These look really, really good:
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Friday, October 2, 2015
Three Months Left! How Will You Make the Most of Them?
Are you interested in joining me on a journey for the next 3 months? Only three months (minus a day; okay, today's almost over: minus two days) left of the year. At the same time, 3 months is a whole quarter of a year. With those three months being October, November and December, that's a full 92 days (okay, 90 now that today is almost over).
Imagine adding in a habit to do 10 minutes of meditation each day for the rest of the year. That's 900 minutes of meditation.
Imagine adding in a habit of 10 minutes of a mix of jumping jacks and burpees, or just going for a 10-minute run? Or 10 minutes of yoga?
How about reading inspirational things each day for even 5 minutes? Or starting each day with a few servings of fruit? Or having a salad each day?
Or working on a business idea for 30 minutes to an hour each day for the next 90 days?
90 days it's actually quite a lot of time.
I've been working on some goals of my own for the remainder of the year:
*finish the first course for my French "academy" website
*do what I can to transform my health like getting back into doing Egoscue (I've seen some great progress and now that I haven't been doing any for the past month, I'm seeing horrible regression), saying no to junk food, saying yes to better eating (I'm reading a couple of books at the moment; I'll share once I have an opinion!), more self-care
*get another business idea off the ground--more on that once the idea is better figured out in my mind
Those are my big 3. Check out the Pre-Training Action plan at http://www.100daychallenge.com/finish-strong-toolkit/?awt_l=L79hk&awt_m=3iedDmPsK9eUAyj . If you read this early enough, you might even have time to sign up if you want to get in on the 100-Day Challenge.
While I have my specific goals in mind, I also just have more of a mentality now of finishing this year on a high note and thinking more throughout the day on which behaviours will support me in that pursuit and which behaviours are hampering my progress.
So, are you going to do it? Are you going to make the most of this last quarter of the year?
Imagine adding in a habit to do 10 minutes of meditation each day for the rest of the year. That's 900 minutes of meditation.
Imagine adding in a habit of 10 minutes of a mix of jumping jacks and burpees, or just going for a 10-minute run? Or 10 minutes of yoga?
How about reading inspirational things each day for even 5 minutes? Or starting each day with a few servings of fruit? Or having a salad each day?
Or working on a business idea for 30 minutes to an hour each day for the next 90 days?
90 days it's actually quite a lot of time.
I've been working on some goals of my own for the remainder of the year:
*finish the first course for my French "academy" website
*do what I can to transform my health like getting back into doing Egoscue (I've seen some great progress and now that I haven't been doing any for the past month, I'm seeing horrible regression), saying no to junk food, saying yes to better eating (I'm reading a couple of books at the moment; I'll share once I have an opinion!), more self-care
*get another business idea off the ground--more on that once the idea is better figured out in my mind
Those are my big 3. Check out the Pre-Training Action plan at http://www.100daychallenge.com/finish-strong-toolkit/?awt_l=L79hk&awt_m=3iedDmPsK9eUAyj . If you read this early enough, you might even have time to sign up if you want to get in on the 100-Day Challenge.
While I have my specific goals in mind, I also just have more of a mentality now of finishing this year on a high note and thinking more throughout the day on which behaviours will support me in that pursuit and which behaviours are hampering my progress.
So, are you going to do it? Are you going to make the most of this last quarter of the year?
Thursday, September 10, 2015
What's Your Plastic Footprint?
The amount of plastic in my life has been hitting me hard this summer for some reason. It just seems to be everywhere. I don't suppose it's an easy thing to live in this modern world and to not have any plastic at all--gosh, even our computers and cell phones have plastic--but I know there are things I could do to reduce my plastic use.
One thing I did was to purchase some glass water bottles for myself and my kids.
Lifefactory 22-Ounce Glass Bottle with Flip Cap and Silicone Sleeve, Carbon
I found mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I didn't even bother to look anywhere else because it had been on my mind so much that I wanted some and there they were! We've done the metal water bottle thing, only to have it corrode or just have the water taste funny after a day in it. The plastic water bottles got rejected by my kids years ago due to how they affect the taste, even the more expensive water bottles. So, this was one definite step.
I've been remembering to bring my own shopping bags with me more and more. And even purchased a reusable Gap one: did you know that (in Canada, at least) if you bring their bag with you when purchasing items, they will give you 10% off? Even at an outlet store where things are already discounted? That's a pretty sweet deal. And I've been doing little things like not using a straw for smoothies I've been drinking and started using mason jars to store food rather than plastic storage containers.
And now a friend has posted on Facebook a video from the Plastic Pollution Coatlition. Here it is and it's worth watching. It's short, but still enough to get you thinking about the plastic in your life and how you might reduce it.
I look now at my kichen and pantry and I just see so much plastic. Gluten-free products in plastic. Pasta in plastic. Vitamins in plastic. When you buy fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, plastic bags are the only things available. Unless you just let it all float around and touch everything. Detergents come in plastic. Shampoo. Conditioner. Make-up. Lotions. I have gluten-free doughnuts I made from the Cooking for Your Gluten-Free Teen cookbook. They are wrapped in plastic wrap. Why? How else are you going to keep them from going rock hard?
We survived in the past without plastic. Is there a way to live in this modern world without constantly having plastic--and without essentially living on a farm or completely off your own land without any modern technology involving plastic?
I don't know if there is a positive answer to that question. But I do know that there are things we can all do to improve our plastic footprint. I've already decided since watching the video to stop buying the cheap pasta and buy the ones that come in a box. And I might even stop purchasing disposable drinks--except in situations like the other day where I was at a mall that didn't appear to have a single water fountain. (How is that possible?? I came fully unprepared because I'd expected there to be a water fountain!)
What steps do you think you might take?
One thing I did was to purchase some glass water bottles for myself and my kids.
Lifefactory 22-Ounce Glass Bottle with Flip Cap and Silicone Sleeve, Carbon
I found mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I didn't even bother to look anywhere else because it had been on my mind so much that I wanted some and there they were! We've done the metal water bottle thing, only to have it corrode or just have the water taste funny after a day in it. The plastic water bottles got rejected by my kids years ago due to how they affect the taste, even the more expensive water bottles. So, this was one definite step.
I've been remembering to bring my own shopping bags with me more and more. And even purchased a reusable Gap one: did you know that (in Canada, at least) if you bring their bag with you when purchasing items, they will give you 10% off? Even at an outlet store where things are already discounted? That's a pretty sweet deal. And I've been doing little things like not using a straw for smoothies I've been drinking and started using mason jars to store food rather than plastic storage containers.
