5 Fun Fitness Gadgets and Apps

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Beth

As an exercise physiologist, I enjoy experimenting with new products designed to make working out more fun and effective. I look for gadgets and apps that offer a unique twist on exercise and those with user feedback built-in — and avoid gimmicky, too-good-to-be true products.

I haven’t tried everything out there, but here are some of my favorites, so far:

My Fitness Pal — This free smartphone app — also available via website — makes tracking daily exercise and food intake easy and fun. But I love the built-in social support most of all. Users invite friends to join, and receive updates on each other’s daily workouts in the form of a timeline. Fitness pals can comment on each other’s updates, offering encouragement and virtual high-fives.

Daily Burn Tracker —Most fitness professionals love exercise data — and this smartphone app/website gives me a personal data fix anytime I want. You can set up a graph-style report to view your progress in total exercise time, calories burned, or daily weight, for example. Users can choose from a number of different training plans to follow, or enter a custom workout. This tracker also features nutrition and social networking components.

GymBoss — Good things come in small packages, and this user-friendly gadget is no exception. About the size of a pager, the Gymboss is your best friend if you’re into Tabata training or any other kind of interval workout. Simply enter the length of your speed and recovery intervals along with the number of cycles you want to complete. Set it for vibe or beep, press the start button and you’re on your way. I run or bicycle with the Gymboss attached to my waistband on vibe — the silent alarm keeps my intervals on track for a high-energy workout without having to fiddle with my sports watch or endure an annoying beep.

Kangoo Jumps — These smile-inducing rebound shoes are what I slip on when I get bored with my workout routine, need an instant mood boost, or take my kids to ride bikes on the playground. Kangoo Jumps look like in-line skates with football-shaped shock absorbers where the wheels should be. I love them for three reasons — when I put them on, I’m about 9 inches taller; I laugh the entire time I’m running and jumping; and they give my aging joints a break from pounding the pavement in regular athletic shoes.

Adidas MiCoach Pacer — This product wirelessly gathers real-time workout data via a strap-style heart rate monitor and stride sensor that you clip on your shoe. Users program the Pacer unit with desired workout format via a USB connection. During your workout, you plug headphones into the Pacer unit to get real-time feedback from your virtual coach based on your exercise heart rate and your workout goal. I’m always amazed at how hard I’ll push myself to get a little praise from the man in my ear.

What are your favorite fitness apps and gadgets? We’d love to hear what you’re using to keep your exercise program fresh, interesting, and fun.

Beth Shepard, MS, ACSM-RCEP, ACE-PT, has a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Arizona. Beth is an expert in fitness and health promotion and a certified wellness coach, helping people thrive by adopting sustainable lifestyle changes. She and her family love to hike, bicycle, and try new sports. www.wellcoaches.com/beth.shepard

Disclosure : The author and Zing Bars report no affiliation with any of the companies whose products are mentioned in this post.

Berries on the Brain

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Sandi

When we put blueberries and cranberries into our Zing Bars, we knew we were choosing very nutritious fruits that are sky high in flavonoids. Flavonoids are plant-based compounds with powerful antioxidant properties, which mean they reduce inflammation, promote healthy arteries, and help fight aging by preventing and repairing cellular damage. Flavonoids may also protect against some cancers.

A recent study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School reported in Annals of Neurology got us even more excited about berries.

There have been previous studies showing that eating flavonoids could improve brain functions. However, these studies were either in animals or in very small human studies.

In this new study, the researchers gathered data from the Nurses Health Study, which has collected information on 121,700 female registered nurses since 1976. 16,010 of these nurses had their cognitive function assessed between 1995 and 2001 at two-yearly intervals. All of the 16,010 were at least 70 years old and in the present study, the women’s average age was 74.

The study found that the elderly females whose berry consumption was higher had an average 2.5 year slower cognitive decline, compared to their counterparts whose berry intake was low.
In fact, from the study, it seems that eating half a cup or more of blueberries or a cup or more of strawberries each week may be all you need for those memory benefits. And all berries are high in flavonoids so eat the ones you enjoy.

Wow – that’s a lot of bang for your buck for an easy and delicious behavior change.

