November 2004.  My oldest son, Max, who was 10 years old and in 4^th grade was showing signs of struggling in grade school.  Lack of focus, lack of interest and low self-esteem in the classroom were rearing their ugly heads.  Being that Max was the first of my five kids, being that my husband’s ADHD was still undiagnosed in his mid-thirties and being that Max was a boy, hockey goalie and all around athletic kid, how would we have ever known he had ADHD?  He was our guinea pig, the one whe’d make the most mistakes with, our first-born.  It was during his fall conference that year that his teacher at the time suggested that we have Max tested for ADHD.  She kept us calm, focused and talked us out of blaming ourselves for the rest of our lives.  At the end of our conference, knowing how talented and committed Max was at playing high level hockey at such a young age, she left us with these words of wisdom that I still think about daily with my other kids.  She told us to never take him out of a hockey rink.  I didn’t get it back then, I was far too young of a mother.  But, those words have helped me raise my kids to have self-worth, independence, routine and discipline.  Character traits they would have never gotten from school.

Holiday time for my family means a trek to a far away ice rink for one of the kids hockey tournaments.  During Christmas and New Years week that usually means we head east.  Off we go to Boston, Cape Cod area and the Big Apple for some playtime.  Being a hockey mom means having to eat at some restaurants I wouldn’t exactly choose on my own.  Whether you travel for soccer, tennis, dance competitions, chess tournaments or hockey, they tend to be in not such healthy food oriented towns.  I wanted to share my east coast travels for you so if you ever happen to be in these cities you have some safe food tips.  Because I don’t have any food allergies, I am gearing my reviews towards those who avoid gluten and seek healthy food options.  After a quick tour of Harvard, Tufts and Boston College, we landed in a sports bar just off the BC campus called Capital Grill in Chestnut Hill.  Great for watching sports, but not so great for the gluten free intolerant diner.  Although they had written on their menu in big bold red type, “please notify your server of any food allergies and/or dietary needs”, our waitress did not seem up on which meals would be healthier gluten free options for me.  As usual, I ended up with a small, tasteless salad with no dressing because no one knew which salad dressings were gluten free or not.  I gave them zero stars. 

Off to the Cape Cod area for the hockey tournament.  After a quick check-in at the hotel we headed to New Bedford, MA for some thai food for New Years Eve with the kids.   Thai is a Motew favorite because we love rice noodles.  

With Fall fast approaching, so too are our favorite holiday meals.  And with our favorite holiday meals comes those unwanted extra holiday pounds.  I know, it's so hard resisting every appetizer, every cookie, every specially wrapped candy at every holiday party.  If you've been part of the Zema's online community for a while now, you know that I come to this gluten free world from a health and wellness perspective, not due to allergies.  I try my best to fuel my five kids with clean, organic foods free of gluten, dairy, additives, color dyes and such.  So, of course when the holidays arrive, I feel mixed emotions about letting my kids eat 

What is Gluten?

Gluten is part of a protein from wheat and other grains that is considered generally harmless…unless you are part of the 1% with Celiac Disease (specific malabsorption syndrome) or part of the increasingly growing population with gluten and/or wheat sensitivity.  The real issue is that it is very difficult to identify how large that latter population is; however, it is reported that gluten sensitivity affects at least 15% of the U.S. and is rapidly increasing with no apparent relief in sight.  Based on my clinical experience, I expect that number to be closer to 40%.

What are the signs of Gluten Sensitivity?

Many people have grown to accept the symptoms as “normal” since many of us experience these symptoms for very long periods of time.  Post-dinner bloating is a classic example.  As often as this occurs, it is still a symptom. 

Outside of the ongoing debate whether or not agave nectar is “good” or “bad” for you, drinking raw milk comes in a close second on hot food debates.  I, for one, have always shunned at the thought of drinking raw milk, let alone, allowing my kids to drink it for many years.  But, I was also highly uninformed of what raw milk is and how it differs from mainstream pasteurized milk.   I was raised in a suburb of Chicago where my mom shopped weekly for Coke and Wonder Bread.  Eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes cereal was how I started my day before school.  I never even knew there was such a thing as raw milk.