Smoothies in the Morning

Breakfast has normally been my most unhealthy meal of the day. I sleep as late as I can before work, so I'm always eating on the run. Poptarts are a staple. A box of sugary cereal remains in my car so I can eat handfuls on the way to work. The start of my day is ready for a makeover.

The beginning of my research of good nutrition led to incorporating more raw fruits and veggies into my diet. Here is an article of why to eat raw. It's rather opinionated but also states a lot of valid points.

To add more raw, my husband and I are beginning most mornings with a fruit smoothie. I don't have a high-powered blender. It can't handle leafy greens, oranges, or some of the other fruits/veggies that I'd love to put in a smoothie. (We ordered a VitaMix a few days ago! I'll update on that once it arrives) A typical smoothie for us is 2 apples, 2 bananas, strawberries, blueberries or blackberries, some cranberry grape juice, and a couple of spoonfuls of Greek yogurt (I like Oikos). Sometimes we'll add kiwi or some Bolthouse smoothie to the mix. We add fruit until we have about 5 cups - 3 for hubby and 2 for me. I snuck in spinach one day and hubby couldn't taste it, but I noticed some small chunks that didn't get pulvarized. Oranges and pineapple also left too much pulp. I can't wait for the VitaMix to come so this won't be a problem!

Doing an internet search will pull up a huge number of recipes. Aside from those I've mentioned, consider also carrots, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, peaches, tangerines, grapefruit, or kale. Of the vegetables in the list, most have mild enough flavors that they won't be too noticeable when balanced by the fruits.

Beginning the Road to Good Health

I was doing some research for my sister because various foods cause a lot of health problems for her...such as being lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, having IBS, and allergic to red 3, vinegar, caffeine, and most recently, a sensitivity to aspartame (artifial sweetener in many low-fat/reduced fat foods). This research was the final catalyst for me when it comes to my own health and wellbeing.
I am blessed with decent health. I can't complain about any major, detrimental health problems like cancer, MS, or Parkinsons. I do have moderate seasonal allergies that cause my eyes and face to itch. I have diplopia (double vision) which often causes headaches, dizziness, and nausea. The upper part of my spine becomes inflamed often which causes moderate shoulder pain. But since I don't have problems with obesity, cholesterol, or blood pressure, I assumed my overall health was fine.
After my research on nutrition, different diets, and everyday toxins, I feel like I'm just waiting for a final catalyst that will propel my health downward. I constantly eat fast food or processed foods with lots of preservatives. I exercise only once a week on average...even then it's only 20 minutes of mild cardio.
So now this blog will focus not just on gluten free, but also on healthy living. It's tempting to clean out all of my cupboards and start from scratch, but I know I'd just be setting myself up for failure by taking drastic measures. This needs to be a lifestyle change, so I'm going to take it one baby step at a time. Will you do it with me?

Delicious Living Coupons

Here are more printable coupons...this time from Delicious Living Magazine. They're organic/natural coupons for juices, snacks, etc. with brands like Lundberg's and Back to Nature. Scan the site for some other great tips on healthy eating!

Food Labels 101- Reading Ingredient Lists

The more I look at food labels, the more I become confused and overwhelmed. Here's a bit of info to help with that.
**Ingredients are listed by weight used in the product, so the first couple of ingredients on the list make up the bulk of the food.
**"Natural and artificial flavors" can mean almost anything...even MSG.
**The Center for Science in the Public Interest has a great article about food additives. It lists the additives alphabetically, explains what each is, and whether it is safe to ingest.

Do You Know What You're Chewing?

I love chewing gum. When taking a speech class, I was told to chew a piece right before a speech as a way to release some nervous energy. It keeps me slightly occupied when I’m sitting through a boring class or meeting. The freshening breath element is definitely a selling point as well.
But have you ever looked at the ingredients of gum? There are plenty I’ve never heard of, like mannitol, maltitol syrup, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose.
Just because you don’t swallow the gum doesn’t mean you’re not ingesting all those processed ingredients. Sugar free varieties have artificial sweeteners like Acesulfame K and aspartame, both of which are surrounded by controversy over the health risks.

The first mass-produced gum was made with chicle, a sticky white sap tapped from Sapodilla trees. As gum became more popular, the ingredients became more synthetic (developed in a lab).


Introducing Glee Gum
Glee Gum is the only gum in the United States that is still made with chicle. It is made completely with all natural ingredients including pure cane sugar, rice syrup, and other natural flavorings and colorings. No high fructose corn syrup here! Glee gum is free of additives, casein, nuts, yeast, gluten, dairy, and egg.
The Sapodilla trees are not destroyed when the chicle is tapped. Cross-hatches are made in the bark to allow the sap to drip towards the base of the tree to be collected.

Glee Gum was kind enough to send me a few samples of their all-natural gum. It reminded me of the little square gum I used to buy for a quarter out of the candy machines as a child. The flavor doesn’t last long and they’re a little hard to begin chewing, but the novelty factor always made me want to buy it. Glee Gum took me back to fond childhood memories of begging for a quarter as we left Ryan’s restaurant and then chomping the gum one color at a time.
Of the Glee Gum samples, cinnamon and spearmint were definitely my favorite flavors.

Now I want to try their Candy Kits! Make your own chocolate, chewing gum, or gummy candy.


ALSO - Now through April 30, receive a free mix of Spearmint and Peppermint Wee Glee with every online order.

Enjoy Life Coupons

Enjoy Life products are gluten-free and allergen-free (made without the 8 most common allergens). They make a range of chocolate and snack bars, trail mix, granola, cookies, and bagels. A couple of coupons are available on their website.

Make friends with Enjoy Life on Facebook or Myspace. Join the online Halloween party by Friday, November 7 by submitting a picture of you or your child in your Halloween costume. Receive $5 worth of Enjoy Life coupons by snail mail for submitting the picture! Receive a bonus gift if the picture has your child eating an Enjoy Life product.

Go to Coupon.com for a .75 coupon off 2 Enjoy Life boom CHOCO boom chocolate bars. It's on page 7 for me.

Closeouts at Bilo

I imagine this varies by region, but Bilo has some great closeout prices on gluten free items. This may have been going on for awhile (I haven't been to Bilo in the last couple of weeks) because quite a few spots were cleaned out at my local store. Hodgson Mill and Glutino were just a couple of the brand names. Check the "health food" or "specialty food" aisle of your local Bilo.

Edited 11/05/08. Here is a partial list of items from bowenmomx at Upstate Couponers. It doesn't have the brand names but does give the prices. Thanks for it!

Vanilla Cake Mix - regularly $7.49 on close out for $3.74
Yellow Cake Mix - regularly $5.59 on close out for $2.79
Chocolate Frosting - regularly $3.99 - now $1.99
Beef Stroganoff - regularly $4.09 - now $2.04
Corn Vegetable Radiantore Paste - regulary $3.09 - now $1.54
Breadsticks - regularly $6.89 - now $3.44
Honey Dijon Salad Dressing - regular $2.79 - now $1.39
Dark Chocolate Choc Chunk Cookies - regular $4.19 - now $2.09
Lemon Shortbread Cookies - regular $4.19 - now $2.09