Happy New Year and new decade!!! I am so happy and blessed to be back to the work I love and writing to you after a very nice family vacation visiting my parents and Aunt Rita in Florida and Disneyworld for two days. We had very treasured family times together, and my favorite was playing the game “Apples to Apples” all together on New Year’s Eve (ages 9 to 83 all had terrific times and many laughs). We will all remember that forever. I hope you all, too, enjoyed many treasured times. It is great to awaken each day with thanks and gratefulness, and as Tony Dungy (and I!) would say, hug your spouse and your kids (and each other) every chance you get!
Elimination Diet & Gluten Free Diet
Spurred on by my thirty-something patient Keelan and listening to my patients, I decided to research elimination and gluten free diets. Keelan suffered from weight gain and mild irritable bowel starting in her twenties despite efforts at healthier eating and exercise. She did an elimination diet and found she had sensitivity to gluten (protein found in wheat, barley, and rye). After eating a gluten free diet this past year she feels so much better and has lost 30 pounds (and now at a good weight for her size/build). If she eats even a little guten (or pasta), she says she can just feel the quick weight increase.
Elimination Diet & Gluten Free Diet
Spurred on by my thirty-something patient Keelan and listening to my patients, I decided to research elimination and gluten free diets. Keelan suffered from weight gain and mild irritable bowel starting in her twenties despite efforts at healthier eating and exercise. She did an elimination diet and found she had sensitivity to gluten (protein found in wheat, barley, and rye). After eating a gluten free diet this past year she feels so much better and has lost 30 pounds (and now at a good weight for her size/build). If she eats even a little guten (or pasta), she says she can just feel the quick weight increase.
I feel many people are similar to Keelan. Some estimates say about 95% of our population have at least some sensitivity to gluten. I recommend any of you not feeling well or at your best weight to try an elimination diet and then see what you find out to continue a better healthier diet for you. Along with a good diet, it is essential to drink plenty of water (at least ½ - 1 gallon/day – I drink at least a 13oz bottle of water at 3 meals and on my way home from work), and take a few appropriate daily supplements for your best health (for most people extra vitamin D, fish oil, multivitamin, probiotic, and calcium for women – see us for your yearly physicals to go over the best for you), along with exercise and proper rest/sleep. I have found many people are unsuspectingly vitamin deficient (like vitamin D/zinc/iodine/and more, causing fatigue, hair loss/skin problems, decreased libido, and much more), so please see us for your yearly physical to check what you need and consider some vitamin tests (several at no charge in our office and some blood).
BASIC ELIMINATION PLAN
Elimination or allergy diets are used to isolate food allergies or sensitivities. There are a number of medical symptoms that can be related to food, including recurrent yeast infections, rashes and eczema, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, asthma, migraines, lactose intolerance (deficiency in the enzyme needed to digest milk or milk products) and more.
You can eat: preferably organic meats-chicken-turkey-fish (Moody Meats or even Target are good places), vegetables & fruits (best organic or well washed, good to get at Fresh Market or http://www.farmfreshdelivery.com/), beans, and rice for at least 14-21 days, then gradually add groups as instructed below every 4-7 days and monitor how you feel/symptoms.
Water - most everyone is dehydrated and this can cause many chronic symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, problems sleeping, joint aches - you need to drink at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces/day (#150 lb person needs at least 75 ounces) - filtered or distilled water (no other fluids count and really only other healthy fluids are herbal or green teas)
Eliminate the following foods from the diet for a period of 14-21days to a month:
--Dairy products, including cheese (instead use soy milk and soy cheese; rice milk, rice-based ice cream)
--Egg and egg-containing products
--Food containing gluten, such as wheat and wheat-based products (including pasta), and barley, oat, or rye grains (alternative grains could be brown rice, buckwheat, spelt, millet, potatoes or sweet potatoes)
--Citrus fruits
--Corn and corn-containing products
--All processed foods including caffeine
Note that suddenly stopping some foods (such as caffeine) can result in withdrawal symptoms (typically headaches) – however this usually lasts only a few days.
Next, reintroduce one food group to your diet about every 5 days.
The reintroduction period allows enough time to determine any intolerances.