And now a friend has posted on Facebook a video from the Plastic Pollution Coatlition. Here it is and it's worth watching. It's short, but still enough to get you thinking about the plastic in your life and how you might reduce it.
Plastic Pollution Coalition
As a member of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, I'm excited to share the launch of their new website! Check out www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org for information about #plasticpollution and it's toxic impacts as well as what YOU can do to reduce your #plasticfootprint.
Posted by Jeff Bridges on Thursday, 3 September 2015
I look now at my kichen and pantry and I just see so much plastic. Gluten-free products in plastic. Pasta in plastic. Vitamins in plastic. When you buy fruits and vegetables at the grocery store, plastic bags are the only things available. Unless you just let it all float around and touch everything. Detergents come in plastic. Shampoo. Conditioner. Make-up. Lotions. I have gluten-free doughnuts I made from the Cooking for Your Gluten-Free Teen cookbook. They are wrapped in plastic wrap. Why? How else are you going to keep them from going rock hard?
We survived in the past without plastic. Is there a way to live in this modern world without constantly having plastic--and without essentially living on a farm or completely off your own land without any modern technology involving plastic?
I don't know if there is a positive answer to that question. But I do know that there are things we can all do to improve our plastic footprint. I've already decided since watching the video to stop buying the cheap pasta and buy the ones that come in a box. And I might even stop purchasing disposable drinks--except in situations like the other day where I was at a mall that didn't appear to have a single water fountain. (How is that possible?? I came fully unprepared because I'd expected there to be a water fountain!)
What steps do you think you might take?
Monday, August 17, 2015
Allergies... and even more allergies
I started this blog already aware of my own issues with milk products and certain raw fruits: apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, sometimes cantaloupe. Then it became clear my daughter was dealing with something. Wheat is definitely a problem, but we don't know at this point if it's just wheat or all of gluten. What we do know is that the flour used at her work is highly refined and does not make her sick the way other wheat flours do.
She has also realized that chocolate affects her poorly, as does too much dairy.
And then we found out about another allergy (or sensitivity; it's just easier to say "allergy") the hard way: through hours of violent vomiting.
The first time it happened, we thought maybe it was a bug or something. Or a cominbation of foods. Couldn't figure it out.
Second time it happened, still couldn't figure it out.
Third time it happened, we started suspecting Bob's Red Mills' All-Purpose Flour Blend (the one with garbanzo bean flour).
The fourth time it happened, eating an Amy's Burrito with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and garbanzo bean flour finally clued us in: she's allergic to chickpeas.
At that point, I was very glad we hadn't bought anything from Babycakes NYC when we were in DisneyWorld in June. Why? Well, the first vomting session was after the doughnuts from the Babycakes book. The third vomiting session was from crêpes made from a recipe from that book. Several of her recipes use that flour. It's not too far to think that that's what she uses in much of her baking at the stores.
Of course, this adds an extra difficult element when we're out and about. If she wants to eat gluten-free, she needs to be careful about what she's ordering and what it's made with. A small amount of chickpeas makes her far more ill than wheat/gluten does. She is not completely wheat-free with her diet and with this now popping up, it'll mean it takes precedence over eating wheat-free.
I am going to go back to what I've said before: if we all just switched to a raw food diet (and clearly avoided chickpeas in her case), this would all be taken care of. lol
Speaking of Disney, I do have some things to share about our trip and eating dairy- and gluten-free there. But that will have to be another day. I will say quickly that Disney World is actually a pretty great place if you have those two allergies. Lots of stuff you can eat.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Itchy Skin? Maybe It's What You're Eating
Last year, I started developing itchy skin on my shins. There wasn't a rash, the skin didn't seem excessively dry, it was just really, really itchy. Sometimes I would scratch until I felt like it would bleed if I scratched more.
Changing detergents didn't help. Using anti-itch creams, like calendula or others, helped, but it didn't stop the itch from coming back. Pretty much every single day.
Then I started eating almost entirely wheat-free after Easter when my daughter realized she needed to go gluten-free. And lo and behold, I started realizing I would have several days of no itching. When I'd eat wheat again, the itch came back. If I'd eaten a lot of wheat, it was a ferocious itch.
I had no itching yesterday, then ate regular wheat bread as part of supper last night. And my shins itch again this morning.
People tend to think of hives or perhaps even eczema when they think of food allergy/sensitivity symptoms. Itchy skin--and it doesn't have to be everywhere as my case shows--is another symptom. If you, too, suffer from itchy skin that doesn't seem to have any understandable cause, have a look at what you are eating. It's probably not the only symptom from a questionable-for-you food.
Changing detergents didn't help. Using anti-itch creams, like calendula or others, helped, but it didn't stop the itch from coming back. Pretty much every single day.
Then I started eating almost entirely wheat-free after Easter when my daughter realized she needed to go gluten-free. And lo and behold, I started realizing I would have several days of no itching. When I'd eat wheat again, the itch came back. If I'd eaten a lot of wheat, it was a ferocious itch.
I had no itching yesterday, then ate regular wheat bread as part of supper last night. And my shins itch again this morning.
People tend to think of hives or perhaps even eczema when they think of food allergy/sensitivity symptoms. Itchy skin--and it doesn't have to be everywhere as my case shows--is another symptom. If you, too, suffer from itchy skin that doesn't seem to have any understandable cause, have a look at what you are eating. It's probably not the only symptom from a questionable-for-you food.
Friday, June 5, 2015
12 Weeks to Better Health--Week 2 Day 6
Yes, yes, nearly the end of the second week and I'm only now just posting.
It's been one of those weeks where life reminds you that you can have plans--and life may just laugh at you.
My plan had been to eat a salad each day AND do cardio at least 3 times this week.
In reality, I've started coming down with something--so my food desires and even my ability to remember that I was going to eat salad are hampered--and my knees have been acting up, which makes the cardio very hard; and I can't swim because of my shoulders (even if I actually had the time to go swimming).
So, I thought about what to do with this plan of mine and here is how it has worked out:
*I've had salad a few times this week. I consider this a lead-up to next week where I can make sure to eat a salad every day.
*I've been reminded that they typically say 3 weeks (at least) to a new habit. If my shoulder care and fruit first rules from the first week are the only thing I stick to this week and next, they are still new habits being created. If I only added in something new every 3 weeks, I'd be adding 17 new habits a year! Wow! And right now, I've got 2 habits going on, so if adding 2 things every 3 weeks becomes a habit, then that's 34 new health habits in a year.
Are you creating your own habits? Doing your own 12 weeks of something? Set yourself some rules, but at the same time, be gentle with yourself and be flexible when needed.
It's been one of those weeks where life reminds you that you can have plans--and life may just laugh at you.
