According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 50 million Americans have allergies.  Allergies can be seasonal or food-related. Seasonal allergens include: ragweed, tree pollen and grass. If you have seasonal allergies you might be able to minimize your symptoms by avoiding specific foods and drinks. Clifford Bassett, MD, member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology says “Your body interprets chemicals in certain foods (listed below) as it would allergens like pollen.  Here are some surprising triggers to seasonal allergies you might want to limit or avoid:

If you are allergic to Ragweed, AVOID: Bananas, cantaloupe, chamomile tea, echinacea, honeydew, watermelon and zucchini

If you are allergic toTree Pollen, AVOID:  Almonds, apples, carrots, cherries, hazelnuts, peaches, pears and plums

If you are allergic to Grass, AVOID: Melons, tomatoes and oranges

If you have are allergic to Any Seasonal Allergens, AVOID: Beer, liquor and wine (contain histamine which triggers allergy symptoms)

Ever since I can remember I have had food intolerances.  When I was in college I had to avoid garlic and onion like they were the plague.  This aversion continued well into my mid 20s, when I experimenting with eliminating gluten, dairy, sugar, yeast, tomatoes, peppers, soy and some other foods which luckily I don’t recall.  All of my friends knew there were certain foods I could not eat and would always be very supportive and even curious about it.  Fortunately, over the years my food intolerances have been narrowed down to gluten, dairy, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. One night several years ago I was out to dinner with friends I had not seen in awhile, and upon ordering they commented that I had forgotten to ask for no garlic in my food.  Now that’s a great friend with an AMAZING memory!

I have been gluten and dairy free consistently for over 8 years now.  My journey to discovering enjoyable yet healthy foods has been a long and interetsting one to say the least.  Back in the early 2000’s Whole Foods was not on every corner and food allergies and intolerances were not as mainstream.  Today, most local grocery stores carry some sort of specialty foods to the rapidly expanding gluten and dairy free community.  While I do not preach my dietary lifestyle to others I certainly encourage and welcome them to taste many of the products I am enjoying.  Friends are always tasting my “special crackers” and enjoying the cakes or cookies I present.  For some reason there is a belief among some people that food allergy friendly foods are weird, gross or tasteless.  In fact this belief is so strong there are some who won’t even try them.

I encountered this uncomfortable situation this past weekend.  I was visiting family and brought my favorite gluten free crackers (Mary’s Gone crackers), which my husband happens to prefer, and my family member asked him he would like “normal crackers”.  What exactly are “normal crackers”?  Last I checked these were normal and quite delicious crackers.  I decided to bring dessert as well.  One dessert was rugelach (not gluten-free) and a dairy free, gluten free chocolate cake.  The cake was a big hit, however, one memeber of my family would not even taste the cake (and the cake was for his celebration)!  Finally after being told it was rude, he appeased me and had a tiny piece.

I must ask this question:  If the cake was a standard chocolate cake would he have eaten a piece without being asked to?  The answer is an emphatic YES.  Why must people be so closed minded?  Is it really so horrible to taste a piece of gluten free, dairy free cake, instead of hurting someone’s feelings?

So please, the next time someone asks you to try their food or brings something special they enjoy be open minded and try it (unless you have an allergy or intolerance to it).

Several months ago I wrote a blog on time management however I recently moved and in the process had to make sure I managed my time appropriately which lead me to further explore the importance of time management on our well-being.  I was balancing supporting clients, self-care as well as all the nuances involved when you move.  We are all balancing many things in our everyday lives and one of the most important things to learn is time management. When we don’t manage our time efficiently or appropriately it usually causes us undue stress.  As you can see we all need time management skills in our lives, whether it’s in our personal or professional lives, or both.

Being effective with your time helps you get much more accomplished in your life.   We tend to make time for things that are important to us.  When you manage your time successfully you create space in your life for the things and people that are important.  Think about a significant experience in your life whether it was related to something with your family, relationship, job, learning a new skill or perhaps some kind of a craft you learned, perhaps you studied a foreign language, or raised a family. Anything in your life that was significant and important to you.  Think about what that entailed.  It took time right?  It took time and dedication, and it was worth it.  It is important to invest time wisely and with good organization around the things in your life that really matter.

