Yes, I surely was excited to bake, it has been a while since last time. Just the aroma coming from the oven while baking crackers, made it worth getting up before the sunrise.
I`m all curled up on my couch, winding down from a busy day. I`m thinking about sweets and cakes and how much I wanna bake. I`m also thinking about a conversation I had with a friend, about little children that suffer from digestive track issues. This seems to be a issue in our generation. Here is some of what went on in my young years:
- As I child I was extremely particular about my food.
- I did not like bread and not even fresh baked pastries
- But I loved dinner, I could eat portion after portion (dinners where always homemade and very natural so it rarely had any gluten in it).
- As a 4 year old, every single night for months, I woke my mom up 4AM, and begged her to cook oat meal porridge for me. My mom - the sweetest person ever, could never say no to a hungry me.
- At the annual doctors check up we were always told that I was anemic and had low blood count.
- I was always little and short for my age.
If digestive track issues are already in the genes of the parents or extended family - be aware of how your child does when gluten is first introduced in to the diet...
"The child may gradually become irritable or listless and develop a large abdomen. The stools will typically become abnormal, perhaps large, pale and offensive, or representative of a loose-like diarrhea. Stools generally float because of the high content of air and fat. The child may also vomit from time-to-time or in some cases exhibit forceful projectile vomiting with the consumption of selected gluten-containing foods. Many children lose weight or have a failure to gain weight and the buttocks become flattened. Some few children may become quite ill with acute diarrhea and dehydration. Symptoms vary and are different from one celiac child to the next with no two being alike in how the condition “acts out” for them and in their bodies." - Excert from e-celiacs
Going gluten free is not the end of the world. It`s rather the opposite the beginning of a whole new life. There are many great gluten free recipes to be tried, yummi cakes, sweet treats and pizza`s to be had without the gluten "hang over".
I think I`ll go have a slice of GF toast with cinnamon and sugar. Good night
..is incredible work out clothes. You can find sport bra`s and work out pants in this line in amazing colors that will brighten up any work out. I just tried on a pair of pants from this line and they were super soft and comfortable. Love it.
Being healthy is more then looking "perfect/healthy". Just saying the word perfect makes me break out a little sweat =) For me, choosing to be healthy is natural and fun - it`s tiny steps to become the best I can be.
Having a few tools on hand can be just that little thing that got me from sitting on the couch, to lifting weights at the gym or going for a run. Here are a few motivators and challenges that have helped me stay motivated to keep working out:
It`s a superfood that I love to use as an alternative to rice, flours and pasta. It`s pronounced keen-wha, and it`s one of those foods that you might have to go out of your way to find, but the health benefits are outstanding and makes it worth the while.
. I also got 2 vanilla beans for only $4.
Today has been a simple and beautiful day. Here`s a few of the things I`ve been digging on lately..
Lettuce - It`s without doubt a superfood, it carries vitamins like iron, vitamin C and beta carotene. This lettuce is pretty and goes well in any salad or to use on sandwiches. 
- yummi flavorful sauce that goes on top of salad, potatoes, quinoa, meat, fish and pairs phenomenally with cilantro. It even works on desserts, like ice cream and chocolate. ...At the end of the day, this is what you wanna be able to say to yourself: Making the choice for a higher level lifestyle is worth it. Lance Armstrong once said: "pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever". We can apply this to many circumstances in life like training or cutting the rope on certain foods.
Here`s a little secret for you that gave me hope when a restricted diet was hard to deal with.
It`s easy to think that someone with a sensitivity to gluten (including people with celiacs) has a compromised immune system. That is absolutely wrong. The opposite is true! The immune system in people with celiac disease is working way harder to fight the "bad guys" like gluten.
Yey for having a great working immune system! ;)
Practically, what does it look like to "win". When you are faced with a challenge, you don`t have to take the easy turn that will feel good only in the next few moments. You can take the road less traveled.
In my spinning classes (which everyone in Redding should come and try by the way!) I challenge them to work through what feels impossible in the moment. We are on our bikes, headed up a steep hill and we can barely "see" the top. It`s heavy gear and our muscles are aching. Giving up seems like THE solution. Just take off the gear and quit. Or, keep working, keep looking to the top, and reap the benefits once you get there. In the end of the day you can stand in front of the mirror and say "I win". Maybe you had to say no to try those nachos your friend ordered at Logans Roadhouse, or say no to your other friends birthday cake that looked like heaven on earth. Its the choices in those moments that defines who you are. The kind of person I wanted to be was a healthy, vibrant, gorgeous, creative and exhilarating person who loved life and everyone around her.
