TIPS FOR TUESDAY: Gluten Sensitivity Self-Test & Diet Plan

Wow - as many as 20 million Americans could be affected by a gluten sensitivity and not even know it.  This fact led me to finding a great segment by Dr. Oz on Gluten Sensitivity and a way to find out if you might be experiencing a gluten sensitivity with this simple checklist.  Count all the symptoms that you experience on a regular, chronic basis.

How many of the following do you have? Check all that apply.

Digestive Symptoms 

• Frequent bloating or gas
• Diagnosed with IBS or acid reflux
• Daily diarrhea or chronic constipation
  
  

Neurologic & Skeletal Symptoms 

• Migraine or headaches
• Joint pains or aches
• Brain fog

Hormonal & Immune Symptoms

• Depression or anxiety
• Ongoing fatigue
• Chronic eczema or acne

Results

Four or more symptoms indicate that gluten may be impacting your health. But even one symptom, if severe and chronic, can be a sign of a gluten sensitivity. You may want to consult your doctor or try going gluten-free for 2-4 weeks.

Based on my own results, I am definitely gluten intolerant and have known this about myself for a while.  Because of this, eating clean and getting my nutrition under control has been a HIGH priority for me.

Dr. Oz recommends this diet plan, if you're interested in trying this - I'd recommend doing it for 7 days to see how you feel and if you see any changes.

Here is the plan below:

Day 1
Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs
Snack: 1 Piece of Fruit and Indian Spiced Cashews
Lunch: Asian Bean Salad with Tahini Dressing
Snack: Roasted Tomato and Garlic Spread
Dinner: Grilled Shrimp Brochettes and Quinoa Timbales with Roasted Peppers and Herbs

Day 2
Breakfast: UltraShake
Snack: 1 Piece of Fruit Plus UltraMind Road Mix
Lunch: White Beans on a Bed of Greens
Snack: Olive Tapenade and Raw Vegetables
Dinner: Wild Salmon with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes and Lemon Asparagus

Day 3
Breakfast: Apple Walnut Amaranth
Snack: 1 Piece of Fruit Plus Brazil Nut Bars
Lunch: Quinoa and Garbanzo Bean Salad
Snack: Artichoke Antipasto and Raw Veggies
Dinner: Moroccan Chicken with Cauliflower and Cashews

Day 4
Breakfast: Breakfast Burrito
Snack: 1 Piece of Fruit and Indian Spiced Cashews
Lunch: Roast Turkey Breast and Avocado Cream on a Bed of Greens
Snack: Lemony Hummus with Raw Veggies
Dinner: Coconut Dal with Steamed Broccoli and Brown Rice

Day 5
Breakfast: Peach Quinoa with Flax and Nuts
Snack: 1 Piece of Fruit Plus Anytime Snack Mix
Lunch: Curried Waldorf Salad
Snack: Tahini with Flax Crackers
Dinner: Sesame-Crusted Sole with Baby Bok Choy and Wild Rice

Day 6
Breakfast: Hot Brown Rice, Nuts and Flax
Snack: 1 Piece of Fruit Plus UltraMind Road Mix
Lunch: Tarragon Chicken Salad
Snack: Avocado with Lemon
Dinner: Ratatouille

Day 7
Breakfast: Ratatouille Omelet
Snack: 1 Piece of Fruit Plus Brazil Nut Bars
Lunch: Lentil Salad
Snack: Dark Chocolate or Cocoa Nibs
Dinner: Balsamic-Marinated Tofu with Herbs and Sautéed Spinach

TUESDAY TIP: Cleaning your Fruits & Veggies!

I couldn't help but notice this morning, after taking a fabulous bite out of my Fuji Apple, that the skin tasted odd.  I then looked at the skin a little closer and realized there was almost this wax-like chemical on the outside.  I walked over to the sink at work to see if I could scrub it off and wash it some more - only to find I was very unsuccessful and the stuff wouldn't budge.  The substance they put on-top was NOT coming off!  

I decided upon finishing up at work today that I would come home and look into some tips / tricks to figure out "what gives?!", get over my annoyance by having to throw away a perfectly good apple, and figure out what the heck my grocery store is doing....

Did you know that conventionally grown fruits and veggies are often waxed to prevent moisture loss, protect them from bruising during shipping, and increase their shelf life?  

From a SALES perspective, I can see why produce companies and farmers may do this.  From a CONSUMERS perspective, this is nuts in my opinion...  or you should AT LEAST provide your consumers with a SAFE and EFFECTIVE way to CLEAN their produce.  If you don't clean it correctly, you are EATING that wax, which I am sure is NOT good for you.  Isn't that irony in a way?...you purchase something healthy for you, only to discover that the chemical substance they are using to preserve it could be slowly killing you... Great...

So, when purchasing non-organic fruits and veggies, you should ask your grocer about the kind of wax used on their surface even if you are going to peel it.  For instance, I have learned that there are TONS of things out there including (but not limited to): 

- carnauba wax (from the carnauba palm tree) 

- beeswax

- shellac (from the lac beetle) 

NOTE: These waxes are preferable to petroleum-based waxes, which contain solvent residues or wood rosins. 