My plan had been to eat a salad each day AND do cardio at least 3 times this week.
In reality, I've started coming down with something--so my food desires and even my ability to remember that I was going to eat salad are hampered--and my knees have been acting up, which makes the cardio very hard; and I can't swim because of my shoulders (even if I actually had the time to go swimming).
So, I thought about what to do with this plan of mine and here is how it has worked out:
*I've had salad a few times this week. I consider this a lead-up to next week where I can make sure to eat a salad every day.
*I've been reminded that they typically say 3 weeks (at least) to a new habit. If my shoulder care and fruit first rules from the first week are the only thing I stick to this week and next, they are still new habits being created. If I only added in something new every 3 weeks, I'd be adding 17 new habits a year! Wow! And right now, I've got 2 habits going on, so if adding 2 things every 3 weeks becomes a habit, then that's 34 new health habits in a year.
Are you creating your own habits? Doing your own 12 weeks of something? Set yourself some rules, but at the same time, be gentle with yourself and be flexible when needed.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
12 Weeks to Better Health -- Day 5
How have you been doing with your week 1? Those first small changes can be really hard to make. I know that, already, I've been struggling to make sure to have a serving of fruit before I eat anything else in the morning. And really struggling to remember to do my rotator cuff physio exercises. The first while is the hardest, absolutely. It's the reason people last 2 days with things like New Year's resolutions: it can be hard to change our habits. It pushes us out of a comfort zone. Our comfort zone doesn't care about how healthy or better things are outside of it, so we have to sometimes deliberately challenge it so that it changes its size or its content.
I've been thinking ahead to my Week 2. I want to be exercising at least 3 times a week--Monday, Wednesday, Friday. So, I already started. Why? Well, because by the time I get to next week, it won't be as hard to stick to. My comfort zone will have been stretched a bit already.
The last post, I said I would share about my using "rules" rather than "goals." I do have a goal in mind--80% healthy eating, for example--but I know that the way to reach that goal is to break things down to develop habits bit-by-bit. But there's something that goes on in me that if I say my goal this week is to have fruit first thing every day, I might not actually achieve the goal. The goal is not the action itself, but the ending. So, what action do I need to take? I need to actually eat the fruit every morning. How do I make sure that I will stick with it? For me, setting it as a rule works. With a rule in place, I'm far more likely to actually follow through on the planned action because I don't want to break my rule. And the rule is reasonable and doable, so I'm not setting myself up for failure and actually helping myself be successful with the change to fruit first by setting it.
What about you? Would setting yourself a rule work for you? Or do you resist rules and tend to want to break them? What would be your "thing" to encourage you to actually stick with your planned action? For some people, it might be charting--and keeping the chart in a spot where others will see it to help with accountability. For others, it might actually be having a buddy to be accountable to and you don't want to have to admit you've messed up that day, so you're more likely to actually do it. There are all kinds of possibilities, it's just a matter of connecting with what would work best for you.
I've been thinking ahead to my Week 2. I want to be exercising at least 3 times a week--Monday, Wednesday, Friday. So, I already started. Why? Well, because by the time I get to next week, it won't be as hard to stick to. My comfort zone will have been stretched a bit already.
The last post, I said I would share about my using "rules" rather than "goals." I do have a goal in mind--80% healthy eating, for example--but I know that the way to reach that goal is to break things down to develop habits bit-by-bit. But there's something that goes on in me that if I say my goal this week is to have fruit first thing every day, I might not actually achieve the goal. The goal is not the action itself, but the ending. So, what action do I need to take? I need to actually eat the fruit every morning. How do I make sure that I will stick with it? For me, setting it as a rule works. With a rule in place, I'm far more likely to actually follow through on the planned action because I don't want to break my rule. And the rule is reasonable and doable, so I'm not setting myself up for failure and actually helping myself be successful with the change to fruit first by setting it.
What about you? Would setting yourself a rule work for you? Or do you resist rules and tend to want to break them? What would be your "thing" to encourage you to actually stick with your planned action? For some people, it might be charting--and keeping the chart in a spot where others will see it to help with accountability. For others, it might actually be having a buddy to be accountable to and you don't want to have to admit you've messed up that day, so you're more likely to actually do it. There are all kinds of possibilities, it's just a matter of connecting with what would work best for you.
Monday, May 25, 2015
12 Weeks to Better Health--Day 2
I have a confession to make:
It is only Day 2 and I almost forgot my first rule for myself this week: Fruit first!
But I did remember, so that's all good. But let's say I had forgotten. What would you do if you'd forgotten? Would you say to yourself, "Ugh, I messed it up. I'll try again tomorrow." Or maybe, "If I can't even remember to do today, how am I going to do make it through 12 weeks?" If these are the kinds of things you'd say, I'm going to suggest something else, what I would have done had I eaten something else first:
"Oops. Let me eat some fruit right now." I could follow it by, "What can I do so that tomorrow morning I'll remember?"
It's really that simple.
It's exactly what I did for my rotator cuff care this morning. I had the fruit, got on with my day and realized I hadn't done my exercises. So, I did my exercises pretty much right then. They're done.
There's no need to beat yourself up or get down on yourself if you forget. Don't throw it all away if you have a goal you're working toward and you really goof on it one day. It's okay. The rest of the day can be in line with your goal. Or your rules. I'll write more about my "rules" for myself rather than my "goals" for this tomorrow.
It is only Day 2 and I almost forgot my first rule for myself this week: Fruit first!
But I did remember, so that's all good. But let's say I had forgotten. What would you do if you'd forgotten? Would you say to yourself, "Ugh, I messed it up. I'll try again tomorrow." Or maybe, "If I can't even remember to do today, how am I going to do make it through 12 weeks?" If these are the kinds of things you'd say, I'm going to suggest something else, what I would have done had I eaten something else first:
"Oops. Let me eat some fruit right now." I could follow it by, "What can I do so that tomorrow morning I'll remember?"
It's really that simple.
It's exactly what I did for my rotator cuff care this morning. I had the fruit, got on with my day and realized I hadn't done my exercises. So, I did my exercises pretty much right then. They're done.
There's no need to beat yourself up or get down on yourself if you forget. Don't throw it all away if you have a goal you're working toward and you really goof on it one day. It's okay. The rest of the day can be in line with your goal. Or your rules. I'll write more about my "rules" for myself rather than my "goals" for this tomorrow.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
12 Weeks to Better Health--Week 1
I have been inspired to start a 12-week program. Or rather create my own 12-week program to better health.
