Let's talk about bloat, baby, lets talk about you and me!

Today I want to talk about bloat!  Bloat has plagued my life for so long!  The day that empire waist shirts became popular was one of the happiest days of my life.  Now most people would look at me and say, “You look fine, you don’t look bloated at all.” Then behold I would lift my shirt to show my FOOD BABY! Now I am a small person so it is shocking to see what looks like a belly that is 5 months pregnant.  As I said thank goodness for empire waist shirts!  

Bloating can be caused by many factors.  My bloating was caused by gluten consumption.  No matter what I seemed to eat I bloated up like a balloon.  Obviously it did matter what I was eating because even the smallest bit of gluten was creating this unwanted food baby.

The reason why I am talking about bloat is because this morning I woke up and felt lighter.  I weighed myself and no change there.  Then I thought COULD IT BE?  I lifted my shirt and behold a non food baby belly!  Granted I still have some bloat but going from 5 mo. To 2 mo. is a wonderful feeling!  Just the fact that I wore jeans in my house all day is huge!  For one, I hate jeans! And for two I hate jeans in the house.  Only stretch waist pants for this girl.  Not anymore! Today jeans feel good on my waist because my bloat isn’t trying to fight against them.  It is a good feeling!

I also want to address those of you that feel like a food baby has been plaguing your life as well.  I have heard some concern from people about what they can eat if they go gluten free.  Here is a list of things of common gluten containing items;

• Binders
• Blue cheese
• Bread
• Breading
• Some chicken Broths
• Brown rice syrup ( Lundberg brand brown rice syrup is gluten free)
• Candy (hard candies, licorice, jelly beans, some chocolates, others)
• Caramel coloring (made from barley malt enzymes)
• Cereals
• Coatings and coating mixes
• Cold cuts
• Colorings
• Communion wafers
• Condiments
• Crackers
• Croutons
• Dextrins
• Dispersing agents
• Emulsifiers
• Excipients (added to prescription medications)
• Extenders
• Extracts
• Fillers
• Flavorings
• Flours made with above grains or derivatives
• Grain alcohol (ale, beer, bourbon, gin, grain vodka, lager, rice beers (use malt), rye, scotch, whiskey)
• Gravies
• Herbal supplements
• Homeopathic remedies
• Hydrolyzed protein
• Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
• Imitation bacon
• Imitation seafood
• Lipsticks
• Low or non-fat products
• Marinades
• Modified starch, modified food starch (when derived from wheat)
• Mono- and di-glycerides (made using a wheat starch carrier)
• Nutritional supplements
• Oils (wheat germ oil & any oil with gluten additives)
• Packaged foods
• Panko
• Pastas
• Pharmaceutical Drugs & Over-the-Counter Medications (Request clarification from food and drug manufacturers when necessary.)
• Playdough
• Preservatives
• Processed luncheon meats
• Sauces
• Self-basting poultry
• Soups and soup bases
• Soy sauce or soy sauce solids (when fermented using wheat)
• Spices (if containing anti-caking agents)
• Starch (made from grains listed above, unidentified starch, modified food starch)
• Stuffing, Dressing
• Texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
• Thickeners (Roux)
• Toothpaste
• Vegetable gum (when made from oats)
• Vegetable protein
• Vinegars (distilled clear and white or with a mash starter)
• Vitamin E oil
• Vitamins & Mineral Supplements

Now this list doesn’t mean that I cannot find these items without gluten.  For instance I have vitamins that are gluten free.  Soy sauce is also an example of something that you can find gluten free.  Tamari is soy sauce like and comes gluten free, you can find that in the health food isle at the grocery store. Again there are many options available, the above list is just items that have said to have gluten in them.  Not all products are created equally. Reading labels is your best bet.  Here is a list of things that are safe non gluten containing items;

All fresh fruits and vegetables; nuts and seeds; meats, poultry & seafood, dairy, and the following grains & starches are allowed:

• Amaranth
• Arrowroot
• Beans
• Buckwheat
• Corn
• Garfava
• Millet
• Nut Flours
• Soy
• Potato
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Sorghum
• Tapioca

Research suggests that oats in moderation are safe for most with gluten issues, but many oat products are contaminated with gluten during processing.  Bob’s Red Mill states that their oats are certified gluten free.
Alcohol that is safe: wine, rum, tequila and sake.

