Are You Vulnerable?

Weakest LinkGrowing up, I thought I was fairly invincible.

This would explain the concussion at age 8, from falling off my bike. (I was trying to stand on the handle bars).

It would also explain the ski accident four years later that put me in a cast for several months.

(While you might still find me on the slopes, I’ve never again skied downhill quite so fast).

When it came to food, I thought I had an ‘iron stomach’.

I was extremely proud of the fact that I could eat pretty much anything.

Fast forward a good many years, and things have definitely changed. In fact, the older I get, the more vulnerable I seem to be.

How did that happen? Perhaps you’ve even noticed this in yourself – and your seemingly ‘sudden’ sensitivities to gluten, and other foods – which have led you to a somewhat restricted diet.

Why would the foods you’ve always loved – and have eaten all your life – no longer agree with you?

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E is for Environmental Triggers

E - ENVIRONMENTALThere’s a lot of talk these days about the environment – be it lead in our water, endangered wildlife or polluted air.

Some of these Environmental Triggers even come from your food!

They could be in the form of chemical additives or preservatives found in processed foods – or simply your body’s inability to tolerate a food such as gluten, or dairy.

In either scenario, your body views the offender as toxic!

This, in turn, triggers your immune system – in an all-out assault to rescue you from these harmful invaders.

That’s it in a nutshell – but I dive into much greater detail in my new video series “A Gluten Primer, Everything You Wanted to Know From A – Z” (complete with accompanying tutorial)!:

If your goal is to minimize your symptoms and turn your health around – it all starts with what you’re putting into your body.

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The Myth of Weight Gain & What To Do About It

Calories LetterpressAre you swept up, once again, in the first-of-the-year weight-loss battle?

Post holidays, it’s not uncommon to be 5-10 pounds heavier than you were two weeks ago and frustrated (yet again) that yet another year has passed where you ate all this junky food and are feeling like crap from all the over-indulgence.

Chances are you’re also thinking about what to do to start losing that weight. (It’s why Gym memberships EXPLODE during January.) You’re going to start seeing all these Detox and Cleanse programs – with the emphasis on exercising more and reducing calories.

While that’s all well & good, there’s also an elephant in the room!

What if I told you that your struggles to lose weight aren’t so much about how much you’re eating, but rather WHAT you’re eating? And that the chemicals and other irritants in your environment can also have an enormous impact on your weight!

What’s toxic to your body?

If your normal diet is gluten-free, (maybe dairy-free as well) and you veered off that path, that alone can get you off track.

But maybe you didn’t stray. Maybe you did everything ‘right’ –  yet you still baked, and ate your share of seemingly safe holiday treats. In that case, you might simply have eaten more refined gluten-free flours and starches than you would normally eat, and are now feeling bloated and out of sorts. (Not to mention the additives and preservatives typically found in processed foods – whether gluten-free or not).

Add to this a simmering cocktail of chemicals like BPA found in plastic storage containers, water bottles, and store receipts! (you’ve likely read about this offender in the news)

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3 More Environmental Toxin Myths Debunked

Composition with plastic bottles of mineral waterThere are lots of myths circulating about environmental toxicants, detoxing, and whether or not it’s even a necessary thing to worry about.

You can read Part I of this conversation here.

I like to be thorough, if nothing else – leaving no stone unturned!

 

 

MYTH #4 – I’ve Already Switched to BPA-Free Plastic

That’s wonderful – you’re already ahead of the curve!

Unfortunately, I fell for the exact same marketing spin when I first learned about BPA in plastic.

I went out and bought all new plastic containers – looking for the tell-tale stickers that said “BPA-Free”.

I thought I was safe.

But guess what?

Manufacturers are smart. They know to replace BPA with something else – other chemicals with names like BPF, or BPS.

[Read more…]

The Myth of Weight Gain & What To Do About It

Calories LetterpressAre you swept up in the first-of-the-year weight-loss battle?

As we’ve established, it’s not uncommon post holidays to be 5-10 pounds heavier than you were two weeks ago and frustrated (yet again) that yet another year has passed where you ate all this junky food and are feeling like crap from all the over-indulgence. Chances are you’re likely thinking about what to do to start losing that weight. (It’s why Gym memberships EXPLODE during January.) You’re going to start seeing all these Detox and Cleanse programs – with the emphasis on exercising more and reducing calories.

While that’s all well & good, there’s also an elephant in the room!

What if I told you that your struggles to lose weight aren’t so much about how much you’re eating, but rather WHAT you’re eating? And that the chemicals and other irritants in your environment can also have an enormous impact on your weight!

What’s toxic to your body?

For starters, it’s all those additives and preservatives in the “fake” food you’ve been eating.

Add to this a simmering cocktail of chemicals like the BPA found in plastic storage containers, water bottles, and store receipts! (you’ve likely read about this offender in the news)

[Read more…]

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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3 Surprising Things In Your Home That Are Making You Fat

A pair of female feet standing on a bathroom scale

A pair of female feet standing on a bathroom scale

Let me guess.

You’re probably thinking that only food can make you fat.

It all has to do with eating too much, right?

Along with not getting enough exercise.

What if I told that isn’t the whole story?

What if I told you that losing weight has more to do with WHAT you’re eating, rather than how much?

And what if food wasn’t the only culprit?

Surprise, surprise!

It turns out that many of the chemicals hidden in the household products you’re using every single day – actually have the ability to add to your waistline.

How is that even possible?

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