This is not a program that I have all typed up in a document and ready to share. It'll evolve, I'm sure, as I go through the 12 weeks. Maybe you'd like to follow along with me--or maybe how I'm doing this will help you to create your own 12-week program.
I'm not sure why this "12 weeks" has hit me this week, but it has hit me as not being a huge amount of time and yet 12 weeks is 84 days, and 84 days of better habits can lead to some tremendous improvements. How much better would my health be if I exercised a few times a week for 12 weeks? How much better would my health be if I got enough fruits and vegetables for 12 weeks? Truth be told, this isn't going to be a challenge of doing 12 weeks of this or that, but more step-by-step, but even if it's only my first step for 12 weeks, I would see a difference.
And so, this first week of my 12 weeks, I'm focusing on how I start my day. My first rule for myself this week is that each morning has to start with at least one serving of fruit or a green smoothie. After I've had my fruit, I am free to eat as I normally would, so I can have that piece of toast or bowl of cereal or whatever after I've had the fruit. That said, I started my day today with a little fruit salad of fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries and some banana slices, probably 1.5 cups worth; it ended up being my breakfast because there was enough of it that I wasn't hungry for anything more. Fine by me! My second rule for myself to start my mornings is on the physical activity side of things. My rotator cuffs are still a problem, and I've been badly neglecting them, and so my rule for myself this week is to actually do my physio exercises each and every morning.
Are you going to join me for the next 12 weeks? Will you start your day with fruit? If you don't get enough fruits and vegetables each day (like me!), then I'm going to challenge you to do that: start each day with fruit. If a full serving is too much, then make it a bite of something, a single strawberry, a couple of grapes. Just get the habit going.
This is not a program that I have all typed up in a document and ready to share. It'll evolve, I'm sure, as I go through the 12 weeks. Maybe you'd like to follow along with me--or maybe how I'm doing this will help you to create your own 12-week program.
I'm not sure why this "12 weeks" has hit me this week, but it has hit me as not being a huge amount of time and yet 12 weeks is 84 days, and 84 days of better habits can lead to some tremendous improvements. How much better would my health be if I exercised a few times a week for 12 weeks? How much better would my health be if I got enough fruits and vegetables for 12 weeks? Truth be told, this isn't going to be a challenge of doing 12 weeks of this or that, but more step-by-step, but even if it's only my first step for 12 weeks, I would see a difference.
And so, this first week of my 12 weeks, I'm focusing on how I start my day. My first rule for myself this week is that each morning has to start with at least one serving of fruit or a green smoothie. After I've had my fruit, I am free to eat as I normally would, so I can have that piece of toast or bowl of cereal or whatever after I've had the fruit. That said, I started my day today with a little fruit salad of fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries and some banana slices, probably 1.5 cups worth; it ended up being my breakfast because there was enough of it that I wasn't hungry for anything more. Fine by me! My second rule for myself to start my mornings is on the physical activity side of things. My rotator cuffs are still a problem, and I've been badly neglecting them, and so my rule for myself this week is to actually do my physio exercises each and every morning.
Are you going to join me for the next 12 weeks? Will you start your day with fruit? If you don't get enough fruits and vegetables each day (like me!), then I'm going to challenge you to do that: start each day with fruit. If a full serving is too much, then make it a bite of something, a single strawberry, a couple of grapes. Just get the habit going.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Loving This Book!
I have gotten back into books. I had, for a while, gotten so busy doing things on the computer that I had stopped reading. I purposefully made myself stop using my laptop after supper for about a week and it was all that it took to get me back into books.
One of the books I have out right now is David Wolfe's "The Sunfood Diet Success System." It wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be. I had watched some DVDs that got me more motivated to eat more raw foods and ended up requesting some of David Wolfe's books (even though, I have to admit, I can't stand those NutriBullet commercials of his). Opening up this particular book, I was surprised to have him get into life transformation--beyond just diet--and looking at your thoughts and beliefs and having you do things with each lesson (yes, they're lessons and not chapters) like writing down 100 goals to accomplish in the next year...
It's been very interesting and good for me so far. Writing down 100 goals took me more than a day to do. "How am I going to come up with 100 things I want to do/accomplish in the next year???" I did it though. And I keep adding to it. And with those goals now out there and more in my mind, I'm naturally taking more steps to accomplish them. I've done more natural visual improvement stuff in the past few days than I have in months. I've resumed my physiotherapy stretches for my rotator cuff problems. Just little things here and there, but those little things add up and over time become great.
I also have his Longevity Now book out from the library. It's food-focused and what I like about it is he's not about, "Oh, you have to become raw now! Get rid of eating this and that and the other!" Yes, the reasons for avoiding certain foods (especially cooked foods) are given, but all the reasons to just starting adding in these other good-for-you foods are given, with the idea being that you just keep adding good foods in and eventually, there won't be room--or possibly even a desire--for those other things. It's nice and gentle. No sense of "failing" if you can't meet some standard.
Are you reading a health/food book right now that you're loving? Share about it!
One of the books I have out right now is David Wolfe's "The Sunfood Diet Success System." It wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be. I had watched some DVDs that got me more motivated to eat more raw foods and ended up requesting some of David Wolfe's books (even though, I have to admit, I can't stand those NutriBullet commercials of his). Opening up this particular book, I was surprised to have him get into life transformation--beyond just diet--and looking at your thoughts and beliefs and having you do things with each lesson (yes, they're lessons and not chapters) like writing down 100 goals to accomplish in the next year...
It's been very interesting and good for me so far. Writing down 100 goals took me more than a day to do. "How am I going to come up with 100 things I want to do/accomplish in the next year???" I did it though. And I keep adding to it. And with those goals now out there and more in my mind, I'm naturally taking more steps to accomplish them. I've done more natural visual improvement stuff in the past few days than I have in months. I've resumed my physiotherapy stretches for my rotator cuff problems. Just little things here and there, but those little things add up and over time become great.
I also have his Longevity Now book out from the library. It's food-focused and what I like about it is he's not about, "Oh, you have to become raw now! Get rid of eating this and that and the other!" Yes, the reasons for avoiding certain foods (especially cooked foods) are given, but all the reasons to just starting adding in these other good-for-you foods are given, with the idea being that you just keep adding good foods in and eventually, there won't be room--or possibly even a desire--for those other things. It's nice and gentle. No sense of "failing" if you can't meet some standard.
Are you reading a health/food book right now that you're loving? Share about it!
Friday, April 24, 2015
Allergies Have Changed Family Mealtime
Do you remember childhood mealtime? Everybody ate exactly the same thing and you had to eat it (or eat some of it) whether you liked it or not? Oh, boy, I remember having to eat a small amount of beets (makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it) and sauerkraut (I finally uncontrollably gagged when I was in high school and my mom let me off the hook after that) and who knows what else. I didn't have to eat it all, but I had to have at least a couple of bites of everything being served.
