I've been gluten free for a few years now and it has been the best decision I've made. There are a ton of reasons as to why people decide to go gluten free from an allergy and celiac to weight loss and mood changes. Gluten can cause a number of problems and it's fairly simple to fix. With all the amazing gluten-free choices we have today its one of the best times to try a gluten free lifestyle.This guide will help you through your journey and make things a little easier.
What Foods Are Gluten Free?
Here is a basic list of foods that tend to be gluten free. As I've learned it is best to check ALL labels on packaged food items even if you think they will be gluten free. I've been surprised many times with certain foods containing wheat that I'd have never guessed would.
Produce
All Fresh Fruit
All Fresh Veggies
Fresh Herbs & Spices
Meats, Protein & Fish
All Unbreaded Fresh Beef & Poultry
All Unbreaded Fish & Shellfish
Hot Dogs (read ingredients)
Luncheon Meats (read ingredients)
for anything packaged or prewrapped check ingredient labels for additives)
Wheat with Gluten removed (only if you are not bothered by wheat only gluten)
Baking
Sugar
Cornmeal
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Gluten -Free Flour
Almond Flour
Coconut Flour
Baking Chocolate
Cornstarch
Potato Starch
Nuts & Beans
Dried Beans & Peas
Plain Nuts
Peanut Butter
Almond Butter
Cashew Butter
Nutella
Dairy
Milk
Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Butter
Margarine
Whipped Cream
Sour Cream
Yogurt
Pudding
Eggs
Frozen Foods
Gluten Free TV Dinners
Frozen Vegetables
Ice Cream without cookies, cake etc
Sherbert, Ices
Gluten Free Waffles/Pancakes
Gluten Free Frozen Pizza
Gluten Free Frozen Chicken Nuggets & Meals
Beverages
Coffee
Milk
Juice
Tea
Soda
Hot Chocolate
Wine
Gluten Free Beer
Vodka
Tequila
Condiments
Vinegar except malt
Mustard
Ketchup
Horseradish
Jams & Jelly
Honey
Maple Syrup
Relish
Pickles
Olives
Hot Sauce(check labels)
BBQ Sauce(check labels)
Snacks
Rice Cakes
Rice Crackers
Soy Crisps
Popcorn
Some Candies
Cheese Puffs
Doritos
Corn & Potato Chips
Jello
Dried Fruit
Some Fruit Snacks
Gluten Free Protein Bars
My Favorite Gluten Free Brands
Not all gluten free brands are created equal! I've been the guinea pig so that you don't have to sort out the good from the bad. Below are some of the brands that make the best-tasting gluten-free foods in my opinion.
It's super important to keep your muscles loose and your joints active in order to prevent unnecessary pain. This is especially important when you're dealing with chronic pain already. To do this you will want to get in some daily stretching. Just keeping your body moving is going to help your pain levels compared to doing nothing. I talked about how bad deconditioning can be for our bodies and pain levels in last week's post. If you haven't given that a read, make sure to do so as it also contains some lower body stretches. This week we are going to focus on our upper body including our chest and back. The first two stretches will be for your neck and shoulders, which is especially great for migraine sufferers. The last video is a combination of arms, shoulder, back and chest stretches. As always be sure to check back next Friday for more exercises.
Begin sitting upright on a table grasping the edge with one hand.
Movement
Rotate your head up and to the side of your anchored arm and slowly lean it toward your shoulder, applying pressure with your hand until you feel a stretch and hold.
Tip
Make sure to keep your back straight during the exercise.
For many patients with chronic illness, their doctors tell them that exercise will greatly improve their quality of life and this is true. With some exceptions, a lot of us were quite active before falling ill which caused us to stop sports, exercise, and even our daily activities. When we stop moving our body starts to go through deconditioning which can cause some nasty side effects. Muscle tone and bone density are lost, gastric motility is altered, sore muscles and aching joints appear, symptoms and pain get worse instead of getting better. It also causes problems with the cardiovascular system, laying in bed for just a few days causes blood to pool in the legs which can cause dizziness and fainting upon standing. Along with blood pooling, it causes the heart to beat faster causing less blood volume and oxygen in the body making you more fatigued. Deconditioning is actually its own medical condition and when you have even one chronic illness you don't need anything else causing problems. Luckily there is a super easy cure for deconditioning that anyone can do, EXERCISE! Yep, that's all it takes. It's not and easy road easy, and it won't happen overnight, but I'm here to help you get started. The one exercise anyone can do is to stretch. which is an important part of any exercise routine. It helps get your muscles ready and warmed up to begin your work out. For people with chronic illness, many times deconditioning has happened due to symptoms and pain causing us to stop exercising. This can mean you may have limited movement in your joints and your flexibility is now what it used to be. Tight, aching muscles cause pain and that's exactly what we don't want. To do the following stretches you need nothing but a bed, chair, and motivation!
