Kirkman Pro Bio Gold

So, the last time I posted we talked about food allergies and sensitivities. Since that time, I have been doing a lot of research and experiments with my own allergies. My biggest experiment is still in the making, and that is, I am now taking a strong hypoallergenic probiotic 2 times a day. Yes, I did say hypoallergenic!!! I have looked for years and finally found one that I can take. Kirkman Probio Gold Probiotics is the brand name, corn allergy, milk allergy, gluten sensitivity sufferers!!!! Check it out here!
Already I have seen a positive improvement in my guts. I am excited to see where this journey will take me!
There is no end to the possibilities that creativity can bring! Don't be afraid to mix up something weird, try something new, or change an old recipe! Don't settle with failure, try again. Don't stick with boring, when you can be fabulous. Keep trying, Keep trying, Keep trying!
Don't let your allergies stop you from living life to the fullest! There is nothing that can stop you if you are determined to keep trying. If you are one of us who sufferer from multiple allergies and find a balanced diet is hard to maintain, then you should probably look into a holistic approach to healing leaky gut. Find an all natural, or holistic doctor near you, and see if they can offer some help. For me it took many years to find any help, but help is out there if you are patient and persistent in looking.
Never give up on your dreams, just let them take a little twist! It will be exciting! Enjoy the ride. Until next time, have a Happy, Healthy, Gluten Free day!
~Gluten Free EM~

What are Food Sensitivities

   When I use the term food sensitivity, I often get blank looks. It is a little more difficult to explain, but certainly is important enough to deserve an explanation. So, I decided to devote a post entirely to this misunderstood and often ignored topic.

   What is a food sensitivity? 

Well, simply put it is an adverse reaction your body makes to a given food. It is not a result of an IgE antibody reaction as most serious food allergies are, but can do just as much harm in the long run. Typically it is an IgG antibody reaction or an IgA, or other immune response to the troublesome food. Either way, it is an autoimmune reaction to what would otherwise be a harmless substance. If you want it in down to earth terms... it's the body making a big stink over nothin'...or, an overreactin' and frustratin' immune system. 

   What is it like to have a food sensitivity? 

Frustrating, annoying, but manageble. Your body goes through many steps before the offending food is out of your system. Think of it this way: let's say you have a sensitivity to corn. One day you knowingly or unknowingly consume (eat) some corn or food product that contains corn. The first place the food goes is in your mouth, where it may or may not cause discomfort. It might burn, or itch. It may not bother you at all. 

   Second, it goes down your esophagus where it can cause irritability, swelling, or acid reflux symptoms, usually minor. 

   Thirdly, it hits your stomach. Here is where most of the problem originated. There is not enough, or to much acid to break down the food proteins properly. Most people take antacids to combat the discomfort this situation brings on, not realizing they are only adding to the problem. Also, there is usually a deficiency in digestive enzymes as well. These are so necessary to properly break down the food into something your body can absorb and use.

   Fourthly, it goes into your small intestines where more enzymes are put to work turning the soupy mess into useful energy. Here is where most of the problem is: when the stomach hasn't properly broken down the food particles, and they enter the small intestines this way, they cause inflammation. Your immune system starts freaking out because of these larger than normal proteins that are being absorbed into the blood stream. It sends antibodies to attack and 'destroy' these invaders in order to protect the body from harm.

   Fifthly, what's left to this undigested food matter makes its way through the large intestine or colon. Here it causes symptoms of IBS, colitis, and crohns disease. The symptoms from this range from mild to severe. Irregularity, diarrhea, and cramps are often included in the mountainous list of symptoms.

   Many people think it ends here. They ate the food, it tore them up, it made its way out of their system, and now it's all over, right? WRONG! The damage done can last for up to 2 weeks depending on the food and your bodies response. The damage it does to your already screwy immune system makes this a monotonous circle. If allowed to continue (if the offending food is still being eaten, and not removed from the diet) adrenal fatigue will result. 

   What do you do about it? Remove the food from your diet. At least for several months. Take digestive enzymes and probiotics, and get plenty of rest. Eat a diet of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, and high quality meat, nuts and seeds. Juicing is also helpful.

   As I said, it is difficult to explain, but definitely deserves an explanation. I will write more on this subject later, for now have a happy, healthy, gluten free day! 

~Gluten Free Em~

Want to know more??? Check out my handy guide: 

Digest Gold

If you suffer with food allergies....you need to check this stuff out! It will change your life!
For the last few years I have taken this brand of enzymes with success. It is allergy friendly, no gluten, corn, filler, etc. Safe for those of us who cannot consume nuts or shellfish. They have many different strengths depending on your need. I could go on and on...but I urge you to check it out for yourself! When taken as directed everyday for a while you will see a noticeable difference. It has helped me to maintain a healthy weight and to suffer a lot less. It can be found in most health food stores, as well as on Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and many other online retailers. You can even buy it direct from the company that makes it if you want. It is pricey, but worth it in the long run. Take my word for it. It is the best high quality digestive enzyme on the market today for food allergy sufferers. To check out all of their products go to their website here:
Have a healthy, happy, gluten free day!
Gluten Free Em

Summer Fun Gluten Free Style

As the summer is fast approaching, the weather is warming up. Families are spending more time together outdoors, and ice cream and Smores are on the menu.
What does this mean for us food allergy sufferers? Maybe you have a little one who cannot have corn. Maybe your immediate family is gluten free, but not distant family. Does this mean you can't still have that summer fun???
Of course, not! There are many products on the market now that are corn and gluten free and are safe for food allergy sufferers!

