“Ah-well, then it’s going to be just fine,” with a big sigh of relief?

That’s how I felt after watching this very well done documentary on living well with celiac disease.

The film’s director, Susan Cohen, also recently celebrated her 10 year anniversary of living gluten free.

Congratulations Susan!

I first heard about the film on Twitter (which, if you haven’t checked it out, has a very large, vocal, and friendly celiac and gluten free community.)

Looking over the site, I ordered it.  Heck, for $4.50 you can’t go wrong.

I am sorry to say that months went by before I watched it.  Truthfully, I wanted to watch it with my Dad, so I waited until he visited.  We watched it and were really impressed.

The quality of the film is great.  This is not the “Blair Witch Project” quality of film making.  (Did I just date myself?)

More importantly though, the content really shines.

Susan speaks with individuals from several different perspectives who are all involved with the celiac community.  Some of them have celiac disease, some do not.  I’m not going to spoil it by giving details.

The big take away point of the film, and one that I’ve been banging the drum about since I started this blog, is that a diagnosis of celiac disease is not a bad thing.

In fact, I think celiac disease/gluten intolerance is a blessing in disguise.

Susan has done a fantastic job in showing that living gluten free can be an incredibly empowering, and tasty, way to live.

The film shows just how far we’ve come in the past 15 years or so with diagnosis, treatment, and gluten free eating.  Considering that filming was completed in 2005, it’s amazing how much more we’ve learned in the past 5 years.

I thought about asking Susan to donate a copy of the DVD to give away.

I changed my mind.

The DVD is $4.50.  It’s more than worth it.  Go buy it, watch it with your family, buy copies for friends and family that can benefit from seeing celiac disease and gluten intolerance in a positive and uplifting light.

Visit Generation Gluten Free and buy your copy today.

After you’re all inspired and looking for some concrete ways to live your life in a healthy gluten free manner, go check out Gluten Free and Fit 101.

Go order, watch, and let me know what you think!  If you’ve already watched the film, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Go Generation Gluten Free!

Review of Generation Gluten Free-the Documentary is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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Luckily, there were lots of great articles posted this week that I can share with you.

photo credit fabcabrera

Cool celiac stuff:

It appears that scientists have isolated the 3 (yes, 3 out of thousands of protein fragments are what appear to cause the autoimmune response to gluten) peptides that cause some of the issues associated with celiac disease.  This is a big step, but only the beginning of research that has yet to be completed.

Here’s the review on Celiac.com

And the Reuters review

More cool stuff:

Trauma as an example of a trigger for celiac disease

An interesting story illustration celiacs may be more prone to environmental toxins

Shirley over at Gluten Free Easily has posted a review of “7 Quick Start Tips to Leading a Healthy Gluten Free Fit Life” and is giving away a copy.  Check out her post and enter to win!

Kim at Cook it Allergy Free posted an awesome article on “How to Avoid Gluten Free and Allergy Free Baking Mishaps” This is one I bookmarked and will be visiting often!  As I have a relaxed attitude about “recipes”, that can sometimes lead to a cooking fail.  Hopefully Kim’s tips can help me.

If you missed it a couple weeks back, I posted about the “Paleo diet” and it’s implications for those with celiac. It sparked some really great discussion and comments, so if you missed it go check it out and weigh in with your thoughts.

General nutritional cool stuff:

Back in May I wrote an article on my thoughts about a study that found better results in a group that had faster weight loss in beginning a diet, as opposed to the “slow and steady” approach. There were quite a few limitations with that study.

This week Reuters posted an article revisiting the idea after a presentation at International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm, Sweden.  There are so many factors that play into what will be a sustainable method of people to achieve and maintain weight loss it’s not even funny.  I think what this shows more than anything is that the problem isn’t the weight loss.  It’s maintaining that loss. Food for thought (and no calories!  Bad pun, really bad pun.)

A study was published in Food and Nutrition Research that examined the thermic effect of food (calorie cost of digestion, essentially) of 2 calorie matched meals.  One “processed” with white bread and processed cheese food, and the other with multi grain and seed bread with cheddar cheese.  They did not match the macronutrient (fat/protein/carb) content, but the calories were equal.