Celiac Disease (or also called celiac sprue) is allergic reactions to the protein gluten found in wheat, rye, and barley, and can be very mild or severe leading to malnutrition. Gluten sensitivity is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms can be related to other causes. Some of the many possible symptoms are weight gain, abdominal pain and bloating, fatigue or weakness, cold sores, lactose intolerance, headaches or migraines, gas, diarrhea or constipation, irregular stools, depression, respiratory problems, more frequent infections, swelling and rashes, hair loss, acne, infertility, miscarriage, lupus, autoimmune disease, acid reflux, vitamin D deficiency, joint pain, muscle cramping, and allergies. With gluten allergy one’s immune system attacks its own intestinal lining cells which damages them and allows toxins to enter the blood stream, malnutrition, and inflammation.
Below are recommendations from the Celiac Sprue Association. Their website has a tremendous amount of information at www.csaceliacs.org.
Gluten-free Diet: Basics
Generally allowed foods – meats, poultry, most dairy products (except if lactose intolerant which is common in people with celiac disease), fruits, vegetables, rice, and potatoes.
Alcholic Beverages – gluten-free beer, wine and brandy without preservatives and additives, potatoe vodka, rum, tequila
Breads – commercial gluten-free breads and mixes made from ingredients such as white or brown rice flours and starches such as arrowroot, potatoe, or tapioca.
Cereals – gluten-free cereal grains and sources without malt, hot cereals made from corn meal, cream of rice, hominy, and rice
Cheeses – all aged hard cheeses as cheddar, Swiss, Edam, and Parmesan, and check ingredients on cottage cheese, cream cheese, and pasteurized processed cheese (avoid cheeses with vegetable gum, food starch and preservatives not defined by a gluten-free source)
Crackers and Snack Foods – rice wafers, potatoes or cornstarch based, pure cornmeal chips and tortillas, popcorn, vegetable and gluten-free nut based chips
Desserts – gelatin desserts, certain pudding mixes and ice cream and sherbet or yogurt (without suspect additives, wheat flour, or gluten stabilizers), custard, junket, homemade or commercial desserts from gluten-free ingredients
Drinks and Juices – fresh brewed coffee, tea, chocolate made with cocoa, fruit juices, carbonated drinks and some nut and rice drinks, and a few root beers (and instant or processed drinks without malt, additives, stabilizers, or emulsifiers)
Fats and Oils – olive oils, soy, safflower, grape seed, sunflower, corn oils, canola, margarines, butter, lard, cream, cottonseed, pure mayonnaise, peanut butters, and hydrogenated soy oils (and evaluate low fat combinations)
Flours – use gluten-free flours and starches from food already common in one’s diet (many commercial blends are available)
Fruits – fresh, frozen, dried, or canned fruit (evaluate thickeners, additives, or preservatives)
Grains and Grain Substitutes – any gluten-free grains such as rice, brown rice, corn and popcorn, tapioca, sorghum, flax and wild rice, yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, soy
Meats or Meat Substitutes and Eggs – meats, meat substitutes, fish, minimally processed poultry and eggs prepared with the allowed grains (evaluate all marinades and coatings, hot dogs and sausages)
Miscellaneous – herbs, spices, nuts, coconut, chocolate, pure cocoa
Potatoes-Pasta-Starches – potatoes and sweet potatoes, yams, hominy, rice and wild rice and gluten-free pastas (in the U.S. the word “starch” is made from cornstarch)
Soups-Soy Sauce-Teriyaki Sauces – read all the label of ingredients
Sweets – sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, most jellies and jams, plain hard candy, marshmallows, gumdrops, and homemade or commercial candies made with allowed ingredients
Vegetables – fresh, frozen, dried, or canned unless they contain thickening agents to evaluate (canned vegetables may contain emulsifiers, preservatives, stabilizers, and food starch not defined by source)
Vinegars – balsalmic, apple cider and wine vinegars
Eric’s Fitness Tips
By Eric Walden
I used the four D’s during my training for my first bodybuilding competition. This helped me day in and day out to remember why I was torturing my body. Use this as template for your success. Each person has to find what makes them tick and put stepping stones in place to help them succeed. Everyone is different and will take their own path to success, but these are the basics that everyone must have to succeed.
Each of these components in of themselves can not lead you to success, but when combined together they will almost guarantee success. A person must have each of these components to be successful. A person must first have the desire to accomplish a task. Then they must have the discipline to put together a plan of attack. Third, they must have the drive to keep going when the going gets tough. Last, a person has to have the dedication to complete the task.
The four D’s don’t have to be applied strictly to fitness. It can be applied to daily life. But putting together a plan and acknowledging that the road to success isn’t going to be easy.
