Gluten-free

People with celiac disease need to avoid wheat, gluten, and nonwheat gluten sources like barley, rye, tritcale, bulgur and oats. They also need to avoid cross-contamination. Getting the whole house to give up wheat and gluten really helps make  life easier those who suffer from gluten.It reduces the temptation of gluten foods, also the potential of contamination. Keep in mind  your pet foods may contain gluten. Eating outside the home can be especially hazardous. A meal at a restaurant where they forget and cook your food in a pan they previously used to saute a breaded dish is all it takes to go down the wheat reexposure path. Even fast food restaurant that offers a gluten free salad and dressing can cross-contaminate by touching a bun or cookies, or using incompletely cleansed equiptment. Cross-contamination can occur even in single-ingredient during preparation, or by slicing meat with the same knife used to cut bread. That's all it would take to invite exposure to wheat.
Last week was Valentine's Day. My and couldn't remember what chocolate I could have, so he brought me  Ferrero Rocher.. It contains wheat. I bought some Sweethearts  candies for my grandson nevere thinking they would contain wheat.  Allergy information: product is manufactured in a faciliity that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk and eggs. Ugh, I didn't read that until after I had sampled a few and had a  day of bad gut!
It is amazing what items have wheat in them. Things you wouldn't think of such as the adhesive on envelopes, salad dressings, canned soups etc. The main advise I would give is to read all the labels.

Kathy

Wheat

I started to read the book " Wheat Belly" Lose The Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back To Health by William Davis, MD. So I thought I would share some of the things I have learned so far.
First of all,  let's go back to the days of your parent's or grandparent's. Didn't you think everyone looked so thin? Well maybe they had a few pounds, but not obesity or overweight children. And think about it, there weren't any exercise centers, equipment etc. For that matter, they didn't even exercise.
 Today you are always seeing someone jogging or riding a bike. Something you never saw 40 or 50 years ago. But take a good look at those people. Are they skinny? Most of them are also over weight. Why is that? Well if you look at the bran muffin you are eating, you would find little to no trace of  wheat. You would find a transformed product of genetic research conducted during the latter half of the century. The increase of consumption of grains, well really it's increased consumption of the genetically altered thing they call "modern wheat" is why you see slender people of  the fifties and overweight twenty-first century people now. The wheat belly represents the accumulation of fat from years of consuming foods that trigger insulin which is the hormone of fat storage.
Studies have shown that by taking wheat out of your diet you can lose 20 to 50 pounds within just a few months as well as many other health benefits. I know, we were also told to eat whole grain foods, which has deprived us of control over appetites and impulses, which made us fat and unhealthy. Even if we did have good intentions and put forth the effort.
I am here to tell you.. Eliminate the Wheat, eliminate the problem! Really, what do you have to lose? Maybe a wheat belly, man breasts or a bagel butt!!
But how do you do that? The first thing to do is purchase foods from the outside area of the store. Meaning buy fresh organic/fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses and stay away from processed foods. Do your research and you will find many sites to help concur this project. I leave you with  a link to 20 common products that contain wheat, also the "to buy or not to buy organic" and a link to celiac disease.

Bring awareness not only for yourself, but your children and grandchildren.

Kathy

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

http://www.3fatchicks.com/20-common-foods-containing-wheat/

http://celiacdisease.about.com/

Celiac Disease

My name is Kathy  and I have celiac disease. I have just confessed to an autoimmune disease that has attacked me at the age of 48. What is celiac disease, you ask.  In simple terms it's an autoimmune disease of the digestive tract. With Celiac, eating  food with gluten damages small protrusions ( or villi) of  the small intestine. The villi is what absorbs the nutrients from the food. This in turn causes a lot of issues.I have been doctoring for about six months on my digestive tract. It is good to have a name to go with all my symptoms. What causes Celiac disease? Well there isn't a doctor with the answer to that yet. Thoughts are that it is genetic. In my case, who knows as I was adopted at the age of two. As I have read many studies as to why, I have come to the conclusion that I was probably exposed as an infant. Could it  be because my birth parents liked their alcohol? The other factor in this is that I also have another autoimmune disease. I have had thyroid disease for 22 years. But anyway, there it is. Now what can I do about it? I started by taking all the wheat, rye, and barley out of my "diet". It hasn't been that hard, though I love a good, cold beer and I love to bake!  Take away the pasta, bread , cereal and processed foods.Which brings me to gluten-free foods and drinks. There are all kinds of choices available for people who suffer with this disease.  There are also support groups that help.And in reality, we all should watch our intake of wheat.
I have been gluten-free for exactly 30 days now. My stomach is finally getting back to normal. I will go to Dr on Thursday for follow up blood for the thyroid and celiac. Probably will test for iron levels and other nutritional deficiencies. I will keep you posted as well as other nutritional facts and articles.
http://www.celiac.org/

Inner circle demonstrates little protrusions affected by Celiac disease.