The results were interesting.  Both sandwiches gave the same sense of fullness, but the “whole food” version required about double the thermic effect to digest it.

Now, the whole food version had more protein, which does require more energy for digestion.  So, it would be interesting to see what would happen if that was matched.

Anyhow-more evidence that quality of food is important, of course along with quantity.

Weighty Matters on the subject

The actual paper to geek out on

Lastly, previously I have shared my thoughts on intuitive eating. Dineen at Eat Without Guilt posted a great article on the pitfalls and positives of snacking. I’ve been playing around with meal frequency myself lately and will report my findings in a month or so.  Meanwhile, I thought this was a great read and gives some good tips.

Bottom line, and as always-do your research, get educated, make an informed decision based on your individual thoughts, physiology and activity levels.

Til next week!  If you need more reading, head over to Gluten Free and Fit 101.  Class is in!

Weekend Roundup! Gluten Free/Nutrition Goodies of the Week is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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• Intuitive Eating-you Eat Therefore you Think? Getting your Mind into your Food

If you follow GFF on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll somtimes see me post up an article I think is worth a look.  Sometimes it’s about celiac disease and research, sometimes it’s an awesome looking gluten free recipe, sometimes it’s solid information from the fitness aspect of things, sometimes it’s really geekazoid biochemistry stuff, and sometimes it’s just plain something hilarious.

I’ll do a “round up” post of sorts on a regular basis if you guys find this helpful, so make sure to post a comment if you like it!

photo credit fabcabrera

Celiac Disease/Gluten Free stuff:

Explanation of how manufacturers define and use the terms “gluten free,” “wheat free,” and questions to ask

Chris (Celiac Man) is raising funds for Celiac Awareness and summer camps that are gluten free

Carrie (GingerLemon Girl) complied a list of the recipes from the 30 Days Quick and Easy Gluten Free Meals. Bookmark it.

Wendy’s journey to leading a healthier gluten free life, and a giveaway of  my ebook

Amy at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free recipe for GF and nonfat “brownies” perfect for a high carb refeed day

Heidi (Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom aka GF FlavaMom) hilarious recount of some experiences and review/giveaway of the ebook

Dieting and Nutrition Articles:

Last week I posted my thoughts on the idea of intuitive eating.  This week I saw a couple more that I thought were interesting and thought provoking.

An overview by a registered dietitian with some tips

The always straight shooting Leigh Peele shares her thoughts on the problems with using intuitive eating for fat loss

And her thoughts on a possible solution

James Krieger explores the nerdlier yet incredibly interesting side of appetite control and why it’s so complicated

Weighty Matters on calorie intake and gives a link to a fairly accurate calorie expenditure calculator.  Don’t overestimate your activity level when you are entering the information.

Lastly, James at Weightology gives his list of blogs to check out.  I am extraordinarily flattered to be on this list with some amazing individuals.  I really don’t fit in there.  Some of my favorites like Alan Aragon and Lyle McDonald are included, and a few new to me that look awesome and are going on my Google Reader.

Wraps it up for now!  If you like this idea, hit up a comment and let me know.

Saturday Round Up-Gluten Free and Nutrition Goodies of the Week is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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• Gluten Free Supplements Review-Rockwell Nutrition

Seriously, I just deleted a couple pages I’d already written, and then decided that was very stupid.

Here’s the thing.  I’ve said before that living healthfully and gluten free is a lifestyle, not a “diet.” I just hate the connotations that come along with the word diet.  There’s so many wacky “diets” out there.  And for some reason, whenever something is a “diet,” there’s always individuals who seem to latch on to the ideas or principles presented, as the next great thing that is going to cure cancer and clean your kitchen to boot.

In all fairness, the Paleo Diet in it’s purest form is a way of eating, not a “diet.”  It’s kind of exploded beyond that though.

Photo Credit Rakka

A few weeks ago, I was having a e-discussion with my friend Shirley over at Gluten Free Easily about food, eating, and diet.  Shirley and I share many of the same views about food in general, and she mentioned how she seems to find weight control more successfully and easily when following a Paleo-like plan.