So here are some ways to get more berries into your diet:

Buy frozen berries for when fresh are not available.
Put frozen berries in kids’ school lunches in the morning and they defrost by lunch time.
Throw frozen or fresh berries into a morning smoothie.
Add berries to salads – fresh or dried berries will do the trick.
Top your hot or cold cereal with berries.
Make a berry parfait – a layer of plain yogurt, a layer of berries and a layer or puffed rice. It’s a creamy, crunchy, high nutrition dessert.
Put some dried berries into your trail mix
Eat an Almond Blueberry or Cashew Cranberry Orange Zing Bar for your afternoon snack

If you don’t like the taste of berries, you can always enjoy the benefits by pureeing the berries into a fruit soup or fruit smoothie with other fruits that you enjoy.

I’d love to hear about any other ideas for getting more berries into your diet.

My personal favorite is devouring handfuls as I pick berries at a local U Pick with the kids. We go home with full bellies, crates of berries, and some great summer memories.

Reference:

Devore EE et al. Dietary intakes of berries and flavonoids in relation to cognitive decline. Ann Neurol. 2012. Apr 26. doi: 10.1002/ana.23594

This Spring, Got Veggies?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Sandi

Spring is my favorite season for a lot of reasons. Each morning, I look out into the garden and yet another bush is blooming. Purple yesterday, red today, maybe yellow tomorrow. It’s delightful! I also love the longer days, hanging out at Little League baseball games, and making sidewalk chalk designs.

But my biggest reason for loving spring is the vegetables that are in season at this time of year. By May, I feel done with winter squash, parsnips and rutabagas. I am so ready for asparagus, artichokes and salad greens. Out with the stews and soups, and in with the blanching, steaming and grilling.

If you have a challenging time getting enough vegetables into your diet, this is the perfect time of year to increase your veggie intake. Spring vegetables are so flavorful that you don’t need to work hard to make them delicious. Preparation is quick and easy and before you know it, you’ll be getting your five or more veggie servings a day.

Here are some practical ideas to get you started:

Consider getting a weekly or bimonthly organic veggie delivery. Most people are much more likely to eat vegetables when they are delivered to their home – along with yummy recipes.
Use a couple of hours on a Sunday to prepare salad fixings for the week. We wash salad greens (buying pre-washed greens is a great option too), steam asparagus, chop carrots, and slice cucumbers. It’s much easier to throw together a salad when you walk in the door if everything is ready to go.
Never underestimate the yumminess of a sugar snap pea. These make a great addition to salads and are a big school lunch favorite in our house too. They’re wonderful in stir fries as well.
A bed of just wilted spinach makes any dish more gourmet. I buy pre-washed baby spinach leaves and steam them for just a few minutes. Add a little lemon juice and olive oil and voila!
Make a visit to the Farmer’s Market an opportunity for inspiration. Chat to farmers about their spring produce and get their favorite ways to eat their heirloom green beans, or succulent artichokes.
Don’t forget spring herbs – garnish any dish with fresh parsley, and put fresh mint on top of a yummy fruit salad. Herbs add nutrition, color and flavor.
Radishes are another spring favorite. I like them sliced raw in salads but they are also delicious roasted and tossed with a little soy sauce. People who don’t like radishes will be amazed at how good they taste when roasted.
Chard is another leafy green that cooks in a snap. I like to sauté it with some garlic cloves and olive oil. Then toss it with some chickpeas for a light and nutritious side dish.
Beets are a spring staple in our house. We steam the beets, then peel them and slice them for salads. While the beets are steaming, we sauté the beet greens in a little olive oil and eat them warm or cold.
Use spring veggies in a morning smoothie. My hubby makes a banana, kale, apple, carrot drink for some extra morning nutrition.

I’d love to hear your spring veggie ideas!

Fun + Fitness — Integrating Physical Activity with Your Social Life

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Beth

How active are you when you get together with friends or go out for a date night? Do you typically meet for dinner, and then settle in for a movie or a sports event — or do you go for a walk, bowling or dancing?

I’d like to let you in on a little secret. Leading an active lifestyle isn’t just about sweating it out at the gym or getting in your daily walk or run. It’s about integrating physical activity with your everyday life — including your social life. With the constant barrage of public health messages telling us to exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, it’s easy to lose sight of an important truth — that it’s possible to be active while having fun.

If you’re like most people, you probably sit too much. Instead of making sedentary socializing a habit— dinner, a movie, a concert, a play, a football game — why not be active while you spend time together?

For my clients who are short on time, combining social and physical activity is the perfect way to build a more active lifestyle. Better yet, this approach comes with built-in support for exercise. You’re hanging out with others who are physically active, having a great time — so you’re more likely to do it again.

Getting out and being active with your spouse or partner can even strengthen your relationship. A study of long-term married couples found those who underwent new and exciting activities together reported higher levels of relationship satisfaction compared to those who shared only familiar or ordinary activities.

