Is It Time For You to H.A.L.T.?

Frustrated woman waiting for a phone call in Christmas kitchenDuring the holidays, there’s a lot of emphasis on love and joy, family togetherness and endless festivities.

But what if the holidays find you alone?

What if you’re dealing with a recent break-up, or illness, or worse still – a death in the family?

Perhaps you can relate?

While there’s no question these things are difficult any time of the year, the pain and heartache increases ten-fold during the month of December.

When you’re up against life’s challenges, do you still find time to take proper care of yourself?

I experienced this first-hand in the past two weeks, when my mother spent the weekend before Christmas in the hospital. Even though her caregiver stayed with her, I still made numerous trips back and forth from home.

I didn’t feel like cooking. (There was little time to shop).

The holiday cookies I had planned to bake were put on hold. I found myself eating on the run – grabbing a quick snack from the fridge (or cupboard) to tide me over. It being the holidays, there were plenty of sweets on hand so my choices weren’t always the best (even though they met my gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free criteria).

While sugary anything is very easy to come by this time of year, it’s certainly NOT what you or I, or anyone needs during times of stress.

Yet, there it was – comfort food that fit a need.

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What’s It Worth To You?

Newborn baby and his father's hand - care and safety conceptLast weekend, my husband and I had an unexpected wake-up call.

Either earlier in the evening, or while we slept – someone entered our garage and stole from us. Among other things, they took my husband’s expensive mountain bike, his wallet (bad habit to keep that in your car) – and a set of house keys (also a bad habit).

This is what greeted us the next morning. But I didn’t realize the keys were missing until much later in the day and it totally unnerved me – to think that a stranger now had the ability to enter our home!

After a sleepless night, I called a locksmith first thing the following morning, and was lucky to find someone who could fit us into his busy schedule right away.

Talk about a sigh of relief!

Unfortunately, in the weeks leading up to Christmas and holiday shopping – this also meant forking over an unexpected $375. But you know what? Even if it cost twice as much, I still wouldn’t have hesitated. And here’s why:

When it comes to my family’s safety and security, I can’t put a price on that. Can you?

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Gift Ideas for the Gluten-Free Foodie

Lebkuchen3lHave you started your Christmas shopping yet? Perhaps you’re still compiling a holiday Wish-List, comprised of things you’d most like to have?

Or perhaps you’re wondering what to give that special someone, who happens to love good food and spending quality time in the kitchen?

Either way, I’ve got you covered.

In the spirit of supporting your digestive health through optimal nutrition, I’m sharing my absolute favorite Gift Ideas for the foodie in your life (gluten-free or not) – and yes, that person could be YOU!

 

Small Kitchen Appliances

For years already, my guiding principle has been “It’s better to buy well than often.”

Even though small kitchen appliances are often the priciest category, the items I’ve included here are absolutely worth the investment. Ultimately, you’re really investing in yourself – and I’m sure you’re totally worth every penny!

Then there’s this: when you choose the one thing that is most important to you (and you choose well) – you won’t be disappointed.

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How Not to Feel Like Crap by New Year’s

Eat Less Sugar on Paper Note with texture backgroundHow’s your stress level these days?

Are you obsessing over the holidays? Wondering how you’ll survive?

I hear you! It’s a common refrain, for sure.

Another thing I’m hearing from my clients is this:

“I don’t want to feel like crap by January 1!”

Perhaps you’re also wondering how you can rein in your appetite when so many temptations abound? Let’s face it – the holidays can be extremely stressful, with so much to do and so little time.

Plus stress is a huge compounding issue for any health concern you might have – especially your digestive health!

So today I’m sharing 3 of my favorite tips for managing your stress during the holiday season, so you don’t feel like crap come New Year’s!

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How to Step Into Your Power

superheroDo you have days when you feel frustrated and overwhelmed?

As if your life is simply out of control?

Truth is, we all have days like this.

In fact, I’d venture to say it’s a fact of life, especially in today’s fast-paced world.

Just think how easy it is to get sidetracked by work and family and outside obligations!

Unfortunately, this often means there isn’t enough time for YOU.

Well, it’s time to take back your power, my friend!

That’s right.

I’m putting YOU back in command!

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Mimics, Marauders & Masqueraders

Tragicomic Theater Masks. Sad and Smile masksDo you sometimes feel like there’s a lot of drama going on in your body?

With Halloween just two weeks away, it seems like the perfect time to explore this drama in greater depth, since these so-called mimics, marauders and masqueraders are present 24/7.

Yes, you read that correctly.

You see, even though your body is beautifully designed to deal with these pranksters at a moment’s notice, sometimes your immune system does make mistakes.

Or rather, we think of them as mistakes, but in all actuality, your immune system is simply doing what it’s designed to do.

And that is to protect you.

So, what’s really happening here is that some of these invaders are actually very clever,  mimicking or masquerading as something other than what they really are.

And the immune system gets confused.

Let me explain.

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Is Gluten Toxic?

Do you have Celiac Disease?”

Or, perhaps the bigger question is “ “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? [Read more…]

What Are You Resisting?

chocolate chip cookiesHave you ever been in this situation?

You’re at a restaurant, watching the person next to you devour a pile of crisp sweet potato fries.

They look SO tempting.

In that moment – what would you do?

Would you reach over and grab one, without a moment’s thought?

Which of the following outcomes best describes you?

 

  1. You FIGHT the urge – you’d really like to sample just one.
  2. You CAVE – there’s no way you can sit there and not have a taste.
  3. You RESIST – as tempting as it might be, you remind yourself that it’s not worth the physical pain and discomfort.

Do you see yourself in any of these sceanrios?

Of course, if you answered (C) – that is the correct answer! [Read more…]

Why Your Aches & Pains Are A Good Thing

 

Fresh organic eggsDo you sometimes feel like a human guinea pig?

Perhaps you’ve even experimented with different foods, in an effort to figure out what might be a trigger for you.

Let me preface this first by saying – if you have Celiac disease, or an Autoimmune condition, this is in NO WAY a license to re-introduce gluten!

Got that?

However, your dietary triggers could also be dairy, eggs, or nuts – or any number of different foods.

Let’s take a closer look at eggs for a moment.

Are eggs a regular part of your diet?

They use to be for me, too.

I often enjoyed scrambled eggs, or an omelet for breakfast.

And I absolutely LOVED making soufflé! (As fancy as that sounds, it’s not that hard. Seriously!)

At this point, however, it’s literally been years since I last ate eggs.

In recent weeks, however, I decided to re-introduce them – as a human experiment, if you will.

Using me as the guinea pig.

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3 Surprising Things In Your Home That Are Making You Fat – Part II

Gal Toiletries SmallIs your skin cream making you fat?

I pose that question partly in jest but the truth is, yes it can!

In a nutshell, it has to do with chemicals in your environment,  that are considered “obesogenic”.

And it has nothing to do with food! (You can read Part I of this article here.)

To recap, remember we have three pathways to consider:

  • Ingestion
  • Absorption
  • Inhalation

I covered Ingestion in Part I, and you can read that article here.

This week, I’ll explore the remaining two pathways – Absorption and Inhalation – plus I’ll leave you with a few tips you can incorporate right away.

So let’s dive in!

 

ABSORPTION – Toiletries & Cosmetics

Chemicals like BPA and PFOA (which I covered in Part I) aren’t just limited to food containers and cookware.

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