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‘midlife celiac’ Category

  1. Gluten-Free Diet Dilemmas

    March 6, 2011 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    Three local conferences in two weeks have me thinking about the dilemmas posed by the gluten-free diet. I didn’t ask for a gluten-free meal at two of these conferences, even though I paid for them. I find that when I ask and the event caterers don’t know how to serve them, but make an attempt that is not safe, I feel so rotten declining the meal. Better to pack a lunch or got to the local grocery than have to refuse their efforts. There is always the dilemma for me of wanting to educate and raise awareness, while protecting my own health.

    Conference number one was for local, organic types and the food was sourced locally, but very wheat-based and served by volunteers. I didn’t pay for the lunch and chose to brown bag it. To my surprise there was a gluten-free box lunch and I tried it on day two. The pasta salad was tasty and the fruit salad was excellent. The provider was a local gourmet market that had contacted me for advice on gluten-free products, so I knew they “got” gluten free. My dilemma here-I was eating fruit, olives, and GF pasta imported from all over the world while the locavores dined on local food. My only consolation was they had accepted donated lettuce from California for their salads. Being celiac and needing to mind nutrition and gluten can put one in an awkward spot in the local food community. During the dark days of Ohio winters, I buy imported fruits and veggies to keep our nutrition high. During the farmers’ market season, I buy all I can and preserve as much of it as I can, but there is still not enough in my opinion to get through the winter. Do those with nutritional deficits get a pass? I think we do.

    The next conference featured a catered lunch from Panera with a Greek salad and fruit salad accompanying their huge focaccia  bread sandwiches. Breakfast was muffins, bagels, nut breads and fruit. The salads were naturally GF and I got in line. Right after I served up my salads, I heard the snap of plastic behind me and saw that the plastic tongs used for the Greek salad had snapped and broken.  Unfortunately the tongs for the morning’s nut breads sat nearby and it didn’t take long for the contaminated tongs to be be given a cursory wipe with a paper napkin and into the salad they went. The advise to be the first in the buffet line to avoid cross contamination by the diners coming after you was on my mind. When I was the Mama Bear protecting my kids, I found it easy to run to the head of the line. When it’s just me, I still feel those old rules of etiquette get in the way and I want to be polite. There is also the extra bit of weight I carry that makes me not want to look like the greedy chubby girl. I now, it’s dumb, but there it is. Does anyone else struggle with that?

    Finally the third conference for local farm market types had a small local caterer. I didn’t request a GF meal, but planned to bring or buy at a nearby grocery store. I asked if there was anything GF just to see what the response was. “We have some vegetarian lasagna, or I can take the cheese off the sandwiches for you.” Well, that answered my question about gluten-free knowledge in a hurry.

    At all three conferences and at a local farm tour for bloggers and journalists, I did notice the effect of all the pastries at breakfast and the heavy use of wheat at lunch. There is a dulling of the senses and need for naps that comes over the attendees in the hours after the meal. There is also an unfortunate sounds of GI distress echoing in the ladies’ room in the afternoon that had me wanting to tap on the stall doors and whispering, “Have you ever thought of going gluten free.” Of course, I don’t and my youngest is appalled that I would even blog about it, but it is on my mind how much wheat and the signs of its effects on the intolerant and undiagnosed celiacs can be seen by those who know what to look for.

    Anyone want to share experiences at business conferences and how to eat safely? I have friends who pack all their own food and their luggage is often as much food as clothing.

     


  2. You Say It’s My Birthday. Happy Birthday to Me.

    August 6, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    Here I am at the end of my 30 Days to 50. It has been 30 days of making more changes and setting myself up for better health. The most important change has been getting to a doctor to get tests done to be sure running around with undiagnosed celiac disease hasn’t harmed my bones. The bone scan came back normal, but the blood work showed low vitamin D levels and I am now on a prescription strength D supplement to bring that up. Cheryl has a video on vitamin D and the new research of its important role. I find it really interesting that I’ve had doctors recommend vitamin D for my situation, but never tested my levels and just had me on over the counter lower doses. Cheryl was the one who suggested blood work and I’m glad she did.

    That has been the ultimate message for me in the last 30 days. Find someone who can guide you through the medical maze and who knows what problems to look for.  Cheryl was great at giving me lists of questions and tests to ask for at my doctor’s appointments and she did some handholding and cheerleading to help get me back into the healthcare system to get the care I needed. I hear a lot of people giving up when they don’t get a diagnosis and going gluten free with no back up. The diet can’t cure everything and it can’t address the nutritional deficits from your past without extra supplementation and nutritional awareness to meet your needs. Even with mindful eating and supplements, I was deficient and Cheryl’s advice helped my doctor catch that low level of vitamin D.

    It was also helpful to keep track of my eating on livestong.com to see what days really made me feel full, energetic and strong. I could look back at what I ate and when and see patterns of how to eat for more energy and nutrition. Having Cheryl evaluate and comment really fine-tuned my eating.  I still have days when I fall back into old patterns, but the good days outweigh the not-so-good ones and I see progress.

    I’ve mentioned the weight loss and the loose clothes, the fun of finding smaller sizes in the back of the closet that fit, and of course, there is the real test of bending over, polishing my toenails while wearing a smaller size and breathing all at the same time. Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about. Finding that I can actually run a mile and walk the next day has been pretty special too. I started out just walking and saying my running days were over, but a year of living gluten free has eliminated the joint pain that kept me sedentary and feeling old and worn out. Being pain-free has changed my life and the exercise I’ve been getting has shown me how much I’ve regained in just a year. I really didn’t expect this kind of dramatic change physically.

    Thanks to my team of experts: Cheryl Harris, Dr. Jean Layton, Amy Green, Erin Elberson, and Kim Bouldin for their advice and support.  And thanks to all of you who left comments and support over the last 30 days. It is appreciated.

    In honor of my birthday, I’m giving away a present. Carol Fenster sent me an email yesterday thanking me for my review of her new cookbook. She is sending a copy of 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes for me to give to one lucky reader. Just send birthday wishes in my comment section, follow me on Twitter, and follow this blog before Monday night at midnight and I will enter your name in the drawing.

    Now I have some celebrating to do!


