The New Gluten-free Fad

Gluten-free products are everywhere these days and it seems that going gluten-free is as much of a trend as the Atkin's Diet was in the 90's.  While there truly are some people who have a gluten allergy, they account for only 1% of the population.  What's up with the others, you ask?  In my experience it is true that some people have a gluten intolerance (not the same thing as an allergy) which may be relieved by avoiding gluten.  However, for the vast majority of people following a gluten-free diet, it's (erroneously) perceived as promoting health, vitality, disease avoidance and weight loss.  I've even seen gluten-free dog food!

Here is a great and concise article, consulting with some fellow Registered Dietitians, on the risks of gluten-free.  http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/12/why-shouldnt-go-gluten-free/

Basically, I'm not really sure why you would sign yourself or your family members up for this new diet fad unless you really felt you had an allergy or severe intolerance.  Furthermore, if you really feel you have an allergy or severe intolerance, consult with a Registered Dietitian who can determine if a gluten-free diet will be of benefit to you and advise you on how to replace the nutrients you are eliminating with the gluten.

Great Recipes using The Plate Method

Just a quick post today!  When I teach people how to deploy better nutrition habits, I use what we call "The Plate Method" a LOT.  The USDA now uses it to replace the old "Food Pyramid" that you may be familiar with.  Nobody could ever quite figure out how to eat "in pyramid style" so it was an almost completely useless tool.  Now, we can use this visual plate to help us put the correct proportions of food on our plates!

Anyway, I found this really great Pinterest board of published recipes that conform to this new plate method approach and really wanted to share them with you -- Pinterest MyPlate Recipes

If you try any of them out, give me a shout...I'd love to hear what you thought of them!

The Grand New Years Weight Loss Goal....

Millions of us will make the weight loss pledge this New Years -- having felt the weight piling on through halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve, we find the idea of doing something about it in January so enticing!

Unfortunately, diets often put us in yo-yo weight loss mode, bouncing back and forth between weight highs and lows, with the highs getting higher over the years.  Crash diets and fad diets typically make this worse.

Instead of putting yourself on a diet, how about establishing new, healthy habits that will lead to weight loss and a healthier lifestyle?  I really enjoyed the post below from a fellow Dietitian and encourage you to read it!  In a nutshell;

Be Specific - set a realistic and attainable goal, such as "I will limit my soda intake to one per day", or "I will make half my plate vegetables for lunch and dinner every day".

Be Positive - don't beat yourself up!  Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.  :)

Nourition Blog

As Nour reminds us;

 "Do what you've always done, get what you've always got!"