First and foremost, If you have a condition where you should not be exercising as ordered by a doctor then do not attempt to exercise! If your doctor gives you the okay then continue reading about how exercise helped me feel better and why it is so important for those of us with chronic illnesses. I've had symptoms of chronic illness since I was 14 years old. The symptoms and pain gradually got worse over the years causing me to stop working and drop out of college. At the worst point, I was bed ridden from my illnesses starting around 2011/2012. My biggest problems being POTS and Fibromyalgia. My doctors continued to tell me exercise would help but the pain I felt and the symptoms I had deterred me from wanting to do much of anything. I basically laid in bed and felt sorry for myself. As people with chronic illness know you go through the stages of grief over losing the healthy person you once were. Nobody wants to hear that they should be doing yoga, strength training, stretches, and other simple exercise's when you feel like you are dying. So, I didn't and year after year I was always bedridden. It was better in the summer months and worse in the winter which we attributed to the weather so exercise was put on the back burner. Fast forward to 2015, I chose a healthier diet which included going gluten free. This was once piece of the puzzle that started me on the path to getting better. Gluten can cause some nasty inflammation issues which are bad for fibromyalgia and anyone with gastrointestinal issues. Lowering my pain a bit was step one to getting moving. Step to was finding a way to force me to exercise which happened in a really awesome way. My mom let me adopt a dog since they are so great for emotional support. This finally forced me to do what my doctor prescribed every single time I saw her and start exercising. No matter how bad I felt I had to get up, feed her, take her outside and walk her. This was not an easy task at all. When we started we walked slow, with many stops and not very far at all. It felt like I couldn't breathe just a 50 feet into the walk so we just went up and back down the street. I'm sure it was less than 1/4 mile but It was a starting point and at least I started. Soon enough I noticed the accomplishments I was making and this gave me the motivation to continue. I was able to go further, stop less and even conquer small hills. However, come winter I still wasn't feeling the way I wanted even though I could do considerably more than the winter before. In April of 2016, my mom and I visited the Vanderbilt University Hospital POTS Clinic. There I was given propranolol to take during workouts and was told to drink 16oz of cold water 15 mins before exercising to alleviate POTS symptoms. I started walking more as my heart was able to handle the exercise better now. My dog and I were now able to walk one mile at a steady pace with minimal stops, including going up and down hills. I added in some stretching and the occasional yoga video. I continued to improve so when my doctor prescribed physical therapy for me again, I decided to go. It was the best decision I made. In just a few weeks I've learned how to exercise the right way in order to retrain my body. Each week I saw improvement in both my strength and cardio. Walking is fantastic, and light cardio is something you need to keep in the mix but strengthening your muscles is super important for improvement. Stronger muscles = better circulation = less blood pooling = less symptoms. I had no idea where to even begin with strength training before I started physical therapy, I took weight lifting class in high school but there was no way I could use those machines now. I was introduced to using resistance bands and my own body weight instead. The key was simple, low impact exercises that I could do a few times a day for 10 minutes each time. It doesn't take an hour of straight exercise to retrain your body, just 5 minutes twice a day or whatever you can handle can change everything. I'm not going to lie about how this process went. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do and I absolutely had to do it or I would not have gotten any better. If I had known that my doctor wasn't just trying to torture me by telling me to exercise I would have started sooner. The toughest part is starting because you are going to hurt and you will want to quit. This is why having someone hold you accountable is important. If you have insurance start with physical therapy before trying anything on your own. This will get you through the worst parts and give you all the tools you need to continue on your own. If that's not an option check back to my blog and I will post the exercises I've learned to get you started. Once you start seeing progress, however small it may be, it starts getting easier. In the beginning, your pain will most likely be worse than usual during or after your workout especially if you have been bed-ridden for awhile. Your symptoms will get worse also so you'll need to take the time to rest. The goal isn't to get better fast, it's just to get better. If you can only handle 5 minutes one day a week to start then do 5 minutes one day a week. If you can do 3 sets of 10 for 5 different exercises, then do that. No matter where you start, as long as you do something, you're already making progress. You'll be sore, tired and feel bad for awhile until your body gets used to exercise again but if you keep at it wonderful things can happen. You might not be able to run a marathon but being able to go out with friends or do your daily activities a bit easier is still a huge win. So grab your headphones, turn on your favorite TV show and exercise yourself better.
Trying to clear blemishes fast has been a lifelong struggle. There are TONS of gimmicky products on the market that claim to get rid of pimples overnight, though most of the time they don't work. I have tried cleansers, spot treatments, face masks, you name it I've tried it. Half of the time they did nothing, 1/4 of the time they made things much worse and 1/4 of the time they kind of worked. However, the ingredients in those products have names I could barely pronounce. Then after prolonged use, my skin was either super dried out or ended up breaking out again. The awesome thing about this mask is that it is all natural, using only 3 ingredients, bentonite clay, water and an oil of your choice(olive, jojoba, vitamin e, etc.).
Why use bentonite clay on your face?
