Sunday 16 November 2014

Gluten-free - the fourth week

Well, this is the fourth week so far, and I can easily say it has been the best one. I haven't had any problems with breakfasts this week, that I can remember. I have been fine with eating millet porridge and jam. Yesterday I had cocoa rice, but not as many as the last time and I was fine with those, too. I have decided to try gluten food again until after the 25th, which is my birthday. So I can have a relaxed time. I will be going out on Tuesday, and have already chosen what I will be eating. Something gluten free, of course. I will post the photos of it later next week.

I won't be posting about how the diet is going the next couple of weeks, but what I might do is to take photos of the things I do eat, eg breadsticks and choc spread, and post them on here, so others who might need to go gluten free, can see what there is to choose from out there in the shops.

So, happy gluten-free eating to you all. Be back next week with some pictures.

Sunday 9 November 2014

3rd week of being gluten-free

This is my third week of being gluten-free. Here is how I have gone this week:

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I had toast for breakfast as I went out to places on all three days. I was fine.

Thursday: I had millet porridge with rice milk and jam. I was fine, too. I sat quietly for half an hour reading afterwards.

Friday: I had cornflakes with rice milk. Thought I was fine to start with, but after a while I started to get niggly inside, then it turned into a stomach ache.

Saturday: I had cocoa rice with rice milk. I was fine with that, which surprised me because I had the same amount I had the first time when I wasn't all right.

Today: I had millet porridge with rice milk and jam. I think because I worked myself into a hurry to eat it up, do things so I can get on with completing a form, that I ended up with stomach pains.

So, here is my summary of what I am going to do. I am sticking to toast whenever I am going out, as that seems to be OK with me. I am not going to have cornflakes for another month, then try them again to see what happens. I have a feeling they will not agree with me then, so will have to forget about eating them. I will continue having the cocoa rice as I like those (my mum doesn't), and might not have so many next time. I need to sit quietly after eating breakfast before I get up to do anything, and I have to not get myself worked up afterwards. I have a sensitive stomach, esp in the morning.

In the meantime, I realise that I rather like the taste of rice milk. It has a nice sweet taste to it, which oat milk doesn't. Gives the porridge a different taste; an interesting and less bland one.

So that is how I am getting on. If you are on a gluten-free diet for health reasons, like me, let me know how you are getting on.

Sunday 2 November 2014

Week 2 of being gluten-free

The second week of being gluten free is now at an end. All was going well until this morning. I had been having millet flakes with hot rice milk and some jam for breakfast on mornings when I wasn't going out and have been fine. Yesterday I had cornflakes with hot milk and I had a couple of slight twinges but nothing drastic that would warrant me dashing to a certain somewhere. Until this morning. Knowing I wasn't going out, I had already been over the road to get the paper, I had millet porridge with rice milk and jam. Half an hour later I got stomach pains and had to dash to that certain room. Now I don't know what to think. Is rice now bothering me too? I shall try it again later in the week, again when I am not going out at all that day. I shall also try cornflakes again later in the week, but not have so many and see what happens. So, I am now extending my gluten-free diet for another two weeks to see what happens next time. I seem to be fine with gluten-free oatcakes, breadsticks and bread and rolls.

I will be back next week reporting on how things are going.

Sunday 26 October 2014

A week of being gluten-free

So, I've now been having a gluten-free diet for a week. How is it going? It has had its ups and downs this week so far. I seem to be OK eating gluten-free toast with sunflower spread and marmite on. I have millet porridge with rice milk. One time I had it this week I was OK the other I had slight stomach pains after it. Yesterday, I went out for lunch, having gone to a writing talk. I had a home-made burger and fries with onions. It could have been the burger or probably the onions, as I can react to onions sometimes, but afterwards whilst I was talking to another author I got stomach pains. I rubbed my stomach and tried to find mints I knew I had in my bag. I found them in the end and had one. My pains seemed to ease after that. This morning I had gluten-free cocoa rice like rice crispies with rice milk. Because I had stomach pains when I had them before I didn't have so many this time. I still got slight stomach pains but haven't had to go to the small room like I did last week. There is one thing that I have found I can't seem to eat now - fruit and nut bars called Nked bars. I had a mint flavoured one and an orange one on different days, and both times I got stomach pains after eating it. So, I now can't eat too much fruit and nuts in one go.

I have one more week to go on this diet. I am out for the day tomorrow so will take my own lunch with me and maybe buy a bag of crisps there. My next thing to try is to have cornflakes again but with rice milk. I will try that next weekend when I am not going out the same day and the day after.

I have found that I rather like the gluten-free bread rolls by Warburton. They are much better made than the ones I had before by Sainsbury's.

