Karen

Are You Getting The Nutrients You Need?

August 22, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

Did you know that up to 50% of people with Celiac disease have multiple nutritional deficiencies?

This often holds true as much as ten years post diagnosis!

And it doesn’t even include those who are merely gluten-sensitive (as opposed to someone with Celiac disease) or allergic to other foods, such as dairy, nuts or eggs.

Yet, I know from personal experience, that it is, in fact – true.

One thing about being gluten-free, or following any kind of special, medically prescribed diet, is that you may not be getting the nutrients you need.

So, you definitely want to make sure you are!

How do you know where you stand, nutrition-wise?

Take time to review each of the following, and you will have a better idea of your present habits, and what likely needs a bit of work.

Eat a High Quality Diet

Hands down, good health begins with a whole foods diet.

Is Gluten Toxic?

August 15, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

The bigger question, of course, is “Do you have Celiac Disease?”

Or, “Do you have a gluten-related disorder, most often referred to as Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity – or Gluten Intolerance?”

Did you answer “yes” to either question?

In that case, gluten certainly is a toxin, at least to you.

If you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t appear to have a sensitivity to gluten – that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re completely off the hook.

According to Dr. Tom O-Bryan, who refers to himself as the Gluten-Free Doc, “Everyone should be checked for a gluten sensitivity. And if you have the celiac gene, you definitely want to be checked every two years or so. You might be fine now, but at some point you will likely cross the line.”

Why is that?

The New Rules for “Gluten-Free” Food Labels

August 8, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

The long-awaited FDA food labeling rules – specific to gluten-free products – went into effect earlier this week!

That’s right – as of August 5, 2014, any packaged food that claims to be gluten-free, must conform to these new regulations.

What does that mean to you?

On the one hand, it will probably make life a lot easier. (Especially as you navigate your grocery store).

On the other hand, it can also come with its own set of problems.

In a nutshell, here’s what you need to be aware of:

20 PPM – The New Guideline

Any packaged food that is labeled “gluten-free” must contain 20 ppm (parts per million) – or less – of gluten. In other words, a food can actually contain gluten and still be considered safe to consume.

In truth, this has always been the case.

What is different now, is that the FDA has placed a very stringent cap on the acceptable amount.

Why 20 PPM?

The 20 ppm guideline was settled on, because the available research, while limited, indicated that most people with Celiac Disease could tolerate gluten in very small amounts.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT Tagged With: 20 ppm or less, Celiac disease, FDA, food labels, gluten-free, packaged foods

A Cooling Summer Soup

August 1, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

I’ve been eating a lot of blended foods over the past few months – things like smoothies, soups and purees.

At the same time, I’ve cut waaay back on raw foods and salads, unless they are blended into said smoothies or soups.

Why?

This little foray into an alternate way of eating has been in the interest of my own health issues, and also on the advice of my nutritionist.

Yes, I do work with a nutritionist.

The way I see it, it isn’t any different from working with a coach. In both cases, their job is to help keep you on track, and offer plenty of support along the way.

Just knowing you have someone on your side can make a huge difference to your success!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT, RECIPES Tagged With: avocado, broccoli, coconut milk, dairy-free, functional medicine, gluten-free, nutition, summer

Is There A Frat Party In Your Gut?

July 25, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

Truth 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:

Extremely low Stomach Acid

A Leaky Gut

Yeast Overgrowth

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

Well, here’s the thing.

Meet Your Anti-Nutrients

July 22, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

Why anti-nutrients?

Because they rob nutrients from your body:

Gluten
Sugar
Alcohol
Caffeine
Processed Foods
Stress
Lack of Sleep
Overly processed Oils
Antibiotics
Eating the wrong foods for your unique physiology
Toxic overload
Over exercising (excessive exertion)

Does that last one surprise you?

The fact is, strenuous exercise is very stressful on your body. Not that surprising, really – we often feel the after-effects of exercise on our joints or muscles – a sure sign that we’ve overdone it.

It’s simply another type of stress that you might be dealing with – but it’s one you might not think of as stress.

Filed Under: HEALTH & WELLNESS Tagged With: alcohol, anti-nutrients, digestive healthy, gluten-free, processed foods, sleep antibiotics, stress, sugar

How To Massage Your Greens

July 18, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

Did you know you could massage your food?

Yes, it’s true!

I first learned of this technique several years ago, when I was new to eating kale salads – or kale anything, for that matter.

What intrigued me, was how infinitely more tender this salad was, than the kale salads I typically made at home.

I happened to be dining at one of my favorite gluten-free restaurants – Posana Cafe in Asheville, NC. (Yes, this is a long way from home, but it’s worth the trip, in my opinion since their Kale Salad is the absolute best).

But what had the restaurant done to make the salad so tasty?

Before too long, I learned about “massaging” your greens, and quickly realized this was the exact same process the restaurant had used to perfect their kale salad.

The sky’s the limit here, by the way – you’re not limited to kale.

Just about any greens can be massaged – chard, spinach, collards, arugula, lettuce – you name it.

Why the focus on Greens?

Hitting the Road

July 11, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

I’ve just wrapped up a ten-day vacation in Eastern Washington.

The great thing about a road trip, in my humble opinion, is that you can take everything you need with you – without having to deal with limits on excess baggage, or airport security.

For anyone who has Celiac Disease, or is dealing with food allergies, this makes a road trip ideal.

For the simple reason, you can bring everything along, relying on local grocery stores to stock up on fresh produce and whatever else you might need.

Of course, it also means you may not exactly be traveling light.

In fact, if you’re like me, the words “travel light” might not be in your DNA.

But that’s exactly what makes a road trip so ideal!

For our annual escape, we always stay at the same place – a comfortable time-share condo that is ours for exactly one week.

When we arrive it is always sparkling clean, and tastefully furnished – and that includes a well-stocked kitchen.

Even though the condo comes with a fully equipped kitchen, in the last couple of years, I’ve started bringing more and more of my own equipment.

Perhaps you can relate.

The big concern here, is cross-contamination.

5 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Skin

July 4, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

Did you know that your skin is your largest organ?

Not only that, it’s also your body’s #1 defense against the outside world. And it gets more fascinating still – since you have both an outside skin, and an inside skin.

(That inside skin covers things like your digestive tract and your respiratory system – not necessarily something you would think about)

Back in the early days when I first went gluten-free, I attended a lecture that was geared toward gluten-free folks like you and me.

The presenter was very insistent that there was no need to be concerned about putting gluten-containing products on our skin.

He said it was virtually impossible for gluten in skin care products to be a problem – because we weren’t ingesting it.

At the time, I thought it made sense.

But guess what?

He was wrong!

While it’s true that we don’t ingest our toiletries or cosmetics – whatever we put on our skin does get absorbed.

And that’s important!

Are You Eating the Right Fats?

June 27, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

Did you know that 60% of your brain is made up of fat?

For that reason alone, the fats you include in your diet can directly impact your brain.

Of course, that doesn’t give you license to go out and consume a fast food diet of French Fries and overly processed foods.

(That will fry your brain in no time).

What you do want to focus on, is the so-called Essential Fatty Acids (aka EFA’s) – which include the all important omega-3’s.

These EFA’s are so named because they are so essential to your well-being – and also because your body doesn’t make these essential fats on it’s own.

They have to come from your food.

The bottom line is that, to be truly healthy, you definitely need a certain amount of fat in your diet.

In fact, one of the major culprits associated with the recent rise in autoimmune disease (what some are calling a national epidemic), has been the “fat-free” diet – a fad that has been extremely popular in recent decades.

Turns out we were all mis-informed – if not totally mis-led.