Did You Know…

    Just when I thought I was on the right track, eating all organic, no soy, no dairy… etc. I found out most of the almond and rice milks I have been drinking (along with other things come to find out) have this toxic additive called carrageenan in them. Learning about this has just motivated me further, and hopefully will move you too, to opt for natural foods or ingredients that I can pronounce and/or know what they are.   Carrageenan is extracted from red seaweeds, has multiple forms and is used in cooking and baking. Similar to gluten, carrageenan works as an emulsifier and thickener keeping ingredients from separating, and while once was a natural additive, has become a highly processed additive. Carrageenan is known to cause...

    As most of you know having celiac disease is an ever and on going journey. Every meal needs to be looked at, even vitamins and minerals need to be monitored from time to time to make sure your getting all your nutrients. This lifestyle can definitely be a struggle at times. And for me the last couple weeks have been a struggle to say the least. In efforts to find relief I started doing more research to find ways I can get even more vitamins and minerals in to my system to supplement what I have been low in which is vitamin B and my vitamin D is always in constant conflict. One thing I kept coming to in my search to feel better was the sweet potato. A beautiful orange sweet potato. I used to love these as a kid! I would load them with butter and eat...

Did you know celiac disease and depression are linked? Did you also know 90% of the bodies supply of serotonin (which is linked to depression) lies in your digestive tract? Serotonin is a chemical manufactured in the brain and when at “healthy” levels we feel balanced and happy. In short it regulates our mood. So if our gut is off then we are off! And since we, Celiacs, already have a decreased ability to absorb crucial vitamins and nutrients, we may not be absorbing enough of the important protein that create serotonin. We have millions of brain cells and serotonin affects most of them directly or indirectly – which will then affect our mood, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, and some social behavior. And that’s only to name...

  Did you know tea tree oil is a great alternative to using harsh chemicals such as bleach?! I thought since I just posted a blog about tea tree oil’s amazing antiseptic and anti-fungal benefits for health reasons I would write a quick follow up so you have yet ANOTHER reason to go out and buy a bottle! Besides using tea tree oil topically for my health, the other main use is as a great house hold cleaner and specifically for killing MOLD! Tea tree oil is one of the only true methods of killing mold – not just removing it or discoloring the area so that it appears to be gone, but the only great and healthy way to kill mold. I use a spray bottle and poor about 5 drops of tea tree oil per 2.5 cups of water. It is very important to remember most...

  Did you know that there is a genetic link between Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease?! Did you also know that celiac disease and diabetes are inflammatory disorders and share common genes?? The two disorders are more closely linked than previously understood. Since celiac disease is also an autoimmune disease it puts us at a higher risk for all other autoimmune diseases including diabetes. Having celiac disease is hard enough without adding another health issue on top of that, especially diabetes. What can we do? Start to really read the labels of most of the gluten free products out there on the shelves right now. They are loaded with sugar and carbohydrates which...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays!!!! The stuffing, the sweet potato souffle with melted marshmallows, the biscuits, everything that I loved!!!!! The first gluten free Thanksgiving however was difficult to say the least. All those favorite dishes now had to just pass by me as all I could get now was get a whiff. HORRIBLE! Well at least I could eat the turkey, right? Not so fast. It wasn’t until last year when I started to reconfigure and create all these new recipes so that I could enjoy one of my favorite holidays again. I recreated everything, the sweet potatoes were now made without butter and with gluten free marshmallows, the stuffing was made without bread …  but what about the turkey? I had read somewhere that some turkeys were...

Did you know… even charcoal can contain gluten!? Just when I thought I could sit back with some friends and My Troops and enjoy a summer of BBQ’s using my new grill, I realized gluten was sneaking in my diet somehow and somewhere. I knew gluten was not only in foods but in cosmetic products, but it was only after research I found out that it was the charcoal making me sick! There is a wheat starch that acts as a binder and when burning the ash can contaminate the food. Sometimes it seems as there is no escaping gluten! But not to worry – for next BBQ season know there are a few alternatives such as lump charcoal which is made from large pieces of wood. I’ve learned with time and research there is always a solution so that I continue doing...