Search Results for: Celiac disease

How To Be Your Best Advocate

December 6, 2013 By Karen 2 Comments

Does this ever happen to you?

You’re at the home of a friend, or well meaning relative, and as you sit down to enjoy a cup of tea – you’re presented with some cookies, or other savory treats – that have been purchased especially for you.

(I love it when people are so thoughtful!)

Unfortunately, when you’re on a special diet, such thoughtfulness can turn into a stressful situation you’re not prepared for.

Because, suddenly, you’re having to read through a list of ingredients to see if the product is actually safe for you to eat, while at the same time not appearing impolite.

And this is when you might notice that:

The product is not gluten-free, OR
While it’s gluten-free, there may be one or two other ingredients that are not in compliance with your special diet.

This is one of those tricky moments when you want to honor yourself and how you choose to nourish your body – yet, at the same time, you don’t want to offend anyone.

Well, here’s the deal.

Regardless of our individual food allergies, dietary preferences or concerns – we are always going to come up against this sort of thing.

It’s simply part of life and can’t be avoided.

3 Fun Facts About Your Brain

October 11, 2013 By Karen Leave a Comment

If you’re wondering what your brain has to do with your health, the answer is everything.

That’s because what you eat has a profound impact on your brain.

Period.

There’s no getting around it, and the outcome isn’t always positive. But’s that’s just how it is.

For example, a common complaint among people with Celiac Disease or food sensitivities is something we refer to as “Brain Fog”.

Brain Fog is when your mind feels sluggish and you can’t think clearly.

You literally feel like you’re in a fog, with a heavy cloud hanging over your head – just waiting for the skies to lift.

(This is a great example of what happens when you eat foods you are sensitive to, especially when your body can’t handle it).

Those who’ve never experienced Brain Fog sometimes have a hard time understanding what it feels like, but trust me – it’s very real.

The obvious solution is of, course, to stay away from those foods you are sensitive, or allergic to.

And by all means – stay away from gluten!

Here’s the funny thing, though. There’s a bit of a “catch-22” going on with your brain.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT Tagged With: autonomy, brain, certainty, empowerment, gluten-free, post-diagnosis

Are You Shooting Yourself In The Foot?

October 4, 2013 By Karen Leave a Comment

Have you ever accompanied a friend, or family member to a doctor’s appointment?

Last week, I did just that, in the role of official note taker.

As luck would have it, the discussion eventually came around to the subject of gluten; by reviewing some of the lab work and test results, the doctor made some key observations and suddenly announced that my friend was likely highly sensitive to gluten.

When I heard the word “gluten” my ears instantly perked up.

I couldn’t help it.

I suddenly found myself glued to every word the doctor was saying, and incredibly grateful for what proved to be a unique opportunity to hear his opinion.

I particularly loved the following analogy.

The doctor was comparing the human body to a used vehicle, traveling along the Road of Life.

Along the way, he said, we encounter many potholes – especially once we’ve reached a certain point in our lives.

And having an autoimmune disease like Celiac Disease, or gluten sensitivity, is one them.

The solution is simple, though.

Just like a car, our bodies need to be properly maintained and require the occasional tune-ups for dealing with those potholes – so that’s what we’re talking about here:

The occasional tune-up!

Understandably, the doctor was quite insistent about eliminating gluten from the diet – completely.

“Otherwise,” he said, “You are shooting yourself in the foot.”

Is a Boot-Camp Mentality the Answer to Good Health?

July 26, 2013 By Karen Leave a Comment

In a word, the answer to that question is NO!

But it’s always the first thing my clients want to know.

As a gluten-free Health Coach, I could certainly make it my job to crack the whip.

In reality, though, I prefer a gentler approach.

Besides, when you try to force things, chances are they will back-fire.

Don’t believe me?

Go ahead and try it!

Choose something – anything – and see how successful you are when your efforts feel forced and contrived, or worse yet, you constantly feel deprived.

Such a feat is rarely sustainable.

