Gluten Free Eating - Online Resources

This week in our series on switching to a Gluten Free diet, we take look at the most useful online resources.

Websites:

http://www.angieglutenfree.com/cooking-classes/ offers cooking classes with their wholefoods expert Angie. Her website also has recipes and you can download her ebook for $7.50

www.glutenfreefamily.com.au – a great archive of Blog posts on Gluten Free recipes and tips as well as a list of major food chain options and some kid-friendly recipes.

http://www.glutenfreeeatingdirectory.com.au/ Australian Gluten free food and eating out guide – also an app Gluten Free Eating Directory 1.4

http://cucinaitaliana.com.au/gluten-free-cooking-classes/ holds cooking classes in Sydney and Venice! (Oh how we wish we could all go to the classes in Venice! It looks amazing!)

Apps for iPhone and Android

FoodSwitch is a free App which scans the barcodes of packaged foods to show ingredients. It now has a new feature called “GlutenSwitch” to help your supermarket shopping a little easier.

Coeliac Australia’s Ingredient List details over 800 ingredients and 300 additives used in Australian and New Zealand foods and indicates whether they are appropriate for a gluten free diet. $9.99

Orgran’s Recipe App is free and has over 300 recipes using their brand of packaged foods available at most major supermarkets.

The free Wholefood Market Recipe App allows you to filter recipes for gluten free options.

Have you found any other resources that you’d be happy to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Going Gluten Free – Out and About in our Local Area

A change in diet can be a daunting and tricky exercise. Regardless of the motivation to initiate change, it can be difficult to navigate this new area of your life, especially when you’re out and about.

You might be in a bit of a routine with your meal preparation at home, but do you feel a little nervous when you are out to think of what your options may be?

We’ve put together some great tips for eating Gluten Free that will not only be useful for those just starting out, but also those already excluding gluten that need some fresh inspiration. Enjoy!

• Going to the local RSL? Choose a roast dinner without gravy or a steak and salad
• When out and about shopping or sightseeing and you haven’t pre-planned to take food with you, consider buying a banana and some nuts or a healthy smoothie for lunch
• Sushi rolls in Foodcourt – usually vegetarian is the best option if you need to completely exclude all traces of gluten (i.e. In the case of Coeliac Disease
• A hot baked potato is another option in a food court at a shopping centre. Stick to a grated cheese topping if you are unsure of the ingredients of the other toppings
•  McDonalds have a warm grilled chicken salad with Balsamic Dressing that is gluten free and not a bad option if you are on the road and need a quick bite. For kids that are super fussy on a road trip, McDonald’s Fries are gluten free and preservative free but these would only be useful as a last resort due to their lack of nutrition and high salt and saturated fat content.

Great Local Resources

• Bresnahans Butchers in Mortdale is great for Gluten Free and Preservative Free sausages and are experts in catering to individual dietary requirements on request.
• Foodies at Peakhurst stock a great range of organic and gluten free foods and even have an online store and delivery service. www.foodiesorganic.com.au
• Major supermarkets have their own gluten free branded pantry foods 

Spinal Health Week 19- 25th May - Keeping Your Spine Healthy!

Keeping Your Spine Healthy

 

In our last post we talked about the importance of keeping your spine healthy and what it means to the overall health of your body. Now, let’s explore the simple measures you can put in place to help keep your spine in top shape.

• Take regular breaks from sitting to walk around and stretch to reduce pressure on the spine.
• Maintain a healthy posture whilst sitting and standing.
• Maintain a healthy weight to reduce the load on your spine.
• Sleep on your side with your knees slightly bent and preferably with a pillow between your knees.
• Avoid twisting when lifting heavy items and always bend from your knees, not your waist.

 

Check out the Chiropractors' Association of Australia's Website to find out more about the simple things you can do to look after your spine. 

Talk to Alisa to see how she can help you get on your way to optimal health!

 

Spinal Health Week 19-25 May 2014

Your Spine and Your Health

Have you ever wondered if your spine is really that important to the overall health of your body? Isn’t the spine’s job just to keep us walking upright?