The Four D’s to Success
Desire- to long or hope for: exhibit or feel desire fora: to express a wish for
Discipline- a: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character; b: control gained by enforcing obedience or order c: orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior
Drive- to impart a forward motion to by physical force; a: to exert inescapable or coercive pressure on b: to compel to undergo or suffer a change (as in situation or emotional state) c: to urge relentlessly to continuous exertion d: to press or force into an activity, course, or direction e: to project, inject, or impress incisively
Dedication- a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose
Family and Faith
Parenting Tip:
Thinking about our New Years Eve playing “Apples to Apples” reminds me of the importance of special family traditions and memories. I recently read a helpful book on this topic, “Fifteen Minute Family Traditions and Memories”, by Emilie Barnes. Emilie says that a memory-builder does not have to be limited to one season of the year or a certain holiday. It can be any event that later becomes a happy memory – a family ritual, a season, a tradition, or the creation of a memorable event out of an ordinary day. Emilie reminds us that we need to plan our lives to create treasured memories, and that “successful people do what unsuccessful people aren’t willing to do”.
Special family traditions can be making family dinners and prayers a priority with no TV (and maybe one evening a week planning a longer family dinner with special conversation and often asking “What was the best thing that happened to you today?” or have a jar of canned questions to pull out one or several to ask), a special family handshake, making favorite cookies, having pet names, at least once a day telling your children you love them and often tell them how much you enjoy being their parents, having a “You Are Special Today” plate to honor a family member or guest, make a big deal and honor a child on success, designate one night a week as a family night, and special occasion things like a birthday plate or glass, making special secret valentines for family members, coloring East eggs together, reading the Christmas story from the gospel of Luke before Christmas meal just to name a few. Work to identify your special family traditions, keep them up, and plan others that you want!
Marriage Tip (from “Fifteen Minute Family Traditions”) - Prescriptions For Romance
-compliment your mate and repeat every 4 – 6 hours
-say “I love you or respect and appreciate you” at least 3 times today and every day
-the unasked-for gift is most appreciated – the surprise gift most cherished
-run your hands and feet under warm water before coming to bed
-hug at least ten time today – watch out and it can be habit-forming!
-kidnap your mate – blindfold and drive around a little to confuse then take on a surrpise date
-hide 25 little “I love and or respect you because…” cards (on index cards, post-it notes, heart paper…) all over the house (even car, briefcase, freezer, sock drawer, books, etc) – some may stay hidden for months!
Make God and each other your priority!
Faith
In November and December at my church, Trader’s Point Christian Church, or lead minister Aaron Brocket gave a sermon series “Calling Out the Gods”. “You shall have no other Gods before me and you shall not worship idols.” Aaron talked about how we may at first think following the First Commandment is relatively easy, but actually is the one that always trips us up. There is a false God under every sin – idolatry is the tree and sin is the fruit (replacing God with a god substitute). We must daily look at who or what is sitting on the throne of our heart, or is the object of our worship, or what we sacrifice our time and money for? We must daily choose who we serve. God is not interested in being one among many, but being our one Lord.
Aaron discussed that idolatry is the number one threat to our walk with God, and our marriages and families. Our hearts and thoughts are idol factories, and we must discern our idols in the things we want or find happiness or pleasure in, the way we spend our money or our emotions. What are the idols of our hearts and thoughts - ?work, ?money, ?sexual sin, ?busyness, ?sports, ?alcohol/drugs, ?success. Idolatry is killing us and our sanctification (God’s plan for our lives to become more like Him). What we want drives what we do which reveals who we are. As Christians, we must discern our false gods, and dethrone them by daily remembering that who I am and what I do is based upon the glory of God and Him alone. We cannot remove a false god but must replace it with a new affection and pleasure in God and the Gospel. Then we must continue to choose on a daily and even each moment basis who we serve – a false little “g” god or the one true God…
I thank God first for Him and then for all of you – He so loves and knows and cares for each one of us, and the Bible is His book of love for me and you!
Happy New Year for eternity!
Hugs,
Dr. Lisa
Eliminate the following foods from the diet for a period of 14-21days to a month:
--Dairy products, including cheese (instead use soy milk and soy cheese; rice milk, rice-based ice cream)
--Egg and egg-containing products
--Food containing gluten, such as wheat and wheat-based products (including pasta), and barley, oat, or rye grains (alternative grains could be brown rice, buckwheat, spelt, millet, potatoes or sweet potatoes)
--Citrus fruits
--Corn and corn-containing products
--All processed foods including caffeine
Note that suddenly stopping some foods (such as caffeine) can result in withdrawal symptoms (typically headaches) – however this usually lasts only a few days.