My, how things have changed, haven't they? With food allergies and sensitivities becoming so commonplace, it's no longer the same situation.
I've been dairy-free for sometime, but that doesn't mean our meals are always dairy-free. Casseroles, including lasagna? One with cheese and a smaller dairy-free one gets made. Quesedillas? Ditto. Macaroni and cheese? I'll just have the macaroni. Pizza? Have to make a cheeseless or Daiya one for me, or if we're ordering out, it can only be ordered from certain places and I pretty much need my own individual one because they aren't usually very good at keeping half the pizza cheeseless. There's a stir fry recipe my husband makes with cream of chicken soup; I need to get a portion pulled out for me before he puts the sauce in the veggies. Or the tortellini sauce he makes: a mix of Italian sauce and cream of mushroom. Again, I get served first and what's left is all mixed in with the dairy.
Now my daughter is gluten-free. Not celiac, but definitely sensitive to at least wheat, but looking up things online, it's more consistent with gluten sensitivity than just wheat sensitivity. I'm finding I feel better gluten-free, so I'm almost not eating any at all. So, it adds another wrench to the everybody-eats-the-same-supper. Spaghetti? Well, my husband and son aren't prepared to eat gluten-free (and, to be honest, it's much cheaper for them NOT to), so a batch of wheat pasta is made and a smaller batch of gluten-free for her and me. Taco night? Have to make sure to have more hard corn tortilla shells or have wheat flour tortillas and gluten-free tortillas. Casserole? Haven't gotten there yet. Am I really going to make 3 different ones? My daughter isn't dairy-free and isn't at all interested in trying the Daiya (they all say it smells weird). I suppose I'll make a "regular" one and then a gluten-free cheeseless one that we can each add on cheese as desired. Or maybe put a divider in a baking pan with gluten-free on both sides and each our own desired cheese. Bread? Do I dare use up some of our bread flour in delicious bread that my daughter can't eat? Or that will tempt her to eat and then she'll be ill afterwards?
Allergies have definitely changed mealtime from the way it was when I was a kid! What about you?
My, how things have changed, haven't they? With food allergies and sensitivities becoming so commonplace, it's no longer the same situation.
I've been dairy-free for sometime, but that doesn't mean our meals are always dairy-free. Casseroles, including lasagna? One with cheese and a smaller dairy-free one gets made. Quesedillas? Ditto. Macaroni and cheese? I'll just have the macaroni. Pizza? Have to make a cheeseless or Daiya one for me, or if we're ordering out, it can only be ordered from certain places and I pretty much need my own individual one because they aren't usually very good at keeping half the pizza cheeseless. There's a stir fry recipe my husband makes with cream of chicken soup; I need to get a portion pulled out for me before he puts the sauce in the veggies. Or the tortellini sauce he makes: a mix of Italian sauce and cream of mushroom. Again, I get served first and what's left is all mixed in with the dairy.
Now my daughter is gluten-free. Not celiac, but definitely sensitive to at least wheat, but looking up things online, it's more consistent with gluten sensitivity than just wheat sensitivity. I'm finding I feel better gluten-free, so I'm almost not eating any at all. So, it adds another wrench to the everybody-eats-the-same-supper. Spaghetti? Well, my husband and son aren't prepared to eat gluten-free (and, to be honest, it's much cheaper for them NOT to), so a batch of wheat pasta is made and a smaller batch of gluten-free for her and me. Taco night? Have to make sure to have more hard corn tortilla shells or have wheat flour tortillas and gluten-free tortillas. Casserole? Haven't gotten there yet. Am I really going to make 3 different ones? My daughter isn't dairy-free and isn't at all interested in trying the Daiya (they all say it smells weird). I suppose I'll make a "regular" one and then a gluten-free cheeseless one that we can each add on cheese as desired. Or maybe put a divider in a baking pan with gluten-free on both sides and each our own desired cheese. Bread? Do I dare use up some of our bread flour in delicious bread that my daughter can't eat? Or that will tempt her to eat and then she'll be ill afterwards?
Allergies have definitely changed mealtime from the way it was when I was a kid! What about you?
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Has Your Eye Colour Changed?
I'm sitting here watching the film Food Matters (fantastic movie, by the way! I should do a proper review) and Charlotte Gerson of the Gerson Institute is in it. She has a light German accent and these blue eyes, both of which bring me back to my childhood and time with my Grandpa. This had me thinking of my own eyes. I was born with blue eyes. They remained blue until sometime in early elementary school. Mixing those blue eyes, thoughts of my grandfather's eyes and mine and all of this information about food and its effect on us, I was reminded of people's eye colour supposedly changing after eating a raw food diet for a while. A quick search online confirmed that I wasn't remembering incorrectly: there are people whose eye colour has changed from going raw. One of the articles mentioned about the eye colour being affected by toxins and such stuck in our liver or colon. My diet has not been anything close to optimal my entire life. It started on formula, then I lived on prepackaged and canned foods my entire childhood with few fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of dairy products which I'm allergic/sensitive to, lots of sugary foods. Having watched Supercharge Me yesterday and now Food Matters today, I do wonder what's stored in my liver and colon--and now wondering if this has affected my eye colour.
My eyes now are typically a kind of greenish blue, not like any of the colours in that chart. But they were blue enough, plus I was blonde enough, when I was about to turn 6 that my mom was stopped in a shopping mall by a woman for the local German language program who said, "That child must be German!" But they've been this kind of greenish colour for many years. I'm starting to now wonder: Are my eyes their natural colour or did they become more green due to diet?
I've looked up online when a baby's eyes normally change if they are going to change. One site said that babies eyes will change by the time they are 9 months. Another site said usually by 9, but you might still see some change up until 12 months, or rarely, up until age 6.
So... What's going on with me? Unless my information about myself is incorrect, my eyes became green after age 6. My mother was surprised to see how green my eyes were in high school; they're actually not that green anymore. But this is the mother who didn't notice my eyebrow scar until junior high--a scar I got before turning 5. Then there's my daughter, who we've in the past couple of weeks come to realize she is definitely gluten-sensitive and needs to get that out of her system and has likely been gluten-sensitive since her early years. I wonder about her eye colour: she has an unusual amber/hazel colour, nothing from either side of the family. Is this amber her natural colour or is it the result of things in her system that are blocked, possibly due to years of damage from consuming gluten?