  3. 30 Days to 50-The End and the Beginning

    August 5, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    At every celiac disease awareness event, support group and even watching those purchasing gluten-free products at the healthy food store, I see two distinct types of women. There are the emaciated waif-types in their 20s and 30s who look pale and washed-out and ill and then there are the apple shaped over 40s women who don’t appear to be undernourished or ill like me. I meet celiacs who will talk about digestive disturbances without a blush over support group dinners while wolfing down every gluten free thing on their plates without guilt and with gusto. Then there are the plump celiacs who talk about joint pain, thyroid issues, female problems, infertility and miscarriages and who feel guilty about their shape and size and may have had to fight for a diagnosis. They may have also been offered natural hormone replacement, anxiety medication or anti-depressants, or even psychological counseling for their low-grade depression, fatigue, and assortment of odd health complaints.
    The thin, frail, sickly celiacs get some sympathy. They look sick. Older, plumper, less obviously sick celiacs with inflammatory issues and a cluster of other inflammatory disease diagnoses often get the cold shoulder instead of a shoulder to cry on. The prescription pad or the eye roll for the chronic low grade, seemingly all in your head symptoms is the likely treatment. And let’s face it; this society is unkind to the overweight.  Sadly, both kinds still don’t get diagnosed as quickly as they should, if at all. Sadder still is the loss of trust in the healthcare system as we go from doctor to doctor trying to find out what is wrong with us or with our children.
    Many women are turning to the Internet for the support, information, validation, and advice they can’t get from healthcare providers.  Blogs and the social networking sites, Twitter and Facebook, have become the source of the latest in gluten–free diets and cyber-support.  We swap recipes and diagnosis stories or self-diagnosis and then seek out our own health answers. I’ve done this and avoided getting the healthcare I needed.  For me, there is a blend of anger, distrust, defensiveness and even bitterness towards a healthcare system that failed me. There is also guilt and shame because I failed to protect and nurture my children. All of these things have me gun-shy and weary and it took this project to get me back into the healthcare system and getting the tests needed to fine-tune and focus on healing after years of being undiagnosed.
    Still, I look at the pictures of my children and ask myself how I could have failed to see how very sick they were. How could I have let it go on as long as it did? I ask myself what if I had stayed with the mainstream pediatrician who wanted to give my son daily doses of amoxicillin as a prophylactic measure for his recurring ear infections that came with every cold he caught in preschool. I declined the antibiotics and took my son out of preschool to give his immune system a break. Yet, when I talk to moms who did everything their doctors advised and their kids were still undiagnosed and even subjected to more uncomfortable tests, treatments, and prescription drugs, I don’t feel the shame lessen. I ask myself if I had stayed with the slightly alternative pediatrician in the worst neighborhood in town who diagnosed my daughter with GERD and gave her Prilosec that made her sicker would he have eventually found the right diagnosis. 
    So the path of this journey called celiac disease is full of not only odd autoimmune symptoms and clusters of other health problems and diagnoses, not to mention adjusting to the gluten free diet, but it is also a road littered with shaming experiences, blaming experiences, guilt and defensiveness and distrust. My identity and abilities as a mother, my appearance and ability to work, my mental stability all have been on the line and questioned and found wanting.  Celiac disease has put our family right in the middle of a broken healthcare system where all our symptoms seem to be treated piecemeal: rheumatologist, endocrinologist, GI, OB/Gyn, family doctor, dermatologist, dietician, and hospital staff. The whole cluster of things that go wrong to a body poisoned by gluten are treated by so many different people. We got lost. I got disillusioned and distrustful and yet I still blame myself. Starting this blog in the fall of 2008 was the start of my healing journey as I tried to be proactive and to help others who were in the same position.  It began as a how do I feed my kids and keep them well and finally has turned to how do I feed myself and keep myself well.  Along the way, as I shared recipes and how we coped, I found support and I heard stories that echoed my feelings and slowly as we all healed physically the emotional damage began to heal too.  Sharing this final stage of the journey has been the most healing of all. Thank you for your comments and support as I finally gave myself permission to work on my health and myself.  My hope is that those of you on the same path will find peace and health too.


  4. A Guest Post:More Advice for a Midlife Celiac from Dr. Jean Layton the GF Doctor

    July 31, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho


    When Wendy asked me to write a guest post for her blog, I was flattered.
    I started reading the posts by Amy Green, Cheryl Harris and Kim Bouldin, looking for a nuance of assistance to add.
    It’s hard being the medical professional who’s asked to play sweep! I will be giving some general ideas about how to thrive gluten-free and still lose weight. You should check with your health care providers to determine if these suggestions would fit your individual medical needs.
    Living a thriving gluten free life has been covered so thoroughly by all of these skillful writers, I am going to just delve into the basics a bit deeper.
    Exercise is essential for all of us on a daily basis.  Anything that gets us off our bottoms and on our feet is a benefit to our health.  I find that since I spend a portion of any day writing, I had to create a new solution to my situation. 
    Have you heard of a walking desk?  Basically, its a treadmill that has an attachment to allow you to have a laptop or pad to work on while you walk.  It is the only reason I get at least an hour a day of consistent exercise. I make it a point to walk for ½ hour before my breakfast and lunch ever since I read this study.  It is just perfect for all that email, social media stuff that seems to take the first ½ hour of the day to do.
    Next comes food, which for us gluten intolerant folks that can be very complicated.
    Since Wendy’s goal is to lose weight, a diet that fills her up without deficiencies is in order.
    It’s time to eat the colors of the rainbow in plant foods, with a bit of lean protein and nuts for fats.  I like folks to understand that there needs to be adequate fats in their foods or they will never be satisfied by their diet.  Also without fats, we can have more hormonal problems since cholesterol is the backbone for all hormones.
    Moderation is the key!
    The fats to use are high quality ones with simple ingredients.
    No Margarines or spreads, use real butter or olive oil. Just use a bit. The flavor will satisfy you in an entirely different way.
    Eat at consistent times, that way your body is primed to release insulin accordingly.  I encourage 3 meals a day in my patients with blood sugar disregulation and to not snack between meals ever since I read this research.  Yes, the number of test subjects are small but the differences are not. Ghrelin acts centrally to stimulate growth hormone secretion and food intake, and peripherally to regulate energy homeostasis. Its large precursor protein, known as appetite-regulating hormone or motilin-related peptide, contains ghrelin and obestatin, so you don’t want to down regulate this by snacking frequently.
    Women should add flax to their routine for three reasons.
    1.  It is a great form of fiber
    2.  It provides essential fatty acids
    3.   It provides lignans that are protective against breast cancer.
    I typically start a patient on one teaspoon per day of freshly ground flax seed then add a teaspoon each week till they are taking 2 Tablespoons per day.    I use a coffee grinder that I dedicate to flax. Grind it when needed works the best for freshness but you can grind ¼ cup at a time and store it in the freezer. Don’t do more than that since the essential fatty acids start to go rancid just as soon as the seed coat is broken.
    You can stir it into anything that stays cool, yogurt, applesauce, cottage cheese, smoothies, etc.  If you add it to anything hot, you will get grainy jello!
    NO SODA, ever! Here is the research on that.
    No non-nutritive sweeteners at all since they do nothing to alter the hunger pathways, they might even increase them. 
    I use small amounts of honey or organic cane organic cane sugar (not agave) to sweeten things that just have to have to be sweetened but be careful. This research is enough for me to say just leave it out or use fruit purees.  There are a some amazing gluten-free, sugar-free bloggers who write about baking to follow if you need a cupcake.
    I do remember that everyone needs to have those sweet treats. My treat of choice is one ounce of dark chocolate. I’ve prescribed that for years ever since I read this study.
    Be aware that sometimes our cravings are because we are thirsty, so make sure to drink enough water, just weigh yourself and try to drink one ounce per pound of body weight.
    Maybe we snack because we are bored, it is time to pick up a new hobby.  Maybe writing your own blog while walking on your walking desk?
    Once we get the diet in line, then we move on to addressing nutrient deficiencies like iron, vitamin D, vitamin K, B vitamins especially B-12, magnesium, and calcium.
    To assess all of these I request conventional blood work:
    Complete Blood Count (CBC)
    Thyroid Profile w/TSH
    Lipid Profile
    Liver Profile
    Kidney Panel
    Minerals and Bone
    Fluids and Electrolytes
    Diabetes
    Methylmalonic Acid, Serum
    Vitamin D-25 Hydroxy
    From the results, I craft a supplement regime to get the patient back to thriving, using as few products as possible and vetting them for gluten-free status.
    Lots of times it is as simple as a good multi vitamin, fish oil, extra calcium and vitamin D.
    I do encourage anyone who has times when they can’t control their food to carry an extra enzyme supplement as well, like Glutenzyme.
    So there you have it, a comprehensive overview of the thriving gluten-free 50 something woman from a Naturopathic Physician’s perspective.
    Dr. Jean Layton is a current day Renaissance woman.   Her many skills have served her well in diverse jobs from chef to Doctor with stops along the way in Candyland and marketing.
    She graduated from the National College of Natural Medicine Portland Oregon in 2001 with a doctorate of Naturopathic medicine and 18 month old twin girls.
    Currently she maintains a private practice with her husband, Ed the acupuncturist at Latyon Health Clinic in Bellingham Washington.
    When not seeing patients, Dr. Layton works to give the gluten-free people a voice in the social media world, educating and encouraging them to thrive gluten-free.
    She provides educational materials from research to recipes at her two blogs
    www.GFDoctor.com  and www.GFDoctorRecipes.com
    She regularly  tweets at www.twitter.com/gfdoctor and manages two facebook pages for interesting tidbits as well.
    GFDoctor-http://www.facebook.com/pages/GF-Doctor/129746488603
    Healthy Gluten-Free Kids http://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-Gluten-Free-Kids/110199554101