One small choice at the time, one meal at the time, one day at the time will get us closer to where we want to be. Here are a few of my tips on how to stay gluten free on the GO
yes! I am so excited and happy about getting trained by an amazing personal trainer at Everyday Fitness tomorrow morning! We are only focusing on upper body and will hit it hard to "kill" my arms. It`s gonna be GREAT =)
As a trainer and instructor I am easily motivated to push myself in my work outs, like I push others during training sessions. But there is a whole different element to it when I am the person being trained by a personal trainer watching and pushing me to go further.
I will try to video some of it and post a snipped of it here on the blog tomorrow afternoon.
The sound of rain pouring down woke me up, kindly introducing me to a new day. Another day full of opportunities and time to pour our hearts out.
I wanna come back to the subject of going gluten free, which is neither quick nor easy - but many of you that try it, tend to feel allot better. And that alone makes it worth it. This is not just cutting gluten out of your diet, but embracing a whole new lifestyle. For example, where to grocery shop, what to order at a restaurant, or even facing social events and dealing with the emotional challenges specific to living a public gluten free lifestyle can all be new experiences to face. Gluten freedom gives you the opportunity to discover more about nutrition, to be a part of a growing community of fellow GF`s and to be in full control of the diet that your body needs.
Dear friends, eating is NOT suppose to hurt. It`s not OK to live in fear of how the next meal will make you feel. Food is supposed to give us energy and make us feel good.
Humans have one stomach, and that is the only chance food has to be digested. Wheat = hard to digest. Cows have four stomachs, four times to digest, and they thrive on eating wheat.
A little lesson for today: Our small intestines has walls of cells that material cannot pass through. When important vitamins and minerals are present, a protein called zonulin "tells" the passageways in the intestine wall to open up so those nutrients can pass into the bloodstream. This protein is produced when we eat wheat which produces too much zonulin and makes the gate open too wide. Now all sorts of stuff and in various amounts can get in the bloodstream, including toxins. This is called a "leaky gut".
"Allergic, sensitive or do I have celiac disease? - There is no such thing as being allergic to gluten, but you can be allergic to foods that contain gluten, wheat for example. As with any allergy, the affects are different from person to person (sneezing, nasal congestion etc).
Gluten sensitivity/intolerance is the in between diagnosis - basically your body is not reacting well to gluten. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where the immune system responds to gluten by attacking the molecule and in doing this, also attacks our body cells.
"In Europe the average time between discovering symptoms and diagnosing celiac disease is six months. In America, it takes an average of 11 years (!!!!) after symptoms develop." - Excerpt from the book "Gluten free for dummies".
Why is this extremely common disease so miss-diagnosed? Other than the symptoms being numerous, can it be the fact that there are no drugs for it or maybe it`s because of the cost of proper testing? (On the subject of testing: a routine blood test will not pick it up. A proper testing includes looking at the levels of iron, potassium, bicarbonate and protein levels. Stool and urine tests are common. Furthermore, a endoscopy/biopsy read by a knowledgeable doctor will give you true results). Fact is that undiagnosed - it can severely compromise our health.
Gluten free does not necessarily mean healthy - what kind of foods you choose will determine that. For instance, going on a GF diet by replacing all the products you usually ate with a GF substitute is a start, but processed food is still bad for you, gluten free or not. As with any weight loss diet, snacking on gluten free brownies will not help you shed pounds =)
Food has become an obsession that holds many people back from becoming everything they were born to be. Unhealthy cravings, compulsive eating, or an unrelenting appetite can all lead to crippling self image issues. In fact the thought of eating can turn into something extremely stressful in itself.
Yes, today is a chocolate kind of a day. Not because I need a sugar rush, not because anything bad is going on... simply because it`s chocolate. It`s a beautifying healthy (if chosen well) food. It is the #1 resource of magnesium (out of any food) - which is associated with happiness, building strong bones and balancing brain chemistry. I`ll take some of that!
A great thing about chocolate is that very few people are allergic to it. But most chocolate bars in the store today have some kind of dairy products, which is a high allergen foods. Simple solution: make your own...
How is everyone`s fitness goals going? I am curious! =)
For the last 5 days my knees have been completely stressed out and not very co operative, and I have not gotten my work out`s done. This is beyond sad, but has made me realize how important our joints are.
I got on my computer and did some research and found several articles, researches and discussion boards about how dehydration can cause joint paint. "Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers". Here are some other facts I found interesting:
Here is to all of you that are willing to try a GF diet to see if it benefits your health. You have taken a courageous step to become powerful and successful in life. =) One of the most fundamental part about this diet is that you have an excellent chance to get to know what foods your body need. Taking away gluten is a big deal, because it`s in so many of the food items we eat on a daily basis. Gluten is the 2nd biggest additive in foods... sugar is nr. 1.