I want to see what photos I can find of my younger years and see what I can tell about my eye colour and have a look at my daughter's pictures and when her eye colour started changing. And while I do that, I will be increasing as I can my consumption of raw fruits and vegetables and encourage her to do the same.
What about you? Are your eyes the same colour as when you were a child? Or have you changed your diet and noticed a change in eye colour as a result? I would love to hear more!
From http://ygraph.com/chart/2990
My eyes now are typically a kind of greenish blue, not like any of the colours in that chart. But they were blue enough, plus I was blonde enough, when I was about to turn 6 that my mom was stopped in a shopping mall by a woman for the local German language program who said, "That child must be German!" But they've been this kind of greenish colour for many years. I'm starting to now wonder: Are my eyes their natural colour or did they become more green due to diet?
I've looked up online when a baby's eyes normally change if they are going to change. One site said that babies eyes will change by the time they are 9 months. Another site said usually by 9, but you might still see some change up until 12 months, or rarely, up until age 6.
So... What's going on with me? Unless my information about myself is incorrect, my eyes became green after age 6. My mother was surprised to see how green my eyes were in high school; they're actually not that green anymore. But this is the mother who didn't notice my eyebrow scar until junior high--a scar I got before turning 5. Then there's my daughter, who we've in the past couple of weeks come to realize she is definitely gluten-sensitive and needs to get that out of her system and has likely been gluten-sensitive since her early years. I wonder about her eye colour: she has an unusual amber/hazel colour, nothing from either side of the family. Is this amber her natural colour or is it the result of things in her system that are blocked, possibly due to years of damage from consuming gluten?
I want to see what photos I can find of my younger years and see what I can tell about my eye colour and have a look at my daughter's pictures and when her eye colour started changing. And while I do that, I will be increasing as I can my consumption of raw fruits and vegetables and encourage her to do the same.
What about you? Are your eyes the same colour as when you were a child? Or have you changed your diet and noticed a change in eye colour as a result? I would love to hear more!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
That Time of Year--Allergies
It's that time of year: seasonal allergies time.
The change of seasons is gross here:everything is dead and brown and dirty, not to mention garbage everywhere, and no pretty white snow to cover it all.
Add to that insane winds the past weekend left me sneezing and stuffed up and sinuses super unhappy.
So, my diffuser has been running a lot. Mainly lavender and whatever else I feel in the mood for. Lavender is calming to both mind and body, so it's one I choose for when allergies are getting to me and will diffuse it or even apply it topically. I also ended up applying RC on my chest.
What do you use for your seasonal allergies?
The change of seasons is gross here:everything is dead and brown and dirty, not to mention garbage everywhere, and no pretty white snow to cover it all.
Add to that insane winds the past weekend left me sneezing and stuffed up and sinuses super unhappy.
So, my diffuser has been running a lot. Mainly lavender and whatever else I feel in the mood for. Lavender is calming to both mind and body, so it's one I choose for when allergies are getting to me and will diffuse it or even apply it topically. I also ended up applying RC on my chest.
What do you use for your seasonal allergies?
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Awesome Gluten-Free Cookbook
I have talked about this cookbook before, but I'm going to talk about it again:
I bought it sometime ago when my daughter was eating gluten-free, or trying to and made a few recipes and they turned out really well. Then she stopped going gluten-free and things started acting up enough that she decided she would try to go gluten-free again, or at least mostly gluten-free. She ended up being very sick (not from gluten) this past Monday and only at a little and that was when she decided she wanted to try mostly gluten-free, then Tuesday, only ate a small supper of gluten-free pasta and sauce. She ended up unintentionally falling asleep on the couch for the night, but I was next to her for a while and I realized her stomach wasn't gurgling like it had been daily for months. I mentioned it to her the next morning and she nodded and said that her stomach was flat again for the first time in a very long time. That convinced her to not just try to be gluten-free most of the time, but she's been gluten-free since.
But that has meant that she's finding it hard to find things to eat in the house. It's very convenient to grab this or that that has gluten in it or make this or that for lunch that has gluten in it (we make our own individual lunches). So, I've been doing what I can to help. Yesterday, I made the waffles recipe from Cooking for Your Gluten-Free Teen and today, the macaroni and cheese. The waffles recipe was easily made dairy-free, so I was able to taste it, too. They weren't half bad. You add strawberries, powdered sugar and syrup (she added strawberries and whipped cream), you wouldn't even know they were gluten-free. I did not make the dairy-free version for the macaroni and cheese, but I asked her how it was and she said she liked it.
And to add that in here: Many or all of the recipes actually have dairy alternatives listed, so you can make things that are both gluten-free and dairy-free.
While the cookbook says it's cooking for your teen, these are really just basic things a lot of kids and adults like. The recipes are fairly simple and so far, there isn't a single one we've made that we didn't like.
I bought it sometime ago when my daughter was eating gluten-free, or trying to and made a few recipes and they turned out really well. Then she stopped going gluten-free and things started acting up enough that she decided she would try to go gluten-free again, or at least mostly gluten-free. She ended up being very sick (not from gluten) this past Monday and only at a little and that was when she decided she wanted to try mostly gluten-free, then Tuesday, only ate a small supper of gluten-free pasta and sauce. She ended up unintentionally falling asleep on the couch for the night, but I was next to her for a while and I realized her stomach wasn't gurgling like it had been daily for months. I mentioned it to her the next morning and she nodded and said that her stomach was flat again for the first time in a very long time. That convinced her to not just try to be gluten-free most of the time, but she's been gluten-free since.
But that has meant that she's finding it hard to find things to eat in the house. It's very convenient to grab this or that that has gluten in it or make this or that for lunch that has gluten in it (we make our own individual lunches). So, I've been doing what I can to help. Yesterday, I made the waffles recipe from Cooking for Your Gluten-Free Teen and today, the macaroni and cheese. The waffles recipe was easily made dairy-free, so I was able to taste it, too. They weren't half bad. You add strawberries, powdered sugar and syrup (she added strawberries and whipped cream), you wouldn't even know they were gluten-free. I did not make the dairy-free version for the macaroni and cheese, but I asked her how it was and she said she liked it.
And to add that in here: Many or all of the recipes actually have dairy alternatives listed, so you can make things that are both gluten-free and dairy-free.
While the cookbook says it's cooking for your teen, these are really just basic things a lot of kids and adults like. The recipes are fairly simple and so far, there isn't a single one we've made that we didn't like.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Why You Should Try Organic Carrots
For many years, we would buy the regular carrots at the grocery store, take forever to eat them, sometimes having to throw some out because they'd gone all gross. It wasn't that we didn't like carrots; we got all gaga over my in-laws' garden carrots.