  5. Measuring Success-30 Days to 50

    July 29, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    Next week is the big 5-0 and I thought a progress report was due. I’ve been taking all this good advice and applying it to my habits and everyday life. There have been a few moments where I fell apart and reached for a glass of wine and a handful of cookies. There was the third attempt at passing the driver’s test which involved a tiny rental car to make it through those orange cones since mom’s car is too big…. May I just say I never want to see another orange cone again. The father unit was mysteriously absent for all of the above and I still can’t parallel park, so I don’t know why I was in charge of the youngest’s driving anyway. It’s enough to drive a woman to drink and eat too many cookies. It’s a goof thing exercise has become a regular part of my life and I’m even feeling like running 3/4 of a mile at a time. The joint pain I thought was permanent has finally gone with a year of gluten-free eating. It wasn’t age or arthritis or too many miles on the track in my teens and twenties. It was gluten and that is a relief.

    The good news is I’ve seen 145.6 on the scale. It was, however, gone the next morning after the cookie and wine incident. I am now wearing a very cute pair of  size 10 capris I bought on sale at J Jill two years ago and then never quite fit into again. That is the best news, I am rediscovering a wardrobe that has been two sizes too small. The other news is that I went to a doctor and got a bone scan and blood work done using a list of tests Cheryl suggested. Just figuring out I was the celiac parent and living gluten free was not enough. While the bone scan came back normal, the numbers for Vitamin D and calcium were low and the doctor has ordered prescription doses of Vitamin D. I have been supplementing Vitamin D and calcium and eating dairy and tons of greens and I’m still depleted. A very good example of why we need to be vigilant with our nutrition and follow-up testing to make sure we are getting all we need from food and supplements. A lot of us are self-diagnosed and just doing the gluten-free diet without testing for deficiencies and I’m proof that even with the best diet and intentions, malabsorption issues can linger.

    Having Cheryl hold my hand and give me to do lists and goals and encouragement has helped me get my health back on track and it does take more than a one hour visit in a dietitian’s office to fine tune the diet to be more precise for a midlife celiac. It also takes more than one hour to work through the issues surrounding food and eating after years of a relationship to food and eating that is complicated by celiac disease. The risks of not addressing the nutritional and emotional issues could have had an impact on my overall health for the rest of my life. I feel a sense of relief that I’m getting it all taken care of now and feeling the energy and clarity of thought coming back from taking better care of myself.


  6. Nourishing Your Body Through the Years-Guest Post by Cheryl Harris

    July 22, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho


    When Wendy approached me about her “30 days to 50” series, I was delighted to participate and support her.  What a great way to celebrate such a milestone!  Can I just say how lucky I am to always have such fantastic clients? 
    I love working with people with Celiac Disease because eating a gluten-free diet turned my health completely around, and revolutionized the way I saw nutrition.  Seven or so years ago I was working as a momma-baby dietitian and saw how much of a struggle it was for me to manage a healthy gluten-free diet, despite the fact that I had 7 years of nutrition schooling behind me.  Granted, there’s so much more available now, but my new found passion and path was clear.
    Wendy had two main questions when she first approached me.  First, as a mid life Celiac, how do I get rid of these pesky pounds?  And more importantly, am I getting what I need?   Wendy kept a diet diary for me, which she found invaluable, and we’ll get back to that in a minute.
    Since I’m trained as a wellness coach, the first thing we did was develop a vision of health for Wendy.  30 days is a great jump start, but in order to make real changes in health, it’s necessary to map out a road to long-term progress.  She’s in such a fantastic spot to make changes because she’s passionate about healthy food for herself and her family, which just propels people along toward their goals.  Not only that, she’s doing a lot of great things by blogging about this adventure and opening her world up to support from many people.
    In a year, Wendy wanted to:
    ·       Weigh in the 130s
    ·       Have ingrained habits to deal with stressors
    ·       Eat only (or mostly) foods that nourish her body
    ·       Regularly engage in fun, physical activity and make it a natural part of everyday life
    ·       Have a healthy relationship with food
    We came up with specific goals for ways to begin toward each of those goals.
    And as we began to work together, one of the most important themes that emerged was quantity.  If you’ve read Wendy’s blog, is obvious that she loves real, wholesome food, and she’s following a long tradition of nourishing her family with love.  But it’s possible to even overeat the good stuff, and she knew that was a big piece.  We decided that Wendy would measure and use one of the online diet diaries to get a clearer sense of calories and proportions.  Here are a few I’d recommend: www.nutritiondata.com, www.sparkpeople.com, http://www.livestrong.com/
    It was a big “ah-ha!” for Wendy to see that she was eating much more than she’d initially estimated, and that in and of itself helped her shift some of her behaviors. Often eyeballing doesn’t work so well in our supersized culture with ginormous plates and “biggie” everything.   We’ll be following up more on mindful eating at future chats.
    —————————————————
    And then our big focus was on getting the right nutrients to feel great and ensure long-term health.  In my experience  personally and professionally, people with Celiac Disease usually don’t get comprehensive care from health care professionals.  The gastro doctor wants to talk about your intestines, the endocrinologist or GYN looks at your thyroid, maybe your GP looks at your iron…it’s usually piecemeal.  It’s very hard for people with a variety of conditions, which is often the case in Celiac Disease (and was for me, as well).  That isn’t to say there aren’t fabulous doctors out there, because there ARE.  But at this point, they are the exceptions, and I’d be delighted to revise my view on that one.
    So we talked about the testing Wendy has and hasn’t had.  And let me preface this by saying I’m not a doctor, just a health care professional who has walked this route and learned along the way.  Everyone’s individual health needs are different.  If you’re nearby or want to chat via phone, give me a ring!  Otherwise, check out this great resource for RDs who specialize in CD.

    At a bare minimum, these are common nutritional deficiencies in CD:
    ·       Iron
    ·       Vitamin D
    ·       B vitamins
    ·       Magnesium
    Depending on symptoms, these tests are often important, too:
    ·       Bone Scan/DEXA
    ·       Thyroid (especially with ongoing fatigue…here’s an article on the links between thyroid and Celiac Disease.
    Since Wendy hasn’t had a good physical in a long time, asking about her blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. is also important.
    And of course, it’s vital to have at least yearly checkups with a physician or gastro doctor yearly to make sure Celiac antibodies are negative.  The University of Chicago has a nice summary.
    Fortunately, Wendy has someone she trusts and planned to get moving on that, too.  Finding a health care team you can trust and talk to is vital.
    Now, you’ll have to excuse me while I get on my soapbox…  Not all of the tests mentioned above may be relevant for every person.  What IS necessary, however, is that you have a chat with your doctor and understand why you do or don’t need those tests, and make sure you know as much as you can about your body and your health.  Because at the end of the day, it’s you!  And what more precious of a cause could there possibly be.
    And the “becoming a priority” piece Wendy and I discussed as well.  Her role as mom meant making sure everyone was okay, and somehow she learned to come last on that list, and she began to see how she needs to be her own cause.
    Working with Wendy has been great fun and I have no doubt that this experience will be incorporated into Wendy’s writing  somewhere down the road.  And, of course, I hope the insights from our sessions help others!
    A little about me:
    I’m a Registered Dietitian and nutritionist in Alexandria, VA.  My work is such a joy, and I specialize in working with people with Celiac, allergies, chronic pain, veggie diets, pregnancy and breastfeeding and whole food eating.  To sum it up, my philosophy is living well, no matter what.  The path is all about balancing food, exercise, and self care, and enjoying the ride!   My website is www.harriswholehealth.com and my blog is www.gfgoodness.com

  7. Gluten Free Permanent Weight Loss:Words of Wisdom from Amy Green

    July 21, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    I asked Amy Green( also an Ohio State grad-Go Bucks!) for advice when I decided to start my 30 Days to 50 after following her blog this past year. I knew Amy was onto to something from reading her posts and recipes and looking at her before and after pictures. She has kindly indulged me with tips to losing and maintaining a significant weight loss and I find that my weekly check-ins with Cheryl echo these same tips. So here are some words of wisdom from Amy:
    When Wendy graciously asked me to help celebrate her 50th by sharing how I’ve maintained a 60+ pound weight loss for nearly 7 years, I was thrilled. 
     
