Friday's Facts and Findings: One Doctor's Opinion on Eating Gluten Free

I used to think that the whole gluten free thing was a lot of hype.  Don't get me wrong, there are people out there who suffer from celiac disease that can get deathly ill from eating the stuff.  I'm talking about everyone else who jumped on the bandwagon.

Well, I've since jumped on myself because I knew I had a "sensitivity" to wheat that showed up on an allergy test.  I also knew that I didn't have celiac disease (I was tested).  However, even though this sensitivity wasn't high enough to be considered an allergy, it was high enough to cause me problems if I consumed too much.

As you know from some of my other posts, I'm currently following the Primal/Paleo way of eating, which means no grains at all.  And, I've got to tell you, I do feel better.

So, even though I'm not suffering from celiac disease, there's something to be said about eating gluten free.  I've had a couple of gluten (not grain) free pizzas and more recently had some gluten free pasta from a favorite local eatery.  I did not experience the same bloating and digestive ailments that I would have in the past eating the wheat version.  Is it the gluten or the wheat?  I don't care, I just know that I personally feel better.

Here's a video that was posted on Underground Wellness.com.  In it Sean Croxton is interviewing Dr. Tom O'Bryan.  The title of the video is "This is Your Brain on Gluten."  In it, he states that gluten doesn't just affect your digestive system, it can affect your brain as well.  I found it very interesting.

Sean's post starts out like this:

"You eat your morning toast, then can’t remember where you put the car keys?

You have a sandwich for lunch, then can’t seem to focus on your afternoon tasks.

Coffee, please!

Your kids slurp down whole grain cereal for breakfast, then come home from school with notes from their teachers about “attention deficit”.

Could these all be connected?"

What do you think the answer is?  Follow the link above to Underground Wellness to get the answer==I couldn't get the video to load here.

Here's another video from the same doctor entitled, "Top 5 Things You Didn't Know About Gluten."

He is hosting a free on line conference called The Gluten Summit on November 11 - 17 that will have more information on this topic.  You can click the above link to register.  I know that I will.

Thursday's Total Body/Cardio -- Halloween Editions

All treats today--no tricks in sight!

Today's posts are all based on Halloween.

The first one goes along with the challenge for the week--schedule in some exercise.  It is only 30 seconds long--it's meant to be done if you're sitting a lot.  This would be great if you could set a timer at your desk--email the video to yourself so it's easily reached on your computer.  Who knows, maybe your co-workers will join in!

It's called the 30 second Zombie Sprint and comes from Under20Workout:

Here's a more intense tabata workout from JessicaSmithTV

and here's another one that uses a pumpkin from Workout Muse

and for your real treat--here's a couple of links for something yummy to make out of that pumpkin!

the first one is grain free, the second one is not.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie in Two Minutes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin

Wednesday's Wild/Warrior Workout -- The Great Pumpkin HIIT workout

When I saw this video from Dana Lee at RealFit.tv, I knew I just had to share it.  You really can exercise with anything!!!

Instead of a medicine ball, Dana uses a 10 pound pumpkin.  How awesome is that?!!!

I couldn't get the video to link directly, so click on the title below for the workout.

It's a 15 minute workout consisting of 5 exercises done for 50 seconds with 10 seconds rest.  This is repeated for 3 rounds.  She does include a short warm up and stretch.

So, before you carve that pumpkin, use it for a workout tool!

Great PUMPkin Halloween HIIT workout