When you add water to bentonite clay it creates a negative electric charge. This pulls toxins from the body both internally and externally. This is especially great for those of use with super oily skin as our pores get clogged faster as we produce more sebum. Using bentonite clay in a mask will help to reduce blemishes and shrink your pores! It will also help reduce the amount of sebum you produce and get rid of dead skin cells. Another awesome thing bentonite clay does is pull hydrogen from cells, this will help circulation in those areas. The result of improved circulation is better skin tone and health. This mask will work on all skin types including acne prone and sensitive skin. You can also use this mask to help heal eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis due to the clay's ability to act as an antibiotic treatment when applied topically. There are many great uses for bentonite clay so if you would like to use this both internally and externally make sure to get a brand that can be used for both.
What You'll Need
To make this mask all you need is 3 ingredients. Water, bentonite clay, and an oil of your choice, such as vitamin e oil. You'll also need a plastic bowl, a plastic spoon and a face brush(optional). I use NOW solutions bentonite clay, this clay can only be used externally so keep that in mind before purchasing. I also usually use olive oil, vitamin e oil or a mixture of both. Use what works best with your skin to get the best results.
How to Make
This mask is the easiest to make and there are no real amounts to follow. You want to make sure you absolutely do not let the mask come into contact with any metal. Doing so will make the mask not work correctly due to the fact it works by being negatively charged. I use a hair coloring bowl and dump in about 2 tablespoons of bentonite clay. Then I add about 1 teaspoon of oil and mix as best I can. After that, you add warm water slowly and mix until you have a paste consistency, like the photo above. Now brush it onto your face and let it sit for 20 minutes. To remove the mask use warm water and a damp washcloth. Your face will be red due to the mask increasing circulation. This is temporary and should go away in about 30 minutes. Put lotion on your face to counter dryness, I use a heavier lotion after this mask. Then wait until the next day and any blemishes should be visibly reduced. So enjoy your spa day and clearer skin!
This charging cable by JASTEK has 5 charging cables allowing you to charge up to 5 devices at a time. There are 4 different charging options to choose from, 1 x mini usb, 2 x micro usb, 1 x iPhone 5/6 charger and 1 x USB type-c. This is great for travel or to carry on your bag as it is compact and has a convenient clip. You can only use this for charging it is not for data transfer. You can charge many different devices such as cameras, tablets, phones, bluetooth devices and hard drives.
I am ALWAYS in need of a charger for something be it my phone or something else. This multi-charger is so convenient. I clip it right to my purse so I always have a charger on the go. You can hook it right up to a power bank and charge your phone in your bag or in your pocket. I love that it doesn't take up much space. This charger comes in 3 color choices, black, white and multi-colored. I got the black free for this review.
The Gotz Bad Ischl Oxygen Facial Tonic is a facial toner hailing from Austria. This toner is specially formulated for those of us with oily, combination, or blemished skin. It claims to balance excessive oiliness, reduce redness, hydrate skin, even skin tone and minimize the appearance of blemishes, blackheads, and large pores. Along with getting rid of blemishes, it's multi-peptide formulation helps stimulate cell regeneration as well as collagen production. This reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Not only is this toner great for women, but men and teens as well. Men can use it as an after shave, while teens can use it to help fight the oiliness hormones bring. The Oxygen Facial Tonic is a 100% Natural and/or organic skincare product, certified to AT-BIO-301 (Austria Bio Garantie Zertifizierte Bio-Kosmetik). It is vegan, cruelty-free, and dermatologist tested for sensitive skin. This toner is also free frommineral oil, parabens, silicones, and PEGs.
There are two ways to use this product and to get the best results you will want to use both. The first way is taking cotton pads and spraying them with the toner. Then placing them on areas where you have blemishes, such as blackheads, pimples, and excessive redness. You want to leave the cotton pads on those areas for a few minutes. The second way is holding the bottle at least 6 inches away from your face and misting your entire face. You will want to do both steps after washing your face and before putting anything on your face like lotion. I don't do the steps in any particular order, it just depends on the day. Sometimes if I mist my face first then set the soaked pads on the areas I have blemishes they stick. This way I have my hands to start straightening my hair or do something else.
Does it Work?
Ever since I started using this toner I noticed the redness in my skin has become less noticeable. My face is also not as oily as it used to be. This makes wearing makeup a much better experience for me as it does not want to slide off my face. I am not needing to touch up frequently throughout the day or blot away excess oil. I still get blemishes but I will always get them as they are hormonal and I have just accepted that. My skin is looking more even and brighter, I actually found that I do not need to use my acne face wash as often as before. If I do try to use it as before my face will get red, and dry! That's incredible considering I used to have very oily skin. I believe this product does what it claims and is worth buying. I am keeping this in my skincare routine and will be purchasing it in the future.
*Disclaimer: I recieved this product for free or discounted in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine and not that of the company. I am not required to give a good review.*
Hello, my name is Sara. I am a 20 something, crystal loving adventurist just trying to find my place in the world. Follow me as I find some cool products, visit new places, have some crazy experiences and enjoy amazing food!
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