The simple answer is no. While our spine is responsible for obvious functions such as walking, sitting and bending, it is actually the cornerstone to our overall health and ability to function well. Here’s why:

 

·         Your spine supports your head, neck, shoulders and pelvis; the major structures of your body.

 

·         It protects your central nervous system (located in your spinal cord) which is responsible for the control and functioning of every cell, tissue and organ in your body.

 

·         Hundreds of muscles, ligaments and tendons are attached to your spine.

 

·         It is literally the “backbone” to the healthy function of your body!

 

Book in a check-up with Alisa this month to see how she can help you achieve better spinal health and, ultimately, your best overall health.

 

 

 

 

Anzac Biscuit Recipe

Who doesn’t love an Anzac Biscuit?

This traditional Aussie biscuit is said to have originated during WW1, when wives would bake these treats at home and send them to their husbands on the front line. The biscuits were easily transportable and contained ingredients that wouldn’t spoil easily on a long journey.

We went searching for a healthier alternative for these treats and Teresa Cutter from www.thehealthychef.com has come up with a great recipe and some variations that are sure to hit the spot for nutrition and taste.

You’ll find her delicious recipe here: http://www.thehealthychef.com/2014/04/anzac-biscuits/

 

 

Which one would you like to try?

 At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest we forget.

Start Your Day Right!

What’s the first thing you drink or eat in the morning? A cup of coffee? Some muesli? Have you considered the benefits of your first drink of the day being warm water with lemon?

Here are some great reasons to starting your day with this revitalising drink:

• It kick starts your digestion for the day. Lemons are high in minerals and vitamins that help loosen toxins in the digestive tract.
• Lemon has powerful antibacterial properties
• It has pectin fibre which is important for colon health
• Reduction of pain in joints as it dissolves uric acid
• Detoxifies the liver
• Lemons are packed with vitamin C for immunity and to promote healing
• It is a gentle diuretic
• Hydration for your body
• Because of its very low sugar content and high alkaline mineral content, lemons actually have an alkalising effect on the body.

 

Warm water is the key, not hot or cold as the body reacts differently to these conditions. Ashley Pitman, a wellness educator and cleanse specialist recommends adopting the practice of drinking a cup of warm water with lemon in the morning for a month and seeing how it can radically alter your experience of the day.

Will you join us in the challenge? Let us know how you feel after having it in the mornings!

 

 

The Glycemic Index – Just Another Fad?

There are lots of food and diet fads that come and go. Perhaps you’ve heard of The Aitken’s Diet, The Soup Diet, The Fasting Diet, eating no carbs, eating lots of carbs, the list goes on! In 2002 we became aware of a new way of looking at carbohydrates and how our bodies process them through the Glycemic Index (GI). This became a household term, and it seemed everyone was talking about the GI of foods.
So, was it just a fad or does it hold some important information on how our bodies process the food we digest and the effect that has on our overall health?

The official GI website administered by the University of Sydney explains how GI is calculated:

 “The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health.”

Those foods which have a high GI raise our blood sugar levels quickly and significantly after eating them and, while ok in moderation, can play havoc with our pancreas and other vital organs if we continually rely on high GI foods for most of our nutrition.

The pancreas is responsible for the secretion of insulin, the hormone that regulates and breaks down the glucose in our cells. If there are continual dramatic spikes in our blood sugar, the pancreas struggles to produce enough insulin to meet the demand and eventually this can lead to a condition called “Insulin Resistance”. This is where the liver and the cells of your body are no longer able to respond to insulin and you face the very real possibility of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Scary stuff!

So while it may seem that following the GI of foods was a passing fad of the early 2000s, the science on which it is based cannot be denied. As society relies more and more on quick, carbohydrate-laden foods that are filling and easy to prepare, there has been a steady increase of serious diseases linked with poor management of blood glucose levels.

If you would like to know more about how fluctuations on blood sugar can affect your health or would like to check the GI of the foods you consume, you can find lots of helpful information at www.glycemicindex.com, the official website for the glycemic index and international GI database which is based in the University of Sydney.