How To Have A Healthy Halloween

October 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Halloween cupcakesAre you ready for Halloween?

While I’m not inclined to don a costume, or deck the house out with carved pumpkins and Halloween décor, I do like to prepare a festive sweet or two for the occasion.

(A gal needs to indulge once in a while).

Even so, I try to find healthier alternatives whenever possible – relying mostly on homemade goodies so I can explore different sweeteners and switch out ingredients as needed.

Of course, one could just as easily focus on savory treats the fit the Halloween theme.

How about a “Black and Orange” Salad – using Forbidden Rice and oranges? (Sweet potatoes would also work in a pinch).

Or, a nourishing bowl of soup served inside a hollowed out pumpkin?

While that’s all well and good, you’ll probably still want a little something sweet for dessert.

I know I would.

With that in mind, here are my suggestions for a healthy Halloween – so you can have your cake and eat it too!

 

Cut Back On Sugar

Seems like an impossibility, doesn’t it – especially during a “candy-focused” holiday like Halloween?

And yet, for the unlucky few among us who have tested allergic to sugar (or, are super sensitive), this is an everyday reality – not just during Halloween, but all year long.

[Read more…]

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What Is the Trade-Off?

September 19, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Egg & ChickLet’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?

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Can Juicing Make You Fat?

September 5, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Avocado smoothieI’ve been making a lot of smoothies lately.

If I’m not in the mood for a smoothie, I’ll chop up a bunch of veggies and juice up a tall glass of green juice.

Whipping up a green smoothie, or juicing a tall glass of veggie goodness, seems to be all the rage lately.

And yes, I’ve been caught up in the excitement!

Do you have a preference?

For myself, I often prefer a smoothie to juicing – I like that the fiber stays intact (am I the only one who hates throwing all that nutritious fiber down the drain?) – plus I find it easier to clean a VitaMix than a juicer

Sometimes it’s a Green Smoothie, other times it’s a little less green, depending on the ingredients – it’s a little like mixing a palette of paint, to see what color you end up with.

On the flip side of things, there are many detractors to the juicing craze.

Bottom line – while certainly delicious, juicing may not always be the healthiest choice.

According to the experts, when you drink a glass of juice – especially if it’s mostly fruit – you’re really drinking nothing but a glass of sugar.

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Meet Your Anti-Nutrients

July 22, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Donuts and CoffeeWhy anti-nutrients?

Because they rob nutrients from your body:

  • Gluten
  • Sugar
  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • Processed Foods
  • Stress
  • Lack of Sleep
  • Overly processed Oils
  • Antibiotics
  • Eating the wrong foods for your unique physiology
  • Toxic overload
  • Over exercising (excessive exertion)

Does that last one surprise you?

The fact is, strenuous exercise is very stressful on your body. Not that surprising, really – we often feel the after-effects of exercise on our joints or muscles – a sure sign that we’ve overdone it.

It’s simply another type of stress that you might be dealing with – but it’s one you might not think of as stress.

 

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How To Avoid The Sugar Blues

February 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment

SugarI suppose the simple answer to that question would be to, well – simply not eat it.

But that’s easier said than done, I know.

While I’ve personally been avoiding refined sugars for more than a year now – it doesn’t mean that I refuse to eat anything sweet.

Quite the contrary!

Nor does it mean that I will never, ever eat anything made from refined sugar – sometimes it’s just too hard to avoid. (Chocolate chips come to mind, as an example).

However, there are plenty of sweet alternatives to refined sugar – things like honey, and agave nectar, or coconut sugar.

True, agave has gotten a bad rap of late – you can read more about it here.

And yes, it might seem like an odd thing to even mention on the heels of Valentine’s Day, when sweet temptations are beckoning to you from all directions.

However, it’s not all that uncommon for someone to be diagnosed as either allergic, or sensitive, to sugar.

The next time you’re planning to bake, why not experiment with some of these alternative sweeteners like coconut sugar, or succanat?

I’ve given you plenty of suggestions in last week’s post Can It Be Valentine’s Day Without Chocolate? (The short answer was “no” – at least for me).

Then again, it isn’t just white sugar in its traditional form that’s the villain, here.

According to Dr Mark Hyman, “If you have two slices of whole wheat bread, you’re going to raise your blood sugar more than two tablespoons of sugar.” 

