Many people suffer with long-term skin issues and many never find the answer. Over the years I have seen “eczema” become a bigger and bigger issue beginning in infancy and evolving as they get older. We know that eczema is sometimes the catch all for skin rashes. Eczema can include red bumps, itching, inflammation, pain, swelling, scaly, and dry skin. This can be chronic or acute and due to several reasons from environmental assaults to food allergies. Many children benefit from the use of creams on the irritated skin but what happens when that does not work?

Right around the corner lurks a yearly extravaganza of ghoulishly engrossing treats and spooktacular tricks. Children have selected their favorite characters to transform into for a night of house-hopping fun. Schools are having fall parties, churches are putting together carnivals, and neighborhoods are stocking up with sugary and corn-syrup laden “goodies”. Does this scare the nightlights out of anyone else?

School is now in full-session and those cool breezes are starting to blow through, sweeping away those hot summer days with the unmistakable gusts of FALL! Yes, its fall, y'all; and that means it’s time for that fall fan-favorite - FOOTBALL! Try these quick and easy gluten-free, casein-free versions of some game day classics and have your family cheering for more than the game this season.

Many people have been told or have chosen to eliminate gluten from their diets and the diets of their families. For many they see a great response in how they feel and function whether they have confirmatory tests or not. However, many are confused about the differences between celiac, an allergy and non-celiac gluten intolerance. I want to explain this to you so you can understand the potential effects on your body. This can be very confusing but many treat them equally. It matters what you are dealing with for your long-term management and health.

Do you have a family vacation on your heels? Are you more anxious about what you are going to eat when you get there than you are about what to pack? I was standing in those exact shoes two weeks ago when I was anticipating our departure to the magical world of Disney.

The heat is ablazin’ here in Texas, leaving no room for argument that summer is in full swing. Moms everywhere are packing up their coolers of sugar-pouch drinks, oily chips, cheesy puffed sticks, and cream-laden cones and setting up camp with a poolside view. On a yeast-free, cheesy-puff-free, ice-cream-free diet, it is easy to feel like your left in the shade. It’s a good thing that the shade is exactly where you want to be right now!

A mother’s work is never ending. It is ever nurturing. It is all-consuming in the purest of ways, and every mother would have it no other way.
But a father, with cool and collected abandon, holds steady his ship like a weathered sea captain. He is the net for which his family will fall to. He is the strength when the swinging needs swung higher. He is the courage when the spider is too big to stomp on. He is the scout when the living room tents must be pitched. He is the finder of the fallen teddy bear. And in our house – he is the very patient and ever-gallant gentlemen of our gfcf-life!

Last week, I discussed in “School Lunches on GFCF: Obstacle #1” the tough task of meal planning for your GFCF child’s school lunch. This week, I am writing about the second obstacle which parents face in regards to taking that GFCF lifestyle to school. I am talking about peer pressure.
OBSTACLE #2: PEER PRESSURE

A few months back, I was on Facebook and read a quip posted by a good friend [yes, still a friend] - “organic foods are a scam…they aren’t getting that extra fifty cents out of me!”. I sighed heavily and shook my head. This is an intelligent man with three beautiful children, and I couldn’t help but wonder why the obvious escapes so many of us. My question to him and to all of you is this: How much is your health worth to you?

Little Peter Cottontail is hopping right up that bunny trail. It is unavoidable, yet another holiday on a GFCF diet. Many of you moms and dads have already stood by your little ducklings at the starting line of a pleasantly chaotic race into a field of plastic-egg-wonderment. And if you haven’t done so yet, this weekend will surely provide some sort of hunting expedition, and inevitably a family Easter Dinner to follow. So how do you do it? How do you ‘holiday’ on a GFCF diet?