When my husband and I stay in to watch a movie on a Friday or Saturday night, more often than not we fall asleep before it’s over. But when we go out and do something active — like canoeing, hiking, dancing, or taking a crack at the batting cages — we spend much of our time talking and laughing, and return home feeling revitalized, refreshed, and reconnected.

Interested in boosting your well-being while energizing your social life? Try these ideas for mixing fun and fitness:

Invite another family to join yours for a weekend day hike or bike ride.
Sign up for a recreational softball team with co-workers.
Learn how to dance — swing, square, ballroom, Latin, line, etc.
Explore local art and history museums before or after your dinner out.
Organize a neighborhood walking group.
For your next backyard barbecue, play classic backyard games — like badminton, Frisbee®, or croquet.
Next time someone wants to meet for coffee, suggest coffee and a walk.
Enjoy seasonal activities together — like skiing, snowshoeing, camping, or sailing.
Learn something new with friends or family — tennis, tap dancing, ice skating, golf, or geocaching.
Make your next vacation an active one — explore nearby towns and attractions on foot or bicycle.

When you think outside of the gym — and find ways to combine physical and social activity, it feels more like play than exercise. And that makes staying active — for good — a whole lot easier and much more likely.

Reference

Aron A, Aron E, Norman C, McKenna C, Couples’ Shared Participation in Novel and Arousing Activities and Experienced Relationship Quality, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,2000, Vol.78, No.2, 273-284

Special Diets and Sticky Situations

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Erin

Without a doubt, most social gatherings are centered around food. So if you happen to be following a special diet (such as gluten-free or low-glycemic index), I bet you’ve found yourself in some pretty sticky social situations.

Simply going out to dinner with friends, attending a wedding reception or dinner party can seem daunting when you’re anxious not only about the food options, but also about calling attention to yourself. As a diabetic on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, I understand that from a social standpoint being on a special diet doesn’t always feel “special”!

Here are some general tips that I have found helpful for handling some of the tricky social aspects of following such diets.

Consider dining at local restaurants rather than chain restaurants. Chain restaurants often use mostly pre-made ingredients, and so they are less able to accommodate special requests than a restaurant that cooks from scratch.
When dining out, if possible come up with a couple of options that fit your diet by checking out the restaurant’s website and menu online ahead of time.
Call ahead during a non-busy time and talk with the manager of the restaurant about possible options to accommodate your needs.
A typically safe bet when dining out is to order items off the menu without sauces, dressings or condiments. For example, grilled meat or seafood, plain rice or baked potatoes, and steamed vegetables would likely be good options.
Leave your house prepared with appropriate snacks just in case there are few menu options that fit into your dietary needs.
Seek out online resources such as forums or chat rooms that address your specific special diet for tips from others in your situation.
If you’re invited to a party where you do not know the host or hostess well and you don’t want to disclose your special dietary needs, call to thank them for the invitation and ask if you can bring something (“Can I ask what you’re serving so I can bring something that complements?”). Unless they tell you not to bring anything, this can be a tactful way to find out what’s being served.
Talk to your loved ones about how important it is for you to stay true to your diet in tricky situations. Ask for their support.
If you’re concerned about causing an inconvenience, remember that you are the one who will need to deal with consequences of eating something that may not agree with you. Staying true to your health needs means you’re respecting yourself.

Here are a few helpful resources for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and diabetic living:

Gluten Intolerance Group website http://www.gluten.net/
Gluten-Free Apps for your mobile device
The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free by Jules E. Dowler Shepard
dLife website and diabetes forum: http://www.dlife.com/
The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen cookbook and blog: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/
Go Dairy Free website and cookbook: http://www.godairyfree.org

Erin Hugus, MS, CN has a Master’s degree in Nutrition from Bastyr University. Erin is an expert in Diabetes care and is passionate about empowering people with realistic strategies for optimal health. She takes great pleasure in her time spent in the kitchen and loves cooking nourishing meals for her family.

Weight Loss on a Gluten Free Diet?

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Sandi

I have a pet peeve. It is a question that goes like this: “Do you think I should follow a gluten free diet so I can lose weight?” No, you should not follow a gluten free diet so you can lose weight. You should follow a gluten free diet if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Gluten free diets do not produce weight loss for people who do not clinically need them.

A recent study looked at BMI (body mass index) of over 600 patients with celiac disease. Individuals with celiac disease tend to have lower BMIs at diagnosis. This is because they are often nutritionally compromised due to their bodies’ autoimmune response to the gluten in their diets. BMI increases when they start closely following a gluten free diet (GFD) because their bodies are able to absorb the nutrients they are eating. That’s a good thing!

