Gluten Free Diets and MS

A good friend of mine, Lucinda Gunnin, has been dealing with multiple sclerosis for many years now. She recently tried a gluten free diet and is experiencing some great results.

You know how you feel if you step on something while swimming? When it hurts, but the pain isn't as sharp of immediate as it should be? That's sort of how my right leg has felt for most of eight years.

So, when I walked out to the mailbox this morning and felt some soreness in the ball of my foot, I was dang near ecstatic. Whether its coincidental, anecdotal or just plain weird luck, I feel amazingly more health since getting gluten out of my regular diet.

I recommend reading the rest of her article: Treating Multiple Sclerosis with a Gluten-Free Diet

MS is a difficult disease to live with and finding any method to improve quality of life is a blessing. I know many of my readers follow a gluten free and low-carb diet. I know you understand the difficulty of finding food products free of ingredients you don't want. If you have any tips, suggestions or just want to offer her a word of encouragement, please do leave a comment on her article. If you want to learn more about MS and the gluten free diet, I recommend you subscribe to her column. I believe you'll learn a lot in the coming months as she shares her experience and journey with us.

Books For Treats

I'd like to direct your attention to my latest article. This one talks about a cool and healthy idea for those little trick-or-treaters that visit you each year.

Books For Treats: give brain candy this year

Hope you enjoy!

Probiotics

Source
Dr. Briffa's latest blog post about probiotics is very interesting. As someone who takes probiotics daily, I especially found it interesting that they may help prevent common illnesses, such as cold or flu, in children. I've been giving my kids probiotics as well and now that I think about it, we have had less of the sickies around here than we usually do. Of course the true test may come when winter sets in and everyone we come in contact with is hacking and sniffling.

For those who aren't familiar with probiotics, here's the definition from Wikipedia:

Probiotics are dietary supplements of live microorganisms thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host". Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but also certain yeasts and bacilli are available.

At first, probiotics were thought to beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance, thus inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria. Today specific health effects are being investigated and documented including alleviation of chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, prevention and treatment of pathogen-induced diarrhea, urogenital infections, and atopic diseases.

I buy my probiotics from GNC and, if I remember correctly, they contain around 14 million live bacteria. (Do they pay someone to sit in a lab and look at these with a micrscope, while they count 14 million of these little suckers???)

For those of you who eat store bought yogurt, (watch those carbs!) Activa has probiotics in it as well, but I'm told it's not as effective as taking the supplements.

Vacations are good for you

Ok, well here is part one of the post I promised. Yesterday I said I'd post it by this afternoon, which turned into tomorrow morning, which is now today. Got it? Good.

There's nothing quite like a vacation to remind you of what life SHOULD be like. And while getting away isn't always 100% non-stressful (especially with kids), you should strive to make your getaway as relaxing as possible. Not just physically, but mentally too. By physically relaxing I don't mean inactive. I mean treating your body with the rest and nourishment it needs. Our room had a jacuzzi tub and you can bet I spent some time in it. We also slept in a lot, which felt really good. Mentally, many of us need to "get away from it all". That's easier said than done, but is vital to de-stressing. We all need to step back from time to time and evaluate our life, direction, motivation, goals, etc. I find I can do that better when I've had some time off. Time to remember who I am, what I want and why I want it. This also works for your diet. If you are frustrated or finding you are losing interest, step back a moment and look at the big picture. Determine your goals and what it really takes to get there. Decide if your current plan of action is helping or hindering. Or maybe it's just your attitude and expectations need some adjusting. Whatever the case, re-evaluating is always a good idea to get you going again.

I did just that this past week and find I'm more excited than ever about the direction I'm heading in life and in my health.

A quick summary:

Our vacation was a nice little getaway to Branson, Missouri. For those of you that have never been to Branson, it's a great place to take the family. You'll find Sliver Dollar City Amusement Park, White Water, Tours (Ride the Ducks) and mini-golf/go-cart racing galore! Shopping is great there and you can easily find something for everyone. Loads of restaurants as well to suit every appetite. And the shows are always a blast. I have no idea how many shows there are, but it'd take you weeks to see them all.