Next, reintroduce one food group to your diet about every 5 days.
The reintroduction period allows enough time to determine any intolerances.
Celiac Disease (or also called celiac sprue) is allergic reactions to the protein gluten found in wheat, rye, and barley, and can be very mild or severe leading to malnutrition. Gluten sensitivity is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms can be related to other causes. Some of the many possible symptoms are weight gain, abdominal pain and bloating, fatigue or weakness, cold sores, lactose intolerance, headaches or migraines, gas, diarrhea or constipation, irregular stools, depression, respiratory problems, more frequent infections, swelling and rashes, hair loss, acne, infertility, miscarriage, lupus, autoimmune disease, acid reflux, vitamin D deficiency, joint pain, muscle cramping, and allergies. With gluten allergy one’s immune system attacks its own intestinal lining cells which damages them and allows toxins to enter the blood stream, malnutrition, and inflammation.
Below are recommendations from the Celiac Sprue Association. Their website has a tremendous amount of information at www.csaceliacs.org.
Gluten-free Diet: Basics
Generally allowed foods – meats, poultry, most dairy products (except if lactose intolerant which is common in people with celiac disease), fruits, vegetables, rice, and potatoes.
Alcholic Beverages – gluten-free beer, wine and brandy without preservatives and additives, potatoe vodka, rum, tequila
Breads – commercial gluten-free breads and mixes made from ingredients such as white or brown rice flours and starches such as arrowroot, potatoe, or tapioca.
Cereals – gluten-free cereal grains and sources without malt, hot cereals made from corn meal, cream of rice, hominy, and rice
Cheeses – all aged hard cheeses as cheddar, Swiss, Edam, and Parmesan, and check ingredients on cottage cheese, cream cheese, and pasteurized processed cheese (avoid cheeses with vegetable gum, food starch and preservatives not defined by a gluten-free source)
Crackers and Snack Foods – rice wafers, potatoes or cornstarch based, pure cornmeal chips and tortillas, popcorn, vegetable and gluten-free nut based chips
Desserts – gelatin desserts, certain pudding mixes and ice cream and sherbet or yogurt (without suspect additives, wheat flour, or gluten stabilizers), custard, junket, homemade or commercial desserts from gluten-free ingredients
Drinks and Juices – fresh brewed coffee, tea, chocolate made with cocoa, fruit juices, carbonated drinks and some nut and rice drinks, and a few root beers (and instant or processed drinks without malt, additives, stabilizers, or emulsifiers)
Fats and Oils – olive oils, soy, safflower, grape seed, sunflower, corn oils, canola, margarines, butter, lard, cream, cottonseed, pure mayonnaise, peanut butters, and hydrogenated soy oils (and evaluate low fat combinations)
Flours – use gluten-free flours and starches from food already common in one’s diet (many commercial blends are available)
Fruits – fresh, frozen, dried, or canned fruit (evaluate thickeners, additives, or preservatives)
Grains and Grain Substitutes – any gluten-free grains such as rice, brown rice, corn and popcorn, tapioca, sorghum, flax and wild rice, yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, soy
Meats or Meat Substitutes and Eggs – meats, meat substitutes, fish, minimally processed poultry and eggs prepared with the allowed grains (evaluate all marinades and coatings, hot dogs and sausages)
Miscellaneous – herbs, spices, nuts, coconut, chocolate, pure cocoa
Potatoes-Pasta-Starches – potatoes and sweet potatoes, yams, hominy, rice and wild rice and gluten-free pastas (in the U.S. the word “starch” is made from cornstarch)
Soups-Soy Sauce-Teriyaki Sauces – read all the label of ingredients
Sweets – sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, most jellies and jams, plain hard candy, marshmallows, gumdrops, and homemade or commercial candies made with allowed ingredients
Vegetables – fresh, frozen, dried, or canned unless they contain thickening agents to evaluate (canned vegetables may contain emulsifiers, preservatives, stabilizers, and food starch not defined by source)
Vinegars – balsalmic, apple cider and wine vinegars
Eric’s Fitness Tips
By Eric Walden
I used the four D’s during my training for my first bodybuilding competition. This helped me day in and day out to remember why I was torturing my body. Use this as template for your success. Each person has to find what makes them tick and put stepping stones in place to help them succeed. Everyone is different and will take their own path to success, but these are the basics that everyone must have to succeed.