    Each week I get several e-mails with questions about weight loss.  It’s a tough question to answer in an e-mail or even a single post. Today, in Wendy’s honor, I’ll share the quick and dirty version. 
    Let me begin by making clear that I’m not a medical professional and have no medical training.  I’m simply sharing my experience.  Before beginning any diet or weight loss plan, I strongly advise you seek the advice of a medical professional.

    Now – on with the post…
    There are 5 simple things I did – and continue to do on a regular basis – to keep my weight healthy. Erase the nasty 4 letter word “D-I-E-T” from your memory.  This isn’t a diet – it’s a permanent life style change. 
    1.      Keep a food journal for at least a week, preferably two, before making any changes.

    This is an essential part of any life style change. You wouldn’t willy nilly start replacing parts on your car if it wasn’t running.  You’d take it to a technician and have them diagnose the problem and then take the appropriate action to fix it.  Yes, it takes some time waiting at the service station and it might cost more than you want.  Still, it’s time and money well spent because the end result is a car that runs.

    I didn’t really know how much I was eating, how often, or the quantity of food I was consuming until I started to write down everything I ate.  Once I could see what I was putting into my body, I could then identify the problem foods and take solution oriented action.

    2.     Commit to a doable exercise plan.

    Notice I said ‘doable.’  I didn’t say join the most expensive gym around, spend money you don’t have on six new workout outfits, and tell yourself you’ll be at the gym every morning by 5:30 am when you haven’t exercising at all.  You’re setting yourself up for failure.

    If you can only walk 5 blocks to begin with, it’s a heck of a lot more than you were doing before.  Go for it – and before you know it you’ll be able to walk 10 blocks, then 20, then a mile, then two.  You’ll feel successful, and rightfully so.

    I like walking as my main form of exercise.  No matter where I am, I can put on a pair of tennis shoes and spend 30 to 45 minutes getting fresh air and quality exercise. 

    3.      Eat 3 smaller meals and 2 snacks a day.

    Everyone around me marvels at how much I eat.  What they don’t understand is that it’s a combination of what I eat and how I eat it.  Huge meals slow down your digestion and make you feel bloated and full.  Instead of 3 big ‘ol meals, I eat 3 smaller meals with two snacks, one between lunch and dinner and one after dinner.

    4.     Increase intake of whole foods and decrease your intake of baked goods, pasta, and bread.

    Look back at your food journal and see what you’re putting into your body.  Decrease the heavier, less nutrient dense foods and replace them with fruits and veggies.  Instead of a turkey sandwich, make a turkey salad with healthier salad dressing and an apple for lunch.  Replace your breakfast muffin with a bowl of gluten-free oat bran topped with fresh fruit, cinnamon, a tablespoon of walnuts, and stevia.  Have an egg or some cottage cheese with it to add some protein.  It’ll help you feel full longer.

    For me pasta is an occasional side dish, not a main course.  I rarely eat bread and dessert is a once a day  treat.  The bulk of my diet comes from fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats, lower fat dairy, whole grains, and legumes. 

    5.     Never get too hungry.



    I don’t like to be hungry.  I never have.  It’s my biggest invitation to eat more than I need.   To avoid this, I always have a snack packed when I’m out and about.  My snack is usually something as simple as a small handful of almonds and dried fruit.  Nuts are nutrient dense and have some protein, so when paired with some raisins or dried apricots they’re perfect for a mid-day pick me up.  Nuts are also calorie dense, which is why I said ‘a small handful.’
    Looking for quick meal ideas to get you started?  Try my Cottage Cheese and Fruit Salad, CrockPot Chicken Tortilla Soup, a lighter hummus, or Chicken & Butternut Squash Spinach Salad.  You can find lots of healthier desserts on my recipe page, too.
    Bio:
    Amy Green, M.Ed., authors Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, a blog about eating well, eliminating refined sugars and gluten, and maintaining a healthy weight.   She has been living free from refined sugars and wheat since 2004 and, as a result, is maintaining a 60+ pound weight loss.  Over the years she’s learned that eating healthier doesn’t equal deprivation. 
    A former elementary teacher and small business owner, Amy is currently writing her first gluten-free, sugar free cookbook to be released in January 2011.  She lives with her husband and four dogs in Dallas, TX where she teaches local sugar-free, gluten-free cooking classes.
     To celebrate my upcoming birthday and making healthy, yet satisfying food, I will be giving away a copy of Diane Eblin’s new Gluten Free Diner  ebook and Kinnikkinnick Gluten Free Panko Bread Crumbs and Graham Crumbs, along with some Bakery on Main Granola. To enter–comment here on this post, follow this blog, follow me on Twitter, follow Amy on Twitter, blog about the series and let me know here in the comment section what you have done. The ebook can be for anyone, anywhere. The gf goodies have to be sent to a US shipping address. The drawing will be on next Tuesday at midnight. Do you have any tips for maintaining permanent weight loss on a gluten free diet?


  8. Hanging in There Through Adversity:Guest Blogger Kim Bouldin

    July 20, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    When I was planning my 30 Days to 50 series, I looked around for inspiration and the first person I thought of was Kim Bouldin and her blog Gluten Free is Life. Kim is a runner who has been dealing with injuries and celiac disease, yet she still finds a way to stay fit. I asked her to share her story to inspire those of us who need a little motivation. When you read Kim’s story, you’ll find it is about more than running and addresses a topic which I think deserves more attention in the celiac research.
    First, I want to thank Wendy for having me here at Celiacs in the House to write this guest post. Wendy lives in Ohio and I had the chance to meet her last summer at a pizza party, but sadly we did not get a chance to talk much. I hope we can remedy that soon.

    I have been an athlete on & off my entire life. I started gymnastics at 5 years old and continued up until I was 12 or 13. When I was 13, I suffered my first real injury. I was practicing some floor dance moves in our living room and landed on the right side of my right foot. My mom took me to the urgent care and I was told that it was broken. The following day we received a call that the bone was not broken, but that I needed to take a rest. This is when my gymnastics careered began nearing the end. During this same time I began to go through puberty and put on weight. I was worried that I was getting too fat to be a gymnast, so I began to diet. The dieting got out of hand and led to my suffering from anorexia and weighing a dangerously low weight. Fortunately I was able to recover and didn’t appear to suffer any long-term damage, or so I thought.

    Fast forward to my adult years. After my fight with anorexia, I ate like a “normal” teen/young adult. Anyone who met me would have never guessed that I had suffered from an eating disorder years earlier. I was a healthy weight and didn’t have to really watch what I ate to stay that way. I didn’t eat the healthiest of diets, but didn’t have a lot of money or knowledge at the time to change that. After the birth of my son, Jonathan, I began to experience stomach problems. I would get severe cramps to the point where I would be doubled over. This type of pain happened so irregularly that it was tough to pinpoint what was causing it. A few years later I mentioned the cramping and occasional diarrhea to my primary care doctor who said it sounded like IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I was to avoid the foods that seemed to make me feel the cramping, etc. This was easier said than done because I still couldn’t pinpoint the problem.