We opted for a couple of days at Silver Dollar City and a couple of local attractions during the week. Sadly it rained most of the time we were there and most of the outdoor rides were shut down due to lightening about half way through each day. We arrived early enough though that we were able to ride everything we liked. While the rides were shut down we spent time wandering through the shops in SDC, watching the shows available, and watching the demonstrations. I highly recommend watching the blacksmith and the glassblower - very cool stuff! Also the saloon show is always a riot.

Depending on when you get to SDC you can find a variety of shows. We were there during World Fest and saw a show from Ireland called Feet of Fire. Being of Irish heritage myself, I loved every minute. But even if you don't have any Irish blood in your veins, you would enjoy it. We also saw a Chinese Acrobatic act. Amazing how limber these people were! If you twisted me up like a pretzel I'd be broken for life. These people bended like they were made of rubber... they just bounced right back to a normal human form. AMAZING!

As for food in SCD, lots to choose from. As with most places, you can make about any meal LC if you know what to look for. If you go to the Lumberjack Skillet, they have what they call a low-carb fajita skillet. Honestly, it's only lc if you don't eat the tortilla that comes with it, but it's filling enough you don't need it. I get it every time we go and enjoy it immensely.

We also spent some time at the Hollywood Wax Museum. My kids have never seen a wax museum and though they'd enjoy it. We all thought it was cool, but it was a bit expensive for no longer than we were in there. If you have little kids, keep in mind there is a Hall of Monsters (which look pretty real... so it's kinda freaky, even for an adult) but you can bypass it though and alternate route.

The highlight of our trip was seeing the Bob Nelson show at the Clay Cooper Theatre. Bob has been one of my favorite comedians since I saw him in TV when I was about 10. When I heard he was there I knew we had to go. My only reservation was that I knew Bob used to curse a little in his routines. Before buying tickets I asked the clerk about his act and she said he'd cleaned it up in recent years. Later I learned that Bob was now a Christian and wants to keep his act 100% family friendly. Let me just say that this show was so awesome that we will go again next time we are there. We all laughed until we cried. And we were on the front row, so I got great shots, as well as the fact that we were actually a part of the show here and there when he decided to use people from the crowd for something.

All in all the trip was relaxing and much needed. We haven't taken a vacation since 2007 and needed the getaway badly. Now I'm back and renewed in mind, spirit, and my determination to take care of myself. (Nothing like traversing up and down hills on foot to make one aware of their physical condition, or in my case, lack thereof!) I'm also ready to get back to writing full time. I'll be honest. I've had so much on my plate the last month or so that the idea of blogging for writing for Examiner just stressed me out. But now that I'm looking at it through refreshed eyes, I'm ready to get going again.

I'm running short on time, but plan to come back later today to talk about the steps we can take at home to give ourselves a "mini-vacation" when we can't physically get away. (Also I'll probably share some photos, because you know my camera and I are never far apart.)

New Sponsor

Hey everyone! I hope you've been having a fantastic week!

I'd like you to help me welcome Zevia as a new sponsor of Healthy Low-Carb Living. Zevia is a diet soda I can feel good about drinking and I'm thrilled they've come on board to help me spread the message about the low-carb lifestyle! With their help I'll be able to continue blogging and keeping you updated on the latest in health, diet and fitness in the low-carb world. (I'll admit to being a slacker on this lately, but that will all be changing soon.)

Zevia is a great tasting alternative to the artificially sweetened diet sodas that are on the market today. Sweetened with stevia, Zevia allows you to enjoy your soda without the worry of chemicals or sugar spikes. They just added two new flavors, so now you can enjoy the following:

Root Beer
Twist (Still my favorite!)
Cola
Orange
Black Cherry
Ginger Ale

Here is a review I wrote last August about Zevia on Examiner.com.

