Gluten free Christmas Cookies

So if you are like my family and enjoy making Christmas cookies  check out this  Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/GlutenFreeCookieSwap?sk=wall   They are having a contest you can enter your own recipe  for a $850 grand prize or $143 runner up prize.  Now if you are like me you can look at the page for any new GF cookies that would be fun to make.   

What's for dinner?

It's thanksgiving here and what are you having?  We like most people that can not have gluten will be having dinner with people that not only can eat gluten but WILL be eating it.  So what is a Mom to do?  Well I do a few different things to make the day run smoothly.

1) I make a gluten and a gluten free item For example :  My family is having homemade mac and cheese so I made  Annie’s Homegrown gluten- free rice pasta and cheddar mac and cheese http://www.amazon.com/Annies-Homegrown-Gluten-Free-Cheddar-6-Ounce/dp/B000CQ01NS (a favorite at this house)

2) I make things that are gluten free but no ones knows or cares about. The turkey is being fried in new oil and it is a gluten free turkey so we only need one of those.  I baked sweet potatoes for everyone and will let them fix them individually instead of making a casserole.

3) I am making her veggies separately. Some of them are canned and I want to make sure her veggies are gluten free and not cooked with any "special" seasonings that someone else might add that have hidden gluten in them as well.

This is just the way I am doing it this year every year I learn something new and I change the plan a little.  Also The plan varies greatly on whether I am cooking everything at my house or I will be eating at someone else's house.  I think creating a plan for your family will be about the same but it is important to have a base plan.
This means go in with your eyes and ears open here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to making your plan.
Know If the home you will be eating at knows what gluten is and how much they know.
Do they know that just because something does not have wheat on the label that it could still be harmful?
Do they know about cross contamination and most importantly do they take it as serious as you do?



Here are some great recipes for those of you that need a last min idea

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Frealsustenance.com%2Fnovember-go-ahead-honey-its-gluten-free-thanksgiving-recipe-roundup%2F&h=pAQHulm_6AQHBn4n3daOssjFuxYig3WQKvYKPOEgZjv3fow

Jelly bellies Jelly bean products

I spoke to the company about their chapstick and fingernail polish yesterday. Their comment is that they are Gluten free but that the companies manufacturing their products may use gluten in their facilities so they can not claim that any of their products are not cross contaminated.

I have been looking for a "fun" fingernail polish and and chapstick set for my daughter for Christmas. So far I am disappointed.  My daughter being gluten sensitive instead of just having celiac disease means that she has a reaction to the gluten even when she has not ingested it.  Anyone with Celiac disease and that are not highly sensitive however might be able to use this product.

Nutritional therapy and how it plays a role in our life.

This information was sent to me by a reader who has a great blog  Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance blog which you should take a moment to check out.  I personally find that nutrition plays a huge role in our life and the illnesses in it.  I am sure that anyone who has Celiac disease or Gluten sensitivity would agree. If you will please take a moment to read this thanks!

Utilizing Nutritional Therapy As Part of One's Healing Protocol

Nutritional lifestyle should function as a critical facet of one's health and healing strategy, especially for those people who are dealing with chronic and/or terminal illnesses. In this way, a specifically tailored healthy diet can serve as one of the main engines for one's healing journey by providing a foundation for true healing to take place. Additionally, by covering all of the nutritional bases that one needs with a healthy diet consisting of whole, organic foods, one is able to overall feel much better day to day and thus accordingly have more energy and zest for life.

For chronic and terminal illness patients, such as those battling cancers like mesothelioma, setting up a personalized nutritional therapy program can help correct underlying nutritional imbalances that may have contributed to one getting the illness in the first place. In a philosophical sense, we are what we eat, so becoming conscious and manipulating the food that enters our body is an essential facet of a truly all encompassing, holistic healing strategy. Life expectancy outcomes can likely be dramatically improved with the implementation of a proper, personalized nutritional lifestyle. For patients since a strong nutritional foundation will strengthen the body's various organ systems, especially the immune system, which will function best when the patient receives all the necessary vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, cofactors and enzymes, its possible to guide a patient on the path to healing.

In this light, proper nutritional therapy works in concert with other healing strategies, whether they are conventional or alternative and complementary, by strengthening the overall balance and health of the body. At the same time, nutritional interventions can also function as effective remedies in their own right via correcting critical vitamin and/or mineral imbalances that may have made the body more susceptible to the chronic illness or cancer in the first place. Furthermore, the abundance of therapeutic phytonutrients that one obtains from eating a whole food based, organic, healthy diet have a wide range of healing benefits that work synergistically to help the body fight off chronic illness and cancers.

It is possible for people with specific illnesses, such as those dealing with autoimmune disorders like HIV/AIDS and Crohn's disease, or those dealing with targeted cancers to work with a health care practitioner to design a specific diet that targets certain phytonutrients from various food groups that have clinically been proven to help with healing individual diseases. For example, the phytonutrient resveratrol has been shown to be quite chemopreventive and anti-inflammatory, which can be immensely beneficial for those undergoing conventional cancer treatment or who are suffering disease side effects.

Moreover, eating foods abundant in various types of antioxidants and immune-supporting polysaccharides, such as many of the Asian mushrooms like shiitakes, maitakes and oyster mushrooms, has also shown to be helpful in improving the body's healing response to various illnesses. In light of these exciting findings, it can be concluded that nutritional lifestyle therapy can serve as an effective tool in healing for chronic and terminal illnesses, while at the same time working to improve patients' overall quality of life and thus sense of wellbeing.