(That’s why diets so often fail).

Of course, here at Design a Healthy Life, the emphasis isn’t on weight loss.

Rather, it’s about learning to live with Celiac Disease and Food Sensitivities – so you can get past overwhelm and start making make smart, informed decisions about your diet and your health.

With that said, here are some of the most common myths about this so-called “Boot Camp Mentality.”

Do Everything MY Way – Or Else

Maybe you just want to learn how to eat gluten-free and that’s it.

That’s perfectly OK!

The goal of a coach, is to meet you where you’re at.

The Dopamine Effect

July 5, 2013 By Karen Leave a Comment

Have you heard of Dopamine?

Naturally present in the human body, it’s often referred to as the “feel good” chemical – acting as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone.

It’s a good one to know about!

In fact, any time you feel a burst of excitement, pleasure, alertness or general euphoria – that’s dopamine at work!

Life would be pretty sad without it, don’t you think?

Well, here’s another fact about dopamine – it’s also activated by Sugar.

(Perhaps this is what’s really going on when we talk about a “sugar high”).

As it turns out, there’s a link between dopamine and highly processed foods – things like chips and other snack foods, fast food (think French fries), and all those frozen meals in the freezer section of your local market.

That’s because dopamine also plays a major role in addiction!

(Gluten-free or not, it makes no difference).

So, when food manufacturers inject our food with oodles of fat, sugar and salt – guess what happens?

How to Customize Your Diet in 3 Easy Steps

June 14, 2013 By Karen Leave a Comment

First of all, here’s the good news:

Even before you became gluten-free or learned you had food allergies, you were already customizing your diet.

You did this every time you decided there was a food you didn’t like!

Don’t care for fish?

Spinach?

No problem.

(When I was growing up the culprit was oranges).

Most of the time, you can easily choose not to eat what you don’t like.

(Unless your parents are telling you otherwise)

We’ve all done this, right?

The challenge, then, is when you are given a specific medical diagnosis – be it Celiac Disease, or a food allergy that requires a special diet.

In other words, your choices have now been taken away – or, at least, that’s how your brain perceive it.

What seems like a logical solution becomes, instead – a threat!

(Our brains don’t like to feel threatened, either).

“What do you mean I can no longer order my favorite pizza?”

“What do you mean I can no longer eat eggs for breakfast?”

Are you kidding me?!

You become defensive, angry.

After all, there’s a big difference between deciding for yourself what you like or don’t like – versus being told what to eat.

Are You Getting The Nutrients You Need?

May 15, 2013 By Karen Leave a Comment

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

This holds true as much as ten years post diagnosis!

And this doesn’t even include those who are merely gluten-sensitive (as opposed to Celiac) 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.

That means plenty of vegetables, fruit, and nuts and seeds, plus whole grains and legumes.

For protein, you want to rely on free-range poultry, grass-fed meat and wild caught fish.

In other words, the purer your diet, the better off you will be.

How To Be Your Best Advocate

December 14, 2012 By karenkent Leave a Comment

Does this ever happen to you?

(I just love it when people are so thoughtful, don’t you?)

As you glance at the list of ingredients (yes, I’m always reading labels), you notice that:

The product is not gluten-free, OR
While it’s gluten-free, there may be one or two other ingredients that are not in compliance with your special diet.

What to do?

This is one of those tricky moments when you want to honor yourself and how you choose to nourish your body – yet you don’t want to offend.

Well, here’s the deal.

Regardless of our individual food allergies, dietary preferences or concerns – we are always going to come up against this sort of thing.

It’s simply part of life and can’t be avoided.

Still, there are always choices, right?

So, in these situations, my rule of thumb is this:

If you’ve been medically diagnosed, and have been instructed by your doctor not to eat gluten – then please don’t.

It’s really important that you honor that, regardless of the circumstances.

(Seriously – you’ll be shooting yourself in the foot.)

Shooting Yourself In The Foot

April 20, 2012 By karenkent Leave a Comment

Last week, I accompanied a friend to a doctor’s appointment.