    Seven years later I gave birth to my daughter, Hannah. The stomach problems intensified and became more frequent. I mentioned the issue to a new primary care doctor and my OB/GYN and they both suggested seeing a GI doctor. The GI doctor wanted to do a sigmoidoscopy to check for any abnormality in my colon/large intestine (sigmoidoscopy is an office procedure similar to a colonoscopy, but doesn’t view as much of your colon). I declined as I was scared and didn’t understand what this was going to show.

    A year or so later, I started the South Beach Diet to lose a few unwanted pounds that I had kept around since being pregnant with Hannah. First thing I noticed on Phase 1 (no bread, carbs, etc) was my stomach feeling better. Hmmmm? This wasn’t the discovery of my Celiac/Gluten-Intolerance yet, but an important key. I relapsed into my old, anorexic ways, but was fortunate enough to get help before reaching dangerously low weights again. I had no idea that a relapse was possible. I was never counseled after my first fight against anorexia, so clearly I had some underlying issues that needed to be addressed. Along with visiting a dietician, I was also referred to counseling. The appointment with the dietician was life-altering. The dietician and I were going over my meal plans and I kept saying that this or that bothered my stomach. She asked if I had been tested for Celiac Disease and suggested that my doctor do the testing immediately. I had my blood drawn in December 2005 and got a call on January 9, 2006 , my birthday, from my doctor telling me that I had Celiac Disease. She informed me to start a gluten-free diet and follow-up with her as needed. Finally! I started the diet on January 12, 2006 and felt a difference within the first 24 hours, just as I had on the South Beach Diet – Phase 1.

    I began running in June 2008. I didn’t really get serious about it until 6 months later when I discovered that I could run 6 miles without stopping! What? My dad had been a runner and I always thought it was silly. I had been to countless races in the heat and rain and swore I would never do anything of the sort. Never say never . I ran my first race in July 2009 and came in 2nd in my age group! I was hooked! I quickly made plans for my next race – a half marathon. I ran my first half marathon in October 2009, with the swine flu, and came in 1 min 22 seconds over my goal of finishing under 2 hours. While I was really upset at first, I quickly realized that not only set a very ambitious goal for my first half marathon, but I was sick!! I patted myself on the back & worked on recovering, for a short time. I was in Atlanta in November and saw a van, almost identical to mine with a 13.1 magnet on the back (I had just purchased my magnet days before) – I thought it was cool until I saw that the other van also had a 26.2 magnet on it. That was all I needed to set my next goal - I was going to run a marathon .

    I had a plan in place for my first marathon. I began to train in the beginning of January. I made sure that I was getting the proper nutrients from my diet. Food is the fuel that allows your body to perform, so it is not just about getting enough, but getting enough of the right stuff. This can be slightly more complicated when having to follow a gluten-free diet, but it is not impossible. Eating whole foods, including gluten-free grains is the best way to go about it. Not only does my body feel best when I eat this way, the chances of my getting glutened are much less. My training was going along smoothly until 3 weeks before the big race. After my 20 mile training run I began to suffer pain in the arch area of my right foot. I made an appointment to see my doctor since the race was so close. I was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis and began physical therapy & ART (Active Release Technique) right away. I was told by my dr that I could run the marathon, but to be prepared that once I stopped running, I would be in pain. Well, guess what, he was right! OUCH!! I was okay while running, but once I stopped to walk through the water stations, my foot really hurt.  I finished in 4:37:41 - about 37:42 past my very ambitious goal of under 4 hours. While I was discouraged for a couple of minutes, I quickly began to relish in the fact that I had just completed a marathon! What I didn’t mention earlier is that coupled with the foot pain during the race, I also suffered some stomach issues from mile 18 on. I don’t handle food well while running, but when running for as long as you do in a marathon, fueling is absolutely necessary. I made a rookie mistake and even though I had been practicing with Clif Shots during my training runs, I took them closer together during the marathon based on a pace band I had gotten from Clif Shots. By mile 18, I had 5 Clif Shots and my stomach was rebelling. I had to stop to use the port-a-pot twice and I felt like puking. In hindsight, I should have just puked and gotten it over with, but I was worried about losing fluids and becoming dehydrated. I ended up walk/running a lot of the last 6 or so miles. Once finished, I headed to the foot care tent and got my feet taped up. I knew something was not right, but I couldn’t tell if it was because I just finished my first marathon or I had really hurt something.

    I went to the doctor the next morning and he said it was way too early to tell if I had hurt something else or if what I was feeling was “normal” post-marathon pain. After numerous visits over the next 2 weeks, I was diagnosed with a stress fracture of my 5th metatarsal in my right foot. The x-ray was completely normal, however, the MRI was not. I was getting ready to leave for the beach 3 days later for 2 weeks, so I prayed I wouldn’t end up in a cast, but I did end up in a boot for 3 weeks. I went from running 30 – 40 miles per week to nothing. I wasn’t even allowed to get on the elliptical machine. I was allowed to swim or bike with no resistance. I swim about as well as a hippo . I had taken lessons as a child, but that was a long time ago. Being injured on vacation was going to be hard. Yes, I could take that as a time to relax & recover, but exercise is my therapy, my “me time”, my outlet.

    The next few weeks would prove to be rough. I enjoyed the beach, but I really struggled. After having suffered from anorexia at 2 different times in my life, those old habits tend to creep back in when adversity is present. As damaging as those habits can be, they are comforting – taking control over that part of my life replaces the control I didn’t have over my exercise. I needed to find a way to get past that and move forward. I had to accept the cards I was dealt and create a new plan. Little did I know when I was moving through these feelings that I was moving through the stages of grief. Kubler-Ross identifies the stages of grief as:
    Denial (this isn’t happening to me!)
    Anger (why is this happening to me?)
    Bargaining (I promise I’ll be a better person if…)
    Depression (I don’t care anymore)
    Acceptance (I’m ready for whatever comes)
    Reaching that point of acceptance was like the dawn of a new day. I was ready for whatever came my way. I couldn’t change the cards I was dealt, but I could change the way I reacted to them. ;) I was making a choice to be positive. My friends and family proved to be an integral part of this process. The support and reassurance they gave me was priceless. A great friend, Erin of Gluten-Free Fitness, helped me come up with some new goals to redirect my energy and keep me busy. She created “Kim’s Kick-Ass Resistance Training Plan”, which includes 4 days of resistance training. I have just completed the third week now and have seen amazing improvement already. Setting little goals, those that are easily attainable, really helps me feel like I have accomplished something. I have a habit of setting very high goals, as I have high standards for myself, and that is not smart or realistic. What I needed to realize and remember is that the only person I am competing against is myself. Perhaps I needed to take it down a notch or two. Before Erin designed my plan, she asked how many pull ups (0) and push ups (20) I could do. Now, I am not sure what she has up her sleeve, but after 3 weeks I went from doing 20 push ups to doing 3 sets of 25! I haven’t attempted a pull up yet, but I suspect that the work she has me doing may indeed help me do at least 1 or 2.
    There are 2 quotes that I love that I want to share here.
    Part of the challenge of the marathon is pushing past what you think is physically possible. You can do more than you think you can.
    Christine Hinton, a Maryland running coach

    I think there is no better way to invite a human being to view their body differently than by inviting them to be an athlete, by revering one’s body as an instrument rather than just an ornament. It’s a really great way to reorient how you see your body so you can see it as this incredible, awe-inspiring machine that you need to fuel well in order for it to function.
    Alanis Morissette, Singer/Actress

    So, where am I today? Well, along with my resistance training, I have received the green light from my doctor to start a Return to Running plan. I have also taught myself to swim better, with the help of a great girl on Daily Mile. I have also been cycling a lot on the spin bike. My dad says that training plans like this is what tri-athletes are made of. I say never. What do you think? I may or may not have been browsing Craig’s List for a bike. ;)

    Head over to my blog, Gluten-Free is Life, for a chance to win a couple of products that helped me train for my marathon.  Jay Robb has generously donated a sample pack of their protein powders (gluten-free, of course) and Zensah has offered to giveaway a pair of compression leg running sleeves.  

