Gluten free eating out

I’ve found that most restaurants are getting gluten savvy and are more than happy to help when they are made aware of the dietary request. I’ve learned some easy tricks to getting the gluten free options with minimal fuss.

#1. don’t jump on the hostess first thing with questions. The hostesses job is to seat you and I’ve rarely found them to know the menu much less diet options. It can also cause protracted discomfort for your dining partners as you go through the who explanation of GF with the hostess.

#2. the BEST time to ask for the GF optlions is when the wait person comes to take your drink order. They are already getting prepped to bring you drinks and picking up a gf menu or asking the chef for options is within their workflow so it usually causes minimal fuss

#3. if they don’t have gf menus then ask the wait person to check with the manager or the chef. If THEY don’t know of any choices then be very careful-the kitchen most likely doesn’t segregate the gluten from other items- even a salad could pose a gluten exposure risk.

#4. the WORST time to ask for the gf options is when the wait person comes to take the order. In almost every case it creates a delay for everyone in that the person will usually need to leave your table to get the menu/chef/answer. I’ve seen cases where the wait person will just verbally give one or two choices instead of providing the full menu in order to not delay the ordering.

The main approach should be to ask the wait person, at a good time in the serving cycle, with minimum disruption to your companions.

 

Tip for managing cravings on a gluten-free diet

I have heard for many years that breakfast was the most important meal of the day but I never really believed it. When you have a massive change in diet (like going gluten-free) and/or you are dramatically cutting down on the number of calories that you are targeting for daily intake, it becomes very clear how important that meal is.

Having a good start with a healthy, balanced breakfast is critical to getting the blood sugar levels on the right path for the day. One of the tips that Dr. Mehmet Oz has in his book, Your Diet and You, is the concept of eating two of the same meals every day and then only varying the third. I have a variation on that which I use for breakfast. Here it is:

Day 1:

Cheese and Mushroom omelette
side of ham
black beans

Day 2:

Two eggs scrambled with cheese
side of bacon
black beans

Day 3:

Two eggs over medium
side of ham
black beans

I then rotate back to the top of the list. This is hugely helpful for getting your day started right. I then do a small snack (equal carbs and protein) at about 10:30am to set me up for lunch.

On the few days that I have not followed this menu routine I have noticed a MAJOR difference in my ability to make it through the day. Just a thought.

 

What is the difference between Wheat Free and Gluten Free?

I am constantly asked what the difference is and I didn’t really know.  Click here to read a great blog that describes this from Snoety.com.

 

Great book for understanding the biology of eating

Amazon.com
Book Description
For the first time in our history, scientists are uncovering astounding medical evidence about dieting–and why so many of us struggle with our weight and the size of our waists. Now researchers are unraveling biological secrets about such things as why you crave chocolate or gorge at buffets or store so much fat.

Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, America’s most trusted doctor team and authors of the bestselling YOU series, are now translating this cutting-edge information to help you shave inches off your waist. They’re going to do it by giving you the best weapon against fat: knowledge. By understanding how your body’s fat-storing and fat-burning systems work, you’re going to learn how to crack the code on true and lifelong waist management…. 

This is a fantastic book that takes you through the physiology of how your body processes.  It explains many of the core reasons why you are hungry, what makes you feel full, and what the signs are that your body gives you about what it needs.  The big ‘ah-ha’ for me was that I have very little subcutaneous fat but a large abdominal section.  For a long time I have wondered why this is and thought that I may just have very large intestinal organs.  The book explained about Omentum Fat and how the Omentum is BEHIND the muscles of the abdomen.  It also talks about how the omentum works as a fat storing engine and how to tune your eating to readjust your body processing to optimal efficiency.

I highly recommend this book.  It’s a New York Times bestseller and a fun read.

Buy on Amazon

 

Great site to help log and track your eating and exercise

I found a fantastic site for tracking what you eat and your exercise level. It has tools that let you select the food by brand or type and calculates the estimated nutritional contribution of each. It also provides you ingredient information so that if you have specific diet needs you can see if the product has the ingredient. They offer a free version and a Gold version.

Here is a screen shot of what you the registration page looks like:

The website is: www.thedailyplate.com.

Definitely worth checking out.