In this study, 15.8% of patients moved from an initially normal or low BMI to an overweight BMI category. 22% of patients who are overweight at diagnosis gain weight on the GFD. That’s not such a good thing! The researchers conclude from this study that weight maintenance counseling should be a vital part of celiac disease education.

I think these study results are important for two reasons:

People who do not need to remove gluten from their diets often do so anyway in the hopes of losing weight. Long-term weight loss does not always occur on a GFD.
People who do clinically need to be on a GFD often believe they can eat as much as they want and they will not gain weight. That’s definitely not true.

So let’s examine each of these points a little more closely. Let’s start with the folks who follow a GFD just for weight loss purposes. Why do they often initially lose some weight? Well, they typically remove the cookies, baguettes and donuts from their diet and thus they are eating fewer calories. They also may make the change in the context of larger dietary changes like eating more vegetables or sitting down to regular meals.

Long term, they usually discover the gluten free options of their favorite indulgences that are so readily available. Gluten free brownies and cookies taste great (especially nowadays). They may also replace the whole grain, high fiber gluten containing breads, crackers and cereals with low fiber, low nutrient gluten free versions. And the weight tends to come back on.

It’s a similar battle for us gluten free folks. We need to adhere strictly to a gluten free diet and we tend to incorporate many gluten free processed food options which are often even less nutritious than their gluten containing counterparts. Whole wheat pretzels may not be a wonder food but they at least contain some fiber. The gluten free pretzels I give my kids have absolutely no fiber.

Sometimes we may feel limited by our gluten free diet and so we decide that we deserve to eat three gluten free brownies because we couldn’t eat the regular birthday cake at the party. That’s a recipe for weight gain.

As practicing nutritionists, we were very aware of this phenomenon when we set out to create a bar of our own. We greatly appreciate the abundance of gluten free food choices – in fact, it has never been easier for a family like ours to live with celiac disease. And those gluten free pretzels and brownies definitely have their place. But we wanted to create a gluten free food which is nutritious as well as delicious. Thus, in Zing Bars, you have a gluten free snack that’s an excellent source of protein, fiber and healthy fats. You can feel good about eating our bars and not just because they are gluten free.

So the message for all of us is that gluten free diets do not produce magical weight loss or weight gain. The weight outcome is based on our food choices no matter what eating plan we follow. Whether our diet is gluten free or gluten-filled, it is important to focus on foods that are nutritious as possible. Then our diets are filling and satisfying and we have an easier time maintaining our weight.

Reference:

Kabbani TA et al. Body mass index and the risk of obesity in coeliac disease treated with the gluten-free diet. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2012. Mar;35(6):723-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=22316503

The Magic Anti-Gluten Pill?

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Erin

You’ve been tested for celiac disease and the results are negative. Still, you have terrible GI symptoms after most meals, not to mention the persistent itchy eczema on your hands. Your doctor recognizes that you could have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity and recommends that you follow a gluten free diet. Sounds simple, right? Just eliminate gluten. But as many of you already know or are finding out, gluten is in almost everything, which makes following a gluten free diet, well, not so simple. Accidental exposure is probably inevitable, so wouldn’t it be nice if there was a magic anti-gluten pill?

Obviously, there is no magic pill that can replace the effectiveness of following a gluten free diet for treating celiac disease or a gluten intolerance. There are a group of products available that can be useful tools while following a gluten free diet. Available over-the-counter, these products contain enzymes that specifically target the breakdown of gluten. They are meant to be used with low levels of gluten ingestion only, and are not meant to replace a gluten free diet. In other words, the best use for these is for accidental or unavoidable ingestion, such as at a business lunch with no gluten free options or dinner at Aunt Mildred’s house.

These products are not appropriate for the intentional ingestion of foods containing gluten. Being human, there are times when your will power wanes and you want to treat yourself to a hunk of crusty sourdough bread. But there is no evidence to suggest that the enzymes are thorough and accurate enough that they will break down all of the gluten from that bread. If you have celiac disease, the immune response will possibly be lessened by taking these enzymes, but damage to the lining of your small intestine will still happen. If you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, even if your symptoms are alleviated by taking these enzymes, you should consider the negative impact gluten has on your body before using them as a free pass to eat gluten.