Each of these components in of themselves can not lead you to success, but when combined together they will almost guarantee success. A person must have each of these components to be successful. A person must first have the desire to accomplish a task. Then they must have the discipline to put together a plan of attack. Third, they must have the drive to keep going when the going gets tough. Last, a person has to have the dedication to complete the task.
The four D’s don’t have to be applied strictly to fitness. It can be applied to daily life. But putting together a plan and acknowledging that the road to success isn’t going to be easy.
The Four D’s to Success
Desire- to long or hope for: exhibit or feel desire for
Discipline- a: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character; b: control gained by enforcing obedience or order c: orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior
Drive- to impart a forward motion to by physical force; a: to exert inescapable or coercive pressure on b: to compel to undergo or suffer a change (as in situation or emotional state) c: to urge relentlessly to continuous exertion d: to press or force into an activity, course, or direction e: to project, inject, or impress incisively
Dedication- a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose
Family and Faith
Parenting Tip:
Thinking about our New Years Eve playing “Apples to Apples” reminds me of the importance of special family traditions and memories. I recently read a helpful book on this topic, “Fifteen Minute Family Traditions and Memories”, by Emilie Barnes. Emilie says that a memory-builder does not have to be limited to one season of the year or a certain holiday. It can be any event that later becomes a happy memory – a family ritual, a season, a tradition, or the creation of a memorable event out of an ordinary day. Emilie reminds us that we need to plan our lives to create treasured memories, and that “successful people do what unsuccessful people aren’t willing to do”.
Special family traditions can be making family dinners and prayers a priority with no TV (and maybe one evening a week planning a longer family dinner with special conversation and often asking “What was the best thing that happened to you today?” or have a jar of canned questions to pull out one or several to ask), a special family handshake, making favorite cookies, having pet names, at least once a day telling your children you love them and often tell them how much you enjoy being their parents, having a “You Are Special Today” plate to honor a family member or guest, make a big deal and honor a child on success, designate one night a week as a family night, and special occasion things like a birthday plate or glass, making special secret valentines for family members, coloring East eggs together, reading the Christmas story from the gospel of Luke before Christmas meal just to name a few. Work to identify your special family traditions, keep them up, and plan others that you want!
Marriage Tip (from “Fifteen Minute Family Traditions”) - Prescriptions For Romance
-compliment your mate and repeat every 4 – 6 hours
-say “I love you or respect and appreciate you” at least 3 times today and every day
-the unasked-for gift is most appreciated – the surprise gift most cherished
-run your hands and feet under warm water before coming to bed
-hug at least ten time today – watch out and it can be habit-forming!
-kidnap your mate – blindfold and drive around a little to confuse then take on a surrpise date
-hide 25 little “I love and or respect you because…” cards (on index cards, post-it notes, heart paper…) all over the house (even car, briefcase, freezer, sock drawer, books, etc) – some may stay hidden for months!
Make God and each other your priority!
Faith
In November and December at my church, Trader’s Point Christian Church, or lead minister Aaron Brocket gave a sermon series “Calling Out the Gods”. “You shall have no other Gods before me and you shall not worship idols.” Aaron talked about how we may at first think following the First Commandment is relatively easy, but actually is the one that always trips us up. There is a false God under every sin – idolatry is the tree and sin is the fruit (replacing God with a god substitute). We must daily look at who or what is sitting on the throne of our heart, or is the object of our worship, or what we sacrifice our time and money for? We must daily choose who we serve. God is not interested in being one among many, but being our one Lord.
Aaron discussed that idolatry is the number one threat to our walk with God, and our marriages and families. Our hearts and thoughts are idol factories, and we must discern our idols in the things we want or find happiness or pleasure in, the way we spend our money or our emotions. What are the idols of our hearts and thoughts - ?work, ?money, ?sexual sin, ?busyness, ?sports, ?alcohol/drugs, ?success. Idolatry is killing us and our sanctification (God’s plan for our lives to become more like Him). What we want drives what we do which reveals who we are. As Christians, we must discern our false gods, and dethrone them by daily remembering that who I am and what I do is based upon the glory of God and Him alone. We cannot remove a false god but must replace it with a new affection and pleasure in God and the Gospel. Then we must continue to choose on a daily and even each moment basis who we serve – a false little “g” god or the one true God…
I thank God first for Him and then for all of you – He so loves and knows and cares for each one of us, and the Bible is His book of love for me and you!
Happy New Year for eternity!
Hugs,
Dr. Lisa
