No Title 04/15/2012
Lots of changes are coming soon on this site keep checking in. Oh and check out the Events page. Feel free to leave me questions, I will respond within 2 days. One more note Wheatless in Seattle products can now be found in Wenatchee at Lemongrass Natural Foods market and at Wenatchee Natural Foods 1 Comment Nourishing Your Body 11/28/2011
First and foremost, my position on food is that whatever we choose to eat must nourish our bodies. I think we forget that in our instant society. If we are getting most of our calories from boxed and packaged foods, whether GF or not, then we are denying our body the nourishment it needs. It is not enough to simply meet our caloric requirement for the day but to be conscious of where those calories come from. I do not believe in “diets” as we tend to think of them in this culture of ours. I believe in healthful eating. Your body needs a minimum amount of calories to simply exist (usually between 900 and 1200). Need to do something more that just exist? Then you have to increase your calories. If you wish to increase productivity in anything then don’t restrict what you put into it. If you want more work out of an employee, you don’t reduce their pay; nor would you put less gas into your car and expect it to take you further than it did before. So why does it make sense to eat less and expect more out of your body? The bottom line is that it doesn’t. There is good research to support the fact that when you reduce caloric intake you lower your metabolism, which lowers your energy. Your muscle mass is your body’s engine, and to increase your engine you need to intake healthy forms of fuel. Increasing muscle through strength training and eating lean forms of protein is the bottom line for raising your metabolism. Enriching your diet with fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains (gluten free of course), beans, nuts and seeds and healthy fats will support a healthy body while you increase your metabolism. Yes, fat is essential for several functions of the body. The key is healthy forms of fat like coconut oil, grapeseed oil, rice bran oil and olive oil (extra virgin and organic if possible). Used moderately and at proper temperatures these fats can assist essential nutrient absorption (specifically vitamins A, D, E, and K). Also fats from vegetable sources (i.e. avocados and olives), fish (rich in omega-3 fatty acids), nuts and seeds (high in vitamin E and good sources of fiber). All of these forms of fat help the body maintain healthy brain and heart function and provide protection for cells and organs. Avoid hydrogenated fat! Protein specifically builds muscles if you are working to strengthen them. If you have fat to lose the best route is to work it off by increasing your activity level. Simply put, aerobic exercise is raising your heart rate while remaining in control of your breathing. Begin slowly if it has been a while. A simple but brisk walk for 15 minutes most days a week is a good start. Eliminate or at least cut back on the calories that do not nourish the body. The other thing you need to do to increase muscle is to work it. When muscle is left unused you lose it. We have all seen this for ourselves. Who has not seen the saggy skin flapping on the underside of an arm where your tricep used to be? Those triceps don’t get used regularly, do they? A strength-training regimen is essential to good health for life and no, you do not have to be some young, buff, brainless, beach bum. Say that 5 times fast and you will be exercising your brain as well. Strength training can be done at home with small hand weights and an elastic band. We can talk about healthy eating until we are blue in the face, but most of us know that nourishment for one may be poison for another; otherwise, there would be no need for a website like this. All my life I tried to do what I thought was the healthy thing. My body never co-operated with me and now I know why. I am so thankful that I learned of my delayed-reaction allergies. You may say, “why would you be thankful for that?” Because I no longer have to suffer with chronic fatigue, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, or depression. Be Well, Terri Gluten Free Communion 09/08/2011
It has come to my attention recently that there is a disconnect between those who must eat gluten free and those who are responsible for providing safe communion elements. I think most Christians would agree that there are few moments more sacred in worship than communion and that if you suddenly could not partake, you would feel alienated. Even when you resolve to bring your own safe gluten free crackers from home, things are just not the same. A part of the worship is missing when you are having to provide your own elements. The sacrament loses the critical meaning of Christ providing for us through his sacrifice. At the very least it is distracting to you and maybe to those around you to bring your own cracker out of your purse for yourself and in my case for my children as well. During the summer my husband and I attended a conference where communion was to be part of the closing ceremony. I became aware of this early enough in the week to make a request for gluten free elements to be provided (there were four other gluten sensitive people in attendance). I was assured as the week went along that every effort was being made to have gluten free elements available, yet I was unable to talk to the person in charge of this because they were very hard to track down in quite a large group. Twenty minutes before the service was to start I spotted the elements on a table and noticed that two kinds of wafers were on the same plate. I knew this would not work for me and some others in attendance so I notified someone that the gluten free wafers could not be on the same plate with the regular wafers. They said they understood and would remedy the situation. Thinking all was well now I relaxed and took my seat. When the time came and my row went forward I was stunned to discover that the wafers were handed individually to each person by the minister and when I said I needed a gluten free wafer they got the gluten free plate and (after handling the gluten wafers) handed me the gluten free one. It is tempting to think that one should not be so picky; after all they did the best they could. Believe me, I know that they thought they did the right thing and they did mean well, it was not their intention for any one to get sick from this meaningful ceremony; however, I did get sick. The last few days of my trip out of the country were spent feeling digestive discomfort with fatigue and fibromyalgia pain overshadowing our enjoyment of sights I might never see again. When preparing communion elements (or any other food for that matter) for someone who is gluten intolerant you should first be sure that the surface where you are preparing these has been wiped clean from all possible crumbs and that your hands are clean from any gluten traces. Gluten free elements must be placed on a plate of their own even if you only have one member requiring this. The plate should then be covered with a napkin and moved aside to assure that gluten crumbs can not fall on to the gluten free wafers by mistake. When the elements are up front, the minister might have a large wafer or bread loaf to break over the table where the cups and wafers are. Care should be taken to keep all crumbs from the elements that will be consumed by the gluten intolerant members. No one intends for any one to get sick, it just takes a little face to face communication and a little extra care. God Bless! More to come keep watching! Article Responses... 09/27/2010
Just an update that we have added a new section to the site. After reading an article in the Costco Connection I was inspired to respond. I wanted to share both the article & my response with all readers but didn't want it to get lost in the archives of the blog. So now, when you see an article in the Recommended Reading section, you'll be able to link to any response I've written. {cool, huh?} Thanks for stopping by, Terri New Links ... 08/26/2010
 Just a quick note to let you know I've been feeding updates to my "web support" assistant & there are a few new things to look at. We've published the Pacific NW link page & I've added a new book under Recommended Reading. It's exciting to see the Facebook following grow as well as the subscribers requesting updates to their email inboxes! Keep spreading the word. In the wings ... there has been a Twitter account created, but it's not quite ready to be utilized so stay tuned & once I have things to tweet ~ I'll let you know! I hope this finds you having a wonderful end to your summer, Terri Welcome! 07/20/2010
 I'm so glad you're here! A little about what this site is going to become ... As a mother to 2 wonderful boys and wife to a Pastor I have found my life to be full of joy, laughter and love. Along with all the blessings though, I've struggled physically for many years. Fatigue kept me from having the energy necessary to keep up with everyday things let alone charge forth in ways I wanted to ... and now I know ~ Gluten kept me from the clarity it would take to accomplish my dreams. As we get under way with the construction of this site I should also let you know that I am currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, so there may be a few weeks between progress. I thank you in advance for your patience during those times. I do have a great support system in place and look forward to helping you build yours in the coming years. Feel free to leave comments, I'll check them periodically & respond. Enjoy exploring as I create the content. Thanks for stopping by! Warmly, Terri | Author[ Wife ] [ Mother ] On Facebook? Become a Fan: |
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