There are plenty of these products available. All of them contain proteases (enzymes that break down proteins) that are gluten-specific, often indicated as ‘dipeptidyl peptidase IV or DPP IV’ on the label. In addition to the gluten-specific proteases, many of the products contain other proteases, plus a blend of enzymes to help break down starches, sugars and fats. Work with your doctor or nutritionist to decide if this approach is right for you.

To sum up:

The best use for these enzymes is for incidental, low level exposure.
These enzymes are not appropriate for intentional consumption of foods containing gluten and are not meant to replace a gluten free diet.
Consult a doctor or nutritionist who is an expert on celiac disease and gluten intolerance to help you decide if one of these products might be appropriate for you.

References

Murray JA, Scanlon, SA. Update on celiac disease – etiology, differential diagnosis, drug targets, and management advances. Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology 2011:4 297–311.

Exercise — A Mental Health Superstar

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Beth

Beginning exercisers are often frustrated by how long it takes to start seeing — and feeling — results. When you’re starting from square one, it can take 6-12 weeks or longer to even begin noticing a difference in your physical fitness level. Unfortunately, many people don’t make it that far — they decide it’s not worth it, and drop out.

Here’s what I wish everyone new to exercise understood — the mental health benefits of regular physical activity are powerful, and they’re often noticeable much sooner than the physical benefits. Recent research underscores the anti-depressive, anti-anxiety, stress-buffering, mood-boosting effects of exercise. Higher levels of physical activity have even been linked with greater levels of excitement and enthusiasm — could you use more of that? If you just hang in there and stay active, even when you don’t feel like it — especially when you don’t feel like it — the payoffs are priceless:

Exercise is used to treat anxiety and may be useful in preventing it. Subjects participating in a 2-week exercise program experienced big improvements in anxiety compared to a control group. Researchers say that because exercise increases heart rate, sweating, and breathing rate —similar to anxiety symptoms — it may serve as a kind of “exposure” treatment, conditioning patients to interpret the symptoms differently.
In a study of adults with diabetes and depression —conditions that often occur together — subjects undergoing a 12-week program of exercise and cognitive-behavioral therapy showed improvements in both depression and blood-sugar control.
Another study had subjects with major depressive disorder complete either a 30-minute treadmill workout or 30 minutes of quiet rest. Both groups reported similar reductions in distress, depression, confusion, fatigue, tension, and anger. But only the exercise group reported a substantial surge in positive well-being and vigor scores.

You don’t have to suffer from anxiety or depression to reap the mental health benefits of exercise — it’s a well-known way to combat stress, both in the moment and long-term. There’s nothing like a good, sweaty workout to blow off steam from a hard day at work or a long day with the kids; even a single bout of cardiovascular exercise can boost mood for up to 12 hours!

In my twenties, I exercised for one reason — weight control. I understood that regular exercise would reduce my risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other maladies, but the risk-reducing benefits of exercise weren’t enough to make me get up before dawn to work out before my 8:00 a.m. classes.

Fast-forward a couple of decades, and at midlife, I find the mental health benefits to be a far more compelling reason to exercise. When I don’t exercise, I feel mentally weary and stressed out. After a moderate or vigorous morning workout, I feel fantastic — and carry that positive attitude into my workday and beyond. Sometimes it feels like magic.

Why not put a little sweat equity into your day? Building a strong heart and strong body will happen over time with regular exercise. But you can brighten your outlook and start feeling a whole lot better sooner than you think — just get up and get moving.

References

Weir K, The Exercise Effect, APA Monitor, Dec 2011, Vol 42, No.11 Print version: p.48
Ramirez A, Kravitz L, Resistance Training Improves Mental Health, IDEA Fitness Journal January 2012
Bartholomew, J B, Morrison D, and Ciccolo JT. Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood and Well-Being in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 37, No. 12, pp. 2032–2037, 2005.
Conroy DE, Elavsky S, Hyde A, and. Doerksen S. The Dynamic Nature of Physical Activity Intentions: A Within-Person Perspective on Intention-Behavior Coupling. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 2011, 33, 807-827. Retrieved March 9, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2012/02/120208132709.htm
American College of Sports Medicine, Boost Your Mood at Least Half the Day with Physical Activity, ACSM In The News, 2011

Not Celiac Disease? Then What?

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Sandi

As a dietitian in private practice for ten years, I had many patients present with symptoms that sounded a whole lot like celiac disease. I would send them back to their primary care provider or gastroenterologist and recommend a work up for celiac disease. Results (from blood work and even biopsy) would come back negative for celiac disease and I would just scratch my head. I’d then recommend the patient remove gluten from their diet anyway because I had no idea what else to try. A month later, their symptoms would have disappeared. We’d reintroduce gluten and their symptoms would be back. I never knew what to make of this – I’d loosely call it ‘gluten intolerance’ and suggest they continue to follow a gluten free diet.

