Did you know that changing your eating habits can improve your creativity and productivity?

It can.

For many people, the word Sustenance means food. But, the definition is actually MUCH more broad, and is defined by terms such as: support from below; maintain; encourage.

And as such, your eating habits can support and enhance your creativity and productivity. And, it’s not as hard as you might think.

Instead, it’s a matter of linking together a series of small changes to create a big change. We don’t expect infants to be able to run – it’s a progression. The same is true of developing any other skill or habit – we have to start with small changes and build on them. [Read more...]

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Being gluten-free is getting easier and easier every day. My local market now carries five kinds of gluten-free beers, several brands of gluten-free bread, and recently they started carrying gluten-free frozen pizza. (I literally cried when I found the gluten-free frozen pizza.)

The obvious sources of gluten are, well, obvious: bread, many cereals, pasta, pancakes, waffles, breaded anything. And avoiding those is equally easy.

And if gluten existed only in the obvious stuff, it would be easy. But, much like high fructose corn syrup – which is in everything – so is gluten. [Read more...]

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It’s wrong because:

• What you are eating is someone else’s definition of what you should be eating.
• Someone told you this was a “sure-fire” way to lose weight.
• It’s what a nutritionist, book, article, or web site told you is a “healthy diet plan.”

It’s only healthy and good for you if it’s healthy and good – for you.

We spend days, months, and years figuring out our own individual productivity processes, the absolute fastest time to the office based upon day of week and time of day, and even the right pair of jeans that won’t make our butt look too big – but how much time do you spend looking at what you eat and making sure you are choosing the foods that your body responds the best to?  [Read more...]

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Just last week I returned from an amazing 10-day trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. I was there seeing the city (first time to Scandinavia) and assisting at the Copenhagen RKC (kettlebell certification). It was ALSO my first real long-distance trip since having gone gluten-free last fall.

As someone who spends a lot of time in the air (I’m once again going to hit elite status on two separate airlines this year), I have a pretty good sense of what the airlines are going to serve. Tinned meat (probably with pasta, maybe potatoes), a roll, iceberg lettuce (which they want you to think is salad), crackers, piece of cheese, and some sort of brownie or cookie for dessert. If you look at that list, that leaves me with the meat (which is probably in a sauce that has flour in it), the piece of cheese, the salad. Um….. that is it!

Sure enough, the airlines did NOT let me down. I ate a fraction of what they served, but was fortunate enough to have packed my own food for the trip. Once I got there, it was a piece of cake (figuratively, of course) – eating gluten-free in Copenhagen is easier than eating gluten-free here!

My Gluten-Free Travel Tips

• Think Camping & Hiking Food. Assume going in you can’t eat anything the airlines serve. Since I was going to be traveling for 21 hours, this meant basically bringing a full day’s worth of calories with me in my backpack. My friends: dried organic fruit, nut mixes, trail mixes, cheese. On the way home I was lucky enough to get a nice salad at JFK airport, but I don’t count on buying food at the airport either. Not only is it much more expensive, the day I decide to rely on the airport vendors is the day the bridge is open or the TSA line is unusually long.
• Digestive Enzymes. When I am about to sit down to a meal that I can’t be sure is gluten-free, the first thing I do is take a couple of digestive enzymes. It helps my stomach better process any gluten that may be in the meal, meaning I’m a whole lot less likely to spend the next few hours feeling quite green!  I’m currently taking Digest Gold, but have used both Wobenzyme and Vitalzyme in the past. All three are great products, and I happily recommend them all. You can buy them online at places like Amazon, eVitamins.com, or your favorite local supplement shop. You will NOT be able to find these products at Walgreen’s or similar retailers.
• Cook. Obviously this tip doesn’t work so well on the airplane (I’m pretty sure that is where the federal marshals get involved), but I now make sure that wherever I’m staying I’m able to cook for myself. That means hotels with kitchens or kitchenettes, renting vacation houses, or staying with friends. While I’ve always been food-conscious, I was never one of those “be sure you ship your food in advance so you can stay on your diet plan” sort of people. I’m just not that girl. But now, when eating wrong knocks me off my game for a half day, it’s a much bigger deal. It doesn’t even have to take a lot of time — I can get a roasted chicken from Whole Foods (or Whole Wallet as I often call it), strip it off the bones, and use it for salads for several days. Some spinach, fruit, a few gluten-free wraps, and some cheese, and I’m good!
• The Deli is Your Friend. Same idea as the cooking tip. I am also not a make-a-fuss sort of girl at a restaurant, and traveling is expensive enough. So, I try to minimize trips to sit-down places for cost reasons and just don’t have the energy to try to navigate most fast-food places (although I’m a bonafide In ‘N Out fan). So, I’d much rather find a decent grocery store, and hit up their deli for some sliced meat, cheese, and the salad bar. As long as you don’t load on the cottage cheese (which is expensive by the pound), you can keep the price reasonable – somewhere between fast-food and sit-down.

It’s a bit of prior planning, but to get off the plane and actually feel reasonably good is pretty nice. I think I actually felt better after this international trip than I ever have, and I’m willing to bet that not eating all of the junk they put in front of me was a big part of it.

What are your favorite gluten-free travel tips?

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