So what is this Paleo, you may be saying?

According to Wikipedia (really, where else would you look,) “The modern dietary regimen known as the Paleolithic diet (abbreviated paleo diet or paleodiet), also popularly referred to as the caveman diet, Stone Age diet and hunter-gatherer diet, is a nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various human species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic—a period of about 2.5 million years duration that ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture. In common usage, such terms as the “Paleolithic diet” also refer to the actual ancestral human diet.^[1][2] Centered on commonly available modern foods, the “contemporary” Paleolithic diet consists mainly of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts; and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.^[1][3][4]”

That sounds pretty good, for starters, right?

Meats, veggies, fruit, nuts-this sounds like what I talk about all the time.  This Paleo thing sounds pretty good, right?

And the fact that grains are excluded makes it a slam dunk for celiacs.

Well, yes, kind of.

I  love the foods that they include.  All naturally gluten free, all can be highly nutritious.  What I don’t like so much are all the exclusions.  I like beans, and find them a good source of protein and carbohydrate.  Tasty, too.  Same goes for dairy (as I am not casein or lactose intolerant.)  And no rice, ever?

Maybe it’s just the inner rebel in me, but if someone says I can’t have something it makes me want it more.

I’ve recently been reading more from Mark Sisson at Mark’s Daily Apple.  He’s taken a riff on Paleo, and called it Primal .

From what I’ve read, his approach is a bit more realistic, and flexible, which I like.  He even indicates that dairy and rice (gasp!) would be acceptable in certain circumstances. 

Robb Wolf also has a bit more flexibility in approach, especially for athletes, and I like that quite a bit.  I recently listened to a podcast interview with him and if I am remembering correctly, his Mom has celiac disease.

Another person with some good stuff to say is Dr. Kurt Harris at PaleoNu.  He has a 12 step “getting started” which I like quite a bit, with the exception of meal frequency (I think it’s more individual than he indicates.)

Here’s one of my big issues with the Paleotards, and those non-obsessed, but following one principle I have issue with.

Insulin is THE DEBIL! (Cue Kathy Bates as the Mom in the Adam Sandler movie The Waterboy.)

Insulin secretion is not, in fact, the devil. 

James Krieger did a great overview of insulin on his blog, which I highly recommend you check out.  Here’s the Cliffs Notes version: insulin is not necessarily bad, although it can be circumstantially, and if there is not a caloric surplus, (yes, calories do matter,) fat will not be stored.  I also very much like the analogy that Kurt Harris uses of insulin being like a bouncer at a club.  Logic and reason for the win.  Insulin in the face of a caloric deficit will not magically make you fat.

Also, there is no magic to eating in a Paleo fashion which will make you lose weight.

A higher protein intake is recommended, and that is something I wholeheartedly support.  However, there is no “metabolic advantage” to a higher protein diet.  As James Krieger so eloquently illustrated in another post on his fine blog, the magic isn’t magic.  It’s satiety.

Satiety=feeling full.

A lower carbohydrate, higher protein diet makes you feel fuller.

So, you eat less. The magic happens because you are eating less CALORIES!  Yes, it’s easier because you feel fuller, but it’s not magic.

So is the Paleo or Primal way of eating a good way to go for celiacs?

I think it’s a good start.  My personal approach is more moderate.  I do recommend, and personally choose, to eat whole, naturally gluten free foods most often. That does, for the most part, coincide with the Paleo approach.  However, I don’t like being exclusionary, especially to entire groups of food (like dairy, if you tolerate it.)  I offer a free guide which gives some more of my ideas (like you haven’t listened to me enough already!) on healthy gluten free nutrition.

Accept no approach blindly.  Do your research, get educated, and make an informed decision.  Don’t be afraid to take bits and pieces from different areas and make them your own.

The Frankenstein Diet.  I like it.

What do you think?  Have you put together your own Frankenstein?  Have you tried Paleo?  Hit it up in the comments!