How many people say they don’t have enough time for something?  Well I think if we really manage our time well we do find time for things that are important to us.  How are you doing in managing your day?  Just like you have a relationship with food and the things you eat in your life you also have a relationship with time.  So if you can get your relationship with time a little more settled you will have a better day.

Top tips for managing your time well?

1) Use a planner – paper, electronic  or you can use a computer.

2) Make some categories of time in your calendar.

3) Figure out what projects you need to accomplish in your life.   Are you wanting to read a new book, plan a staycation, etc.? If so, what will that project entail?  Make projects for all the things that are important to you.

4) Organize things by projects. First decide what are the projects you will invest your time in.  What are the steps within that project?

5) Decide in which order things should occur and organize task list for project.

More Helpful Time Management Tips:

Distinguish Wants From Needs

Time management often comes down to two basic fundamental concepts: what needs to be done versus what you want to get done. Learning how to structure your day between needs and wants can often help clear up time to get things done that you want to do. Make a list of daily activities that are required for you to do, like eating, going to work and taking your kids to school. Then make a list of things you want to do, like meditating, listening to music and working out.

Prioritize Needs By Making a List

Making lists of your daily activities can be very helpful in keeping you on track and ensuring that you do everything that you need to get done. Studies have shown that individuals who create lists are more likely to feel satisfied at the end of the day because they have kept their goals firmly in sight. Consider keeping a master list in your house if you do not want to carry around a list, and mark items off the list to give you a feeling of completion.

Some Things Take Longer Than Expected

One of the biggest aspects of time management is knowing how long it will take to finish a certain task. Often individuals are unsure of how to judge the amount of time it will take to finish a project. They then find themselves behind on other things throughout the day because of that misstep. Bear in mind that unavoidable things will happen, so always give yourself a few extra minutes in any given activity in case unavoidable factors keep you in an activity longer than you might suspect.

Eliminate Unnecessary Activities

Many things throughout our days end up eating time, and we sometimes can’t seem to figure out where the day went. Take note of activities that seem to lend themselves to wasting your time. Dragging your feet when getting ready in the morning or browsing for too long at the grocery store might leave other more enjoyable activities shortchanged later in the day. Notice when you are spending too much unnecessary time on an activity. Perhaps you should even set aside some time in your day to simply waste time if this is a tendency for you.

Ask for Help

Whether at work or at home, people with time management skills often realize the importance of delegating tasks. Individuals who believe they have to do everything themselves and don’t feel comfortable releasing responsibility to others often feel more stress and have less free time to do things they want to do. Delegate your responsibilities to people you trust at work and home to get a firm grasp on the time spent in your day so you can have more time to relax and do enjoyable activities.

We have been taught to believe that sun exposure is harmful, so we use sunscreen to protect ourselves.  Unfortunately there have been numerous studies lately which state that 90% of the sunscreens we are using containing toxic ingredients and if that’s not bad enough 3 out of 5 don’t work!

According to Dr. John Douillard, Ayurveda practitioner, LifeSpa, there are two main UV rays that are potentially harmful to the skin. They are UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays are more harmful than the UVB rays. Though UVB rays are essential for good health in short doses, they are responsible for sunburns because they tend to stay on the skin’s surface. As a result, UVB rays were blamed for causing skin cancers. The SPF (skin protection factor) rating system measures the ability for a sunscreen to block UVB rays -not the more harmful UVA rays. In other words, a sunscreen with an SPF of 50 will block out all UVB rays but may not block any UVA rays.

Commercially, 3 out of 5 sunscreens do not adequately protect us against skin cancer-causing UVA rays. While sunscreen use has increased, so has the incidence of skin cancers. Skin cancer rates have soared to over a million cases per year in the United States. 2009 is the first year we are seeing sunscreens claiming protection against both UVA and UVB rays. But remember, the SPF on the label only guarantees protection from UVB, which are the “good rays”.

Most importantly, the UVB rays make Vitamin D, which protects the skin from the sun as well as the bones from osteoporosis. Low Vitamin D levels have also been linked to about 16 different cancers. Sunscreens, because they block UVB, have been reported to reduce Vitamin D levels in the blood by 97-99%, putting us all at great risk.