I am also getting a lot of “you poor thing.” I don’t thing I have anything to complain about! I cannot have a muffin from the grocery store, but so what?  I have found what makes me feel good and that to me is more important than being upset that I can no longer eat a breadstick.  I am excited to find new recipes and continue to feel the changes of a healthier me! Stay tuned for my favorite gluten free products blog!

Peace, Love and Eat Well,

                                    Ashley

An update on my Journey

Hello,

I am ending my first week of being completely gluten free and let me tell you, I COULDN'T FEEL BETTER! I have so much energy! In fact I shoveled my entire driveway twice by myself, then made a nice big dinner for me and my husband!  I still have a lot of healing that needs to happen in my gut, after-all I am repairing my life's worth of eating gluten.  The true test will be my first healthy BM.  Yes you read that right BM as in Bowel Movement.  Before you go closing out my blog in disgust, remember we all poop. It is just a fact of life :-)  Did you know that your BM's are suppose to float? (Just an Update for those who have read this post,  I have now changed my opinion on the floating poo, I was finding so many conflicting articles but I have finally found out what the deal with it is, If you poop floats then you are eating a lot of fat.  It is not necessarily a bad thing but if it happens more than once or twice a week then you might want to lower your fat intake.  Since I have never had one I suppose I do not eat that much fat.  Which I have been trying to eat more of lately.  fats such as coconut oils, avocado and nuts. )yeah well I didn't either and mine never has.  NEVER.  This is of great concern to me.  So the day I have a healthy one, I will be having a PARTY that I am finally healed.  A poop party if you will. ( I suppose I can have my poop party now, because apparently I do not need to be as worried as I was before, phew! But still it does tell you a lot about how your body is responding to what you are feeding it.)

Alright I will stop with the poop talk but really in all seriousness take a look at yours, it will tell you a lot about how you are digesting what you are eating.  In fact I always thought I ate so healthy, so it was a shock to me to find out how unhealthy I really was due to my digestive issues.

My hormone issue will also take time to heal and the test will be getting a normal predictable cycle, fewer breakouts, and less tiredness.  As far as the tiredness I started my cycle 2 days after being gluten free (coincidence? I think not) and have had more energy than any other cycle I have had! Usually I crave chocolate and salty snacks and am out for the count.  But I have had no cravings and have had plenty of energy! So this is very exciting.

My next step is just finding balance in what I am eating.  I found that this week I was taking in way to much fiber, which was hard on my stomach at times.  I really want to get back to my vegan diet, but for right now I have to stick with the Pescatarian diet of eating fish, farm fresh eggs, local dairy products, some organic soy, organic vegetables and fruits, nuts and gluten free grains.  Right now this balance seems to work and every time I mess with it my body feels it.  I still eat mostly vegan but incorporate dairy and wild fish here and there.  Hopefully I will find the balance soon, it will take time to find my way with it all.

I have heard a lot of people tell me on my Facebook page about thinking they have similar issues, have you tried going gluten free yet? Let me know if I can help get you started on your journey.  It is a big one to take, considering we Americans ingest gluten in so many of the different products we eat.  It is worth trying though. I fully believe you are what you eat! Take care of your body and your body will take care of you back.

Peace, Love and Eat Well,
                                        Ashley

Quinoa, guacamole , and refried beans...OH MY!

Last nights dinner was a hit!  I thought I would share it with all of you!