A year or so ago, I ended up purchasing a bag of organic carrots. I can't remember why, if it was because there weren't any regular carrots or if the regular carrots looked rather pathetic. Or maybe it was just because I wanted to see if there was a difference. If it was for this last reason, they proved to be different. After that, I mainly purchased organic carrots. If there weren't any, then I'd sometimes go for the non-organic and end up regretting it. There was that much of a difference.
What kind of difference? Mainly, it seems that most of the organic brands I've tried simply have fresher, tastier carrots than what's typically available at the supermarket. Even compared to some carrots I've purchased at the farmer's market. My theory is that because they aren't treated with pesticides, they are not only picked earlier to ensure their "health", but they are put through to market faster, so they get to the consumer fresher and tastier than regular carrots.
We go through a lot more carrots now, which means we're paying more because they're organic and because we're eating more of them. But we're also grabbing a carrot, rinsing it off (they are so fresh most of the time, you don't even have to peel them), and eating it as a snack more often instead of some junk or quick grain product. And to know we are consuming unnecessary pesticides by choosing organic instead is nice. One word of advice: Don't cut them ahead of time for the week. They don't retain their freshness that way at all and after a day or so, it's almost like eating a regular carrot.
Why don't you try and see for yourself? Then let us know what your experience is! Maybe you have fresher regular carrots where you live compared to us, but maybe you don't and you don't know what you are missing out on.
A year or so ago, I ended up purchasing a bag of organic carrots. I can't remember why, if it was because there weren't any regular carrots or if the regular carrots looked rather pathetic. Or maybe it was just because I wanted to see if there was a difference. If it was for this last reason, they proved to be different. After that, I mainly purchased organic carrots. If there weren't any, then I'd sometimes go for the non-organic and end up regretting it. There was that much of a difference.
What kind of difference? Mainly, it seems that most of the organic brands I've tried simply have fresher, tastier carrots than what's typically available at the supermarket. Even compared to some carrots I've purchased at the farmer's market. My theory is that because they aren't treated with pesticides, they are not only picked earlier to ensure their "health", but they are put through to market faster, so they get to the consumer fresher and tastier than regular carrots.
We go through a lot more carrots now, which means we're paying more because they're organic and because we're eating more of them. But we're also grabbing a carrot, rinsing it off (they are so fresh most of the time, you don't even have to peel them), and eating it as a snack more often instead of some junk or quick grain product. And to know we are consuming unnecessary pesticides by choosing organic instead is nice. One word of advice: Don't cut them ahead of time for the week. They don't retain their freshness that way at all and after a day or so, it's almost like eating a regular carrot.
Why don't you try and see for yourself? Then let us know what your experience is! Maybe you have fresher regular carrots where you live compared to us, but maybe you don't and you don't know what you are missing out on.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Can You Help Out This Family?
Every now and then, I will post opportunities on this blog for others to help people out.
This time, the people involved are a personal friend and her family, including this cutie:
They are in a sticky situation and the GoFundMe details don't even share it all. They have 5 kids at home, my friend is disabled, their rental is not in great shape (but with 5 kids, their options are limited), and then the added serious issue discussed on the GoFundMe page. They have a serious ASAP. And not just move, but to get settled somewhere far from where they are now, where they will be financially okay, which means moving to the other side of the country where the cost of living is much cheaper.
You can help. Every dollar counts. If you can only donate $1, it will help. If you can do $5 or even $10, don't think, "Oh, it's not much, it's not going to make a difference." If 1000 people visit the page and donate $5 each, that's $5000 to help my friend and her family. If everybody donates at least $10, then $10 000. Every dollar makes a difference.
Please visit their GoFundMe page http://www.gofundme.com/qy3u3gw , share their page on Facebook, Twitter, your own blog, anywhere where people might see and can help.
And remember: Any amount you can give will make a difference.
This time, the people involved are a personal friend and her family, including this cutie:
They are in a sticky situation and the GoFundMe details don't even share it all. They have 5 kids at home, my friend is disabled, their rental is not in great shape (but with 5 kids, their options are limited), and then the added serious issue discussed on the GoFundMe page. They have a serious ASAP. And not just move, but to get settled somewhere far from where they are now, where they will be financially okay, which means moving to the other side of the country where the cost of living is much cheaper.
You can help. Every dollar counts. If you can only donate $1, it will help. If you can do $5 or even $10, don't think, "Oh, it's not much, it's not going to make a difference." If 1000 people visit the page and donate $5 each, that's $5000 to help my friend and her family. If everybody donates at least $10, then $10 000. Every dollar makes a difference.
Please visit their GoFundMe page http://www.gofundme.com/qy3u3gw , share their page on Facebook, Twitter, your own blog, anywhere where people might see and can help.
And remember: Any amount you can give will make a difference.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
My New Website!
I have taken the plunge and signed up for the Young Living Independent Distributor website:
It's just a very basic website and it might only give the Canadian products list, unfortunately. I have some exploring still to do with it. If you are in the United States or anywhere else, you can access your full product line by selecting your country (or nearest country) at http://www.youngliving.com. Please be sure to use 1772120, my distributor number, on orders or for signing up for the wholesale membership.
Just a quick note here: Why would you want to sign up? Well, for example, the diffuser I recently purchased comes with one of the starter kits (in Canada) and signing up with the starter kit is cheaper, by almost $30, than the diffuser by itself, even though the starter kit also comes with product samples that would cost you more to purchase if you were purchasing individually. Wholesale members get 24% off most items. That's a pretty nice deal. And there's none of this having to purchase x-amount every month or every quarter to maintain your status. You only need 50 PV during an entire year--which, depending on what you order (each item has its own PV value), might come to about $60-$75CDN. For an entire year.
If you have any questions, do ask in the comments section!
Signs of Gluten Intolerance
After yesterday's post about my daughter's possible wheat overload, I tried to find out more information on wheat sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity kept coming up, but given her blood test did not show an issue with gluten, I thought that meant she wasn't gluten sensitive.
Turns out I might have been wrong.
According to NaturalNews, the blood tests they typically do don't test for all gluten sensitivity.
So, now I have myself questioning again if my daughter is, indeed, gluten sensitive. And how much damage it has done to her potentially over the years. Looking at Hypothyroid Mom's site and her list of 12 shocking symptoms, let me consider them here, I can say she has suffered from 7 out of the 12. That's a lot. One that's not in there that deals with youth is delayed growth, another symptom of hers, even though teeth all came in at the "normal" time.
Here's another list, almost identical, but I thought I would share it. What caught my eye was the "chicken skin" on the back of the arms: my daughter has this, but so does my son and so do I!