Tags: diet, info

 

Eating Gluten-Free (and generally healthy) at Fast Food Restaurants

Given my schedule I frequently find myself needing a quick meal. Today, for example, I was out by myself doing errands and I realized that it had been five hours since I had last eaten and I needed to get some food. The really good news is that three weeks ago I would have been hungry in two hours. Now it’s more like 4-5 hours. I didn’t have time to go to a sit-down restaurant and I was struggling with what to do. There was a Wendy’s on the corner and I pulled over and typed in ‘Wendy’s Gluten-Free’ on my web-enabled phone. Sure enough, a list of gluten free offerings came up. I pulled in and got a double cheeseburger (no bun) and small side of Chili. Obnoxiously I told the cashier that I had a gluten allergy, but i did it to ensure that they didn’t just pull a bun off of another hamburger and give it to me. The food was good, filling, and inexpensive. I was wondering what other choices there are. Turns out, not much – but here is a link to another article on eating gluten free at fast food places. If you find other good ideas please comment on them here.

 

Jennie-O has great products for my diet

Jennie-O has a large line of products that are gluten-free. Their prepared meats and sausages are excellent and many of them are gluten-free. The list of products that are listed on their website are:

Jennie-O Turkey Store® Refrigerated/Frozen Items Not Containing Gluten: Jennie-O® prime young turkey: fresh or frozen (the gravy packet does contain gluten) Jennie-O Turkey Store® oven ready turkey: Homestyle, Garlic & Herb Jennie-O Turkey Store® oven ready turkey breast (the gravy packet does contain gluten) Jennie-O® frozen turkey breast (the gravy packet does contain gluten) Jennie-O Turkey Store® fresh ground turkey: lean, extra lean, italian Jennie-O Turkey Store® fresh lean turkey patties Jennie-O Turkey Store® fresh tray: breast slices, breast strips, tenderloins Jennie-O Turkey Store® fresh breakfast sausage: mild links, mild patties, maple links Jennie-O Turkey Store® fresh dinner sausage: sweet italian, hot italian, cheddar turkey bratwurst, lean turkey bratwurst Jennie-O Turkey Store® flavored tenderloins: lemon-garlic, seasoned pepper, tequila lime Jennie-O® refrigerated turkey ham Jennie-O® refrigerated honey cured turkey ham Jennie-O® refrigerated dark turkey pastrami Jennie-O® Festive Tender Cured TM turkey Jennie-O® refrigerated quarter turkey breasts: oven roasted, honey cured, hickory smoked, cracked pepper, cajun-style, sun-dried tomato Jennie-O® extra lean turkey bacon Jennie-O® turkey franks Jennie-O® extra lean smoked turkey sausage Jennie-O® extra lean smoked kielbasa turkey sausage Jennie-O® smoked turkey wings and drumsticks Jennie-O Turkey Store® So Easy® slow roasted turkey breast Jennie-O Turkey Store® stuffed breasts: broccoli & cheese, pepper cheese & rice, swiss cheese & ham Jennie-O Turkey Store® So Easy® glazed breast filets: bbq, honey glazed Jennie-O® pan roasts with gravy: white, white/dark combo Jennie-O® frozen ground turkey Jennie-O® frozen ground seasoned turkey Jennie-O® frozen turkey burgers Jennie-O® Breakfast Lover’s® turkey sausage

Jennie-O Turkey Store® deli items not containing gluten (partial list)

Always ask the Deli Manager for a list of ingredients prior to purchase. We do not mask any gluten ingredients under “flavoring”. Jennie-O Turkey Store® Deli chicken breast: buffalo style, oven roasted, mesquite smoked Jennie-O Turkey Store® smoked turkey breast: mesquite, hickory, honey cured Jennie-O Turkey Store® oven roasted turkey breast Jennie-O Turkey Store® Hickory smoked turkey breast: cracked pepper, sun dried tomato, garlic pesto, honey cured Jennie-O® Natural Choice® turkey breast: oven roasted, peppered, tender browned Jennie-O® Grand Champion® turkey breast: oven roasted, tender browned, mesquite smoked, homestyle pan roasted, hickory smoked, honey cured jennie-o® turkey breast: oven roasted, peppered, smoked, tender browned, italian style, honey maple, honey mesquite, maple spiced, apple cinnamon, tomato basil, mesquite smoked, garlic peppered, hot red peppered, smoked peppered Norwestern® Deli turkey: oven roasted, turkey pastrami, hickory smoked

Jennie-O has a complete Turkey Q&A on their website and many great recipes. Their products can be used as a healthy replacement to beef and processed meats (ground turkey, sausages, honey cured turkey, etc). Before choosing any of these products remember to check the labels to ensure that they are the gluten free products.