The Paleo Diet for Celiacs? is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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They make the gluten free snack products ThinkThin protein bars, ThinkThin dessert bars, and ThinkThin bites.

I reviewed a few flavors of the Think Thin protein bars last year.  Click here to read the reviews of the Brownie Crunch, Chunky Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mudslide, and White Chocolate chip flavors.

Julia from Think Products contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing some of the bars.

They were kind enough to send me a few samples to try.

Funnily enough, most of the flavors they sent were ones I had already reviewed.  However, I did try the Chocolate Covered Strawberry dessert bar for the first time, and I have to revise my previously posted opinion of the White Chocolate Chip bar.

But first: the ingredients.

Because I’m lazy like that, I’m going to copy and paste my take on the ingredients from my post last year.  This has not changed.

“At first inspection the Think Thin nutrition facts look pretty good. It’s labeled as sugar free, has about 240 calories give or take depending on the flavor, 20 grams of protein, 7-8 grams of fat, and 26 grams of carbs, 1 gram of which is fiber. However, it also has 10-13 grams of sugar alcohols. This is where it gets interesting.

A quick primer on sugar alcohols-some of you may already be uncomfortably familiar with sugar alcohols.

I know I am.

Sugar alcohols, commonly seen as malitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, and lactitol, are frequently used in items marketed
as “sugar free.” They are sweeteners, and not fully absorbed into the small intestine. (Alert!Alert!) What is not absorbed by the small intestine is converted into a short chained fatty acid in the large intestine.

Sugar alcohols DO HAVE CALORIES! Approximately 2-3 calories per gram, whereas a “regular” carbohydrate has 4 calories per gram. So when you see labels that subtract out sugar alcohols from carbohydrate grams to give you a “net carb” count-that’s not strictly true.

Sugar alcohols do tend to not affect blood sugar as much as glucose, or sugar.  However,  they’re not a “free food.”

Here’s the bad part. Sugar alcohols, due to the whole absorption thing, can cause stomach upset, diarrhea, and gas. Our celiac tummies seem to be a bit more susceptible than your average Joe or Jane. I know mine is. Strike 1.

So now a closer look at the rest of the ingredients. First ingredient is a protein blend, OK great, but wait. It has soy protein as a second ingredient in the blend. Strike 2 for me. I can tolerate some natural soy foods, like edamame, but not concentrated into supplements. Then the sugar alcohols next. More soy in “crisps.” The rest of the ingredients appear “mostly harmless” (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference ) and vary dependent on the flavor. They contain 25% of RDA for calcium and Vitamin C, A, B12, B6, and thiamin, 30% for iron, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. Nothing crazy, nice to have those in there though.”

I do not know if the formulations of the bars have changed slightly since I wrote the original review last year.  Based on my tastebuds and stomach, I’d say it has.

These bars were definitely not as dry as the ones I had tried previously.  Also, I did not experience any stomach upset this go ’round.  Now, it’s completely possible that my digestive system is just in better shape now, so who knows, but that’s my (n=1, which is incredibly poor reliability from a research standpoint and is not to be trusted to carry over to others) observation.

New flavor: Chocolate Covered Strawberry:

I was really impressed with this.  Ordinarily, I run like hell from fruit flavored stuff that isn’t fruit.  It tastes incredible artificial to me.  However, this had a nice, subtle, not too artificial strawberry flavor.  And chocolate covered fruit is one of my all time favorite combinations.  This is one of their “dessert” bars.   They are smaller, have a lower calorie count at 200 calories, and have slightly less protein than the “protein bars” at 15 grams.  The other dessert bar flavors are tangerine creamsicle and lemon cream pie, which I have not tried.  GFree TV has done a review on Think Thin as well, and Debbie did mention she really likes the lemon flavor.

Old flavor but different? White Chocolate Chip:

This bar is different from the others in that the bar itself it chocolate flavored and colored, and the coating is white chocolate.   I’m not a white chocolate girl, but this was actually quite good.  It seemed to balance the flavor of the bar itself quite well.  It was not nearly as dry and flavorless as I indicated in my previous review.  Good improvements there.  Either it was reformulated, or the bar I had purchased in Whole Foods had been sitting around for a while and wasn’t as fresh as these coming right from the company.