1. Digestive issues such as gas, bloating, diarrhea and even constipation. I see the constipation particularly in children after eating gluten.
2. Keratosis Pilaris, (also known as 'chicken skin' on the back of your arms). This tends be as a result of a fatty acid deficiency and vitamin A deficiency secondary to fat-malabsorption caused by gluten damaging the gut.
3. Fatigue, brain fog or feeling tired after eating a meal that contains gluten.
4. Diagnosis of an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Multiple sclerosis.
5. Neurologic symptoms such as dizziness or feeling of being off balance.
6. Hormone imbalances such as PMS, PCOS or unexplained infertility.
7. Migraine headaches.
8. Diagnosis of chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. These diagnoses simply indicate your conventional doctor cannot pin point the cause of your fatigue or pain.
9. Inflammation, swelling or pain in your joints such as fingers, knees or hips.
10. Mood issues such as anxiety, depression, mood swings and ADD.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7482/10-signs-youre-gluten-intolerant.html
I think it's time to seriously consider making my home as gluten-free as possible and if others won't willingly switch over, make certain changes slowly (like mixing in gluten-free pasta with regular pasta) so they won't even know.
Turns out I might have been wrong.
According to NaturalNews, the blood tests they typically do don't test for all gluten sensitivity.
So, now I have myself questioning again if my daughter is, indeed, gluten sensitive. And how much damage it has done to her potentially over the years. Looking at Hypothyroid Mom's site and her list of 12 shocking symptoms, let me consider them here, I can say she has suffered from 7 out of the 12. That's a lot. One that's not in there that deals with youth is delayed growth, another symptom of hers, even though teeth all came in at the "normal" time.
Here's another list, almost identical, but I thought I would share it. What caught my eye was the "chicken skin" on the back of the arms: my daughter has this, but so does my son and so do I!
1. Digestive issues such as gas, bloating, diarrhea and even constipation. I see the constipation particularly in children after eating gluten.
2. Keratosis Pilaris, (also known as 'chicken skin' on the back of your arms). This tends be as a result of a fatty acid deficiency and vitamin A deficiency secondary to fat-malabsorption caused by gluten damaging the gut.
3. Fatigue, brain fog or feeling tired after eating a meal that contains gluten.
4. Diagnosis of an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcerative colitis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Scleroderma or Multiple sclerosis.
5. Neurologic symptoms such as dizziness or feeling of being off balance.
6. Hormone imbalances such as PMS, PCOS or unexplained infertility.
7. Migraine headaches.
8. Diagnosis of chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. These diagnoses simply indicate your conventional doctor cannot pin point the cause of your fatigue or pain.
9. Inflammation, swelling or pain in your joints such as fingers, knees or hips.
10. Mood issues such as anxiety, depression, mood swings and ADD.
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7482/10-signs-youre-gluten-intolerant.html
I think it's time to seriously consider making my home as gluten-free as possible and if others won't willingly switch over, make certain changes slowly (like mixing in gluten-free pasta with regular pasta) so they won't even know.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Gurgle, gurgle
My daughter has been having a VERY gurgly stomach now for at least a couple of months. I'm not sure I've ever heard it be as bad as it has been lately.
I suspect her body may be overloaded on wheat again. But she's 17, has always brought it up in the past when she's wanted to try wheat-free, and has never gone for my suggesting it, so I'm going to let it go and let her decide if she wants to try wheat-free again. And I say wheat-free because she has been tested twice for a reaction to gluten and both times it was fine. That said, about the only gluten she eats is wheat, so perhaps I should just say, "Gluten-free."
Of course, it's hard for us to go wheat-free. Once we're in it, it's not so bad, or wasn't. Now she's working at a pizzeria, often eating there before her shift starts or once it's done. There is a gluten-free crust available, but she hasn't tried it, and sometimes there is just free pizza to be eaten, too, due to messed up orders or people not even showing up to pick up their order. And without knowing for sure that going wheat-free will help, can you blame her for not being open to cutting it out just yet?
It might be time for Mamma to aim for a wheat-free week in terms of what she is serving others. Even if it doesn't eliminate her wheat consumption entirely, at least it'll ease up a bit on the burden to her body.
I suspect her body may be overloaded on wheat again. But she's 17, has always brought it up in the past when she's wanted to try wheat-free, and has never gone for my suggesting it, so I'm going to let it go and let her decide if she wants to try wheat-free again. And I say wheat-free because she has been tested twice for a reaction to gluten and both times it was fine. That said, about the only gluten she eats is wheat, so perhaps I should just say, "Gluten-free."
Of course, it's hard for us to go wheat-free. Once we're in it, it's not so bad, or wasn't. Now she's working at a pizzeria, often eating there before her shift starts or once it's done. There is a gluten-free crust available, but she hasn't tried it, and sometimes there is just free pizza to be eaten, too, due to messed up orders or people not even showing up to pick up their order. And without knowing for sure that going wheat-free will help, can you blame her for not being open to cutting it out just yet?
It might be time for Mamma to aim for a wheat-free week in terms of what she is serving others. Even if it doesn't eliminate her wheat consumption entirely, at least it'll ease up a bit on the burden to her body.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Make-a-Menu Monday--March 30, 2015
In light of the 3-Week "David Avocado Wolfe Challenge" to start next week, I thought I would plan a menu for the week that avoids certain potentially common processed foods and includes plenty of veggies. Being frustrated lately with trying to find new ideas for a week-long menu plan and finding only 5-day plans, I made sure to make this week's plan a full 7 days of meals. The plan, as usual, is dairy-free, and with some simple substitutions (gluten-free tortillas, gluten-free pasta), can be completely gluten-free, as well.
Monday: Crock pot whole chicken with baked potatoes, garden salad (think green or red leaf lettuce, cucumber chunks, chopped tomatoes, shredded carrot...), and cooked green beans.
Tuesday: chicken fajitas with homemade seasoning mix, red onions and different coloured peppers and garden salad.
Wednesday: spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce (with meat or meatballs or without) served with Caesar or garden salad
Thursday: chicken and vegetable fried rice; I've made that recipe before but substituted broccoli and cauliflower and went heavy on the veggies. It's delicious!
(Good) Friday: Since many will be going meatless today, a simple casserole made with macaroni noodles, jarred pasta sauce (check the label to find one without weird chemicals in it), and mixed frozen vegetables topped with your choice of cheese.
Saturday: lasagna (Daiya cheese for mine) with cooked carrots and homemade vegan Caesar salad dressing
Easter supper/Sunday: ham served with dairy-free mashed potatoes, roasted baby carrots, lemon-parsley green beans
Enjoy! :)
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