Tags: gluten-free, diet

 

Living Without – A Magazine for Us!

Julie C. on YELP! gave me a great tip about a magazine that specializes in people with food allergies and dietary needs called Living Without Magazine. Looks like a winner! I’ll be getting my subscription this week.

 

How to Tell if You Are Pre-Diabetic

By Beth Gatewood

Step1

You have just been told by your doctor that you are pre-diabetic, you’re wondering what it means to you. Actually it means your blood level is higher than normal, but you’re not severe enough to be classified as type-2 diabetic. It also means you are at risk of developing type-2 diabetes, and could have heart disease and stroke.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention it is estimated that 41 million people 40-74 have pre-diabetic conditions. The Academy of Pediatrics reports one in 10 males, and twenty-five females between twelve- nineteen have pre-diabetes.

With prevention pre-diabetes doesn’t have to turn into type-2 diabetes. There are often no signs, but watch for the red flags often associated with type 2 diabetes. The main clue is excessive thirst and urination.

Step2

Other Signs And Symptoms

• Constant hunger
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weight gain
• Flu-like symptoms, including weakness and fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Slow healing of cuts or bruises
• Tingling or loss of feeling in hands or feet
• Recurring gum or skin infections
• Recurring vaginal or bladder infections

First, you have to understand about sugar (glucose) and how it is processes. Sugar is your main source for energy.
It comes from 2 sources: Foods we eat and you’re liver.

During digestion glucose is absorbed in the bloodstream, entering cells to help with insulin. Insulin goes through your pancreas, when you eat. It allows glucose to enter your cells; thereby insulin lowers your sugar intake to your bloodstream to keep it within normal ranges.

Your insulin levels will get low it means you haven’t eaten in a while; stored glucose will be released into your bloodstream keeping your insulin in normal range.

Step3

Risks

The same risk factors are in effect for pre-diabetes that occur in type-2 diabetes. The following are risk factors are:

• Weight
• Inactivity
• Family History
• Age
• Race
• Gestational Diabetes
• Diabetes

Step4

Determining If You’re a Pre-Diabetic

A blood test taken at the doctor’s office or lab is usually how people find out they have diabetes. American Diabetes Association recommends screening at age 45 for diabetes.

Fasting Glucose Test – preferred method is to fast over night then a blood test is taken and sent to a lab for testing.

Oral Glucose Test – fast for 8 hours then drink a sugary drink, your blood level is tested before, then on hour after, and again two hours after you drink the liquid.

The best way to prevent diabetes is to eat healthy and to watch your weight, and exercise. Sometimes medication is given to treat pre-diabetes such as metformin (Glucophage) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) may reduce the risk of type- 2 diabetes, but its best to have a healthy lifestyle.

 

Men Suffer from Aging Too

Reversing the Effects of Male Menopause (Andropause)

Male Hormone Therapy – Symptoms, Treatment

Rejuvalife Vitality Institute

Anti-Aging Medicine is an emerging field of specialty that focuses on the fact that prevention of the effects of aging is the greatest cure. It’s not just a concern to women; as they age men also report a loss of energy, negative moods, feelings of anxiety and feeling over-stressed, loss of memory or concentration, drops in their sex drive or libido, and more.

While life’s stresses can often make these physical and emotional changes worse, stress is no longer universally accepted as the cause of the loss of male vitality and virility. Often the signs and symptoms are that of Male Menopause, or Andropause.

Andropause doesn’t have to be accepted as an inevitable result of aging. Lots of research collected since the first study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (1944; d126 [8]:472-7) demonstrates a direct connection between the variety of symptoms described below, and an imbalance of hormones.

Symptoms of Male Menopause, Andropause

Physical Appearance Changes: Body fat gain, particularly abdominal Loss of lean muscle tissue Bone loss Loss of hair Wrinkling and drying of skin

Bodily Functions: Fatigue Decreased libido Possible erectile dysfunction (ED) Hot flashes, blushing, sweating Aches and pains

Mental Functions: Poor sleep quality, insomnia Nervousness, anxiety, irritability Memory lapses Depression Reduced motivation, apathy

Mental and emotional changes that result from the Andropause symptoms include increased negativity, loss of focus, loss of drive at play and work, and a questioning of one’s values, accomplishments, goals and directions in life. Physical changes can include loss of strength, muscle atrophy, loss of energy, and stiffness and aching of muscles and joints.