Kathy

Digestive System

It all started in July after reports of  recreational water illnesses. I had the symptoms and sought a doctor for this. It isn't a pleasant thing to have to do in order for them to identify what illness it could be. The choices are Crypto which is a germ found in peoples stools. Or it could be Shigella which  is from infected pools and water sources. People can get E.Coli by swallowing  lake water. When the test results came back negative, the next step was to go to a "specialist with digestive diseases". After several visits, it was thought to be "passed" and symptoms subsided. Well it wasn't gone. I finally went back to my general doctor and requested some blood tests for many digestive diseases.  The preliminary test came back negative, two days later  the test did confirm celiac disease. This confirms the suspicion that I thought it was.  This is a autoimmune disease. When reading more about this, it is common with other autoimmune diseases including thyroid disease, which I have had for 22 years. At the time of the blood tests, I also had them check my thyroid and the test came back with my thyroid totally out of "whack". Doesn't surprise me, especially when I had gained weight even though my body was reacting to the foods I was eating.
Celiac disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important to staying healthy. This is due to the reaction to foods such as rye, wheat, barley and possibly oats. So what does this mean? It means eating healthier,avoiding processed foods, reading every label. Mainly eating fresh fruits and vegetables, main choices of meat, dairy and cheese products. Staying away from breads and pasta are most important but also knowing what is in a food. You need to know what spices or sauces are used and if they are used where wheat can be traced to. Taking beer out of your food group but you can still drink wine. If you cook your own foods at home it makes things a lot easier. In the end, it good to know what the problem is and what I can do about it. There isn't a medicine to fix it, just diet and exercise.
Kathy

Flu and Cold Season

It's been awhile since my last post. Wow after I wrote that, it sounded like a confession. I, as many have been battling the cold and flu season. Mike started battling it soon after we got back from Vegas. Something about the air in the planes seem to always cause him to get sick. Could it be that they circulate the existing air? Which has many peoples germs in it. Before we left we both double up on Vitamin C, honey and other natural remedies. Last week, Mike finally broke down and went to the DR last week. Yep, he has sinus infection. So an antibiotic for him. Kim at the salon lost her voice the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. And let me tell you, it was pretty quiet in there.. LOL. Unfortunately, it was not just a voice loss for her. She ended up with bronchitis as well as the rest of her family. This caused her to miss a week of work. Now, I don't know about you, but this time of year is very busy for salons. So, I am hoping this week she is able to catch up on the clients list without jeopardizing her health again. Me, well I too started feeling under the weather. So I drink lots of green tea. Did you know Lipton has green tea with honey and lemon? I usually add some more honey to mine. I take my vitamins, get plenty of rest when I can. Oh and hot baths feel so good. I also take Airborne which is a supplement with Herbs, Vitamins and mineral that helps support my immune system. I take this twice a day. Especially when you know the environment is susceptible for sickness. During this flu and cold season, take care of yourself and your loved ones.

A Book by Danielle Steel

I don't think I have ever been so moved by a book than "Shared by a Gift of Hope: Helping the Homeless by Danielle Steel.
It is a great read that everyone should read. It made me stop and think about what I have and what others don't have. In this time when gift giving is in full force. Bringing great cheer to others. Let us not forget the ones who aren't as fortunate. Take the time to give to those who are in need.   Let us reflect on those who live on the streets, or in shelters. What about the children whose parents don't have the money to buy them gifts or even provide them with proper food and clothing. So many may think that the "homeless" choose to be that way. Really? Why would someone choose to live in a cardboard box, sleep on a concrete floor or even worse, a dumpster? Some people become homeless because they lost their home in a fire, tornado or hurricane. With economy struggles, some have lost their home. There are more homeless than there is money and support programs for them. The shelters are full, so there is no place in the "inn". The homeless aren't all dangerous. Yes there are those who are hopped up on drugs or drunk. But not all of them are. Most of them are suffering from some sort of mental illness. The programs that are in place are always being cut by government aid, This makes it hard for organizations to reach out to those in need when the funds are cut, and the workload is heavy.
I am thankful for the organizations that are in place to help the homeless, people living in shelters, and those  who are in need.  This holiday season take time and money for those who are less fortunate. Adopt a family which you can get those names from your local human service office or local church. When you hear the bell ringing, give any extra money you can afford. Donate your clothes to your local human service office. And if you see someone on the street, take the opportunity to give them  a smile and say hi.  And remember when you are having a bad day, there is probably someone who is having a  day a lot worse.

Kathy

The words "Thanksgiving"

At a time when our tummies are full of turkey and other great foods, I am reflecting on five years ago. Five years ago, we all sat down to share a Thanksgiving dinner. Well not all, someone was missing. And that was just the first of many Thanksgiving dinner that she would miss. I remember it like it was yesterday. The call that came late at night. The late night trip to the emergency room. The look on the DR face. The state she was in. The next day was Thanksgiving. The call I got from the DR, the complications, the decisions that had to be made. Thanksgiving dinner that year wasn't about giving thanks but about giving up someone that had been a  person in our lives. We had all seen it coming to this. The treatments weren't working, the many trips to the hospital, the care she was getting in the nursing home and hospice. There was only so much that could be done. Her body was tired, her heart was working overtime and her speech was limited. She started losing her appetite, they had to feed her, do all the care for her, wheel her to and from. She spoke with her eyes and occasionally she spoke out loud. That day our family was uprooted. This is too hard. I know I said. It is something we have to do. But in the end, we didn't have to do anything at all.  You see, we don't have control on when the body is going to stop working. Only God does. He knew we couldn't make that decision, so November 29, 2008 God decided it was time for my mom to join him in heaven. When I think of Thanksgiving, I thank God for giving me a wonderful mother, a wonderful grandmother to my children and a wonderful mother-in-law to my husband. He gave me my mom when I was 2 years old. She raised me and my brother as a single parent since 1974. And she did the best job any parent can, given the situations. I am thankful for the values she taught me, the morals and the life lessons I have learned along the way. I miss my mom a

lot. But I am thankful she is free of pain and suffering.

Kathy