Overall, these are a nice option to have.  They are available very widely.  I even see them in the grocery store.  They do have a chocolate coating and so are prone to meltage in the summer heat.  Although I prefer whole foods whenever possible, these are great in a pinch, or to quench the sweet tooth fairly harmlessly.  For another taste perspective, you can read my friend Kim’s review.  Her main blog is Gluten Free is Life, but she is a prolific writer in the gluten free world.

Have you tried other flavors?  What did you think, and which was your favorite?

Think Thin Bars Review-Redux is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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Well, as it turns out, quite a bit.

If you have struggled at all with eating or weight issues, you’ve no doubt heard that people eat “mindlessly” or that eating is often used to deal with emotional issues that may have nothing to do with hunger.

Even if you have NOT struggled with eating, you’ve likely heard these terms. Food, eating, weight-they are all a huge part of our culture.  Especially now that approximately 33% of Americans are overweight, and another 34% are obese.  The implications of these numbers are staggering.

There’s always the search for the magic pill, the miracle exercise plan, the instant fix. There are thousands of diets, immense numbers of diet books, and a new weight loss guru every day.

Celiacs particularly have a special challenge with weight loss due to the absorption issues in the gut and possible hormonal wackiness.

The idea of intuitive eating is a huge subject, and one that I have wanted to discuss for quite a while.  It’s such a huge subject that I was hesitant to tackle it, as it is a very individual journey.

On Monday I listened to the “2 Fit Chicks and a Microphone” podcast where Carla and Shauna discussed their views on intuitive eating.  They also expressed what a giant subject this is, and provided their own personal views on intuitive eating.  (Carla also mentioned she was gluten intolerant, which of course I found very interesting.)  The podcast gave me the kick in the butt I needed to write this.

So what the heck is intuitive eating?

Photo credit krilm

In their podcast, Carla and Shauna renamed it “mindful eating” which I like quite a bit.

I have written in the past how awareness of what you eat can benefit you from a health and weight perspective.

Authors Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch have written a book titled Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works

I read this book several years ago, and keep it handy for reference, which I still do from time to time.

On their website, they give this definition:

“Intuitive eating is an approach that teaches you how to create a healthy relationship with your food, mind, and body–where you ultimately become the expert of your own body.   You learn how to distinguish between physical and emotional feelings, and gain a sense of body wisdom.   It’s also a process of making peace with food—so that you no longer have constant “food worry” thoughts.  It’s knowing that your health and your worth as a person does not change because you ate a so-called “bad” or “fattening” food. “

The truth is, that intuitive or mindful eating is going to have a slightly different definition for everyone.

We attach so much emotional value to food.

In it’s most basic form, food is fuel.  But to many of us, food also represents family, celebration, tradition.  To some of us, food also represents comfort or escape.  And that’s where we start to run into problems.

Not only do we eat when we’re hungry, we eat when we’re bored, lonely, upset, happy, driving, watching TV, or any other time.

Imagine if we ate only when we were truly hungry?

Imagine if we didn’t let food define us, allow it to control if we see ourselves as “good” or “bad” ie: “I was good today, I only ate lettuce” or “I was bad today, I had a chocolate cake.”

Maybe then we could start to get this obesity crisis under control.  Maybe we could separate our feelings of self from our eating pattern.

Intuitive eating is not a diet, just as eating gluten free is not a diet.

And food has no inherent control on who you are.

It’s my personal opinion and experience that a combination of intuitive eating and structured eating is the way to go for weight (fat) loss.

For maintenance eating,(staying at your “happy size” when you get there)  I think a full on intuitive approach is definitely a great way to go.  I do think that as you are actively losing weight, that there may need to be an additional component of calorie control.  You absolutely can eat too much, even if it is “clean and healthy” food and never lose the fat.  In these instances, you would have to limit your caloric intake by measuring/weighing/using portion control.  Calories do matter, I don’t care what zealots of any given diet plan say.