I really appreciate Zevia's support and I hope you do as well. If you'd like to try Zevia for yourself, check out the banner at the top of this page.

Another Update

Hey everyone. I thought I'd check in and give you the 411 on what's up with me. I'm still sick. I'm better than I was and even felt pretty good on Tuesday. But by that evening I was not feeling so good again. Maybe I pushed it a bit. I took my kids roller skating and did a little skating myself.

Anyway, I'm still struggling to breathe and am using the inhaler the dr. gave me pretty often. Hubby want's me to go back to the doctor in case this is more than just bronchitis. He's afraid I may be developing pneumonia. I've never had it, so I don't know what pneumonia is like. I have had bronchitis however and I usually suffer pretty good when I get it. I was hoping this would be a short stint, but now I don't know. I'm going to hang on and keep using the inhaler like the dr. told me to. I'm still on antibiotics, and have a few more days left of those. If I still feel like this on Monday I guess I'll have no choice but to go back to the doctor. Sometimes it feels like someone is sitting on my chest. It's not comfortable at all and the inhaler does help at those times. But at this point I really think it's just part of the bronchitis and will have to run it's course.

What stinks is that it's really wearing me out. I get tired very quickly. (I guess from getting less oxygen than I normally get.) So I get up and do a few things, then I'm wiped out again. It say the least, little to nothing has gotten done around the house, let alone the blog or my examiner column. Today I'm enlisting my kids help to get it all done. I'd like to actually relax this weekend, not freak out about how much cleaning needs done. LOL

So I'd appreciate prayers, good vibes, what ever you want to send my way. I have a photo shoot on Tuesday and really need my strength for it. Not to mention I would really like to just feel normal again. My usual fatigue will feel like an energy surge compared to this. :)

Have a great weekend everyone and I hope to be back Monday reporting improvement and getting back to the subject of low-carb, weight-loss and health!

More high fructose hype? You gotta see this!

Some of you may remember the little run-in I had with the "corn lady" (president of the corn refiners association Audrae Erickson). It happened over one of my early articles on examiner where I reviewed the drink Zevia. I mentioned that HFCS is horrid and she took offense. (Makes sense. It is her cash cow so I can understand getting her feathers ruffled at bit.) If I would have been wrong, then I would have apologized and went on. But I am not wrong, the stuff is horrid. And many others feel the same way and said as much in the comments.

Later in the mail I receive this packet of info from her about HFCS and how it's just as healthy as fruit juice, etc. Can we say SO WHAT? Fruit juice isn't healthy either! Nor is any of the other dietary junk that raises our insulin to unusable amounts. So no one is convincing me different.

About that same time they release these ridiculous ads that show "morons" spreading myths about HFCS and how unhealthy it is. Will the morons please raise their hands? Hmm... Looks like there are an awful lot of us. If spreading the word about the dangers of unhealthy foods and additives makes me a moron, then so be it. I'll wear the badge proudly.

Recently Dr. Mike Eades (one of our favorite lc doctors and bloggers) received the same package I did a few months back. He shares his fantastic thoughts about this here, as well as two of the commercials that are being used to promote this nasty product.

Now you can find this same video on his post, but it's just so funny I had to share it here as well. The producers of this video are using a very serious (and sensitive) subject, the Nazis, to make a point about HFCS. (And they parody the HFCS ads, which I just LOVE!!) I think they make the point very well. But you can decide for yourself:

Do I look like a pill pusher?

Don't answer that. It's a rhetorical question.

I'm not sure why, but lately I've received several inquiries asking me to link to and/or help promote diet pills. My only thought is these people don't read my blog. If they did, they'd know I do not endorse diet pills in any way, shape or form. So just for clarification, let me reiterate:

I do not now, nor will I in the future, endorse the use of diet pills for weight loss. There truly is no magic bullet. They key to weight loss is a healthy diet and exercise. Pills teach you to support big pharma and rely on their products. Pills do not teach healthy, long-term habits inducive to maintaining weight loss. And don't get me started on the health issues. As someone who's fallen for that trap, and suffered because of it, I will NEVER recommend weight-loss pills.