My role was official note taker.

As luck would have it, the discussion came around to the subject of gluten – even though this was far removed from the initial purpose of our visit.

In reviewing some of the lab work and test results, the doctor made some key observations and suddenly announced that my friend was likely highly sensitive to gluten.

When I heard the word “gluten” my ears instantly perked up.

I couldn’t help it.

I suddenly found myself glued to every word the doctor was saying, and felt incredibly grateful for this unique opportunity to hear his take on managing food allergies.

I particularly loved the following analogy.

The doctor compared the human body to a used vehicle, traveling along the Road of Life.

Along the way, he said, we encounter many potholes especially once we’ve reached a certain point in our lives. Having an autoimmune disease like Celiac Disease, or gluten sensitivity, is one of those potholes.

Which is why our bodies need to be properly maintained and require the occasional tune-ups – just like a car.

Understandably, the doctor was quite insistent that my friend completely eliminate gluten from her diet.

“Otherwise,” he said, “You are shooting yourself in the foot.”

Those words really stayed with me. It was a much-needed reminder that it was time to revisit any bad habits I might have picked up along the way.

Let’s take a closer look at how this works.

For anyone who has ever dealt with a medical issue or two, on this so-called Road of Life, how many of us have gone into denial after the initial diagnosis?

How many of us have been told not to eat certain foods, yet we eat them anyway, telling ourselves that one little bite can’t hurt?

Well, the sad truth is, you’ve just ‘shot yourself in the foot’.

When we consume a food that our body is sensitive to, our autoimmune and nervous systems are suddenly placed on high alert.

The immune system, in particular, goes into full fight mode, trying to rid itself of the intruder.

Thinking Outside the Box

December 30, 2011 By karenkent Leave a Comment

“Variety is the spice of life.” Anonymous

Do you ever feel like you’re in a rut?

Maybe you eat the same foods all the time? Wear the same clothes. Drive the exact same route to work, or wherever you travel on a regular basis.

The fact is – for anyone living with Celiac Disease, and/or multiple food allergies, your diet is limited by default, easily leading to meal-time ruts.

In other words, the tendency is to consume the same ‘safe’ foods over and over again.

Speaking for myself, when I find something I like, that is easy to prepare and nutritious, I will eat it repeatedly, day in and day out, without ever getting tired of it.

Well, all that changed for me recently, when my naturopath started me on a Rotation Diet.

This has nothing to do with weight loss, by the way, although I wouldn’t be surprised if a few pounds drop by the wayside while trying to maintain this new way of eating.

The goal of a Rotation Diet is to reduce repetitive intake of the same foods, giving your immune system a chance to recover from any foods you might be reactive to.

In a nutshell, it means limiting consumption of most foods to every three days, with a few exceptions here and there.

By the way, I’m in no way an expert on this subject, nor am I suggesting that anyone adopt a Rotation Diet, except on the advice of your doctor.

However, let me be honest, here.

There have been more than a few occasions – in as many weeks – when I’ve been ready to throw in the towel and say “the heck with it”.

Whether you are new to the gluten-free diet or mastered the basics years ago, you will understand.

You already know how challenging the initial adjustment can be when you need to eliminate whole categories of food from your diet, things that the rest of the world typically takes for granted.

Having to limit my meal time choices to every third day has me seriously challenged.

My solution?

I’m not sure I have one yet, although I know it means being more creative than ever in my approach to meals.

And learning to really think outside the box!

Which brings me to this weeks’ recipe.

Search Results for: Celiac disease

How To Be Your Best Advocate

3 Fun Facts About Your Brain

Are You Shooting Yourself In The Foot?

Is a Boot-Camp Mentality the Answer to Good Health?

The Dopamine Effect

How to Customize Your Diet in 3 Easy Steps

Are You Getting The Nutrients You Need?

How To Be Your Best Advocate

Shooting Yourself In The Foot

Thinking Outside the Box

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