There are only a few active sunscreen ingredients that effectively block both UVA and UVB rays. The only ones that are both safe and effective for UVA and UVB protection are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which do not penetrate the skin. They block or reflect the sun.

Avoid sunscreens with Oxtinoxate, Octisalate, Oxybenzone or Homosalate. These chemicals are toxic and they act as either irritants, allergens, hormone disruptors or carcinogens.

How to Find the Best Sunscreens:
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just released their extensive 2010 Sunscreen Guide that includes vital information such as sun safety tips and ranking of the best sunscreens.

Many clients come to me for guidance on how to get their kids to eat healthier.   Either their kids are “picky eaters” or love food so much they are borderline overweight and the doctors are concerned about their well-being.   With 1 out of 3 children in this country obese, it is no wonder that education about what our kids should be eating is so important.  Jamie Oliver has started a “Food Revolution” in schools and also somewhat in homes, making the awareness even bigger.

Sadly, I also see parents, moms in particular, who are so focused on being thin that they don’t really set good examples for their children.  They skip meals, pick at their food, or obsess about their bodies in front their kids.   Sometimes I think moms are skinnier than their teenage daughters.

Last is the parents who are very into healthy eating and exercising for themselves yet when it comes to their children, anything goes.  This past weekend I was relaxing at a pool where I noticed several parents in good shape and definitely eating healthy while their kids were extremely heavy.  Are you thinking maybe it’s hereditary?  Well after swimming for awhile (which is a great outdoor physical activity!) the kids ordered snacks.  What were their snacks of choice? Doritos and soda.  Now obviously I don’t know what goes on in this household on a regular basis but I think it is pretty safe to say the “rules” about less healthy snack choices are quite lenient when it comes to the children.

Parents, you are role models for your children!  They look to you for guidance, support and of course nurturing (a.k.a. what to eat) so please treat the well-being of yourselves and children with the utmost importance, because they are.

I was at the gym yesterday when a fellow member asked me if I would fill out a 3-question questionnaire for her child.  Sure I said, what is it for? “It is for my son’s school project (he is in 6th grade).” Upon seeing the questionnaire I was shocked by the questions!  1) How often do you eat candy? 2) What is your favorite candy? 3) Do you prefer your candy to be sweet  or tart?   I proceeded to ask what the point of this “project” was which of course she added “it is for a math class where they are going to make pie charts, this is not a nutrition class or anything like that”.

I understand kids like candy, heck when I was a kid I don’t think I met a candy I did not like (well maybe Mounds) BUT in today’s society where 1 in 3 children are obese do we really need to discuss candy any more than is necessary.  Eating healthy starts with education.  Why couldn’t this school use fruit, asking the kids what their favorite fruit is, instead?  The students might even have discovered fruits they had never tried before!  It is amazing how people assume you must be in a “nutrition class” or in the health and wellness field  to teach children healthy eating habits.  Maybe the next time there is a “math project” where pie charts need to be displayed the teacher should poll the students on their favorite healthy treat!

When I was a child I remember the excitement I had when a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream store opened near my house and my mom took me and some friends to opening day after school for a delicious treat. I thought  going out for ice cream was the greatest thing.  This was of course before I became dairy free.  Now, “fresh” ice cream for me is usually from a container, since most ice cream stores do not cater to the dairy free community.  There are several companies who do make terrific versions of non-dairy ice cream yet, in my opinion there is nothing like going to the store and enjoying homemade ice cream.

Just the other day yelp sent me an e-mail dedicated to gluten-free awareness month, which listed several establishments in new york city who offer gluten-free options.  Most the places mentioned I have been to already. One however, Lula’s Sweet Apothecary, really stood out for me because not only did they serve gluten-free ice cream but they also are vegan (which means no dairy!). I decided I HAD to try this ice cream in the very near future.

