by Melissa Diane Smith

The hottest story in tennis and perhaps all of sports right now is Novak Djokovic who has had a spectacular record of 43-1 up to this point this year, winning the Australian Open and six other tournaments, and losing only to 16-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the French Open. With win after win and a few key victories over the world’s No. 1 player Rafael Nadal, Djovokic became the No. 2 men’s tennis player in the world this spring. Many factors have been attributed to the dramatic transformation in Djokovic’s play – including a change in racquet, a change in motion on his serve, and a change in confidence – but perhaps the most notable is his change to a gluten-free diet.

Because of the no-gluten diet, “I have lost some weight but it’s only helped me because my movement is much sharper now and I feel great physically,” Reuters quotes Djokovic as recently saying.

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Not sure what changing your diet can do for you? My client Marcia who wrote the following testimonial wasn’t sure at the beginning either but she has been completely won over by what my individualized nutrition coaching program is doing for her. So are her doctors, including one who wrote me, congratulated me on the wonderful results she has had, and said “Way to go!”

I am so grateful that I am able to help people like Marcia in this way! Keep in mind that this is a person who was eating gluten free to begin with, but still needed some fine-tuning to her diet. Here’s Marcia’s story:

I originally contacted Melissa about how and what to eat because of multiple food sensitivities I was recently diagnosed with (I have been gluten-free for almost 9 years). Working with Melissa has taught me to eat properly for me. She set me up with a personalized diet for my sensitivities, symptoms and conditions. I definitely eat against the grain! In addition to grains, I avoid dairy, eggs, beans, processed foods and all GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Eliminating the GMOs has made the most impact for me.

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Need a quick rundown on the difference between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, and how to test for the two conditions? Check out my less than ten-minute radio interview on April 13, 2011, on the Buckmaster Show, hosted by long-time Tucson news and information host Bill Buckmaster. In advance of the Gluten-Free Food Faire on April 30, the interview also covers some of the main highlights of the upcoming faire, including my book signing featuring my new book Gluten Free Throughout the Year. To hear the interview, go to this link, listen to or download the MP3 audio file, and advance the podcast to 16 min, 35 seconds, to start the section with my and Bill’s conversation.

by Melissa Diane Smith

Would you like to explore the world of gluten-free living? Would you like to get a copy of my new book personally autographed by me? Or, if you know you’re sensitive to gluten (found in wheat, rye, and barley), would you like to go to an event where you can sample good food, have fun, and relax knowing all the foods there are gluten free?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you’re in luck. The Annual Gluten Free Food Faire, a special day of health information and food sampling including a book signing by me, will take place on Saturday, April 30^th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Palo Verde, 4550 S. Palo Verde Rd., in Tucson, Ariz.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

I absolutely loved this sign that I saw while walking the show floor at the natural foods convention, Natural Products Expo West! As you probably know, I’ve been writing for quite some time about how gluten-free junk food is making people who eat gluten free fat and unhealthy. In fact, getting that message out to more people is a big reason that I started this blog (see my original story “The Gluten-Free Diet – A Recipe for Unhealthy Weight Gain?”). It’s also one of the main reasons for my new book, Gluten Free Throughout the Year: A Two-Year, Month-to-Month Guide for Healthy Eating.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

A group of Italian researchers has written in the most clear medical language so far that non-celiac gluten sensitivity exists and affects many more people than celiac disease. But gluten sensitivity lacks definitive blood tests to diagnose it, so the best test right now to determine it is seeing if there is relief in symptoms from a gluten-free diet trial.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

If you’re confused about how you can find out if you’re gluten intolerant or not, here’s a rundown on the subject from three top experts.

Walk into your doctor’s office to try to find out if you’re gluten sensitive and you’ll almost always have trouble getting an answer. For one thing, your doctor may not want to run blood tests to test for the condition. If he does, he’ll probably only pay attention to tests that screen for tissue damage in the gut, an indicator of celiac disease. If the tests for tissue damage are negative, it’s common for a physician to ignore the test results that indicate an immune reaction (IgA and IgG gliadin antibody levels), even if those immune reaction tests come back positive. Many doctors simply tell their patients that they don’t have celiac disease and should keep eating a diet that contains gluten.

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If the National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot in 2011” survey of more than 1,500 professional chefs is any indication, 2011 will be a very good year for people who eat against the grain. Local food, sustainable meat and seafood, healthier children’s meals, and gluten-free cuisine will be among the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2011.

Photo Credit: National Restaurant Association

The top ten menu trends this year are predicted to be:

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The more you go against the grain during the holiday season, the healthier you’ll tend to be. If you know that in theory but need a little practical help enacting that in your life, let me remind you of my new book published earlier this year, Gluten Free Throughout the Year. With its month-to-month format, this companion guide to Going Against the Grain can help you through all times of year, and offers gluten-free recipes such as Pink Rice with Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms and grain-free recipes including Chestnut Stuffing, Savory Stuffing, Butternut Squash with Fresh Sage, Pecan-Pear Autumn Sundaes, and No-Bake Dried Fruit-Cocoa Balls, all of which are very appropriate for the holidays.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

Awareness of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity has grown so much in recent years that more and more people are avoiding gluten and “gluten-free” is one of the hottest and most in-demand labels placed on foods today. Yet, despite the popularity in “gluten-free,” many people have sketchy information about gluten, gluten-related illness and gluten-free foods.

There is no better time than now, National Celiac Awareness Month, to clear up common misconceptions and raise awareness, So, take my quiz, test your knowledge, and find out how gluten-savvy you really are.

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