Candidates for Testosterone Therapy or Hormone Therapy Programs

Potentially every individual is a candidate for a medically supervised hormone growth hormone (HGH) therapy, testosterone therapy, or any other bio-identical hormone therapy program. Whether you are new to the hormone therapy process or looking to advance your current therapy, we will customize a program and hormone treatment plan tailored to fit your personal needs and budget.

Many men suffer needlessly because their testosterone is never checked or the wrong test is ordered. Men as young as 25 to 30 years in age are presenting with low levels of testosterone, which was not the case 10 or 20 years ago. This is possibly a result of environmental toxins, plastics, pesticides, pollutants and/or xenoestrogens in the environment.

Men who have been told their testosterone is fine may actually have low testosterone. Often the total amount of testosterone is read as adequate, but the amount of usable testosterone is low. Men with low testosterone may have subtle to profound symptoms, ranging form poor motivation, anxiety, weight gain, and loss sense of well being to profound depression, and loss of sex drive (see a more complete list of symptoms below). Men with low testosterone cannot only enjoy an improved quality of life with testosterone supplementation, but it will also provide a significant decreased risk for heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Too Little Testosterone? Too Much Estrogen?

Simply stated, the imbalance is one of too little testosterone and too much estrogen, but this is far from a simple matter and it needs to be noted that testosterone is much more than a sex hormone. With receptor cites in the brain and heart, and in fact throughout the entire body, testosterone is critical in maintaining healthy bone density, lean muscle, red blood cell production, and safeguarding the immune system. It is also vital for proper cardiac output and neurological function. There is a body of literature that supports the thesis that testosterone helps control blood sugar, regulates proper cholesterol levels, and control blood pressure.

As men age, the testosterone they produce diminishes and is increasingly converted to estrogen. The most dangerous effect of too much estrogen and too little testosterone is the increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Estrogen (estradiol) is actually made from testosterone in the cells of every male’s body but when there is too much, no matter what the level of testosterone, they will suffer negative consequences. Furthermore, when a male is experiencing high estradiol levels, he is also producing more sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds to testosterone and prevents it from doing its work.

Since typically about 98 percent of the testosterone in the male’s bloodstream is bound to proteins, only approximately 1 to 2.7 percent is free and available for assimilation into the cells of the body. As SHBG increases the amount of testosterone freely available to act on cells diminishes.

Declining Hormone Levels During Andropause

There are a number of factors that can cause the testosterone-estrogen imbalance in men. These include excess “aromatase” enzyme (the enzyme that converts testosterone into estradiol), impaired liver function (often caused by excessive alcohol or certain drug interactions), obesity (which increase aromatase enzyme), and zinc deficiency (zinc is a natural aromatase enzyme inhibitor). To complicate matters even more, there is a wide range of “normality” in the testosterone/estradiol reference range that requires expert interpretation.

In addition to declining levels of Testosterone, Growth Hormone and DHEA levels are also falling during Andropause. As these levels decline, profound changes begin to occur with growth and metabolism that affect men both physically and mentally.

Low Testosterone Can Result In: Fatigue, tiredness or loss of energy Depression, low or negative mood Irritability, anger or bad temper Anxiety or nervousness Loss of memory or concentration Relationship problem with partner Loss of sex drive or libido Erection problems during sex Anxiety or nervousness Loss of morning erections Decreased intensity of orgasms Backache, joint pains or stiffness Heavy drinking, past or present Loss of fitness Feeling over-stressed Erection problems during sex Anxiety or nervousness Loss of drive and competitive edge Stiffness and pain in muscles and joints Falling level of fitness Decreased effectiveness of workouts Source: Rejuvalife Vitality Institute

Testosterone Replacement/Optimization Can Result In: Decreased aging of heart and circulation Decreased risk of heart attacks and strokes Decreased risk of diabetes Decreased body fat Increased lean muscle Increased blood flow to brain Decreased brain aging Improved memory and intelligence Decreased risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Increased sense of well being Improved sexual function Decreased Osteoporosis Decreased risk of Prostate Cancer