Yet, it is not just the wax itself that may be of concern but the other compounds often added to it - ethyl alcohol or ethanol for consistency, milk casein (a protein linked to milk allergy) as a film former or soap as a flowing agent.

One SURE way to make sure that you actually remove the wax from non-organic produce is to remove the skin, as washing will not remove the wax or any bacteria trapped beneath it. If you choose to do this, use a peeler that takes only a thin layer of skin, as many healthy vitamins and minerals lie right below the skin.

Organically grown fruits and vegetables do not contain synthetic (petroleum-based) wax coatings. However, certain waxes are permitted in the handling of certified organic fruits and vegetables including shellac (from the lac beetle) and carnauba wax (from carnauba palm). Of course, not all organic growers wax their fruits and vegetables, but if you are trying to avoid all vegetable and fruit waxes, it is recommended that you ask your grocer about the wax status of your produce, even when purchasing organic.

Non-organic fruits and vegetables that are commonly waxed include:

Cucumbers

Bell peppers

Eggplant

Potatoes

Apples

Lemons and Limes

Oranges

I did happen to find a handy way to clean your fruits and veggies without removing the skin however - although, I have personally NOT tried this just yet, but I am curious to take a stab at it this weekend.  Check out this great photo with the cleaner recipe:

So there ya have it!  Be careful with what you put into your body, be smart, and WASH your produce - you never know!

If you have any questions / comments, please don't hesitate to post below or write me a note. :)

Yours in health and happiness, 

Coach Melissa

coachmelissamckim@gmail.com 

How Do YOU Stay Motivated?

It's true, some days you are more motivated than others. On those unmotivated days, I do certain things to keep me on task. 

For example: If I just don't want to work out I try to at least go put my workout clothes and shoes on and see how I feel. Half the battle is getting dressed! I also try and think about how good I feel after I'm done! When it comes to food motivation, it's easy to stay motivated when you're excited about your food and it's readily available. Prep, prep, prep! 

Another motivation is to have a photo of yourself when you felt and looked the best -- hang it somewhere so you can see it every day so it reminds you to just keep going! 

Post below what YOU do to keep yourself motivated!

Create NEW Habits!

Creating NEW Habits...

We have all tried this and we have all failed before.

I want to share with you how I think you can do it and stick to it! What works for science and physics also holds true to building habits. When you’re new to making positive changes that last and stick, our bodies will fight us for a number of weeks because we’re forcing it to do new things.

HOWEVER…If you can rack up a few small victories along the way, especially in the beginning, it becomes infinitely easier to CONTINUE having small victories.

Remove emotion from the equation – automate your habit as much as possible so you don’t even have to think about it. Here are some examples:

Example: If your goal is to get up and workout in the morning, then go to sleep with your workout stuff at the foot of your bed. If that’s not enough, sleep in your workout clothes. As soon as you wake up, before you have time to think about sleeping in, push yourself out of bed. Struggle getting out of bed? Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you HAVE to get out of bed to turn it off.  I had to do this initially!

Example: If your goal is to eat healthy every day, don’t give yourself an option of not eating healthy – throw out the junk food in your house and start preparing meals the night before. Better yet, do your weekly meal planning on the weekends when you have a little more time for planning and grocery shopping.

If you tend to let emotion get in the way, automate your habit-changing process as much as possible. That way, you won’t have to ask, “should I skip this or should I not” or “should I eat this or should I not?” you just DO things because that’s what you’re doing.

What if excuses were no longer an option? What if you decided right now that you are no longer allowed to use excuses? Suddenly, your decision to do or not do something just got a WHOLE lot easier. No isn't an option…so you might as well do it.

Maybe you don’t have that kind of iron will, and you need help. Accountability is KEY. With the challenge groups I do monthly, I have already set up that accountability factor for you, so do use it.  However, if you haven't joined one of my groups, you can always get an accountability partner - find a friend or family member that you trust to hold you accountable towards your goals!  Or better yet, sign up to have me as your FREE coach and join my team!  :)  

Here are some suggestions for the steps to making NEW habits work (these habits apply to everything, not just exercise or nutrition...)

•Start small - pick ONE habit that’s easily completed.  Do it every day.
•Build momentum - as you get good at completing that small task, slowly expand and build momentum with your victories.
•Automate - remove emotion from the equation! The less steps between you and desired habit the more likely you’ll be to finish.
•Remain accountable – do what you need to do to keep yourself accountable through the first few weeks. Make the pain of skipping your habit more painful than actually spending the 5-15 minutes doing it!

TRICKS TUESDAY: Grocery Shops, Shop The Aisles Only

I want you to picture your favorite grocery store. Chances are the fresh produce section, the meat and seafood departments, and the dairy case are all located around the perimeter of the store. This is where you should concentrate most of your shopping time. 

Why? 

It's where all the fresh, clean eating foods are!  Fresh and clean foods are so much healthier than the ready-to-eat, processed, highly added chemical foods found in the middle aisles. Doing this simple trick every time you're at the store will automatically help you gain control with the fat and sodium in your diet.

**I am HAPPY to help support & encourage you no matter what your health or fitness goals are. I work with a new group of women EVERY month in a private group on Facebook. I'd love for you to reach out & contact me if you need some support!**