    Thank you Kim for your honesty and for sharing your story. I think there are women with celiac disease who have also been down this road. We represent both sides of the disordered eating that comes with the disease and I hope there will be more research, awareness, support and compassion for all of us. There are a few articles around the Internet that touch on the subject of anorexia and the link of over-eating and celiac disease . These articles are several years old. If you’d like to share links you found or your experiences with either end of the eating spectrum, please leave a comment and let’s open up this discussion. 



    “What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.”
    Muriel Rukeyser


  9. 30 Days to 50:Staying on the Path

    July 14, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    Here we are at week 2 of my countdown to my big 5-0. I’ve asked Erin Elberson for some tips to keep the momentum of my fitness plan going. Erin has a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy and a Bachelor’s in health science. She also has celiac disease and has passed the National Foundation for Celiac Disease GREAT testing for Allied health Professionals. Her site Gluten Free Fitness as well as her ebook are full of helpful information for a fit and healthy gluten-free life. I asked Erin a couple of questions about trouble spots that popped up last week as I started to implement my plan:
    Organization and implementation of weight loss with family members. I am a short, hobbit-shaped woman feeding three tall,thin active people. How do I meet their calorie needs and their ability to enjoy more fun snacks than I do. How do I protect my food from my own guilt. I keep giving away my lean protein out of a sense of obligation. Crazy I know. I’ll save a grilled salmon steak for my lunch salad and offer it up if hubby or son sees it and gives me the look. I am also tempted by the snacks, but have made them take them to a stash in their rooms. (the kids) Hubby has wine around all the time and I find that tempting, but so far would rather spend my calories on food. Suggestions?
     We’ve all heard the safety speech on airplanes. “Place your oxygen mask on first, then you may aid those around you.”  When you take better care of yourself, you will be more able to tend to the needs of your family.  You will feel better, have more energy, and more than likely improved self confidence. 
    Not only will you be physically more able to care for your children, you will be providing a positive role model for them as well.  Showing them that you value your health is one of the best gifts you could ever give them.  They will learn by your good example.
    From a more practical standpoint:
    -Do not give away your food.  If you are cooking in advance, make a large amount so you have plenty of leftovers.  Portion your servings out into a separate container clearly maked “Mom’s-eat under penalty of death or housework.”  There’s no need for guilt.  I can understand that you have always given up things for your children, but once again you have to take care of yourself before you can care well for someone else.  Keep reminding yourself of that when you begin to feel guilty.  This journey you are on is not just for you, it is also for the future health of your family.
    -As far as meeting the calorie needs of the others, you don’t necessarily have to make two separate meals.  Have your portion of protein, veggie, carb and/or healthy fat.  The rest of the family can have larger portions, or an additional side dish.  I often will make an additional complex carbohydrate dish for my fiancé.  When I have grilled flank steak and asparagus, he may also have a side of wild rice with his steak.  You can do a big batch of baked sweet potato, scalloped potato, rice, quinoa, beans, any of these, for the rest of the family to have a larger portion of. 
    It’s good that the kids’ snacks are out of sight, that decreases temptation.  It would not be a bad thing for them to get accustomed to snacking on fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurts, etc-things you could also keep around in the kitchen. 
    For wine, I would suggest having a glass once a week.  Don’t even count it for that one meal, just have a little treat.  That will help with your sanity, and also with compliance to your diet plan the rest of the week.  Even having an “off plan” meal once a week as a treat to go along with your wine would be just fine.  If the rest of the week is good, having a meal where you don’t worry about calories (I’m not talking about inhaling a buffet, just a normal sized meal and maybe split a dessert) won’t even be a blip on the radar.
    Next: Fitting in fitness. The temps have been in the 90s and I have been planning my life around walking or kayaking in the morning or late evenings. I’m looking for a full time job and wondering how to get fitness time in once that starts. It seems that between eating and cooking and getting physical, there isn’t much of my day left. How to streamline it and get it all done? Tips?
    I firmly believe that we find the time for things that are important to us.  Granted, finding that time can be a challenge.
    I like exercising in the morning for that very reason.  You wake up a bit earlier than you ordinarily would, but there are no reasons to keep you from doing your activity.  No situations with work, with the kids, unexpected responsibilities-just you and the morning.  Also, I have found anecdotally that exercise in the morning tends to increase dietary compliance.  It’s the “I’ve already exercised, I don’t want to ruin it” mentality.  And it seems to work.  Exercise in the evening can be more difficult-you may be more tired, something may come up at work, you may get stuck in traffic.  There are more variables that could impact your time.  Ultimately though, it’s a personal decision.  I highly recommend morning training though.
    I understand how difficult it can be.  I find that cooking in bulk on the weekends really helps, and I get up at 5 AM to exercise.  (It’s a given that I don’t watch much television.)  After you do it a few times it does get much easier.  Spending a few hours prepping your meals on Sunday goes a long way to saving time the remainder of the week.  I find that I can prepare most of the next day’s meals (I take 4 meals to work with me) in about 30 minutes now.  As you do it you will find the system that works best for you.  On the upside, you will likely sleep very well from having such a full day!
    Thanks for the advice Erin. The kids do usually chose healthy snacks like smoothies, yogurt, fruit or bean dips and whole grain gf crackers. Their consumption of chips and cookies is pretty minimal and moderate. I’m the one with moderation issues and I don’t think a total ban would be good or fair for them. 

    So here are the weigh in results. Slow, steady, sane and for a lifetime is my goal.

    Erin has kindly offered a free copy of her ebook as the giveaway for this week. Follow my blog, follow me on Twitter, follow Erin on Twitter, or comment on both our blogs with your personal experience and tips on staying on the path to wellness. Let me know in the comments to this post what you’ve done to enter your name each time. If you don’t win, Erin is offering my readers a discount on her ebook. Just use the code word midlife for a 20% discount. I am in her affiliate program and do receive a part of each sale. Her book is full of tips, quizzes, journaling and actions to take to make gluten free healthy habits a part of your life. 
    Anyone, any where can download their ebook. Bakery on Main has sent so much granola, I’m adding a granola sampler to this week’s giveaway. For US mailing addresses only I will send the winner two big bags of Bakery on Main granola and a box of their granola bars. The kids give both of these products a thumbs up. So let me know when you follow or mention the series on your blog so I can add your name to the drawing.
    The winner of last week’s giveaway of Bob’s Red Mill flours and Bakery on Main granola sampler is Chris Heck from the blog Celiac Man. Congratulations. As a newly diagnosed celiac, these generous manufacturers will keep you in gf goodies for awhile.
    Deadline is Tuesday, July 20th at midnight.


