’re talking food, design or clothing.

Anything of Quality is going to serve you well.

Clothing and furniture will last that much longer, and when it comes to food, well, it’s your health that’s at stake.

So even if the Gluten-Free lifestyle is a bit of an investment for you, I prefer to think of this as Supplemental Insurance.

In other words, you are investing in & taking better care of your body, with the ultimate goal of reducing your trips to the doctor  – and medical costs in general.

I’ve addressed this belief further in my Free Guide:  7 Ways to Design a Gluten Free Life.

 

It’s OK to Cheat

Actually, it’s never OK to cheat, especially if you’re Celiac and you know better.

I’ve heard horror stories about people who became a good deal sicker – beyond the point of ever being able to recover their health – just from not taking their gluten-free lifestyle seriously.

Again, this comes down to the gluten-free diet being a medical necessity if you are to maintain your health.

If it isn’t a necessity for you, and you’ve adopted a gluten-free diet for non-medical reasons, then that is a very different scenario.

 

The Gluten-Free Diet is Synonymous With Deprivation

Absolutely not.

This is the equivalent of telling yourself that you will never again be able to splurge on your favorite foods.

Or splurge, period.

I think you can absolutely have your cake and eat it too! These days, you can find gluten-free baked goods in any grocery store, and there are many gluten-free bakeries  – some of them even ship!

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Love Is In the Air

Valentine’s Day is next week, which means a big focus on  showing the people you care about, how much you love and appreciate them.

A friend of mine pointed out that it is just as important to love and appreciate yourself – and that is so true!

Even better, was a suggestion I heard to give the gift of avoiding any sweets, whatsoever.

Simply because just about every store we walk into says that February 14 is a day for chocolate – is that really a must?

Well, I must admit I gave these suggestions considerable thought.

I’m all for showing myself some extra love and appreciation – along with my spouse.

I think that’s actually a lovely idea.

I also love the suggestion to honor Valentine’s Day some other way, something that does not involve chocolate, or sweets of any kind.

In the end, however, I decided that I’d rather have a little something sweet and chocolaty – in a healthy kind of way, I might add.

So, what will be on the dessert menu in my house?

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HOW TO SPOT SOMETHING FISHY

An acquaintance of mine – whose true identity shall remain anonymous – swears that whenever she has fish in a restaurant she gets sick.

As it happens, the restaurant setting is the only place she will eat fish, or seafood, since she never prepares it herself, at home.

That I can understand.

I rarely cook fish at home, myself, only because other family members dislike the fishy smell that tends to permeate the house.

So, whenever I dine at a restaurant – fish or seafood is usually my go-to meal.

And I can honestly say, it never, ever makes me sick.

So here’s the thing.

If eating fish makes you ill every single time – regardless of the restaurant – maybe something else is brewing?

Maybe, just maybe, my friend gets sick because she simply can’t tolerate fish due to either a food allergy or sensitivity.

I’m guessing it has absolutely nothing to do with the restaurant.

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