If you sell or promote weight loss pills, please don't ask me to help you. I will politely, but firmly, tell you no.

HFCS is just like fruit juice???

Those of you who have read my blog for any amount of time know that I do not believe healthy eating and HFCS can go hand-in-hand. It's nutritional diarrhea - plain and simple. Nor to I advocate eating simple sugars in any form, including fruit juice. So you can imagine my surprise when I read the latest comment concerning my Zevia review on my examiner column. It was from the President of the Corn Refiners Association, Audrae Erickson. She contends that HFCS is proven not to cause obesity and compares it to fruit juice. As if that's going to convince me it's ok.

I knew you all might have a lot to say on the subject, so I thought I'd share the opportunity for you to voice you feelings about HFCS. If you have any studies or thoughts you'd like to share with Ms. Erickson, please do join! The more the merrier! (I'm working on my reply, but it's going slowly due to a fatal illness in the family. I'm having to divide my time between the computer and the phone.)

Check it out here and let the CRA hear your thoughts!

You Can Make A Difference!

I received a letter today from Richard Feinman, founder of the the Nutrition and Metabolism Society. He's asking for everyone to sign a petition to make NIH take notice of existing science supporting carbohydrate restriction in treating diabetes and that they should fund more research with experts who have experience in this type of treatment. Here's the letter:

The Metabolism Society requests your assistance.
Biomedical science needs your help. The public needs your help.

Please ask your readers to sign this petition.

The NIH must acknowledge the existing science and fund more research by the experts who have experience with carbohydrate restriction as a means of treatment for diabetes.

June 12, 2008

New England Journal of Medicine published the ACCORD study results. "We investigated whether intensive therapy to target normal glycated hemoglobin levels would reduce cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes" (intensive therapy meant intensive drug therapy).

Conclusion:
"As compared with standard therapy, the use of intensive therapy to target normal glycated hemoglobin levels for 3.5 years increased mortality and did not significantly reduce major cardiovascular events. These findings identify a previously unrecognized harm of intensive glucose lowering in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes."

An elementary understanding of science lets one recognize that it is likely the treatment (intensive drug therapy) that has the (unrecognized?) harm. A substantial background of studies shows that not reducing glycated hemoglobin is a health risk.
It is the absence of any consideration of dietary carbohydrate restriction, the most safe and effective method of improving glycemic control that is so objectionable.

Scientists are stymied. Fighting with the NIH is not simple, generally not a career builder, and the number of people involved in this trial is in the hundreds. Only the public can help. We need your help in reaching them.

Please ask your readers to contribute by signing this petition.

Thank you.


Richard Feinman
Professor of Biochemistry
Founder, Metabolism Society
www.nmsociety.org

When you sign the petition, you have the opportunity to add your own personal message for impact. Here's what I wrote:

Carbohydrate restriction has been utilized by many diabetics and has proven itself to be a fantastic method of treatment. As someone who has blood sugar issues, I want to know the TRUTH! I can't risk my health on speculation or junk science. Please give restricted carbohydrate regimens the consideration it deserves. Lives count on it!

It's very important that we make our voices heard! Please sign the petition, and pass it on to your friends so they can sign it. Together we can make a difference for so many who suffer needlessly.

Wow.. is it Monday already?

It seems like lately time has just been flying by! I'm sure it's because I've had such a busy schedule. OK, where to start?


Weight Loss:

Nothing much to report. I've struggled with my eating somewhat and it's not all been low-carb. :0( But I'm back on track so things should start moving again. I've been stuck at 2.4 lbs above my ticker weight. I lost the .4 today. Hopefully tomorrow will show more loss.


Photography:

The voting part of the photo contest is now over. Thanks so much to those of you who took the time to vote! It means the world to me! I'll let you know how things turned out as soon as I hear something. The last I looked, which was a day before the voted ended, I was still in the running with all 3 pictures. They are supposed to notify the finalists soon.

