Sunday, April 29, 2012

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month!

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(statistics from NFCA & CDF)

As of this past February, I have been gluten-free for 3 years. I can't put into words how dramatically my life has changed as a result of getting on the right diet to treat my reactions. My life has more clarity, I am properly digesting food and am no longer malnourished due to malabsorption of nutrients. Switching to a gluten-free diet has definitely been a blessing for me.

The bad thing about all of this is that my diagnosis took about 20 years. During that time, I was increasingly and increasingly plagued by various health issues including ADHD, nervous system disorders, forgetfulness, malabsorption, unexplained weight loss, indigestion, depression and anxiety. After about 2 weeks on the Gluten Free diet, all of my symptoms completely reversed. On an older episode of the Hold the Gluten podcast (by the brilliant Maureen Stanley), it was said that the average time for a diagnosis of Celiac Disease was 10 years. Spreading awareness will help decrease that ridiculously high diagnosis time and will help the search for a cure. This May, being Celiac Awareness month, let's spread the word like wildfire.

For more information regarding the importance of a gluten-free diet, symptoms of Celiac Disease/gluten intolerance, going gluten-free and getting a diagnosis, see a few of my previous posts: Importance of Gluten-Free, Symptoms, and Basics of Diagnosis.

Some great additional resources:

Have you been diagnosed with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance?

Share your story here!

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Thriving happily without gluten, soy, peanuts, and legumes.

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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Healing from a Reaction


Occasionally, one of my allergens slips through the cracks and finds it's way into my system despite my precautions. Today was one of those days, complete with a lump in the throat and difficult breathing/swallowing. I'm still trying to track down the culprit, but whatever it was, it was certainly of the "Soy" persuasion.

Whenever I have a strong reaction or accidental gluten-ing, I try to clear out my system as fast as possible. I load up on easily digested foods and nutrient heavy smoothies. Today's reaction called for something easy to swallow, so I opted for a powerful "liquid lunch" with a healing veggie smoothie. It tasted like a delicious bloody mary, sans the alcohol of course.

Healing Smoothie Recipe



  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 1 handful of green leafy lettuce
  • 1 handful of kale
  • 1/2 cup of bell pepper
  • 2 cloves of fresh garlic
  • Cayenne pepper to taste (I use a lot to cleanse my body)
  • 2 cups cold filtered water
  • Optional--ice cubes
Mix everything in a high speed blender and enjoy it right after for the most nutrition. You could even add some protein powder to take it a little further.

Trusted Loratadine (Cheaper than Claritin and works just as well when you don't want to take another Benadryl).


What are your tips and tricks for bouncing back after an Allergic Reaction?

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Saturday, April 21, 2012

Earth Day: Herbed Organic Carrot Soup


Since Earth Hour came around on the 31st of March, we've been inspired to try for an Earth Hour at least once every week. This is in combination with cutting down on water consumption, fuel consumption, and eating organically whenever possible.


Tomorrow, April 22, is Earth Day. In celebration, I'll be switching off appliances and lights and heading outside for a large part of the day. I think it's a perfect time to reconnect with our natural roots and bask in the new fresh spring that's arrived. Keeping it simple and earthy, I made an Herbed Organic Carrot Soup that was smooth and energizing. (This is an allergen free recipe--free of the top 8 allergens and gluten).






Herbed Organic Carrot Soup (allergen free).




  • 7-8 Organic carrots

  • 1 medium white or yellow onion

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • Olive Oil

  • 3 or 3 1/2  cups water or vegetable stock (depending on if you like the soup to have a thicker or thinner consistency).

  • Salt, Pepper

  • Mixed Italian Herbs, dried or fresh. I used dried Parsley, Basil, Oregano, Thyme, and Rosemary.


Chop and saute the onion and garlic with olive oil over medium heat in a sauce or soup pot. Add the chopped carrots, water/vegetable stock, spices, and herbs. (You could make a curried version by adding some curry paste or curry powder). Bring the water to a medium high temperature, but not quite boiling. Then lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Let the soup simmer for 20-30 minutes. After the carrots are cooked through, pour the soup in a blender or use an immersion blender to blend the soup to the desired consistency. I like mine mostly smooth, but with a fair bit of fine texture left.

Wishing everyone a Happy Earth Day!



How do you plan to celebrate our planet not only on Earth Day, but everyday?


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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Gluten Free Namaste Chocolate Chip Blondies (Soy free, Peanut Free,Dairy Free).


Namaste Foods is a company I've talked about before, but I feel they're worth mentioning again and again. They have some of THE best gluten free and allergen free mixes I have tasted in all of my allergy laden years. My personal favorite has to be their Blondie Mix--it stands perfectly on it's own, but can be jazzed up even more with a little imagination and a few special ingredients. I love to add some allergen free Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Mini Chips and some ground organic Saigon Cinnamon. I also add some more moisture into the mix by using So Delicious Sugar Free Coconut Milk instead of water, which actually doesn't add much coconut taste at all. And soy free eggs are a must. If you are sensitive to eggs, egg replacement product by Ener-G works well too.




If you haven't checked out Namaste Foods LLC, you are seriously missing out and I suggest you go do it right now. Here, I even did all the work for you, so click here. Their Waffle/Pancake Mix is also phenomenal and I vote it for the best Gluten Free (and allergen free) Pancakes on the market. This is my personal opinion and I've have not received any compensation for it. I know it's a serious free plug for them here, but I just can't get enough of their stuff. Thanks Namaste Foods!

Do you have a favorite allergen free mix?

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