Sunday 19 October 2014

Going gluten free

I have decided that for the next two weeks I am going to be gluten free. Why? Things have been happening to my diet that I don't like and I need to find out what I can and can't eat. It all started a few years ago on a last day of being at a conference. I had toast for breakfast, a roll with my lunch and toast again when I got home early evening. All that wheat didn't agree with my stomach and I had to visit a certain room a few times. Then early this year, I went out for a social meeting and had a dinner of pasta. The same thing happened. I realised that I could no longer eat proper wheat. The last month or so other grains have been having an effect on me. First it was corn. Then it was rye (I usually have ryvitas for lunch) and then it was crackers made from wheat, and lastly it was oats. So, I decided to cut out the corn first for this month, then cut out the rye and now the wheat and oats. There are alternatives. We have gluten-free bread anyway because my mum has coeliac, and I bought some gluten-free rolls by Warburton as well. For breakfast, instead of the oat milk I have, I have started to have Mum's rice milk. I have found a major difference. One day I had porridge made with rice milk and I had no stomach ache, but two days later I had it with oat milk and did have a stomach ache. The rolls are really nice so will buy more of those. For supper in the evenings, when I usually have oat cakes or wheat crackers, I have gluten-free breadsticks (which are yummy with dairy free choc spread), or gluten-free oatcakes or rice cakes, which are nice with jam or choc spread on. So I have choices. So far so good.

I shall report back in a week's time to tell you how I've got on.

Monday 29 September 2014

Sweeteners - Aspartame

I have previously posted about sugar v sweeteners. I am now about to strengthen my case against using sweeteners and have sugar, esp Aspartame.

Last week, when my brother visited us, I started to drink orange squash which had sweeteners in. Mum bought this knowing that my brother, who has been dieting and doesn't drink anything with sugar in, was coming. Anyway, one of the sweeteners was Aspartame. I thought this would be all right as I would only have a little bit at a time. I was wrong. I had say a glass of squash each day from last Wednesday, and by the end of the last week, esp yesterday, I was feeling its effects. I started to get headaches in the morning and throughout the day. Yesterday I had to resort to having a couple of paracetamols to get rid of the headache. So, although I knew it was a waste, I threw the rest of the bottle down the kitchen sink. Today, I woke up with no headache and my head is feeling normal again.

Today, I read in a health book I have that one of the possible side-effects of Aspartame is migraines. I am sure I heard on a health food programme the other day on TV that Aspartame is fine to eat and doesn't have any bad effects. I am going with my own experience, and from now on am going to avoid any sweeteners, esp Aspartame.

Although sugar has got a bad reputation, I think it is far better to have than sweeteners.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Why I like working with Essante Organics - No 1

This is the start of a series of posts about why I like working with Essante Organics, who sell retail and wholesale organic products for the skin and home. This is really going to be two reasons but all about the same thing - the environment.

1. All their products are 100% organic. This means that when you put them into your body, your body doesn't get any more toxins than necessary. Also, when you are using their products that you have to wash and end up in the water, the waste of them doesn't contaminate any outside waters, and therefore, won't harm any sea life and creatures. All in all, helping the environment be more chemical free than it already is.

2. The containers all appear to be made of recyclable materials. Eg the bottles and tubes I have already got, are made from glass and all have on it  the words 'leave green prints'. As someone who loves to recycle as much as they can, I love this, too.

So there you have it. Not only do the products help your skin and the environment in your house, but the environment outside, too.

So, if you want to care for both your skin and the environment, then Essante Organics products are for you.

Check out what I do for Essante at www.gogreengetpaid.com

Monday 1 September 2014

Want to go green and get paid for it?

Who doesn't? This is why I am now returning to this blog after a space of a couple of years. I have found a platform where I can spread my knowledge and passion all things natural and organic, and get paid for it. Here is the lowdown.

Ever since I started using natural and/or organic products in 2008, I have always wanted to find a way to share my passion and knowledge about it with others and get paid for it. This last month I have seen posts by other people, including my coach and team members of the affiliate marketer I'm a member of, promoting this company who sells organic products that are toxic free. It is a network marketing company, where you train your way up the ladder until you reach the highest level. It being organics, something I know about, I was v interested in it. After a lot of thinking, I joined the other day and am in Rebecca Woodhead's team, who is my coach and upline for the other company. Rebecca has put a lot of faith in me and my skills, and has made me the Ambassador of Focus, where I focus on training, helping others who join with training and possibly market themselves, too. Am looking forward to doing this. The company is Essante Organics. If you want to find out what they offer, their website is www.GoGreenGetPaid.com.

If you watch that and want to join me becoming focussed and passionate about organics, then my website is: www.essanteorganics.com/hopewithjulie. To join, click on the 'join' button on the top.

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