  10. A Complicated Relationship with Food Complicated by Celiac Disease

    July 13, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    What influences our relationship with food? How did my relationship get so complicated? Celiac disease prompted me to take a look at my DNA and my family tree looking for the source. I’d read that Vikings and Celts were the link and the DNA sample from daughter sent off to the National Geographic Society traced our first female ancestor to Norway. A lot of digging over about 6 months on Ancestry.com and researching my ancestors has finally led to French Norman ancestors who migrated to England at the time of William the Conqueror and some who entered Northern Scotland about the same time and settled finally in the border area of that country before heading first to Northern Ireland and then to the colonies. These ancestors intermarried with more Scots-Irish and Irish and thus, I am both a Viking and a Celt on both sides of my family tree.
    My ancestors were some of the first colonists and as I trace my individual lines, they all intermarried through a couple of centuries before dispersing throughout Appalachia and then reconnecting in my parents who met on an army base in Germany. A convoluted, yet typical American story really. So the celiac disease DNA rode along these Viking and Celt lines as they settled the wilds of the colonies of New York and Virginia in the early and mid 1600s and of Pennsylvania as my Quaker ancestors did in the late 1600s, fought in the Revolutionary War, and founded counties in West Virginia after the War of 1812.
    The land of West Virginia, isolated in the mountains, was the stopping place for many of these wanderers and they stayed in isolation for 100 years. Living as subsistence farmers, owning their own land, living apart from the rest of the United States, only the Civil War drawing them back into outside world. The Industrial Revolution and its hunger for the natural resources brought the world to their doorstep with business men, entrepreneurs and schemers who swindled them out of their land and left them dependent on the coal mining and timber industries for their living. An undercurrent of shame rode along these lines as they gave up their farms and settled in shacks provided by the mining companies and struggled to feed their families working in the mines. In just a decade, through census records, I can trace my great-great-grandfather losing his farm, renting a boarding house and taking in Greek-immigrant miners, and then his daughter marrying a miner and living in a company town.
    I didn’t know any of this growing up. I just knew that with family from West Virginia, living in the poor white neighborhoods of Columbus, Ohio, there was both a sense of pride and family, but a sense of shame and embarrassment about my West Virginia roots. Hillbilly jokes and snide comments about poverty and barefoot dirty children were a part of my growing up. But so was being surrounded by aunts and grandmothers who called everyone ‘honey’ and who cooked cast iron skillets full of fried chicken and pans full of biscuits, and vegetables laced with bacon grease that was always in a crock on the back of the stovetop. These feisty mountain women took pride in the flaky, buttery lightness of their biscuits, the height of their Devil’s Food cake and a pan of Parker House rolls on the table at every dinner. Their way of life was gone when they entered mining culture, but their food ways were still connected to those isolated subsistence farms of the past century where they grew most of what they needed and let the pigs forage in the woods until it was time to make ham and bacon.
    To me, food was love and being surrounded by family during family reunions in the mountains of West Virginia or when my grandmother came to stay with us. Food was the way my single, divorced mother took care of us after a long day of work and daycare.  Food was also scarce at times and I know my mother went without meals to feed us during the darkest days of her single parenting after she fled an abusive husband. The time she took to make beautiful meals throughout our childhood was the way she proved she could care for two children on her own. Just as keeping a spotlessly clean house in the dirty, dusty coal camps was a way for my great-grandmother and grandmother to control their environment and a beautifully prepared meal scrounged and scraped together in impoverished conditions showed their pride. As she moved up the corporate ladder and became a successful career woman, cooking was still the way my mother connected to family. As I grew older, food was the way I comforted myself and bread and pasta were my choices. My friends from high school still talk about the batches of macaroni and cheese or pasta smothered in butter and garlic and cheese they remember me making as a teenager. Any emotional upset or trying day was always better with a dose of wheat and cheese and butter.
    My children are the first generation to live an upper middle-class life of abundance. There has been no wolf at their door and their organic groceries have been prepared by a stay-at-home, college educated, older mom who took smug satisfaction at walking into a Whole Foods in her Birkenstocks and knowing she could fill her cart with anything she desired. The teasing of her childhood about her worn shoes and outgrown clothing drowned out by the overflowing abundance she hauled home in politically correct reusable shopping bags. But this relationship with food was ruined by the diagnosis of celiac disease. All that whole wheat bread, lovingly made from grinding the wheat berries to adding extra gluten to get a softer loaf turned out to be killing the children and that mom.
    So my relationship with food is complicated by poverty, guilt and shame, pride in a lost culture of two hundred years ago and a history of meeting emotional and security needs of a chaotic childhood with soothing, comforting foods. Awareness of how ingrained these food ways are is the key to unraveling my behaviors and creating new habits. The urgency of my nutritional needs after a decade of undiagnosed celiac disease will be the motivation.


  11. Gluten Free Menu Swap/Menu Plan Monday

    July 12, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    The 4th of July is always a wake-up call that summer is flying by and we need to get out and enjoy all of its delight before the first leaves start falling and we regret all the things we didn’t do. The menu this week is full of favorites using all the summer bounty of our garden and the farmers’ market.

    Grilled hot dogs with homemade GF buns and a slow cooker recipe for Boston Baked Beans from Christie at Honoring Health to please the teens.
    Summertime Lasagna from Jaden Hair, author of one of my favorite cookbooks, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. No oven involved in this lasagna, only fresh summer veggies and basil layered with cooked GF lasagna noodles and ricotta.
    Grilled Halibut, roasted new potatoes and garlic from the garden, sauteed Kale, green salad.
    Pizza night with grilled veggie pizzas. Yes, the pizza goes on the grill, too. An opportunity for mom to practice portion control and fill up on salad.
    Quinoa tabbouleh, grilled chicken and veggies
    Dinner out.

    Heather at Celiac Family is our host this week with a theme of salads. I have the tabouli on my dinner menu and I’ll be mixing up more of the  Chickpea, Zucchini and Quinoa salad from last week for lunches. It’s my new favorite. My other favorite is Herb and Rice Salad.  And a new favorite is simply grilled veggies tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette and feta and sometimes thinly sliced flank steak.  Some of my lunches last week were big green salads topped with leftover proteins from dinner. I’ll reserve a fish fillet and a chicken breast to top my lunch salads this week.

    Be sure to stop by Cheryls’ Gluten Free Goodness for the rules and schedule and sign up to join us.
    Laura at Organizing Junkie has hundreds of menu planners every week and some are gluten free.

    Finally, please check out the beginning of my new series 30 Days to 50 and enter the giveaway featuring a Bob’s Red Mill gift pack of assorted flours and a sampler pack of Bakery on Main’s granola and granola bars.


  12. Fitness and Nutrition for the Midlife Celiac

    July 11, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    Moms tend to put the needs of their children first, sometimes to the detriment of their own health. With my kids, their health problems, getting the diagnosis, learning how to feed them and get them healthy and then the process of helping them reclaim their lives and find a way to live as  healthy, energetic teens instead of  weak tired teens has taken all my time, thoughts, and energy. Going undiagnosed until midlife and then doing nothing beyond going gluten free has taken its toll and finding experts to help me get healthy is already making a dramatic difference. Making an official plan and blogging about it for support and accountability is making me a priority and making me feel strong and supported. 
    Let’s face it. It’s tough to change habits, not only of eating and fitness, but of family dynamics where mom does all the dirty work of daily life because the kids have always been too sick and tired or busy catching up academically and socially once they were well. This week we’ll have a little meeting to divvy up the chores more fairly and discuss mom’s need for special foods that are off limits and their needs to keep the chips and cookies in their rooms away from mom. That nice piece of grilled salmon tucked away in the fridge is for the hobbit-shaped mom and the tall, thin people can fend for themselves with the hundreds of other choices in the fridge and pantry. Does that give a clue of what’s gone on in the house this week.
    My first telephone visit with registered dietician and blogger Cheryl Harris was this weekend. If you take a look at her credentials, I’ve chosen  the right person to get this midlife celiac back on the road to health. Our first appointment was 1 1/2 hours of  ’all about me,’ my health and my goals. By the end of our first session, I had a list of things to accomplish for the week and a list of long term goals. We’d looked at all the supplements my doctor suggested and she fine-tuned them with her expert knowledge of celiac disease and thyroid problems. I now have a list of questions, suggestions, and tests to take to my doctor to better target the health and healing of a middle aged celiac. 
    We think getting the diagnosis and going gluten free is the tough part. From personal experience, getting the care for all the weird immunological issues that go along with celiac disease and getting a healthcare provider who is aware of all the fallout of undiagnosed celiac disease can be even trickier. Going gluten free makes a dramatic difference, but is also just the tip of the iceberg as there are so many underlying conditions. Nutrition can address a lot of the fallout, but it has to be targeted, precise, organized nutrition. Hit or miss, ‘here take this supplement advice’ is not enough and the help of an experienced dietician is what I’ve been missing. I was willing to pay for the kids to see one, but didn’t think I needed one to help me. Thankfully, I’ve come to my senses and Cheryl, one of the country’s best experts, was right there hiding in plain sight every week with the Gluten Free Menu Swap.
    Cheryl also approved my fitness plan of taking a couple 4 mile walks and 2 mile walks a week along with two one-hour kayaking sessions. I’m beyond the sweating at the gym stage of life and chose activities that I enjoy and that make me happy. My new midlife manifesto is no pain and no mindless exercising. I need activities that feed my soul, not just trim my waistline. Gently bobbing on the lake after a brisk paddle is soothing and quiets my mind. When I started kayaking a month ago, I needed one of the kids to help me load it in and out of the car. I can carry my own kayak now, so I know my strength is improving. 
    Erin Elberson will be dropping by this week with some advice and a giveaway of her e book full of great tips for a healthy gluten-free fitness plan. Be sure to stop by. 

