Friday, February 27, 2015

Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest in Austin

http://www.glutenfreefoodallergyfest.com/
 
I'll be attending Living Without's Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest this weekend in Austin. I am thrilled to be able to attend this! Be sure you are following me on my social media sites:



 
Twitter or @BrandyWendler
 
 
Instagram @BrandyWendler

so you don't miss a moment of all the excitement that the weekend will hold. If you are able to attend, please come and say hi to me!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

A Gluten-free Present to Warm Your Heart (and Giveaway!)

Lets face it - I am horrible with my blog right now. I used to post really diligently but life kind of got in the way. I'm working on getting better but I'm not perfect. I used to post different stuff every month - fun, gluten-free info, recipes and products but lately, I haven't posted much and I'm sorry. However, I have a suggestion for new products you should look into until I get back in the habit - Love with Food. Have you heard of my awesome friend, KC, of G-Free Foodie. She has partnered with this company to bring you a fabulous, gluten-free product. Check out her facebook page here. You should defineitely be following her because she posts ALL the time and has FANTASTIC info and recipes for all your gluten-free needs. Anyway . . .

Love with Food is a company that I've really fallen in love with. (Perfect for a month that is known for love, right? - February.) They send you a box of junk-free and gluten-free goodies to your house (shiping is FREE - my favorite price!) for $24.50/month. In return, they donate TWO meals to the hungry in the USA. So not only do you get a gift for yourself, a box of 8-12 wholesome, gluten-free new treats for you to sample, but you give a gift as well. A gift to someone at home in America who is in need too not somewhere in another country. Who knows? You could be helping out someone who lives in the next city or just down the street. How amazing is that? I received my first box last month and was completely delighted!

Check out the picture:


There were several different types of chips and crackers, a yummy chocolate bar (that disappeared quickly), cake mix, a cookie sample, seasoning mix and more. Everything was non-GMO and dairy-free too (or vegan) which I really appreciate. Most of the items were full size as well which was awesome! Sometimes, the gluten-free world can be hard to maneuver and I appreciate a box of the month to help me find new flavors and wholesome products. Did I mention there were coupons in there too?! Some were for the products but one was a $25 gift card for Le Tote which is like Netflix but for women's fashion! Love with Food totally gets me! 

Here's the best part of this post though - since Love with Food is so awesome they are working with me to do a giveaway! Just write a comment at the bottom of this post. Any comment - maybe tell me your favorite valentine candy, why you enjoy being gluten-free, or maybe why you eat non-gmo. You choose, just talk to me. I'll announce two winners on Monday. Pay attention to this blog and my facebook to see if you're a winner. Even if you don't win, do yourself a favor and check this company out. You can sign up for your very own box at https://lovewithfood.com/subscriptions. Let me know what you think. 
 
Check them out on social media too!
 
Love with Food - Facebook
Love with Food - Twitter (@lovewithfood)

Until the next post -

xoxo

Brandy

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Go Red! February is American Heart Month

We like to distance ourselves from things that make us uncomfortable. Perhaps that's why we still have a huge misunderstanding in our society that heart disease just affects older males like they show in the movies or on television. I'm here to tell you that heart disease affects everyone - yes, even you! We are way past the point where heart disease occurs in isolated age groups of our society. Cholesterol and clogged arteries begins in childhood now. Research shows us that even toddlers may be developing clogged arteries due to inactivity and poor diet. So listen up!

 1 in 3 men and women will die of heart disease and stroke - 80% of this is preventable.

So this month, take time to make a promise to yourself. Find out your risks for heart disease and what you can do to prevent yourself from becoming a statistic.
Ask yourself these question to assess your risks:
  1.  How active/inactive am I?
  2.  What's my blood pressure? Cholesterol?
  3.  What is my risk for diabetes?
  4.  How healthy do I really eat?
    • How many servings of fruit do I eat in a day?
    • How many servings of vegetables?
  5.  What's my family history of heart disease?
  6.  How does smoking effect my risk for heart disease? How does my drinking effect my heart?
  7.  Am I overweight or is my waist circumference excessive?
 Listen, I care about you. So that's why this post may sounds straightforward or even harsh. I want you to live a long, happy life. So, these are questions you need to know the answers to so that you don't become the next victim of heart disease. Over 715, 000 heart attacks occur in the nation each year and 15% of people that have a heart attack will die from it. I want to make that number drop as much as possible. I don't want YOU to be included in that number - ever!

Need more info? The American Heart Association website is a good source to evaluate your risks and find out prevention tips. Go Red for Women is a great website geared toward ladies (and the red dress you may see out in store windows this month is associated with them.) Or keep tuned to me here or on Facebook for heart healthy lifestyle tips!

Stay healthy my friends!