My most important tips to you, is to become best friends with fruits and vegetables. They are packed with necessary nutrients, safe from gluten and there is countless ways to prepare them.
Life can`t only consist of cupcakes and sweets (...), but it can be full of tasty foods that have been made with love. I came across a recipe for lemon poppy seed cake, and decided to make use out of it. Baking with lemon is a fabulous thing. As usually I had to tweak some corners, and in the end I found myself with delightful breakfast muffin. I wish you all could try them.
I wanted a fast but very flavor full lunch that included spinach. And when it comes to eating raw spinach - it`s a must that the dressing is incredible.
When you discover you have sensitivities to gluten, you most likely have an inflamed gut. Luckily, you can now get on your way to heal it up, with a gluten free diet. It can take weeks, even months before it starts working like it should. During this time, it`s crucial to know what foods to choose, and what to stay away from.
These are foods that I found was best to avoid: dried fruit, oats, diary products, additives, caffeine, raw cruciferous vegetables and processed foods. As I`ve said before, everyone is different, and you`ll have to learn how your body reacts to these foods. The "amount" of how much trigger food you can have before your stomach reacts, is also a crucial thing to discover as it will empower you for future success.
Here are a few foods I have found that are nice on the gut:
Many people ask me "what happens if you eat gluten?". My answer is that it makes me very sick - fever, muscular ache on top of puking for hours. Some of you think to yourself, "pjeh, I cant possibly have celiacs, cause that never happens to me....". Well, let me tell you this: it never happened to me either, until I went strictly gluten free. Back in the day, what happened if I had gluten was a different story.
While having a conversation with a close friend last night, I went down memory lane - to the time before I knew I had celiacs, and I remembered how challenging many things in life were. Constantly worrying about having a achy stomach or being bloated, I would often wear big hoodies or loose sweaters.
The symptoms to having celiac disease are so many, and can vary from person to person. If you suspect that something is wrong with your digestive track, I suggest you go to the doctor. The common signs like constipation/diarrhea, fatigue and so on are related to many different ailments.
Celiac disease is an auto immune disease, where your body attacks itself every time you eat gluten. Sound violent? It kind of is. You may think you are just eating, but when that pizza hits your stomach, your stomach freaks out and damage takes place. Since you don`t know what`s going on, you keep eating and your stomach keeps getting more and more destroyed. At this point, your very crucial "willies" are gone, and the food you just ate passed right through without "feeding" you the important nutrition that your body needed - which is the reason why we eat in the first place. Then the discomfort sets in: growling noises are coming from your belly, and other special not-so-fun things are taking place in the next few hours, resulting in a person who is very very sick at this point! (similar to an intense 24 hour stomach flu)
One reason why it`s hard to detect celiac disease is because most people feel like it`s not just when they eat wheat that their stomach acts up. For example, you eat a piece of fruit and 10 minutes later you feel bloated and gross. Obviously that makes you think it had something to do with the fruit.
However, this is a common side affect of a stomach that`s been fighting gluten. When your stomach is "destroyed" - it`s extremely sensitive to foods. This is especially true with fruit (unless eaten on an empty stomach), sugary foods, foods that create mucus like dairy products, or even simply overeating. Lastly, the body`s rejection of gluten can have the after-affect of low levels of iron and vitamin B which can often result in depression and overall energy loss.
There is much more to say about celiacs, but I will stop right there. Please believe me when I say that I did not write this to scare you, or to make you think you have any kind of disease. I simply want to share a little insider info on what it can look like. It can feel very lonely and discouraging dealing with an upset stomach for seemingly no reason. If you have any questions or just want to talk about some of these things, e-mail me at mrsjkunde@gmail.com.
My 1st class of the day is done, it was a good one. The ladies I work with this week are determined and full of zeal. They take any challenge I give them, and work till they can`t anymore.
Here is my work out schedule for this week.
Saturday - Instructed 45 min. Spin, 15 min HIIT
Sunday - 1 hour of HIIT
Monday - instructed 2 booty camp classes
Tuesday - instructed 2 booty camp classes, 40 min. HIIT
Wednesday - instructed 2 booty camp classes
Thursday - instructed the last 2 booty camp classes of this week, instructing 45 min. Spin
Friday - OFF
I`m planning on baking protein bars today, cook a nice early dinner, get laundry done and plan spin classes. Oh, almost forgot, I`m hoping to find time to watch The Biggest Looser. Love that show, Jillian and Bob are incredible trainers.
How`s your work outs going? You getting closer to your goals?
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