A Gluten Primer A-Z

5 Ways to Kick-Start Your Health

December 22, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Sometimes it can feel downright overwhelming to get your health back on track!

You want to eat better – and you’ve tried – but despite your best efforts it still isn’t happening.

You try to go to bed earlier, but get sidelined watching a favorite late-night show on TV.

Or, you’re convinced that you do your best work late at night. (more on that later).

You have days, perhaps, when you really feel like crap – and that’s when you tell yourself (again) that you really, really need to get a handle on things.

We’ve all had days like that, right?

Yet even when you know better, it’s often hard to begin.

My advice?

Slow down. Take baby steps.

Pick one of the following, to start – yes, just 1! (After all, you have to start somewhere).

Clean Up Your Diet

This alone does several things, since removing inflammatory foods like gluten, sugar and even dairy helps to:
[Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & WELLNESS Tagged With: A Gluten Primer A-Z, autoimmune disease, Celiac, chemicals, environmental toxins, gluten, indoor air pollution, sleep diet, sugar, zonulin

Y Is for Yeast

December 16, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

As the year draws to a close, A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z is also nearing the end.

That’s right, I’ve been sharing all 26 videos with you throughout the year – & I’m happy to say it’s been a blast.

But wait – there’s still two more!

In today’s installment, we have Y Is for Yeast.

Not too exciting, I know, but consider for a moment that yeast figures rather prominently this time of year – whether in your baked goods, or all the sugary treats you inhale.

I don’t talk much about sugar in this video series, but one complication from a high sugar diet is an infection known as Candida, (basically an overgrowth of yeast). If your tendency is to crave something sweet during the proverbial afternoon slump – and to cave for said craving (whether or not you’re hungry) – that’s a sure sign of a sugar craving, too much of which could lead to the before-mentioned yeast overgrowth or other health problems.

With that in mind, be sure to watch “Y is for Yeast”

To learn more, & receive the most up-to-date, in-depth information regarding all things related to Gluten Sensitivity, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation & more – be sure to watch my educational video series “A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A – Z“. It’s available FREE on my bi-weekly newsletter, but you can have immediate access to all 26 videos – plus a full, 2-hour Tutorial here.

Filed Under: ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & WELLNESS Tagged With: A Gluten Primer A-Z, Candida, gluten-free, infection, sugar cravings, yeast

3 Common Myths of Environmental Toxins

November 24, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

There are lots of myths out there about environmental toxins, detoxing, and whether or not it’s even a necessary thing to worry about.

So, let’s jump right in and discuss these, one by one. (and be sure to check out the Special Invite at the very end...)

MYTH #1

My Body Is Designed to Rid Itself of Toxins – Without Any Help From Me

This particular myth is, in part, true.

Your body is designed to detoxify it’s internal environment, and it accomplishes this task through various specific pathways:

Your Skin (i.e. sweat)
Your Digestive tract (i.e. elimination)
Your Kidneys
Your Liver

In fact, your liver is the powerhouse for the entire detoxification process.

However, it’s also where things can go wrong.

W Is For Weakest Link

November 17, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Halloween is behind us, yes – so why the pink wig?

After all, isn’t November about pumpkins, turkey and gratitude, as evidenced by Thanksgiving preparations?

For anyone with food sensitivities – diagnosed or not – the holidays can present a landmine of challenges. (Challenges or Opportunities? I’ll let you decide….)

Could you be one of those ‘unlucky’ ones, doomed by your genetic blueprint?

Here’s the ONE BIG take-away I have for you today: your genes are completely malleable!

Yes, its true! Your genes literally get turned ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’ by various things in your environment, be it from food, lack of sleep or chemical exposure. This is where personal vulnerability comes in – as in “W is for Weakest Link”.

As you’ll discover in this video, your ‘weakest link’ could be your:

Thyroid
Hormones
Joints
Gut
Brain
Weight

What will it be for YOU? (Of course, it’s a bit of a catch-22, since you won’t actually know until symptoms appear).

Filed Under: EAT, HEALTH & WELLNESS Tagged With: A Gluten Primer A-Z, autoimmune disease, brain health, Celiac disease, digestion, gluten sensitivity, gut, hormones, inflammation, thyroid, weakest link, weight

V Is For Villous Atrophy

November 3, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

OK, I admit it – I live in a bubble of sorts.

The bubble I speak of revolves around Functional Medicine, which is always focused on learning the root cause of your illness – versus a conventional approach, which only looks at symptoms.