Last year, fifteen celiac disease experts from seven countries met to develop a new classification for individuals who present with gluten sensitivity but not celiac disease. Their consensus was published last month in the peer-reviewed journal BMC medicine.

Dr. Alessio Fasano, professor of pediatrics, medicine and physiology and Director of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research (CFCR) is recognized by many to be the world’s leading expert on celiac disease and related conditions. He talks about how the field is just starting to understand gluten sensitivity as separate from celiac disease.

It turns out that Dr. Fasano and his colleagues at CFCR were having the same issue as I was in private practice. Patients who had negative diagnostic results for celiac disease returned to the clinic complaining of symptoms similar to celiac disease. Many of these patients saw their symptoms improve by following a gluten free diet.

At this point, research is being done to determine biomarkers for gluten sensitivity so that diagnostic tests can be developed. For the moment, the gluten sensitivity diagnosis is made by doing tests to eliminate the possibility of celiac disease as well as wheat allergy. The patient then begins a gluten free diet and symptoms are monitored by both patient and physician.

So how is gluten sensitivity different from celiac disease or wheat allergy?

Celiac disease involves an autoimmune response to the gliadin protein in gluten containing foods. Intestinal damage, along with many other possible symptoms, is the direct result of eating gluten.

Wheat allergy is a food allergy that is tested using IgE specific blood tests, skin prick tests and a food challenge.

Gluten sensitivity is an innate immune response which means it is non-specific and is not directed toward the person’s own tissue. Symptoms can include gastrointestinal (GI) distress but may also be non-GI related, such as headache, join pain and numbness in the legs, arms and fingers. The complicating factor is that symptoms for celiac disease and for gluten sensitivity can often look alike.

Gluten sensitivity is less clinically serious than celiac disease. It does not lead to other auto immune diseases, which untreated celiac disease often does. However, patients with gluten sensitivity experience significantly improved quality of life when they are on a gluten free diet.

The take away from the top researchers in this field is that if you are having symptoms and your doctor has ruled out celiac disease and wheat allergy, use the gluten free challenge to determine if you have gluten sensitivity. Be sure to do this challenge with a Registered Dietitian or physician who is knowledgeable about the spectrum of gluten related disorders.

The Healing Power of Gardening

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Sandi

March is almost here. The daffodils outside my front door are getting ready to bloom and the kids and I are discussing seed choices for our raised vegetable bed. So it has been fun to see some fascinating gardening-related articles in the headlines.

I had read a little about how beneficial gardening can be from the physical, mental and emotional perspectives. But I had no idea that there is a burgeoning field called “horticultural therapy” which is researching the benefits of gardens in a wide variety of settings including prisons, secure mental health facilities and residential programs for troubled teens.

There are many obvious benefits to gardening either alone or in a group – we get the health benefits of physical activity when we garden and we also tend to eat more nutritiously when we harvest our own fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that gardening also provides cognitive benefits – enhanced mood, less anxiety and depression and improved concentration.

There are other benefits that are present when we garden together with others. It teaches cooperation and social skills and also builds a sense of social support and reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation.

One of the key pieces that is discussed in “horticultural therapy” is the phenomenon of hope. The ability to hope is based on qualities like a sense of personal competence, an ability to cope and having a purpose in life. The very action of planting a seed in the soil requires hope. The research is showing that, for many people who feel hopeless, this involvement in gardening can encourage a sense of hope and healthy forward movement in life.

So how exciting, in the context of all of this research, to see a recent article on Seattle’s Food Forest (http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/02/21/its-not-fairytale-seattle-build-nations-first-food-forest).

The Food Forest is the first in the country and is set to break ground this summer. A seven acre plot of land will be planted with hundreds of different kinds of edibles: fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs and more. Anyone will be able to help with the planting as well as wander into the public park and eat whatever is available.

The planners have taken the whole environment into account so that soil, chosen plants, insects and bugs will be mutually beneficial and create a self-sustaining, perennial forest. The planners have also worked very hard to recruit community support and take the community’s design wishes into account.

I imagine that communities around the country will be copying this project in no time. Of course there are some anticipated challenges: What if one person takes all of the berries? What if the forest attracts many homeless people? But I think there is a bigger question – what if this forest provides “horticultural therapy” to a whole community? I think that’s worth taking a chance on.