Pamela's makes a very tasty corn and gluten free graham cracker. And most of Hershey's Chocolate is gluten and corn free.

Goldbaums makes a handy ice cream cone. There are several brands out there actually that offer gluten free ice cream cones, but be careful that they are produced in a gluten free facility!

If you live in the western part of the USA, you can get Strauss Family Creamery ice cream from your nearby health foods store. This stuff is awesome, corn and gluten free, as well as free of stabilizers, which means no xanthan gum, carrageenan, guar gum, or the like!

If you must make your own ice cream because you live in the east with a carrageenan allergy, the key is to find some Kalona SuperNatural Whipping Cream. 

Check out their products here!

Do you have a favorite summer time meal, dessert, or activity that is good for the whole family??? Tell me about it!!! I love to hear from my readers!

Have a Happy, Healthy, Gluten Free Summer!

~Gluten Free Em~

The Updated Version of 'Could It Be Gluten?'

Take time to check out the updated version of Could it be Gluten?

This book is a guide to understanding the facts of the gluten free diet. It covers the Why, When, and How of going gluten free, and also touches on the possibility of food allergies being at the root of your health conditions.
If you have always wondered about the gluten free diet, but never knew where to start researching on it, start here!
Why look through endless medical encyclopedia's or medical textbooks? Why search the web for weeks on end for helpful information only to find that half of it wasn't legit?
Just take the facts from the trial and error that I have experienced, and learn it all from one source whether or not the gluten free diet is for you. I've already been through it and this is first hand information that can be very helpful in making your decision for or against the gluten free diet.
This book explains how to go gluten free in several easy to follow steps that will help you become free of gluten in no time.
Wondering about the elimination diet? This book also covers the details on the elimination diet. So, pick up your copy today and start learning the answer to the question...Could It Be Gluten?
Also available in ebook form from Kindle.

Have a Happy, Healthy, Gluten Free day!!!
~EM KENNEDY~

Gluten Free Em's Tomato Free Lasagna

I got a new 13×9 baking pan the other day from that most important someone in my life (my awesome Husband). Naturally I was very excited as our family had recently outgrown the 9×9 pan I had been using. Of course, I had to break it in with our favorite pasta....lasagna!!!
As I've mentioned before in previous posts, I am slightly allergic to tomatoes, so I don't eat them very often, and certainly not in large quantities. (I always eat lasagna in large quantities, so tomatoes better not be in it:) I can eat ketchup, though...crazy as it seems.
Anyway, a while back, we came up with a sauce-like substitute for the traditional tomato-based pasta sauce. We use zucchini squash and carrots. Sometimes, I will throw in other vegetables, and when zucchini is not available, I will use yellow squash. The trick is to boil the vegies until they are soft, and then blend them in the blender, or food processor until they are smooth and saucy. Flavor them with the traditional parsely, oregano, salt, garlic, onion, and throw in some ground meat (I use either elk, or bison...but beef is fine.)
Woolah! You've got pasta sauce! Tomato free!
So, how do you get it gluten, corn, and annatto free you ask?
Easy!!! Tinkyada gluten free brown rice lasagna noodles is where we start. These fabulous noodles are perfect for me because they are corn free as well! Then we rustle up some annatto free, Sierra Nevada, Graziers raw, cheddar cheese, and shred a whole bunch of it. Here is what my recipe looks like:

2-3 large organic zucchini squash
2-3 large organic carrots
1 clove of organic garlic
2 small organic onions or 1 extra large one
1- 1 1/2 pounds ground bison
David's Kosher Salt
Fresh organic oregano leaves (about a tablespoon worth chopped)
Parsely  (optional)
1 1/2 boxes of Tinkyada organic gluten free brown rice lasagne
3/4 pound of Graziers cheddar cheese

Boil squash and carrots till soft. Brown meat in a skillet with sliced onions and chopped garlic. Boil pasta until soft. Don't forget to salt the vegies, meat, and pasta.
Spread a little sauce in the bottom of a 13×9, glass, baking dish, and then layer as follows: noodles, cheese, meat, noodles, sauce, meat. Repeat until you use up the noodles. End with cheese on top of the last layer of noodles, so it will lock in the moisture. Bake at 400° until the cheese on top is completely melted, and golden brown. Serves 6-8.

Just Thinking Back...

I was just thinking back on the last six years of my gluten free journey, and marveling at the difference it has made. It has been a tough journey, (not for the faint at heart, if you know what I mean). When I first started out on the diet, I knew nothing about it. A few weeks before that, I had actually commented to a friend about wondering what the words gluten free meant. Wow! We had to start at the very bottom of the knowledge ladder, and move up one step at a time! Many hours of research, many experiments, many flops...but lots of learning.
The most important ingredient I have found in eating gluten free, is having a persistent attitude. One may make many mistakes before actually reaching the goal. But without persistence, the goal may never be reached!
While you whip up something good and gluten free today, add in a healthy serving of thankfulness! We have so much to be thankful for! We are truly blessed in many ways. God is good!
Whatever you do, be consistent. It helps in many ways.
Have a Happy, Healthy, Gluten Free day!
~Gluten Free Em~