Another gluten-free food review, hot off the press!

Unfortunately, this one isn’t as favorable as the others have been.

I say “unfortunately” because, well, not only is this one unfavorable, but also there’s just NOTHING good I can say about this product!

PRODUCT:

Ener-G Tapioca Hot Dog Buns. These hot dog buns are gluten free as well as free of dairy, soy, eggs, and nuts, so they’re suitable for a variety of dietary needs and choices.

USES:

I combined these gluten-free hot dog buns with Lightlife’s Smart Dogs veggie hot dogs because I’m vegetarian, but I imagine there’s no reason meat eaters can’t combine them with regular hot dogs.

Also, I used typical hot dog toppings (mustard, ketchup, etc.).

I spent the majority of this past weekend on a boat, and let me tell you, after spending weeks focusing mostly on work (read: sitting in front of a computer), both my body and mind welcomed the bright sun, warm temperatures and refreshing water.

On the way home last night, my friends and I faced the harsh reality that we probably have only a few weeks of comfortable outdoor weather left.

One friend was especially sad about it (he thrives during the warm, sunny months, spending every free moment he can boating, swimming, rock climbing, and other outdoor activities that are more enjoyable in the spring and summer months) and started making a list of all the things he wants to do before we start waking up to frost.

Continuing on my gluten-lite journey, this week I’ve chosen a sort of convenience food – something you can unwrap, pop in the oven for a few minutes, and NOT feel guilty about!

PRODUCT:

Amy’s Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Cheese Pizza. Like Schar’s Gluten-Free Classic White Bread, this is another rice-based product.

Amy’s Gluten-Free Non-Dairy Cheese Pizza is suitable for those with gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity as well as both vegans and vegetarians.

USES:

A quick lunch or dinner when you don’t have the time or energy to prepare something with actual ingredients. I ate it for dinner one night after work.

The best fitness advice I’ve received was: Only do what you can imagine yourself doing every day from now on.

Keep this is mind and you’ll look at all your future diet and exercise plans in an entirely different light.

Why?

Because every plan you make from now on will be based on lifestyle changes rather than losing 10 pounds in a week.

Lifestyle changes bring and maintain real results; crash diets and extreme exercise plans might help you drop a few pounds by Saturday, but if it’s not something you can keep up, you’ll be right back in the same situation by next week.

Plus, chances are you’ll feel like you “failed” at reaching or maintaining whatever goal you set for yourself – a feeling that is damaging to your psyche and future success at reaching healthy goals.

So, every time I think about adding to – or taking away from – my current fitness regimen, I ask myself whether it’s something I think I can keep up. If so, great. If not, is it something that will benefit me only temporarily and am I okay with that?

What’s the best fitness advice you’ve ever received?

So!

I officially began incorporating gluten-free foods in my diet (or, began my “gluten-lite” journey, as Jessica called it!), and I’d like to share with you my thoughts on the first gluten-free bread I tried: Schar Gluten-Free Classic White Bread.

Ultimately, I chose Schar’s gluten-free bread because it was the only option the grocery store offered. There are several other grocery stores in my area – and a Drug Emporium that sells vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free foods – so I’ll probably try other kinds of gluten-free bread before it’s all said and done.

Now, on with the review.

nom.

Do you eat more for pleasure or nourishment?

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith recently told ESSENCE that although she does have a couple of guilty pleasures (think French fries and pizza – I think a lot of us can relate!), she eats more for nourishment than she does for pleasure.

(Which undoubtedly contributes to her smokin’ hot, nearly 41-year-old body she tweeted about last month, too.)

I haven’t stopped eating gluten, and I probably never will. I don’t have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity (as far as I know), and, I like my bread.

Still, since starting Your Body, Your Mind and learning more about Psych Central Associate Editor Jessica Digiacinto’s gluten-free diet (The Gluten-Free Diet, The *BEST* Gluten-Free Bread, and Healthy, Vegan, Gluten-Free Chia Seed Pudding), I’ve been more interested in at least cutting back on gluten.

After all, cutting back on gluten will also mean cutting back on breads and pastas that can cause bloating, and sweets like cakes and cookies.

The problem is, I don’t know a whole lot about gluten-free diets. I don’t even know a whole lot about gluten itself.

Like most big changes in my life, I sort of just woke up one day and decided it was time to eat a vegetable or salad with every meal.

Before this decision, I knew I wanted to find a way to lower the amount of non-helpful foods (chips, cookies, giant hunks of cheese, etc) I eat on a daily basis, but was also fully aware that just taking them away wouldn’t do the trick. I needed to replace them with something else and fool my stomach into believing everything was normal. “No one’s doing any depriving here…”

Because fruit has a good amount of sugar, I decided that my childhood arch nemesis, vegetables, was going to be the ticket to a healthier, yet still satisfied, meal.

Veggies and I have a troubled past. I willfully neglected them for a while. But now that I’m understanding just how vital they are to my health and energy, the white flag has been raised and I’m welcoming them back into my life in a big way.

So, here we are: the veggies-with-every-meal thing. Veggies with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Veggies when I’m not sure I actually want them. Cooked, raw, cut up or in salads, vegetables are invading my life.

And it’s actually not that bad.