Drinking during The Holidays Gluten and Grain Free

Just in case you want to celebrate this holiday, I want to make it easy for you to go gluten and grain free.

There is no reason you need to go without but remember, do not over do it because a glass of wine or beer will add on the calories.

Here are my favourite selections for going gluten and grain free when choosing your holiday drinks.

The Lighter Side…

Beer : No & Yes

Traditional beer contains 3 basic ingredients: wheat, barley and hops. Wheat and barley are grains, and hops are the female flower clusters of a vine. As you should know by now, grains are out, and thus, so are traditional beers. For the best selections in this category, try to stick to gluten free sorghum varieties and cider beers.

Sorghum Suggestions: Bard’s and Redbridge

Cider Suggestions: Woodchuck, Angry Orchard

Red Wine : Yes

Red wine is my all time favorite recommendation for those who want to drink while maintaining a Paleo lifestyle. Red wine can be found organic, from sustainable farms that promote local economy. Additionally, in moderation, it’s good for your heart, and has antioxidants like resveratrol. This is the healthiest thing on this list. Go get some.

Suggestions: Choose 100% organic from sustainable farms

White Wine : Yes

What makes whites different from reds? They are usually made from white grapes, but more importantly, they remove the skin, which changes the color and taste (called tannins) and removes the resveratrol (bummer). White wine is also full of good stuff like antioxidants, but not as much as the red wine.

Suggestions: Choose 100% organic from sustainable farms

Champagne : Yes

A sparkling wine, champagne is made from grapes and sent through a secondary fermentation of the wine in the bottle to create the carbonation, this is done by adding yeast and sugar.

Suggestions: Choose 100% organic from sustainable farms

Sake : No

Sake is a rice wine that is served often in Japanese sushi houses. And though it is gluten free (be careful, some cheapo brands add barley), it is not made from Paleo ingredients and should be avoided. Not the worst of the worst, but still made from a grain. Drink very sparingly.

Suggestions: None, you should avoid this beverage.

Now let’s bring on the booze…

Vodka : No & Yes

Vodka is primarily made from distilling grains or potatoes and sometimes fruits and/or sugar. Again, we’re not sure if the multiple distillation rids this liquor of grains and gluten, but if you have an allergy and you’re not sure, shoot for the stuff made from fruits like grapes or sugarcane.

Suggestions: Ciroc (made from grapes, flavorless), VuQo (coconut)

Cachaça : Yes

Cachaça is often confused with rum, but unlike its not-so-identical twin, Brazilian law requires that the liquor can only be made from the distillation of fermented sugarcane juice. No byproduct molasses or additives of any kind, making it the optimal choice when available.

Suggestion: Leblon

Rum : Yes

Here’s the skinny. Rum can be made from the distillation of fermented sugarcane juice or sugarcane byproducts like molasses. If given the choice, you’ll want to stick to the sugarcane juice version. And don’t worry about the color, dark rum is dark because it is distilled in charred oak barrels, while white in steel drums, not because of ingredients.

Suggestions: 10 Cane Rum

Whiskey : No

Whiskey is made from the distillation of fermented grain mash. This can include barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat and corn.

Suggestions: None, you should avoid this beverage

Bourbon : No

Bourbon is a whiskey that is made primarily of distilled corn, but also wheat, rye and malted barley.

Suggestions: None, you should avoid this beverage

Scotch : No

Didn’t you see what I wrote about whiskey? Oh, you didn’t know scotch was a whiskey? Well, now you do, so you can’t use that excuse anymore. It was originally made from malt barley (grain), but now is made with wheat and rye as well. Single malt or blended doesn’t matter, this drink is made from grains, so if you have an allergy and are unsure, avoid this drink.

Suggestions: None, you should avoid this beverage

Gin : No

Gin is made from the distillation of grain mash including barley, corn and wheat, very similar to whiskey. The difference is that gin is usually infused with juniper berries and a variety of floral or fruit extracts. No matter the variety, this one is out if you’re scared of allergic reactions or sensitivities.

Suggestions: None, you should avoid this beverage

Tequila : Yes

Tequila is made from the agave plant. As far as alcohols go, this one is a keeper. Stick to 100% agave. If you stray, you’ll be consuming 51% plant and the rest is all sugar. What’s the difference between silver and gold you ask? Same as rum – gold is aged in oak barrels.

Suggestion: Easy. Patrón.

Brandy : Yes

Is made by distilling wine. It is made predominantly from grapes, but can be from other fruits as well. There are many different varieties – watch out for the cheapo brands, they sometimes add caramel color to their product and you don’t want that!

Suggestions: Catoctin Creek Organic 1757 Virginia Brandy

Cognac: Yes

Cognac is a variety of brandy. To be considered a cognac, it must meet requirements like what type of grape (ugni blanc), must be twice distilled in copper pots and aged at least 2 years in French oak barrels. The grapes are combined with yeasts and left to ferment.

Suggestions: Bio Attitude.

If you feel bloated or hungover after that holiday drink or party, you can download this free guide here.

I created this guide to get your body back in shape for NEW YEARS.

YOURS IN HEALTH,

 Karen Jean Fairbanks

Everything you need to know about following an elimination diet

Elimination diets don’t exactly sound like the funnest thing in the world, but if you’re struggling with digestive issues, they can change your life. How do you get to the root of an issue if you can never pinpoint the cause? You don’t. That’s why millions of people live with illness unnecessarily every day. Because they never took the time to discover that perhaps their thyroid problems would improve by removing gluten from their diet. Or their IBS might get significantly better with a dairy free diet.