Looking at your body as a whole makes perfect sense to me.

After all, it’s made up of closely interconnected parts – including your immune system, your neuroendocrine system and so forth.

First and foremost is your Digestive System.

This last one, alone, is typically at the root of whatever ails you – with the usual dietary culprits being Dairy, Sugar, and Gluten.

It’s what I focus on throughout A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z – although I also share plenty about your immune system, leaky gut and lots, lots more.

But why gluten – specifically?

U Is For Unaware

October 20, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

This past weekend, I listened to an amazing interview with Joe Cross.

In case his name doesn’t ring a bell, Joe Cross is the hero of Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead – he turned his life around by going on a juice fast.

As he puts it, the food you put in your body is information. If you’re starving yourself of the RIGHT fuel (aka food), is it any surprise that things go wrong?

The thing is, 70% of all disease is caused by lifestyle choices – not your genes!

What are those choices? They include things like: what you eat and drink, what your sleep patterns are, how much exercise you get (or not), whether you smoke – and also how you manage stress.

Which leads me to this question:

How connected are YOU to how you’re living your life?

T Is For Testing

October 6, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Have you been trying to get answers for your health issues?

Perhaps your doctor has told you there’s nothing wrong with you (translation: it’s all in your head).

Or perhaps he ran some tests for gluten sensitivity – only to have them come back negative (but you suspect otherwise).

You may have been given some pills, and a few words of advice, and sent home with little more than a pat on the back.

Your intuition is screaming “NO” to medication.

You know that something’s been overlooked – whether it’s coming from your diet, or something in your home you’ve yet to identify.

And it’s making you sick.

Is Removing Gluten Always The Answer?

September 15, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Should you remove gluten from your diet? (I get asked this question a lot).

The short answer is “It depends”.

What do I mean by this? In a nutshell, it depends on what’s going on in your body.

It depends on the signs and symptoms you’re experiencing.

And it also depends on your test results!

Of course, if your tests come back negative, then you’re in the clear – at least for the time being – more on that later.

But it’s super important that you get the RIGHT tests!

You don’t want to stop there, either.

R Is For Reintroduction

September 8, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Let’s say you’ve been gluten-free awhile – and you’re feeling great.

But you’ve been hearing from friends, as well as online, that European wheat is somehow ‘safer’ – even though it still contains gluten.

Is there any truth to this?

In R Is For Reintroduction I explore this popular myth – that it’s OK to bring gluten-containing foods back into your diet, regardless of the circumstances.

I call this a myth because it’s so misleading.

The reason WHY, is because your immune system has a Memory – especially for gluten. It doesn’t forget!

Once you start eating wheat again (and by default gluten) odds are high that ALL your symptoms will come back.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise – since you’d be reintroducing the very food that’s making you sick. (Especially true for autoimmune disease).

In other words – you can’t be just “a little bit pregnant”.

You’re either sensitive or you’re not. Period. And your immune system will ALWAYS have the final say.

If you’re eager to learn more & don’t want to wait a full year to receive the most up-to-date, in-depth information regarding all things related to Gluten Sensitivity, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation & more – click here for immediate access. You get ALL 26 videos of A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z, including a jam-packed tutorial!

Filed Under: EAT, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & WELLNESS, HEALTHY AGING Tagged With: A Gluten Primer A-Z, Alzheimer's, dementia, digestion, European wheat, gluten-free, immune system, inflammation, memory

How To Find Your Path & Stick With It

September 1, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

Does this sound like you?

First of the year, you vowed to lose a few pounds – and transition to a healthier way of eating.

But nine months later, you’re exactly where you were on Day 1.

To make matters worse, you just got back from vacation – and all your health goals seemingly fell by the wayside.

You’re beyond frustrated (yet again) that you ate all this junky food and now feel like crap from the over-indulgence – too many desserts, snack foods, and alcohol.

Now you’re regretting it big-time!

Chances are your digestive system is also out of whack because you’ve been eating things you wouldn’t normally eat. You’re paying for it with daily heartburn, indigestion – and an extra 10 pounds.

All this despite your goal this year, to do at least ONE of the following:

Make healthier food choices
Transition to an anti-inflammatory diet, by removing gluten & sugar (because you know you’ll feel better)
Identify which foods you’re sensitive to – to help calm your immune system
Lose weight
Mange stress by focusing on self-care (e. all of the above)