In other words, too many carbohydrates in general – especially the “white stuff” like potatoes, rice and flour – are empty calories that offer little nutritional value.

Unfortunately, gluten-free baked goods are no better – due to the presence of various starches such as tapioca flour, arrowroot or potato starch – all of which converts to sugars once consumed).

What can you do?

At meals, help yourself to an extra serving of vegetables, instead of a mountain of brown rice.

Tread light, and see how you feel.

A funny thing happens, though, when you cut back on sugar.

All of a sudden, many of your favorite foods might seem a little too sweet!

I guess that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

 

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What Is The Trade-Off?

January 17, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Egg & ChickLet’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?

[Read more…]

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What Are You Craving?

November 8, 2013 By 2 Comments

Sugar“Sugar is a food fraught with layers of emotional meaning, inextricably linked with your sense of comfort and well-being”.  Andrea Nakayama

 

Do you sometimes crave a certain food?

Or is “often” a more accurate description?

Whether ‘sometimes”, or  “often”, cravings are usually a sign that something is out of balance in your body.

It could be due to hormones, a nutritional imbalance, low blood sugar or even stress.

Of course, any food can become a substitute for what we’re really craving in the moment.

However, for many of us, our go-to comfort food is sugar.

If your downfall seems to be Sugar, you’re not alone.

Yet, as we head into the holiday season, this becomes even more of a challenge, with temptations around every corner.

In a twist of irony, though – the more you crave a certain food, that’s often your Body’s way of telling you in an oh-so-subtle-way to cut back.

And while you may not be able to ditch those sugar cravings completely – after all, we’re biologically programmed to love anything sweet – it is possible to get your sugar cravings under control by ditching soda and processed foods.

In lieu of refined sugar, consider alternate ways to satisfy your sweet tooth.

At the same time, keep in mind that alternate sweeteners such as agave, honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar and sucanat – to name a few – are still Sugar.

They may seem to be easier on your blood sugar levels – but the bottom line is still this:

Sugar is Sugar.

That’s a tough one to swallow, I know.

Consider too, that the very foods we often crave are often the very foods we’re highly sensitive, or allergic to!

(Yet another reason to avoid them).

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The Dopamine Effect

July 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

PastrieslHave 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?

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How To Avoid The Sugar Blues

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Truth be told, the best way to avoid the sugar blues is to, well – simply not eat it.

Easier said than done, I know.

The thing is, there are plenty of sweet options that don’t have to involve refined sugar – things like honey, and agave nectar, or coconut sugar.

I even discuss this (briefly) in my FREE HOLIDAY GIFT – “44 Ways to be Gloriously Gluten-Free, Through the Holidays and Beyond.”

Yes, it might seem like an odd thing to even mention in the midst of the holiday season, with sweet temptations beckoning to us from all directions.

However, it’s not all that uncommon for someone to be diagnosed as either allergic, or sensitive, to sugar.

So, I try to keep this, and all other allergens, in mind.

Another thing to be aware of, is that it isn’t just white sugar in its traditional form that’s the villain, here.

Too many carbs in general – especially the “white stuff” like potatoes, rice and flour – are empty calories that offer little nutritional value.

So why not experiment with other sweeteners, for some of your holiday baking?

[Read more…]

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Sugar & Spice

January 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Welcome to 2012!

It’s the New Year, and many of you have made your New Years’ resolutions – for better or worse.

Among the more popular resolutions, are vows to revamp our diets and exercise more.

Or cut back on sugar.

All this in addition to mastering a gluten-free lifestyle!

I admit, I was a bit ahead of the game this year. Although, I don’t put that much store in New Year’s Resolutions per se – I’m more likely to adopt new habits throughout the year, as ideas present themselves to me.

And so it was this past year, as I decided late in the year to cut back on the usual excess of sweet treats over the holidays, challenging myself to new heights.

Normally, I love to bake this time of year, taking full advantage of the holidays and the opportunity to splurge.

However, I had a different goal in mind, wanting to rid myself of the usual sugar highs that accompany the holidays and family get-togethers.

I’m not entirely new to baking with alternative sweeteners. In fact, I’ve experimented for some time already, with options such as agave, or honey.

I particularly like agave, although it has a reputation for being somewhat controversial.

What was new for me, however, was the decision to go cold turkey, so to speak, and to bake our holiday treats without any refined sugars whatsoever.

[Read more…]

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