It’s important to take responsibility for your own health if you want to feel good, and the elimination diet is the foundational journey you must take to decipher what works and what doesn’t.

How to do an Elimination Diet?

Certain foods trigger more negative reactions than others. The elimination diet gets rid of common food allergens for a month. Typically the foods you don’t eat for that time frame include…

●     Gluten

●     Grains

●     Dairy

●     Sugar and sweeteners (except stevia)

●     Processed foods

●     Alcohol

●     Caffeine

●     Citrus fruits

●     Nightshade vegetables (tomato, peppers and eggplant)

●     Nuts and seeds

●     Soy

●     Meat with nitrites

You may also wish to look at foods high in histamine however this can be a complicated affair due to foods like raspberries being high in histamine but also high in quercetin which is an antihistamine and great for healing leaky gut!

Here is a great site for histamine/mast cell issues:  https://healinghistamine.com/histamine-in-food-lists/

I do look at all these factors that may be present in my consultations.

Not all elimination diets are the same and you don’t necessarily have to remove all these foods.

Once you’ve eliminated these foods for a month you start to reintroduce them into your diet one by one.

By adding a new food back to your diet every 1-3 days you can get a clear idea of how that food is affecting you.

Writing about your physical and emotional reaction in a food journal will help you track what works and what doesn’t.

By the end of this process you should have a good idea of the foods that trigger or exacerbate whatever health conditions you’re dealing with.

Negative Reactions to Watch For

●     Soreness/joint pain

●     Digestive distress ex. Constipation, bloating, diarrhea etc.

●     Insomnia

●     Mood changes

●     Brain fog

●     Trouble breathing

●     Excess mucous

●     Headaches

●     Breakouts/skin problems

If you’ve been wondering what’s going on with your body, I would definitely suggest an elimination diet to start with. Before you create a route to get to your health destination, you need a map.

If you’re seriously interested in getting healthy, restoring your digestion and boosting your energy then check out my new comprehensive program here Restore your Gut Health. In the program you get a ton of delicious satisfying recipes as well as strategies that will help rebuild your intestinal flora.

Or join me on my Facebook page Hardcore Healing by Karen Jean Fairbanks or my group Hardcore Healing Support Group where I’ll be sharing more information, tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life.

To your wellness,

Karen Jean Fairbanks

Create A Vision Board

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Who are you not to be? You are a child of God. You’re playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” miriam williamson

Imagine every day and opportunity to soar at the highest vibration. Set your intentions high.

If you want to eat healthy today, do it. If you want to exercise today, then do it. Too often we say we will accomplish our goals tomorrow but what if we stopped saying tomorrow ad said yes to today.

Let go of what is not serving you.

Get a journal and write down what you want for 2017. Then I want you to create a vision board.

What is a Vision Board?

A vision board, also referred to as a treasure map, is a simple and fun way for you to capture all the dreams you have for yourself and your life and turn them into a reality.

A vision board is made from pictures cut from magazines, printed images from the Internet, and/or photographs from your own life that inspire you to be the best version of yourself. Any image that moves and inspires you toward your goal belongs on your vision board.  You will gather these visuals and display them together. Your vision board will be your personal reminder that YOU create the blueprint for your life, and you do it daily.

To begin your vision board:

1.    Get clear on your desires

2.    Get clear on what truly inspires you

To create your vision board:

Get a large poster board, corkboard or wall space. Use pushpins, tape and/or glue to display all your images together. Now you have one positive expression of your thoughts, goals, inspirations, ideas, and ideals.

............................................

Do not own your illness!

I hear people say, "oh I have...... and there is no cure or I will have this for life.... I will never get better .... The doctor said.... etc..."

I would like you to just think for one moment about the what if?

What if there was another way?

What if you tried to commit to a better diet and believed that your body could heal naturally?

What if you just listened to your body?

Create a healthy vision of yourself.

What would you look and feel like?

What could you do?

How will you get there?

Write in your journal what you can improve on and make steps towards that New vision of yourself and don;t give up!

Make 2017 the year you take positive action.

In health and wellness,

Karen x

P.S To download my free guide on how to Banish The Bloat

Facing Your Fears

Sometimes, we live in fear and it can be good because it makes us stop and think but too often we sit and let the fear take us over.

What if we lived in the moment?

What if we let go of fear?

What would life look like if we let go of any doubt or fear and trusted?

Yes, we would let ourselves forgive, love and cherish the moment.

Take time, right now to breathe in love.

Witnessing Your Fears.

If you aren’t aware of your fears, they will take over your life. The best way to let go is to be honest with yourself about what is upsetting you or making your scared.

Choose a new perspective.

Take action. This means get a journal and write down 5 ways you can release your fears and re write your story.

You have the power to create a new story with a new ending.

What do you choose to surrender?

Find Gratitude for Your Fears.

Within everything, there is a reason to be grateful. Everything leads to a beautiful transformation – even if it isn’t apparent yet. Make a list of your top three fears. Next to each, note how this fear has transformed you. How it has lead to growth. Why you are grateful for it. Be grateful for every opportunity. Every moment.

Forgive Yourself.

Too often we are holding onto things in our life that do not serve us. I have found it helpful to forgive myself by journaling and then shredding the paper and saying, “I love you and I accept you.”

When you can forgive yourself, you will see you have more energy, less cravings and more self love.

If you need more support, contact me for a strategy session here.

Love and yours in health and wellness,

 Karen x