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For Your Reading Pleasure

For Your Reading Pleasure

Why do hummingbirds hum? Because they don’t know the words.

1. Want to grow your own food but do not have a green thumb? Learn this easy way to grow herbs, scallions, celery, lettuce, and more from kitchen scraps.

2. How to eat well on a budget.

3. Could fructose be causing your child’s tummy troubles? Or yours?

4. 10 reasons to cut out processed foods.

5. Staying away from donuts because they have too much sugar? These foods have more sugar than one Krispy Kreme donut.

6. Why prebiotic foods matter just as much as probiotics.

7. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Photo taken by Bill Williams on Unsplash

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For Your Reading Pleasure
For Your Reading Pleasure

1. Anne McGovern wonderfully discusses what it’s like to have irritable bowel syndrome.

2. Why we shouldn’t get excited or bummed by the latest food study showing up in the news.

3. An interesting read for those suffering from chronic illness or just wanting a more centered calm life. What I wouldn’t change if my health were restored tomorrow.

4. Tired of being tired and sleeping more is not an option? Check out these nine ways to get more energy.

5. Five of the best essential oils and how to use them. I am loving how lavender and peppermint can help me relax and get to sleep.

6. If you like restaurants and history, check out this book on the ten restaurants that shaped America.

7. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

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For Your Reading Pleasure
For Your Reading Pleasure

1. 5 weird gut health symptoms you need to know about.

2. Did you know that sugar has many different names? Check out this list of all the different names of sugar.

3. Five shocking facts about obesity in America.

4. How the sugar industry shifted the blame to fat.

5. A breakdown of the what and why of ingredients in commercial toothpastes.

6. How cool is this? Teen creates app so bullied kids never have to eat alone.

7. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

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Factoring Digestive Issues in Your Child’s Health & Development
My Guest Blog: Factoring Digestive Issues in Your Child’s Health & Development

Last spring semester I taught a course called Digesting the Modern Diet. One of my students, Katie Chiffer, impressed me right off the bat. She is smart, insightful, and added a wonderful perspective to our class discussions. In addition to being a college student, she has a website Project Lunchbox: Let’s Eat with a goal to “educate followers about what’s truly in their food by providing pertinent information and research about all things nutrition”. She also teaches nutrition and cooking education classes and, this summer, she interned at Food Tank. She wrote an article that appeared on the Food Tank website entitled “Appleton Farms: A CSA Thinking Outside the Box”. I was touched when she asked me to write a guest blog for her website. Katie posted my guest blog on understanding digestive issues in children on Sunday and you can find the  link here. Thanks Katie!

Photo taken by Angele J on PEXELS

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For Your Reading Pleasure

For Your Reading Pleasure

1. 37 ways to use apple cider vinegar for a chemical free home.

2. Understanding leaky gut syndrome.

3. The dinner divide: How can we improve the diets of all Americans?

4. Eight signs of FODMAP intolerance.

5. Why a chemical banned form soap is still in your toothpaste?

6. A recipe for a zero waste chemical free toothpaste.

7. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Photo found on PEXELS

~ Contented Belly ~ 4 Comments
Is Our Modern Diet Making Us Sick?
Is Our Modern Diet Making Us Sick?

Although I have generally had a healthy diet since I was young, my desire for and success at choosing healthier options increased dramatically after being diagnosed with Fructose Malabsorption. I have learned that by focusing on cooking from scratch, using real ingredients, and limiting my intake of sugar and processed foods, I feel better and I do not trigger my food intolerance very often. My diagnosis also led me to create Contented Belly as a way to learn, share what I have discovered, and create a community. Another goal was to discuss how our modern diet is affecting the health of our wider community and ways to eat healthy.

Some of the articles I have posted on Contented Belly have addressed how sugar affects our health, the potential link between increased anaphylactic attacks and GMOs, and the possibility of the rise of celiac, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and other digestive disorders because of the increase of processed food and manufacturing processes. I do believe there is a correlation between diet, lifestyle, and stress and our health. There are many studies that show there is a link between food and certain chronic diseases like metabolic syndrome. However, at the same time, there is not enough conclusive research about why there has been an increase in irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, food allergies and more.

Lately I have been thinking more about the question – Is our modern diet (and lifestyle) truly making us sick? In an effort to learn what you, my fellow food and digestive minded community, think and to help guide some of my future topics, I have the following questions for you. Please answer one, some, or all in the comment section. Thank you!

  1. Do you think there is a link between our modern diet our health?
  1. If you think there is a link, then what do you think are some of the causes?
  1. If you don’t think there is a link between our diet and health, then what do you think is causing the increase in chronic diseases, digestive disorders, and food allergies?
  1. Do you think that there isn’t an increase in health problems, but rather that we are simply better at diagnosing these issues than we used to be?
  1. What questions do you have or topics you would want to see covered?

Photo taken by Robin Stickel on Unsplash

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For Your Reading PleasureFor Your Reading Pleasure

Happy Labor Day & Happy Back to School

1. Planning a BBQ for this Labor Day Weekend? Try this gluten-free, low FODMAP, and vegan no mayo potato salad recipe.

2. Having guests this weekend with IBS or Fructose Malabsorption? Tips to prepare for a low FODMAP guest.

3. Nope, it’s not crazy to say you have a food intolerance.

4. Have a child with food allergies who is going back to school? Check out these 7 tools.

5. This is your brain on food: The link between eating well and mental health.

6. The nation’s first “soda tax” on sugar-sweetened beverages in Berkeley CA appears to be working.

7. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Photo taken by Karl Fredrickson on Unsplash