Here is just one factoid that I love to share: only about 5 to 10% of the cells in and on your body are “self” cells… The rest are micro-organisms! Just click here to listen to this thrilling (if I don’t say so myself) episode, premium members only… But remember if you are not a Premium member yet, you can register for two weeks of free access and start getting in on the gluten-free goodness now.

J is for “just do it!” Ah, what a perfect tagline. Not one of ours, but we did spin off this in our recent episode “J” in the ABC’s of Gluten Free series. This audio is free to all members. Click here to listen to this short and inspirational audio. Perfect for anyone on a gluten free diet, or anyone with food intolerances in general.

Studies from various countries indicate that fertility problems are indeed more common in women with untreated Celiac Disease, compared to women who do not have it.

The risk of suffering other gynecological and obstetrical problems like miscarriage or preterm birth is also higher for those with Celiac Disease.
Joseph Mercola, “Why Haven’t Infertile Couples Been Told These Facts?”, 2/23/2010

Follow the link to read more about what Dr. Mercola has to say about Celiac Disease and its affects on fertility.

The Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, one of the foremost leaders in America supporting folks with gluten intolerance and Celiac and raising public awareness of these topics, unrolls their 2nd Annual Campaign. The Chef to Plate Campaign helps spread awareness of Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance to restaurants through dining. They estimate this simple campaign reached 1.6 million people last year! Ways you can participate:

1. Send the GIG restaurants with gluten-free menus you frequent and trust. They will send them an invitation to participate. Click HERE to sign up your restaurant. Or send complete information to rebecca.powell@gluten.net to recommend your favorite restaurants with gluten-free menus.
2. Help distribute the campaign materials to restaurants in your area. GIG will send you all the information and the participating restaurants. All you have to do it hand-deliver the materials to the restaurant before May 1st. Click HERE to sign up.
3. Spread the word about this campaign to the public.

Restaurants loved participating last year. Please help the GIG spread awareness about gluten intolerance.

Take a look at some of the recent press around Health Coaches:
• Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks on CNN about the need for health coaches in America.
• ABC News reports on health coaching – what it is and how it can help you.
• Dr. Andrew Weil’s Self Healing magazine reports: “When athletes want a competitive edge, they hire a private coach to monitor their progress. When it comes to your health, using this mindset could also be beneficial. Health coaches are increasingly being hired by corporations to help employees stay healthy and by individuals seeking to improve well-being. For some, these coaches offer assistance in managing dietary constraints (due to conditions such as celiac disease or diabetes), and for others, they might focus on teaching stress-reduction methods. In some ways, the health coach picks up where your physician left off, helping you implement wellness strategies suggested after a check-up or diagnosis.” In the article, Integrative Nutrition graduate Christi Collins recommends finding a coach who has received training from a reputable program, and whose personality resonates with your own.
• CBS News reports: “Congress will miss the boat if it ends up perpetuating a system that reacts to illness rather than preventing it. Chronic diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes wreck our quality of life and cost a fortune. In recent years, a new and intriguing concept has emerged in the prevention and treatment of chronic illness: the health coach.”
• NY Times article on coaches.

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are the ones you’ll most commonly find. For a discussion of the pros and cons of various flour as well as ideas on how to use them, please visit my podcast series with Tiffany Pollard at: http://community.eatingforevolution.com/articles/?ac=dg4h6rib

If you’re having trouble with gluten, you can still enjoy:

• Almond flour
• Amaranth
• Arrowroot
• Baking soda (most)
• Baking powder (most)
• Bean flour
• Brown rice flour
• Buckwheat flour
• Chickpea flour
• Corn flour
• Corn starch
• Cornmeal
• Date flour
• Fava bean flour
• Flaxmeal
• Green pea flour
• Guar gum
• Hazelnut flour
• Harina
• Lecithin
• Mesquite
• Millet flour
• Polenta flour
• Potato flour
• Potato starch
• Quinoa flour
• Sorghum flour
• Sorghum gum
• Soy flour (can be irritating to a compromised bowel)
• Sweet rice flour
• Tapioca flour
• Teff (make sure it’s not blended with wheat flour)
• White rice flour
• Xantham gum

These are the flours you’ll want to avoid:

• All-purpose flour
• White flour
• Wheat flour
• Enriched flour
• Bleached flour
• Whole meal flour
• Barley flour
• Graham flour
• Oat flour
• High protein flour
• Durum flour
• Semolina flour
• Kamut flour
• Triticale flour
• Rye flour
• Soba flour
• Spelt flour
• Wheat gluten and “vital” wheat gluten
• Starch and “modified food starch
• Malt anything

Otherwise, here’s how I dressed it:

• Combined olive oil, basil herb, and red pepper flakes
• Shook it up and poured it over the top
• Added salt and pepper to taste.