To lose weight (fat) there must be a higher caloric expenditure than there is intake.  That means you may feel hungry.

Feeling hungry is not fun, but it won’t kill you either, especially if you have a lot of fat to lose.  This is why I think that a more structured eating plan is necessary in a fat loss phase, especially for celiacs whose gut hormones may be a bit wacky.  If you feel hungry and you are intuitively eating, you would eat.  But that won’t help you if you’ve already eaten the maximum calories for the day which will still allow you to lose weight.  You end up spinning your wheels and getting frustrated, “I’m doing everything right but I’m still not losing weight!”  In these cases, almost always, it’s a case of too many overall calories.  Even if they are healthy calories.

Carla had a great idea on the podcast.  She suggested keeping a food diary which indicates not just what you eat, but how you feel before, during and after eating an item.  I think this is a fantastic idea.  I suggest keeping a food diary in my free guide, but I hadn’t thought about adding in the awareness component.

The key in the beginning is to keep the diary without changing anything.  No judgments on yourself, just write it down.  What you eat, how much you eat, and how you feel.  After a week or two, you will see a large increase in your awareness of what you are putting into your mouth and how it makes you feel.

Then you can make changes as needed.  If you notice that you are eating when you are already full, then stop doing that.  (It’s like the guy who goes to the doctor-Doc, my arm hurts when I do this-so stop doing that.)

I know I am over simplifying, but the most important thing is to do something. Today. Now.  If you are unhappy with how you look or feel, it is up to you to make a change.

You can do it.  You are stronger than you think.

Over on the GFF Facebook page in the discussions tab we have a “goals and accountability” section where you can post your goal and get support and a kick in the butt if needed, so swing by and join us.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please pipe up on what you think of intuitive eating, your experiences and opinions.

Intuitive Eating-you Eat Therefore you Think? Getting your Mind into your Food is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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• Gratitude, Awareness and Prevention-Living a Healthy Gluten Free Bountiful Life

Pete is the author of No Gluten, No Problem, as well as Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking with his wife Kelli.  I  profiled Pete as a gluten free athlete last year.

He is training for the Virgil Crest Ultra Race-which is a 50 mile race with 9000 vertical feet of ascent.

Since I live in Florida, the biggest mountain I see is the bridge that spans the intracoastal.  I can’t even begin to imagine what a challenge this race will be for Pete.  That’s a heck of a goal, and one that I am excited to watch him achieve.

(Side note-setting goals is something I think is super important. Be on the lookout for upcoming posts on goal setting.  I talk about it in my new book 7 Quick Start Tips to Leading a Healthy, Gluten-Free Life (without making yourself nuts in the process) also.  Setting achieveable and concrete goals for yourself will help quite a bit in actually making positive change.)

Pete is chronicling his training at his blog.  In addition, he has decided to make this race a fundraising effort for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.   I am a big supporter of the NFCA as well.  They are providing a great deal of wonderful education and working diligently for awareness.  I also was the first to complete their GREAT training for allied health professions.

Pete’s goal is to raise $5000 for the NFCA.

He has created a webpage on First Giving which makes it easy to give your donation.  Please join me in donating toward Pete’s goal, and to the NFCA.  $5 would be a wonderful donation, and when we all give $5, it will add up quickly.

Please click on over to First Giving now and support Pete and the NFCA.

Then, think about your own goals.  Just let the idea of what you would like to achieve marinate in your brain.  Then, share them below.  Make them concrete, and make them real.

And remember, there is no wrong answer.

Support Peter Bronski and the NFCA is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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I heard about NuGo bars, and contacted the company to get some more information.

NuGo Nutrition has seven product lines.

Of those seven, three product lines are gluten, dairy, and soy free.  The others are not, so make sure to check the labels.

The three product lines that are gluten, dairy and soy free are the NuGo 10 bars, the Crispy Cat bars, and the NuGo Free Bars.

Alyssa at NuGo was kind enough to send me samples of NuGo 10 and Free bars to try.

The NuGo 10 bars are gluten, dairy, peanut, and soy free.