  13. Gluten Free Spring Rolls and Dessert

    July 9, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    The key to my plan for weight loss and fitness is to put into place habits that I can live with for the rest of my healthy life. This is not ‘The Biggest Loser.’ It will not involve pain and deprivation. I love food. I just need to get our relationship into a healthier place. One of the ways I’m doing it is to respect the food and eat beautiful food that is full of color, texture, and nutrition and served beautifully. I don’t respond well to the bland or boring or punishment and deprivation. This plan is about treating myself well and gently and giving my body the nutrition it needs as a someone diagnosed at midlife, but also about feeding my soul and nurturing a psyche that has been through the ups and downs of living undiagnosed. 
    Lunch today is an example of this philosophy. Spring Rolls full of sprouts, cilantro, carrots, lettuce, mint and a little chicken salad made with almonds and celery. This is my take on the Pei Wei Chicken Salad Spring Roll on their gluten-free menu. 

    I’ve decided that there will be one beautiful, healthy dessert each week to indulge myself in a controlled manner. This week’s choice was the Double Chocolate Cherry Cookie recipe from Elana Amsterdam’s The Almond Flour Cookbook. Everything I have tried from Elana’s book has made me happy. From the fish cakes to the quiche crust, I am delighted with the results. Good thing, too. The ingredients are expensive and the results have to be satisfying.

    So here is my reward for a week of staying on my healthy eating plan, walking and kayaking and not giving in to temptations when I had one really disappointing day. The chewy, tangy cherries and the chunks of dark chocolate make this cookie so decadent, but it is full of good things.

    Here’s a video of Elana I found after I made the cookies. Enjoy. And a thrifty tip: I found grapeseed oil and agave at TJ Maxx for half the price of healthy food or grocery stores.


  14. The Start of 30 Days to 50

    July 7, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    The dreaded moment arrived and I stepped on the scale this morning. 151.2. That’s down 9 pounds in two months. I started with a BMI of 27.5 and a waist measurement of 34 1/2. That’s in the overweight and heading into health problems territory. I am at 26.0 BMI and have lost an inch off my waist with a few habit changes. You see, two months ago I started walking. One month ago I gave up coffee and alcohol. I also increased my water intake and fresh produce intake. That’s all. No diet diary, no calorie counting, just giving up two things and adding two things. Now it’s time to be more focused and precise. My weight has been hovering around 151-152 for two weeks now and it’s time to analyze my diet and my exercise and fitness routine to see how I can get those numbers moving down again to my goal of at least 140, but I’m hoping for 135 as I am very small framed. That would put my BMI in the 24- 24.9 range which is a much healthier place to be.

    I’ve called on Cheryl Harris, registered dietician, coach, and blogger at Gluten Free Goodness to take me on as a client and work with me for the next 7 weeks. Her input will be a part of the 30 days as we make changes and track my progress. Erin Elberson of Gluten Free Fitness will answer my questions and take a look at my workout plans. Kim Bouldin, marathon runner, mom, and gluten free blogger at Gluten Free is Life will stop by to talk about staying motivated through illness, injury, and accidental glutening.
    Amy Green, soon-to-be-published author and blogger at Simply Sugar & Gluten Free, will offer her weight loss advice from her personal experience and give some cooking tips to keep a hungry midlife celiac nourished. Finally, naturopathic physician and chef, Dr. Jean Layton, will take a look at my plan and progress at the end of the series and offer her advice on navigating midlife, celiac disease, and nutrition and weight issues. 
    I’m excited to get started with this support group. The gluten free community is full of people ready to help and share and we would love all of you to join us with your tips, recipes, and blog posts. Just comment with your support, leave a link or a helpful tidbit. Each comment will qualify you for a chance to win the giveaway for the week. Several lovely gluten free food companies are pitching in to make up a goody pack of healthy, delicious GF flours, granolas and more. So start commenting. And if you follow my blog, follow me on Twitter, or spread the word about the series, you get more chances to enter. Deadline for the first giveaway is Tuesday at midnight. You must have a US mailing address for this one, but the next one is open to all.
    Now I have a hot date with a Kale Berry Smoothie.
    Edit: Bob’s Red Mill will be shipping a sampler of their gf flours including millet and amaranth as part of the giveaway. Bakery on Main will send a granola sampler as well. Great products from reliable gluten-free manufacturers. 

  15. Let’s Get Personal

    July 6, 2010 by Wendy Gregory Kaho

    Twenty years ago this August the eldest was born. 

    Almost three years later came the youngest.

    By the time he was 13, it was obvious something was wrong.

    And a few years later, the youngest started the same wasting away.

    Numerous doctors and a hospital stay, finally a diagnosis, and five years of gluten-free living and the eldest is thriving.

    Little sister has grown 3 inches in the last 6 months on the gluten-free diet at 17 years-old.

    Now it’s time for Mom to regain her health and her figure. It’s so easy to put yourself on the back burner when your kids are sick. They have made amazing progress in gaining weight and growing inches. Their overall health is excellent and such a change from a few years ago. There is still lingering guilt on my part that I couldn’t get them well for so long. As I approach the half century mark, I want to let go of the guilt, the weight and the poor health of undiagnosed celiac disease.
    I’ve been sifting though old photographs and seeing a definite pattern of weight gain and weight loss throughout my life. At 17, our home was destroyed by fire and two weeks later we moved to California. Moving in the middle of my senior year in high school threw me off my teenage ‘grand plan’ and left me depressed and I turned to food for comfort. The food I chose was bread, bagels, and pasta and that was a pattern that continued until last year when I was given proof that I had celiac disease. Gluten was my drug of choice. Wheat in all its forms was my tranquillizer. A good dose of it and I would feel drowsy, foggy and I could escape my problems and take a nap. My weight would drop when I was happier and more active and not hitting the bakery aisle of the grocery store or boiling up pots of pasta and eating the whole thing. When I went gluten free I was suddenly looking for that almost narcotic effect and tried wine, but when you’re the taxi for teens and you don’t drive with even a sip of wine, that doesn’t last long. Then there was sugar. Never a dessert eater , suddenly I was dipping into the kids’ cookies and lunch snacks. The weight started piling on as I searched for a new fix in a life without gluten. Add to that the gluten-free products that are full of refined starches and fat and it was a recipe for a size 14.
    So tomorrow with the help of some gluten free experts, I start changing the unhealthy patterns of a lifetime. My goal is to stop gaining and losing the same 20-30 pounds and to develop healthier eating and coping behaviors that support my healing and health after living with undiagnosed celiac disease for probably 10 years, perhaps longer.