1 cup Quinoa (gluten free and a wonderful food packed with protein!)
1 1/2 tbps. unrefined coconut oil (or oil of choice)
1 med. Onion
1 med. red bell pepper
2 stalks of celery
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Amy's Refried beans
1 Avocado
half of lemon, squeezed
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion powder



* Cook Quinoa (I used my rice cooker 1 cup Quinoa with 2 cups H2O). While Quinoa is cooking, heat the coconut oil in pan on medium heat.  Slice onions and put in pan when pan is hot.  While occasionally stirring onions dice red bell pepper and celery.  Once onions are see through add the bell pepper and celery to pan and mix.  Continue to cook.  Prepare your guacamole, cut avocado in half and scoop out inside into a bowl.  Squish avocado with fork until there are no chunks.  Add the lemon, garlic salt, and onion powder and set aside.  Once the Quinoa is done scoop in desired amount in a bowl and add some refried beans (again as much as you feel), mix together.  Add a scoop full of diced tomatoes and then add your vegetable mix on top.  Scoop some guacamole on top and grab a spoon!

Serves about 4 and takes about 20-30 minutes!
This dish is of course gluten free and vegan!

                               The finished product! I added some fresh parsley for appearance ;-)

Video on Gluten! and the Gluten free Challenge!

I found this video by Dr. Mark Hyman. It is very informative and if you think you or someone you know may suffer from a gluten intolerance then you should watch this.  He lays out nicely the problems gluten can cause and the issues it can bring along with it.

If after watching the video you are really feeling like you have an issue with gluten, I challenge you to go without gluten for 2 to 4 weeks.  I had done this when I first started suspecting I had an issue.  Over this past Christmas I went back to gluten and the effects were disastrous, proving that I in fact had an issue.  YOU are worth this experiment!  I use to think I ate so healthy and yet I was killing my digestive system everyday by just eating a slice of whole wheat bread!  If  you go a month without and then eat gluten and feel fine then you are probably suffering from something else, but if you have the opposite happen then you know what you have to do.  Going without gluten might seem daunting but I would rather be without gluten and healthy than have a bagel and suffer.  Plus their are so many wonderful products out now! Just browse you supermarket and you will see how much wonderful gluten free products they have now! Even cake mix! So don't worry it is not the end of the world....you owe it to yourself to at least try it, right? I think you do :-)

I would love to hear if you think you have an issue and are up to my challenge! Please post any results you find or challenges you face.  I would love to help.  I am just starting my new journey of being without gluten so I am here for support.

Peace, Love and Eat Well,
                                    Ashley

Dough-Nots!

I am ready to start my recipe section up!  When pondering over what recipe I wanted to share with all of you, my favorite recipe popped to mind....Raw Doughnut holes!  But let this be the first time I call these something else because going around and offering family and friends raw balls or raw doughnuts just makes people give me the eyebrow; you know when one eyebrow is up and one is down. I call it the what the f#@% face.  Of course with one bite, they have been loved by all!  Anyway I have decided to call them, Dough-Nots!

I am sadly not the first person to want to replicate the wonderful LaraBars.  If you have never had a LaraBar they are amazing Raw bars (you can find them in the isle with energy bars).  Being able to understand everything in the ingredient list is extremely important to me and even more so now! Doesn't get more clearer than these ingredients; Dates, Walnuts, Almonds, Raisins, Cashews and cinnamon! Which happens to be my favorite LaraBar, Cinnamon Roll....yum!  After eating these I knew I had to find a way to make them because even though they are delicious the cost can add up at over $1.00 a bar.  I went searching the web in hopes I would find some recipes that people may have tried. I was not alone, a lot of people are recreating these scrumptious bars!  I found one recipe where they made it into raw doughnut holes and I adapted mine from that.

Ok I know you have been waiting and I have been rambling on so here it is!

Dough-Nots!

1 cup of Almonds (raw Organic almonds soaked overnight, drained and dried)
1 cup of Dates (I use Organic Medjool Dates, they sell them in bulk at Hannaford)
3/4 cup of Dried apricot ( your choice here can use any dried fruit, I love using dried apricots! No sugar or    sulfur added though!)
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 tsp. Cinnimon
1/4 cup of shredded coconut if desired


Step 1: Put almonds in food processor and pulse till almonds are about pebble size or slightly smaller.

Step 2: Add dates, (you may have to take pits out first if you did not get pitted dates), Add the 3/4 cup of other dried fruit ( you can mix fruit as well, apricot and pineapple or raisins and apricot, etc), salt, vanilla, and cinnamon and pulse till combined. It will get very chunky you may need to stop the processor to scoop sides and pulse again.  Just pulse enough to mix together and break up the dried fruit.