I photographed my first wedding this weekend. Wow is that a lot of work! I was on my feet about 7 hours. My mom and I worked this wedding together and I think between the two of us we got some really good shots. I plan on putting my best shots on my website, so I'll let you know when those are up.

I'm excited to announce that a few of my photos are going to be auctioned off in a charity silent auction to benefit the down and out here in St. Louis. (we haven't worked out all the details yet, but should have know more soon) I'll be sure to post more information when it is available.



Health:

Sometimes I tend to forget I have fibromyalgia (Thank you low-carb!!!). Then I have a very busy and stressful weekend and I am quickly reminded. This weekend was very full - a church picnic, the wedding, Revival at our church, and a few other exhausting things all added up to my being fatigued beyond belief. Thankfully I have no pain and pray it stays that way. My fatigue should disappear soon, but it will take a lot of rest to make that happen.


Homeschooling:

This year has started out very well and the children and I are both very optimistic about it. The kids seem to really be enjoying themselves, and I'll admit I am too! We have a lot to figure out still, but we are learning together and having fun. Learning should be fun! Don't you agree?


OK.. gotta run. I'm gonna leave you with another wise saying:

Everything your mother ever warned you about it true.

A few good reads for today....

Weight loss

First a quick update: I'm down another lb, which leaves only a lb to go before I'm back at 161.4. Curse those chips!

We had dinner with friends last night and they started asking me about my diet. I explained how low-carb works, etc. They didn't look sold when I was finished, but I know the results I'm having speak for themselves. About 9:30 last night they called me from a Wal-Mart Super Center asking me what they should buy to start the diet. :0)

I gave them a quick rundown and told them I'd bring them my copy of DANDR (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution) and some copies of my favorite recipes. Keep your fingers crossed that they can get through the induction phase, which is the hardest part.


Links

Today will be another busy day, so I thought I'd just share a few articles of interest. I don't have time to give my detailed thoughts on them as I'd like to, so just read and enjoy. And feel free to leave any thoughts you have on these articles in the comment box!

"Good Carbs" Yield New Found Benefits
Again, nothing new under the sun...

More Evidence Favors Low-Carb Diets
My favorite quote from the above article:

Taken as a whole, the evidence suggests that carb-control offers considerable potential as a weapon in the battle of the bulge.

Amen Dr. Briffa!

After reading this article I decided to look at his blog: Dr. Briffa - A good look at health

I don't the time today to read in detail, but I'll definitely be going back to see what he has to say. It does look promising! I'll let you know my thoughts on this blog in a future post.

"Healthy" Foods May Not Be
I think I've posted this before, but the warning bears repeating. Do more than look at the nutrition labels... read the ingredients labels as well! (No that can't "fix" this problem, but it will help you spot those things that just don't seem to add up. You can also use the hidden carb calculator on my site to check things out.)


Words of Wisdom

A photographic memory is of no use if it's never developed.

OK.. I need to get busy. Have a great day

Worried about your sweetner?

I found this article today and felt it was definitely worth sharing. It summarizes various sweeteners and the questions frequently asked about them, such as:

What is sucralose?

Why does aspartame carry a warning label? Is it true that it causes brain cancer?

Why is stevia sold as a dietary supplement, not a sweetener?

Why are xylitol and sorbitol used in chewing gum and in products for people with diabetes? They are not calorie-free.

Does saccharin cause bladder cancer?

What is neotame? I hear it is about to hit the market.

I really couldn't add much to the topic, so I'll just let you read all about it here.


On a similar topic, take a look at this: The Low Down on Whey Low.

To quote:

Whey Low is made of natural sugars — sucrose, fructose and lactose — not artificial ingredients

They claim this is the ideal sweetener for diabetics. To be quite honest, I don't see the logic in this. I have my own thoughts on this, but I'd love to hear your opinions on the subject. Any diabetics, or low-carbers, out there who have given this a try? Let us hear from you!