Last night I dragged my husband and some friends (one of whom is lactose intolerant) all the way downtown to Lula’s.   When we arrived there were no other customers in the store (which considering the size was not a terrible thing).  I could not believe how many choices of ice cream (gluten free options included and clearly labeled) there were.  Lula’s has packed and soft serve ice cream.  I decided to mix a mint chocolate chip and vanilla combination and after seeing the gluten-free brownie a la mode option was sold on that.  The mint chocolate chip ice cream was very minty and “real” tasting with just enough chocolate chips to balance it out. The vanilla ice was delicious as well using a cashew butter base almost made it taste more from a maple taste than vanilla but tasty nonetheless.  The brownie was warmed up to the perfect temperature so that my ice cream slowly melted as I enjoyed it.  I will say the brownies are not homemade on premises and were pretty good.  For me the whole concept of eating a homemade decadent dessert was enough to be in heaven!  There is an eggless and creamless egg-cream on the menu which definitely intrigued and will most likely be my next indulgence there.

My husband and friends enjoyed the cake batter ice cream a la mode and thought “it tastes just like the real thing”.  I should add lula’s does offer non-gluten-free vegan brownies as well.  We grabbed the only 4 stools in the place which was fantastic because when we left there was a line out the door.  I don’t know if it was our oohing and aahing over the many choices available to enjoy or just that we hit an empty patch, but either way it seems many people are aware of their truly special and unique sweet treats.   I would urge you to run, not walk to lula’s sweet apothecary the next chance you have (and this way you can burn off some of the well worth it calories).

As an entrepreneur my work schedule is quite different than most people.  While I don’t work a 9-5 job, I am almost always “on”.  I LOVE what I do and one of the biggest areas of wellness I support my clients with is the importance of self-care (i.e. stress management), yet rarely participate in much myself.

This past week however I have been on vacation and am proud to admit I have hardly done any work!  Yes, I have checked my blackberry daily (except weekends, which is a feat for me) and made an occasional phone call, but overall I have completely disconnected from my work world.

In doing so, I realize how important it is to rejuvenate our minds, whether it’s daily, weekly, monthly or even yearly.  While disconnecting from my business I have been doing some soul searching and discovered meditation MUST be part of my regular practices (up there with exercise and drinking water!).  I now can see how imperative it is for me and others to recharge in order to function at our best.

My last and final day on the cleanse.  I must admit I am so pleased with myself for committing to do a 7-day challenge.  I also am VERY pleased to have completed it.  I find myself in a better mood than day 6 and also waking up with a burst of energy which enabled me to finish my work as well as go on a long leisurely walk.  As I reflect back on my week of “cleansing” I realize while I might not have encountered the usual amazing things people see on a cleanse, I did give my body a break from the everyday foods I usually consume.  Fortunately I am a healthy eater so it really was not too much of a shock to my system.

I also believe a lot of the fatigue I was experiencing was probably because my body requires a decent amount of protein and somehow plant-based was not completely cutting the mustard for me.  As I prepare for my week (which includes making hard-boiled eggs!), I am excited to have the freedom again to eat a wider variety of foods.   My last supper consisted of sole marinated in rosemary, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic (which, on a side note, is FANTASTIC roasted).  I am glad I finally did a cleanse and would definitely recommend anyone interested in experimenting with their eating habits to go for it!  A subtle change or awareness is better than none!

All week long I usually look forward to my weekend breakfast ritual of my husband cooking us scrambled eggs with spinach and goat cheese along with waffles and peanut butter.  Well, obviously on a cleanse these are all no-nos.  So I decided to experiment and make a homemade quinoa porridge which actually turned out pretty good.  I  did notice I was very IRRITATED all day long.

There was a local farmer’s market I stopped at where they had some delicious homemade pesto, nut butters and of course produce.  I think when you are excited about seeing baby beets there might be a bit of an issue?

I also noticed my energy is not as stellar as it was on Day 5.  I did try and nap but my mind wanted no part of resting.  Dinner consisted of fish again, which I have been enjoying very much since I usually do not go through the effort of buying and preparing fish.   Unfortunately I learned that I am allergic to raw beets (of course after using the leaves and all to make my delicious salad). My day did end in quite a relaxing way though.  I decided to indulge in some self-care in the form of an Epsom salt bath enabling me to relax and thankfully sleep like a baby.