They remind me quite a bit of LaraBars in the sense that they are made of whole food ingredients.  They contain 3 nuts, 3 fruits, and 4 seeds.  (Hence the name NuGo 10-10 ingredients.)  They are also vegan and Pareve.

The nutritional facts are as follows:

160 calories.

10 grams of fat.

17 grams of carbohydrates, 4 of which are fiber.

4 grams of protein.

The NuGo 10 bars are available in lemon, cranberry and apple cinnamon flavors.

Taste review:

The flavors of these were very good.  Strong taste of what they were supposed to taste like, given each individual flavor.  They are similar in composition to a LaraBar as well.  However, the texture was a bit dry.  They would hold up well in a purse or backpack, and since there is no chocolate coating you don’t have to worry about summer time melting.

Nutritionally, these are low in protein for my preferences.  I would add a protein source like yogurt/cottage cheese, egg (s), jerky, or string cheese for a nutritional boost.

I also tried 2 flavors of the NuGo Free bars.

These are also gluten, dairy, and soy free, as well as Pareve and vegan.  These are certified gluten free by GFCO, which always gives me extra peace of mind.

The nutrition facts are quite good on these:

150 calories.

3 grams of fat.

28 grams of carbohydrate, 5 of which are fiber.

9 grams of protein.

They are available in 3 flavors: Carrot Cake, Dark Chocolate Crunch, and Dark Chocolate Trail Mix.

Taste review:

I tried the Carrot Cake and Dark Chocolate Trail Mix.  When you open the package, they look vaguely reminiscent of a rice krispie treat.  The Chocolate bar also had a coating of chocolate on one side.  The texture is quite different than a rice krispie treat because the rice crisps used are rice protein crisps.  They are not light and crispy, they are a bit heavier.  These also were a bit dry.  The chocolate coating lessened that a bit on the Trail Mix bar.

The Carrot Cake bar had good flavor with a strong cinnamon and nutmeg taste.  Perhaps a white chocolate coating would go well on this bar and help with the dryness, but as it is it can hold up to heat without melting.

The Trail Mix bar was by far my favorite.  I love the combination of chocolate and fruit.

Nutritionally, these have enough protein to hold you over for a bit, and could stand up on their own if you are in a pinch.  Adding some additional protein would be helpful if you are looking at a longer period of time before you will be able to eat real food.

Overall, these are a handy option to have available.  Personally, I prefer Zing bars, but everyone’s tastes are different.  Also, the NuGo bars are dairy free, the Zing bars are not.  My friend Kim at Gluten Free is Life also reviewed the NuGo bars.  You can check out her review for another perspective.

If you have tried these please share your thoughts in the comments!

NuGo Gluten Free Protein Bars-Review is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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• Review of Generation Gluten Free-the Documentary
• Think Thin Bars Review-Redux
• Gluten Free Supplements Review-Rockwell Nutrition
• Gluten Free Protein Powder Reviews
• Custom Choice (Create your Mix) Gluten Free Cereal-Product Review

Imagine my delight and surprise when I opened my email to find:

“Congratulations! Your blog, Gluten Free Fitness, has just been nominated for the 2010 Top Allergy Blog award in the Medical category!

Obviously, your readers think your content is awesome, and we want to know as well!  We have created a voting module for you to place on your website to tally the votes. Have your readers vote for you, and you can get your blog to the top!”

I am just floored and honored.  Thank you so much.  To quote one of many Emmy/Grammy/MTV Music Award nominees…”just to be nominated is such a pleasure!”  You guys rock!

Brought to you by: Medical Billing and Coding Certification

The winners will be announced 6/21/10, so please click above and vote.  We have almost a whole week to rack up some votes.

Also, I am very happy that I have contributed a “not really recipe” to Carrie over at Ginger Lemon Girl and her “30 days of Quick and Easy Gluten Free Meals.“  After you’ve voted, go check out the easy naturally gluten free pan cooked pork chops.  Pork-it’s what’s for dinner!

If you’re new here,  check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for a place to start.  It can be a bit overwhelming, all this information.  You can listen to Episode 8 of the podcast while you read.