Step 3: Put mixture into a bowl and squish together with hands(it will be sticky). Then form into balls.  Now this is my favorite part.  If you wish you can roll in shredded coconut.  To me this makes them look gourmet! and I love the taste of coconut.

Voila! Eat and Savor!

There are a lot of different ways you can make these, for instance rolling them in cocoa powder or make them more desert like with adding chocolate chips! At Christmas time I made ginger Dough-Nots with dried pineapple and it was amazing...so play around, they are so YUMMY you wont regret going Dough-less :-)

Peace, Love and Eat Well,
                                   Ashley

If you have Hormone troubles, check this out!

Hello Readers!

I am super motivated this morning and excited about my new journey.  The first thing I did this morning was separate some condiments from my husbands, yes it is a must!  Apparently if he has toast and leaves some on our earth balance well it could spike some unpleasantness for me! And I am not messing around with this anymore!! No way!  The next thing I did was rid my pantry of all gluten cooking products.  Since I do most of the cooking in our house I do not see the need in making separate meals for my husband and I; thankfully he is OK with that as well.  So good bye whole wheat this and wheat bran that, anybody need any whole wheat flour?  Chap stick checking was my next mission and  those are safe to put on, phew!  As of right now I seem to be clear of gluten, my husband and I have picked sides of the toaster to use and I think I am ready to go!

In doing some research this morning I stumbled upon this very informative article about gluten and then effects on hormones!

Click here  

I was blown away by this article. If I had any doubt before about my issues with gluten and hormones well this just proved to me that this is my issue.
Common Symptoms of Adrenal Exhaustion
Caused by Gluten Sensitivity
Interruptions in sleep
Difficulty waking in morning
Fatigue
Joint and muscle aches
Weight gain resistant to diet or exercise
Frequent infections
Lightheadedness/fainting
Depression/mood swings
Low blood sugar
Poor concentration/memory
PMS/ menstrual abnormalities
Allergies (environmental)
Asthma

Um yea guess who has those all and experienced all in full last week except for the asthma, yeah that would be ME! crazy!  BTW I have apologized to my husband for the mood swings :-)

Alright well I am off to the kitchen to make some yummy gluten free snacks for the week for me and my very understanding husband Paul :-)  Raw doughnut holes and Carmel/chocolate popcorn! I saw the popcorn recipe while enjoying some grapefruit this morning in my VegNews magazine. So here is to celebrating gluten free with some completely indulgent deserts ;-) Oh and I will post the recipes at a later date, I am hoping to start a recipe section to my blog soon..... more exciting things to come!

Thanks for reading!
Peace, Love, and Eat Well,
Ashley

FYI : wheat allergy information from WebMd

Living With a Wheat Allergy

Foods made with wheat are staples of the American diet. However, many people are allergic to proteins found in wheat, including gluten. If you are allergic to any wheat protein strictly avoiding wheat and wheat products is the only way to prevent a reaction, which can include stomach upset, eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma and even anaphylaxis. But, it is not always easy to avoid these foods since many unsuspecting products contain wheat.
Always check the label ingredients before you use a product. Many processed foods, including ice cream and catsup, may contain wheat flour. In addition, check the label each time you use the product. Manufacturers occasionally change recipes, and a trigger food may be added to the new recipe.
Examples of wheat products and foods that may contain wheat include:

Wheat Products	Wheat-Containing Ingredients	Wheat-Containing Food
Whole wheat or enriched flour High gluten flour High protein flour Bran Farina Graham flour Bulgur Durum Semolina Wheat malt Wheat starch Modified starch Starch	Gluten Gelatinized starch Hydrolyzed vegetable protein Vital gluten Wheat bran Wheat germ Wheat gluten Vegetable gum Vegetable starch	Many breads, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods Bread crumbs Crackers Many cereals Acker meal Couscous Cracker meal Pasta Spelt

Substitutes for wheat include corn, potato, barley, oat, soy, and rice flours and arrowroot starch.