Food Intolerance

 And I'm not talking about food allergies here, because there is a pretty big difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance.

Food allergies only affect about 1 to 2 percent of the population, whereas food intolerance occurs in up to 20 percent of the population. "With allergies, symptoms can be very dangerous and even life-threatening. A food intolerance, on the other hand, is more likely to present itself with symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eczema, migraine, fatigue, hives and asthma," says Muriel Simmons, Chief Executive of Allergy UK.

I would also add that food intolerances can potentially be the #1 reason many people are trying "everything" to lose weight with NO results...yup, its that's bad.

If someone is allergic to a food, you can see it pretty quickly...hives, itchy throat, severe reactions. Whereas, the symptoms of food intolerance...bloating, gas, fatigue, inability to lose weight...can take several hours and even days to show up, making you feel like you're in a constant state of digestive distress (Ugh, I remember feeling like that for half my childhood and teenage years...awful).

A food intolerance will also create a chronic state of inflammation inside the body making it a less than ideal environment for your metabolism to burn off unwanted fat...and that's exactly what you DON'T want when you're trying your best to change your body and change your health.

How do you know if you have a food intolerance?

The best way to discover if a food intolerance is the root cause of your inability to lose weight is to temporarily remove those foods from your diet for 2 weeks. You can then slowly introduce those foods back into your diet and see how your body responds.

The most common food intolerance culprits are wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, soy and corn.

It may sound a bit overwhelming to think about eliminating all of those foods from your eating plan, but a meal plan similar to the sample below may really help you find out if a food intolerance is an issue for you.

Breakfast: Quinoa Porridge made with coconut milk, topped with walnuts.

Snack: Turkey slices (nitrite and nitrate free) with carrots and cucumbers

Lunch: Steak salad, leftover steak , shredded carrots and celery with olive oil and vinegar dressing, along with a small fruit salad.

Snack: Smoked Salmon over sliced tomatoes

Dinner : Roasted Chicken, sautéed spinach and baked sweet potato with butter.

Notice there is no wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, soy or corn included above, and the day consisted of a variety of delicious foods.

After eliminating the suggested foods for 2 weeks, choose one and re-introduce a small amount of it into 1 meal and pay close attention to how you feel. If the bloating, gas, indigestion (or whichever symptoms were affecting you the most) come back quickly, you know that food or all of them may not be the best choice food for you.

Eat Less Carbs

An actual blog...go figure

An actual blog?  Real words and not just pictures?  What is the world coming to?

I have this online dieting group...just a handful of us women talking about dieting, fitness, struggles, etc.  Anyway, one member mentioned her new plan and I liked it so much that I had to blog about it to remember it.  It sounds a lot like what I'm doing but with a bit more structure.

She follows a very simple formula: 80/20, 5:30.

The 80/20 is her healthy foods in favor of unhealthy foods. She doesn't eat healthy all the time, but does try to eat *mostly* healthy. The 5 is how many times a day she eats: 3 meals of 500 calories or less (preferably between 300 and 450), 2 snacks of 200 calories or less. The 5 is also how many times a day she eats a fruit or vegetable. The 30 stands for physical activity.  She does a 30 minute *minimum* 5 days a week.

Another thing that has helped is putting all of her meals on a smaller plate. She uses a salad plate rather than a dinner plate; figuring if it can't fit on that plate, she's taking too much.
A bunch of small changes do add up!

3 Point Cake

http://thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/11/aunt-bettys-1-2-3-cake.html

 

Aunt Betty's 1-2-3 Cake

I just love when friends and family send me new things they have found and they invite me to try them too. My husband's Aunt Betty sent me this a few weeks ago and I just got around to trying it out and it is a WINNER!!

You could even make this up and give a Christmas gifts either the whole recipe or in a small glass jelly jar with the directions to make more and how to mix up and bake. As a quick and lightly laden (calorie wise) desert it is a find.

You simply assemble as follows:

1 box Angel Food cake mix
1 box any flavor cake mix
2 T. water

Directions:

Using a large plastic bowl with a tightly fitting lid or a large zip lock bag, combine the two boxes of cake mix stirring or shaking well.

For each individual serving, take out 3 T. of the cake mixture and mix it with 2 T. of water in a small microwave safe container. I used a small coffee mug. Microwave on high for 1 minute. You now have your own instant individual cake and it is warm and inviting. You can top with a dollop of fruit or whipped topping if you like.

Try various flavors of cake mix but it must always be combined with an Angel Food mix.

Keep the mix tightly sealed in an airtight container until used and remember: This recipe is called 1-2-3 Cake because all you need to remember is 3 T.mix, 2 T. water, and 1 minute in the microwave.

And a big thank you goes out to Aunt Betty!!

33 Calorie Cheesecake Squares

http://whatareyoudoingitfor.tumblr.com/post/22523087210/33-calorie-cheesecake


Don’t be scared.
It tasted phenomenal.
I kid you not.
INGREDIENTS:
*3/4 Cup nonfat cottage cheese
*2/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
* 1 TBS flour
* 2 TBS sugar
* 1/4 tsp salt
*4 egg whites
*Juice from 1/2 a lemon
*1/2 cup assorted fresh berries
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients except for eggs in the blender or food processor and whip until the batter is smooth.
2. Now add the eggs and give it a few pulses.
3. Finally, add the fruits and gently mix them in with a spoon. Do NOT blend!
4. Spray the bottom of your pan with some cooking spray or lightly cover with oil.
5. Pour the batter in.
6. Place the pan into your oven which should be set at 350 degrees. The suggested time for cooking is around 30 minutes but check frequently to make sure the cheesecake does not brown or dry out.
7. When done, serve either super hot straight out of the oven or chilled in the fridge. Enjoy!
NUTRITION FACTS:
Total recipe (391 g): 398 calories, 0g fat, 63g carbs, 1.7g fiber, 52g sugar, 38g protein.
Per square (391g/12 squares =33g): 33 calories, 0g fat, 5.3g carbs, 0.1g fiber, 4g sugar, 3.2g protein.
Recipe borrowed then modified from BakingBites.com

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