Thanks for voting everyone-and let me know what you think of those pork chops!

We’re Nominated for Top Allergy Blog in the Medical Category! is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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Related Posts:

• Review of Generation Gluten Free-the Documentary
• Saturday Round Up-Gluten Free and Nutrition Goodies of the Week
• The Paleo Diet for Celiacs?
• Think Thin Bars Review-Redux
• NuGo Gluten Free Protein Bars-Review

On Twitter the other day I caught a tweet from @GopherStudyBlue “@FoodNetwork needs a show on a quickly growing niche: gluten-free and alternative baking/cooking. #foodie #foodnetwork #glutenfree”

In non-Twitter speak, this translates to “The Food Network should capitalize on the quickly growing, and becoming more popular, gluten free community that would love to see a show dedicated to gluten free baking and cooking.”

I re-tweeted that comment and sent it back out into the Twitter world.

My friend Amanda at Gluten Free Maui was then very kind, and sent me the email which she had already forwarded along to the folks at the Food Network.

Here’s the Deal:

I’m giving the template below that was so kindly provided by Amanda, as well as what I submitted.  You can use one of those, and tweak it to your liking, or come up with your own.  Then, click here to go to the Food Network contact page and fill in your information, and the message.

Amanda’s template:

“In this time when we know that 1 in 133 people have celiac disease, and even
more have gluten intolerance, it is important to acknowledge a need for cooking
shows focused on gluten free cooking and baking. Many people are lost and
confused after receiving a diagnosis of celiac disease. They don’t know what
they’re going to eat, and they are scared and lonely. While there are many blogs
on this subject, Food Network is a culinary force in our society. Many people
look to Food Network for ideas when they are first learning to cook, when they
want to eat healthier, and when they want to impress others with their culinary
prowess.
Please support those who supported Food Network for so long before beginning the
gluten free diet, by providing at least one cooking or baking show focusing on
the gluten free diet.

Thank you!”

And here’s what I wrote:

“Hello!
As the “one” in the 1 in 130 individuals with Celiac Disease, I write in hope that we will see a new, gluten free focused cooking show on your network.
Beyond the over 3 million Americans with Celiac Disease, there are countless others with gluten intolerance and other conditions that cause them to choose a gluten free lifestyle.  Awareness of celiac disease and gluten intolerance is rising exponentially.  The gluten free food and beverage market is estimated to be growing an average of 28% annually since 2004.
Living gluten free, whether for serious health reasons such as celiac disease, or by choice, is a challenge at the best of times.  The Food Network has become a household staple and is a huge force in the food and cooking industry.  You would be helping home cooks learn to cook gluten free, and also increasing awareness into the restaurant and manufacturing sectors as well.
I hope to see a gluten free cooking show in the near future.  The gluten free community is very vocal and active, and would welcome and promote any attention you can give to this matter.  I know a gluten free show would be extremely well received.
I thank you for your time, and wish you good health and good food.
Erin Elberson”

Feel free to use those as ideas.  Please forward this post along-tweet it, facebook it, link to it…whatever. Let’s work together as a community and get our voices heard.

Not nearly as cool as being on the Food Network, but the Gluten Free and Fit 101 page has been updated with a new free “5 Tips” report.

And the free (gluten free!) nutrition guide was recently updated too.  If you don’t already have it, you can get it here.

Now go send those emails!  And use those cute little icons at the bottom of the post to Tweet/Facebook/email this around.

Let’s see what happens…fingers and toes crossed!

Want to See a Gluten Free Show/Chef on the Food Network? is a post from: Gluten Free Fitness Nutrition and Wellness with a celiac spin Thanks for subscribing! Be sure to check out Gluten Free and Fit 101 for lots of great info to get you started.

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Related Posts:

• Review of Generation Gluten Free-the Documentary
• Saturday Round Up-Gluten Free and Nutrition Goodies of the Week
• The Paleo Diet for Celiacs?
• Think Thin Bars Review-Redux
• NuGo Gluten Free Protein Bars-Review