by Melissa Diane Smith

(Opinion) – Last year there was an unprecedented increase in awareness in the United States about genetically modified organisms (GMOs), important victories in court, and key steps forward in educating larger groups of people about GMOs and how to stay away from them. With experts predicting more of an upsurge of consumer concern in the United States this year, could 2011 be the year that consumer rejection starts to shut the door on these untested, harmful Frankenfoods for good? Although no one really knows for sure, there are several encouraging signs that that time is coming, if not this year, then within a year or two.

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I am happy to announce that I am now accepting clients not just from throughout the United States, but also from other English-speaking countries including Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. I continue to emphasize integrative holistic nutrition focusing on the whole individual, the particular health conditions and health history a person has, the habits/lifestyle he or she has, and the health goals he or she wants to achieve. I specialize in customizing gluten-free diets, grain-free diets, and/or low-carb/low-glycemic diets for the individual and am increasingly educating and counseling clients on the dangers of genetically modified foods (often called GMOs or genetically modified organisms) and how to avoid them in their diets.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

(Opinion) – Refined carbs, not fats, are what is making us fat and sick. It isn’t really news, but I guess it is when a mainstream newspaper like the Los Angeles Times runs a big feature on the topic right before the holidays.

“Fat is not the problem,” Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, told the Times. “If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases (such as metabolic syndrome or Syndrome X).”

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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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The special deal I am offering on my nutrition coaching and counseling services has been so popular that I am glad that I am offering it through November 7th of this year. That gives people who are new to going against the grain more time to take advantage of the offer to get personalized one-on-one help at a discount. If you are in need of nutrition coaching or counseling, act now to take advantage of the special while it lasts.

In case you missed the details, here they are again:

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by Melissa Diane Smith

October 10th (10-10-10) is National Non-GMO Day and October is National Non-GMO Month. There is no better time to get educated about genetically modified foods, the dangers associated with them, and how to avoid them so we can create a movement to stamp GMOs out of our food supply and take back our right to real food. In fact, I feel so strongly about educating people about this topic that I am going to add “Just Say No to GMOs” as one of the many nutritional subjects I can be contacted to speak about (either by itself or in conjunction with my gluten-free or going against the grain talks) to both mainstream and health professional groups.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

Religiously avoiding foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup? You’ll also need to watch out for foods that contain corn sugar, a change in name that appears to be coming and means the same thing.

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The latest stop on my virtual book tour for Gluten Free Throughout the Year was an interview at GlutenFreeFitness.com, which was posted as a podcast on Sept. 8th. Host Erin Elberson who has similar nutrition philosophies as I do interviewed me and we had an engaging chat that covered a lot of territory. We discussed helpful-for-health information for people who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity and even for people who don’t. If you’d like to hear the real scoop on gluten-free and grain-free diets and how you can personalize the info to design the best diet for you for improved health, listen to the podcast right now.

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