what is gluten?

 our physical activity for today? plain ol' walking.  or in Chiso's case, riding.  he got out of the stroller and did his thing on the playground though!

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so, what the heck is gluten?

see above! i'm sure you have seen 'gluten-free' this and that on just about EVERYTHANG up in your favorite health food store these days. is it really that big a deal? well, if you have not been diagnosed with celiac disease, then naw, prolly not.  in essence, 'gluten-free' is a speciality diet, just like dairy-free, grain-free, vegan, vegetarian, carnivorian :shock: , etc., etc., etc.

most grocery stores now have a special gluten-free/natural section these days- just ask.

hear me loud and clear though -- gluten-free does N-O-T deem a product healthier than it's gluten-filled counterpart (e.g. rolled oats vs. gluten-free rolled oats)! your body may respond differently, but the nutritional stats are identical.  if you can tolerate gluten and enjoy it, there is no reason to avoid it!  don't let another celebrity touting the 'weight-loss'  benefits of his or her new gluten-free diet steer you away from the foods you love.  chances are they are/were affected by celiac disease and function a whole lot better after eliminating gluten from their diet.  if you do have celiac disease, after consuming gluten you might experience:

• gas
• bloating
• belly pain
• constipation (especially in children)
• fatigue, exhaustion (immediately after eating a meal that contains gluten)
• joint/bone pain, skin problems, depression

so how do you test for it? an elimination diet is your best bet.  i did this myself with dairy via my bikini competition training and well, it was spot on and very effective.  as you know, i have since introduced dairy back into my life in small amounts cause well, i love frozen yogurt, soft serve, just ice cream in general.  no restriction ova here.  so, try eliminating gluten from your diet for 2 straight weeks and see how your body responds before and after you consume gluten again. document your experiment!

 it's quite super that FITzee foods is able to provide a plethora of options for their customers to suit their individual dietary needs!

Q: have you ever attempted a specialty diet lifestyle? (vegetarian, vegan, etc).  have you kept up with it?

 i was a vegetarian for about 8 months before calling it quits a couple years back.

le