Celiac

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

H is For Hashimoto’s

April 21, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

A Gluten Primer, Everything You Wanted to Know From A – Z – continues – this week, we’re all the way up to “H is for Hashimoto’s”. (Click here for the full video series and tutorial).

But wait – is the conversation still about gluten?

You bet!

Keep in mind that Hashimoto’s (which has to do with your thyroid) and Celiac Disease are BOTH autoimmune conditions – with gluten being the #1 Environmental Trigger across the board!

If you have any kind of autoimmune disease – a gluten-filled diet is not your friend.

Here’s what else you need to know:

Autoimmune disease means your Immune System is in overdrive (it’s attacking your body)
It’s possible to reverse your symptoms entirely!
Implementing an anti-inflammatory, gluten-free diet is key

How do you know if gluten is a problem for you? You pay close attention to how your body is communicating with you – meaning all those signs & symptoms, be it digestive complaints, neurological issues (numbness & tingling in your fingers or toes, foggy thinking), headaches or migraines, aches & pains throughout your body, weight gain and more.

Hint: Even though Celiac disease affects only 1 in 6 people – Gluten Sensitivity is known to be 6-20 times MORE common. Which means you might not be as lucky as you think. Knowing where you fall on this spectrum for gluten intolerance is key to managing your long-term health – & can’t be stressed enough. [Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT, HEALTH & WELLNESS Tagged With: A Gluten Primer A-Z, autoimmune disease, Celiac, environmental trigger, gluten, Hashimoto's disease, thyroid, toxins

Do You Have Street Smarts?

February 18, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

When it comes to managing your special diet – do you have “Street Smarts”?

You might be wondering what I mean by this.

While not always easy to come by, Street Smarts means knowing how to handle just about any situation that comes along – especially when you find yourself tempted to stray.

It means knowing that when you’re harried and frustrated by circumstances beyond your control – or, well meaning folks who don’t seem to understand or care – you’re able to make an informed choice because you understand the long-term damage that can result from that one exposure, however small.

My newly released video series A Gluten Primer – Everything You Wanted to Know From A-Z explains well, literally everything – in a collection of 26-videos plus a 2-hour tutorial.

In a nutshell, though, here’s what it ultimately comes down to:

Knowing what foods are safe to eat

It all starts here.

Your Body’s Wisdom – Invitation or Threat?

January 20, 2017 By Karen Leave a Comment

“Symptoms are a signal from the body that it is imbalanced, in distress, or in need of support.”

Kelly Brogan, MD

Your body has it’s own innate inner wisdom.

In other words, with a little help from you – it has the ability to heal (you just need to give it what it needs).

How do you know what your body needs most?

You listen!

What signs and symptoms are your experiencing? How debilitating are they? Are you in pain, or is it more of a nagging discomfort that keeps you from enjoying your life to it’s fullest?

Your Body’s Wisdom – Invitation or Threat?

August 5, 2016 By Karen Leave a Comment

“Symptoms are a signal from the body that it is imbalanced, in distress, or in need of support.”

Kelly Brogan, MD

Your body has it’s own innate inner wisdom.

In other words, with a little help from you – it has the ability to heal (you just need to give it what it needs).

How do you know what your body needs most?

You listen!

What signs and symptoms are your experiencing? How debilitating are they? Are you in pain, or is it more of a nagging discomfort that keeps you from enjoying your life to it’s fullest?

How To Take Care of Your Inner Child

December 26, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to reflect once again, on the past twelve months and assess how far you’ve come.

That means celebrating your successes, for sure!

Perhaps it also means, taking the time to reflect on your “inner child”! (i.e. the part of you that hasn’t quite grown up).

Because no matter your age or how many decades have whizzed by, you’re still “young at heart” – wouldn’t you agree?

This is exactly why your inner child still needs your attention.

Lots of it!

So let me ask you:

Are you taking care of your “inner child”?

Here are 3 easy things you can do to give her the love she needs.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: EAT, HEALTH & WELLNESS, HEALTHY AGING Tagged With: Alzheimer's, Celiac, environment, food, food sensitivities, gluten-free, healthy aging, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, sleep, your inner child

Do You Have Street Smarts?

March 14, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

When it comes to being gluten-free, what most of us need – in order to manage our special diets – is “Street Smarts”.

Of course, street smarts aren’t always easy to come by.

In fact, for some of us it can take a very long time to get up to speed.

What do I mean, exactly, by Street Smarts?

Basically, it means knowing how to handle just about any situation that comes along – whether you find yourself tempted to stray and eat just that one little bite of gluten-filled “goodness” or you’re simply harried and frustrated by well meaning folks who don’t seem to understand or care.

(I put that in quotes because there’s nothing “good” about having celiac disease and intentionally eating gluten).

In a nutshell, it comes down to:

Knowing what foods are safe to eat

It all starts here.

Yes, it can take awhile to get up to speed and know exactly where gluten is lurking – or, if you’re sensitive to dairy, knowing exactly which foods to avoid.

And even when you know which foods are safe for you, the next step is learning which choices are the healthiest.

After all, just because something is gluten-free doesn’t necessarily mean it is good for you.

What Is The Trade-Off?

January 17, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

Let’s say you’ve been diligently reading labels since going gluten-free, ever mindful that gluten can often be sneaky – showing up where you’d least expect it.

But did you ever stop to wonder, now that you’ve given up gluten – what not-so-great choices you might be making instead?

In other words, what is the trade-off?

For example, back when I first became gluten-free, I started eating a lot more eggs.

That’s because I was baking my own gluten-free bread, and the standard recipe called for three or four eggs per loaf.

Since eggs are gluten-free, I thought nothing of it.

Also, at least once a week, we’d have omelets for dinner – or even breakfast.

On occasion, I’d even whip up a soufflé.

(Sounds fancy, I know, but soufflés are actually pretty easy to make).

Then almond meal hit the market, and it seemed like a wonderful alternative to gluten-free flours.

Being an almond lover myself, I was ecstatic!

In a given week, I poured almond milk on my breakfast cereal and snacked on almonds by the handful.

So guess what happened?

After about a year on the gluten-free diet, I started experiencing many of the symptoms I’d had BEFORE going gluten-free.

What was that all about?

Is ‘Gluten-Free’ the Key to Weight Loss?

January 10, 2014 By Karen Leave a Comment

It seems that, every year – when January 1 rolls around – a lot of folks jump on the weight loss bandwagon.

Maybe you’ve done this yourself, vowing that this is the year you will finally lose those stubborn last pounds.

In some circles, we’re told the only sure-fire way to lose weight is to stop eating gluten

This might come as a surprise to those of us who are already gluten-free, especially if we’ve made this choice for medical reasons such as Celiac Disease or Gluten Sensitivity.

(Often referred to as Non-Celiac Gluten-Sensitivity, or NCGS).

In other words, weight loss was likely the furthest thing from your mind when you first received a diagnosis that explained the myriad of health woes that had plagued you for years.

(There could even be one or two among you who were anxious to gain weight!)

So this whole thing about removing gluten from the diet in order to lose weight has me puzzled – in part because it has the unfortunate outcome of turning a serious medical condition – one that requires a special diet – into a fad.

Is losing weight really that simple?

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.”

5 Ways to Kick-Start Your Health

H is For Hashimoto’s

Do You Have Street Smarts?

Your Body’s Wisdom – Invitation or Threat?

Your Body’s Wisdom – Invitation or Threat?

How To Take Care of Your Inner Child

Do You Have Street Smarts?

What Is The Trade-Off?

Is ‘Gluten-Free’ the Key to Weight Loss?

Are You Shooting Yourself In The Foot?

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