Then I placed it in the oven and baked at 275 for 10 to 15 minutes. (I peeked somewhere along that time frame to see how it was coming along.) Then, I checked it with a fork to see that it was mostly done (not raw looking but not too dark in color) and put it on broil for a few more minutes. The cooking time will vary based on the size of the piece of fish you have.

It turns out savory but with a bit of a kick.

I served it with a mixed green salad finished with artichokes hearts and green and black olives, and actually even topped it with the same dressing I used for the fish–with a little lemon added–since I didn’t have time to make another. Plus, the quick veggie soup I made last night while responding to emails made another delicious side dish.

Time management applies in the kitchen, too, and thankfully with a little forced spontaneity, I was able to eat well.

Here’s how I did it:

Last night I poured some white beans into a pot and added water to cover the beans by a couple inches.

When I woke up this morning, I drained off the old water, rinsed the beans, and set them to boil on the stove in vegetable broth. Then I dropped in a piece of kombu seaweed to feed the beans additional minerals. Aside from the nutritional benefit that soaking the beans overnight allows, they cook up much more quickly, 30 minutes in this case, and I used this time to get working on the rest of the soup and prepping the next dish.

I sliced open a large acorn squash (see Halving a Squash post for tips), placed it face down in a pan with a few millimeters of water, covered the pan with foil, and set the squash to bake at 375. Meanwhile, I chopped an enormous yellow onion and sautéed half of it in coconut oil and a ton of cumin with an entire bunch of green chard and a bit of sea salt. Setting this mixture aside, I returned to the remaining onion and chopped it finely, along with 7 or 8 shiitake mushrooms, fresh sage leaves, and some sea salt. (I advocate keeping fresh herbs on hand to spontaneously brighten up any dish). When this mushroom-onion mixture began to caramelize, I removed the acorn squash from the oven, divided it up into each half of the squash, and returned it to bake for another 10 minutes.

While the stuffed squash was serving its time in the oven, the beans finished cooking. I put a batch of them in the blender with more vegetable broth and a bit of the chard and onions, and whipped them up together. I continued this process in small batches until all the beans and chard had been blended together into a smooth, delicious puree. By then the stuffed squash was ready, so I placed one portion on a plate and enjoyed it later on with a bowl of the white bean blend.

Here are the ingredients: 1 large acorn squash, 7 or 8 shiitake mushrooms, 1 jumbo yellow onion, tons of ground cumin, unrefined coconut oil for sauteeing, 1 bunch chard, a couple cups of soaked white beans, some vegetable broth, and sea salt.

There you have it: white been chard puree with stuffed acorn squash, in 45 minutes flat.

(P.S. This meal is also gluten free, easy to digest, and enhances fertility… sha-zam!)

Our bodies and every thought, mood and emotion we experience are made up of what we consume – what we eat, what we drink, what we breathe — and it’s our gut which takes that information from the outside world and conveys it into something the inside can use. So what we can get from the GI tract literally makes up every cell of our body. 

In episode “G” of the ABC’s of Gluten Free podcast series, we cover gut health from a holistic perspective so you can learn to improve your digestion from the core.

In this episode we take you beyond just the food you ingest, and discuss how to enhance absorption of important vitamins and minerals, how to reduce uncomfortable symptoms of gas and bloating, and natural therapies which repair the digestive system, even if you have food sensitivities.

Want to know more?

Check out the podcast series with Tiffany Pollard, founder of Eating for Evolution, and we’ll help you out with every aspect of  living a healthy and exciting gluten free life. Here’s the link: http://community.eatingforevolution.com/articles/?ac=dg4h6rib

Oh, and if you haven’t already, sign up for my free report on the Top 10 Digestive Health Tips in the upper right hand corner of this page!

Need a good excuse to go get a massage? Not only are massages great for reducing stress, but they can also increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries. When looking for a fertility masseuse, consider practitioners that have mayan abdominal massage training to enhance your chances of conception.

Mayan Abdominal Massage uses deep abdominal work to reposition the pelvic organs and treat a pro-lapsed or tilted uterus. Massaging the abdominal region can also help to break up any adhesions or blockages that may be preventing conception. Mayan abdominal massage benefits fertility in the following ways:

1. Improves egg quality by flooding the ovaries with fresh blood supply and oxygen

2. Helps to balance irregular menstrual cycles

3. Breaking down scar tissue and adhesions

4. Reducing stress

5. Improves digestion

6. Increases overall vitality and energy

7. Prepares the muscles and ligaments for childbirth

I’m impressed with how thorough the list of benefits she provides here is! Another point shes addresses in other posts is the emotional and energetic component. This kind of bodywork, especially through a self-care massage that we teach, provides a way for the woman to connect with and enhance the sexual energy of her body–helping heal painful past experiences and brighten the feeling of being safe and powerful in her sensuality. Thanks for helping spread awareness, Kathryn!