As a result of discovering I have a Wheat and Gluten Allergy I have changed my diet quite substantially over the past 8 months - as has my partner! As a result we have both lost weight and have been learning more about general fat loss and fitness.

Here I will share with you some straightforward advice that you can use to manage your diet and Lose Weight At Home!

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But then…..I discovered that I had a Wheat and Gluten Allergy and along with that too much coffee was having an adverse effect! So I started to explore some of the variety of teas that were available and especially concentrating on those which were free of the dreaded preservatives and other additives which infects so many of our foods now!

Of course being English we drink lots of tea anyway and here are some thoughts on the health benefits of tea!

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While most herbs are very easy care plants that do not need much more than sunshine and good drainage, you will want to follow some basic guidelines when planning and planting your herb garden. We hope that How To Grow an Herb Garden will inspire you to Start Your Own Herb Garden!

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Be persistent in seeking the help you need because it makes such a difference to your life when you start to address the problem of a Wheat and/Or Gluten Allergy.

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So do these chemicals really affect the health or your child? Many people believe that chemicals just wash away through our system and don’t stay around, but they’re actually absorbed into the body and accumulate. Kids who eat regular baby foods have been found to have noticeable levels of pesticides and fertilizers that disappear when they’re switched to organic food. While the effects of these chemicals haven’t been 100% proven to harm children, it is suggested that they could damage internal organs and even change cellular structure. Even if these effects haven’t been proven, is that a chance you want to take with your child?

Now, you may or may not notice the change to your system when you switch to organic food, but the change will be more noticeable for your child. Babies are not only using their food to survive, they’re using it to grow. Babies and children eat much more food per pound of body weight compared to adults. They also process it differently. Some studies have found that pesticides and other chemicals can affect children as much as ten times more than they affect adults.

You may notice that the price tags on organic baby food are a little bit higher than on regular baby food. There are some ways to reduce the cost without risking the health of your child. Certain traditionally grown foods are still very low in pesticide levels and are safe for your baby. These include bananas, broccoli, mangos, papaya, pineapple, and sweet peas. You should switch to organic for high pesticide level foods such as apples, strawberries, peaches, pears, and spinach. Another way to cut back costs is to make your own baby food. That way, you can buy or grow organic vegetables and be sure of what exactly is going into your baby’s food. Do a search for homemade organic baby food online and you’ll find thousands of great recipes your child is bound to love.

In our modern day society full of sick or obese children, it’s a good idea to get your child to start eating right as early as possible. The best way to do that is by giving them organic baby food. That way you know your child is getting all the benefits of the fruits and vegetables without any of the hidden dangers of pesticides. If that’s not enough for you, remember that buying and eating organics also helps protect the environment to ensure it’s healthy when your child is grown.

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1 pork tenderloin — (approx 8-ounce)
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/3 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic — minced
favorite cooking spray
Fresh mint sprigs

Instructions:

Trim any fat from tenderloin. Cut into two pieces. Cut a lengthwise slit down each piece, about 2/3 of the way through and then flatten. Spritz tenderloin with cooking spray and then sprinkle tenderloin with ground pepper to your liking.

Combine marmelade, fresh mint, soy sauce, and garlic. Place tenderloins in roasting pan and pour marmelade mixture over top and spread out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes or until juices run clear. Garnish with mint springs at serving time.

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8 ounces cream cheese (0 carbs)
1 cup mayonaise (0 carbs)
1 cup sour cream (0 carbs)
1 cup parmesean cheese (0 carbs)
1 8.5 ounce can artichoke hearts sliced into small pieces (6 carbs)
Several pieces of celery, chopped

Instructions:

Mix the above together in a medium bowl. This will be our filling.

You’ll also need 4 to 6 average sized chicken breasts depending on how many people you are serving. Pound chicken breasts flat.

Spread the artichoke filling on top of the flattened chicken. Roll up and secure in place with a toothpick or skewer and put into baking dish. After all rolls are in place, sprinkle with parm cheese. Bake for 375 degrees F for 45 minutes until chicken juices run clear.

You will have likely left over filling, you can add this on top of the chicken or serve on the side at dinner time.

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4 ounces dried apricots, finely chopped
4 ounces dried cherries, finely chopped
4 ounces dried prunes, stoned and finely chopped
1 ounce of grated fresh ginger, (alternatively you can use 1 tablespoon dried ginger)
8 ounces whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 ounces dark brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups of hot fruity tea (make 2 cups of tea using any of the fruity varieties available on the market – a nice orange or berry tea will go nicely)
1 ounce of melted butter

Place the dried fruit in a large bowl, add the hot tea and set aside to soak for at least an hour, ideally 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325F and using a little butter lightly grease a loaf tin. Set aside.

Add the remaining ingredients to the soaked fruit and mix through. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until baked through.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Will keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container.

Tip: For a lower fat cake, replace the ounce of butter with an equal ounce of apple sauce.

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Organic tea begins with soil that can be considered “organic” itself. Soil quality has a great deal to do with the foods we eat and drink, whether it be meat products, produce or products like tea, which are harvested from tea plants grown in the soil.

The tea plant itself can live more than a hundred years and is generally tightly rooted into the ground, eliminating the chance for crop rotation. Nutrients must be directly added to the tea bush and, in organic tea plants, these nutrients must be natural products. On conventional tea farms, chemical fertilizers are sprayed directly onto the tea plant, which retains some of the chemical when harvested. Over-treating the land can burn the tea leaves and destroy soil integrity, leaving the soil vulnerable to erosion.

In organic tea estates, nutrients added to the soil are typically made from manure, compost or plant cuttings. Microbes in the soil break down the fertilizer, making it useful to the organic tea plant. Some organic tea gardens practice a custom called permaculture, in which plants are grown between the tea plants to allow for an interconnected and sustainable soil system. Some of the plants used in this practice are legumes, which rejuvenate the soil by adding nitrogen to it.

Some tea gardens practice biodynamic agriculture in which the entire area is considered a holistic, self-nourishing soil system. Carefully-aged soil preparations use plants like dandelion, yarrow and chamomile, which are worked into the soil in harmony with local conditions. Organic soil is kept healthy and nutritious without the addition of harmful chemicals.

Organic tea is labeled as such by being “Certified 100% Organic”. This applies to loose leaf tea and to tea inside teabags. Certified organic tea is grown, handled, processed, stored and packaged in accordance with the standards set forth by the National Organic Program. This type of food is also regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Certified organic tea is grown on farms that have been inspected on a yearly basis by the certifying agency. The tea handler and the processor of the tea leaves are also inspected and must meet the regulations of the certifying body. Some products, simply labeled “organic” are not 100% organic but must contain at least 95% organic food product.

The organic tea producer is also audited yearly and is issued a certificate that says the producer have met USDA-National Organic Standards for handling organic tea. A certificate is required for each type of tea labeled and sold as 100% organic. Steps are taken to prevent the commingling of non-organic and organic ingredients at all times and machines are washed to prevent commingling.

Purchasing 100% organic tea signifies to the buyer that the tea they are drinking is not laced with pesticides or other chemicals. Non-organic tea, given that the leaves are routinely sprayed with pesticides, may contain trace chemicals that are not healthy for anyone to drink.

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