One of our contributors did some digging into the world of “Gluten Free”. What’s this craze all about?

When I first heard the term “Gluten Free” I thought it was an additional item I needed to incorporate into my diet to be healthier. I started checking labels while grocery shopping to target gluten. I see gluten free stores popping up in my local neighborhood and restaurants have added a gluten free section on the menu.

What is Gluten Free all about?

Gluten is the protein portion in wheat, rye, barley and other grains. More specifically it’s the composite of two proteins called gliadin and glutenin.

Some people cannot tolerate gluten when it comes in contact with the small intestine and this condition is called celiac disease.

Celiac is a disease known to be genetic. If your close relatives have a specific gene, you are more likely to have or get this disease. Gluten injures the lining of the small intestine and can result in weight loss, bloating, diarrhea, gas, abdominal cramps and vitamin deficiencies. The small intestine is used in the body to absorb and transport nutrients throughout the body. The lining can heal if people eliminate gluten from their diet. Because the exact cause is unknown there is no known way to prevent the development of celiac disease

I thought it would be great to quickly review the digestion process:

1. Swallowed food is pushed into the esophagus
2. From the esophagus food is passed through to the stomach
3. The stomach has three mechanical tasks
- store swallowed food and liquid
- mix up the food, liquid, and digestive juice produced by the stomach
- empty its contents slowly into the small intestine
4. Digested nutrients are absorbed through the small intestinal walls and transported throughout the body
5. The waste products of this process, fiber and old cells are pushed into the colon also known as the large intestine
***The liver and pancreas come into play because of the digestive enzymes they produced to help breakdown food.

Everyone’s large intestine has a large number of bacteria. When good bacteria prospers it usually suppresses the bad bacteria. Individuals with celiac have an altered set-up of bacteria in the large intestine and supports the bad bacteria when gluten is introduced.

Celiac can develop at any point in life. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 people with celiac have no idea. Blood tests can detect several special antibodies which will help providers determine if a patient has celiac. Many articles online mentioned that women are affected more commonly than men.

Delaying diagnosis or not following a gluten free diet will put you at risk for the following conditions:
· Autoimmune disorders
· Certain types of intestinal cancer
· Fractures
· Infertility
· Osteoporosis

Great Websites for Gluten Free Recipes and Facts:
http://www.glutenfreeda.com/index.asp
http://www.celiac.org

Does this mean every one should follow a Gluten Free diet? Obviously if you are diagnosed with celiac disease you will want to follow it. If you don’t have celiac you may see some benefits of removing gluten from your daily life but don’t feel like you need to because it’s the new “in” thing. Many people will talk about gluten free and it’s nothing more than a gimmick for them to gain attention. Some companies are using gluten free as a marketing ploy. Every body is different, find what works for you and it may or may not include gluten.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or on a remote island you’ve likely heard something about “The World Cup” whether you like it or not but what the heck is it?

The World Cup refers to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport’s global governing body. American Football is different than how the rest of the world refers to football. Football to the rest of the world is soccer. The World Cup is the most wildly viewed sporting event in the world (an estimated 715.1 million people watched the final match in 2006) and is held every four years.

Wikipedia describes the format:
The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month – this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).

I’ve never gotten into it and find it annoying that ESPN and other media outlets are jamming their coverage down our throats. I can appreciate the history and the fact that it brings about global competition but I’d rather watch the Olympics.

Nike isn’t the official sponsor of the World Cup but it is getting the most buzz with the commercial shown below. The video has been over 14 million times on Youtube.

Those of you who aren’t familiar with the term “cougar”, it’s basically a woman who prefers younger men. The exact age gap/difference between the male and female isn’t exact but think Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. The term still has negative connotations to it but there’s really nothing negative about it. Older men have been dating younger women for years and now women are making it acceptable to do the same.

USATODAY has a story about the cougar cruise, check it out here. What do you think ladies, would you go on a “cougar cruise”?

Adobe Photoshop, or simply Photoshop, is a graphics editor originally released in the late 80s and became the industry leader for image manipulation in the 90s. You’ll often hear people refer to photos being “photoshopped”. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad and often it’s just plain ugly. I’ve been using Photoshop since the mid-90s and the program has come a long ways since then. Photoshop users are able to do things that weren’t even thinkable in the beginning. The thing to remember is Photoshop is just a tool just like having an expensive camera or a fast computer.

Lately, more and more people are using Photoshop not as a tool to enhance images but rather alter them to a point that they are unrecognizable. Every photo in the magazines has some Photoshop work done to it, if it hasn’t it should. An image will need to have the colors slightly adjusted, the brightness/contrast altered or a stray hair removed. Someone who knows what they are doing will use Photoshop in a way that enhances the photo and doesn’t detract from it.

There’s a growing trend of photographs being manipulated in such a way that it’s not a true representation of what the person really looks like. That’s cool if you want to look like someone else and some of you might need it to ever get in a magazine. You may get the photo published and praised by your facebook “friends” but it’s not always a good thing. If you’re hired to do a modeling job and you look nothing like the images you sent, you’ll likely never get a call back from that company. There are some amazing photos floating around of models who are showcased in ads and magazine features but you have to do a triple take when you see that person in public. It may work for the short term but in the long run you’re not helping yourself to have any chance at a career.

When building a portfolio don’t rely solely on images that are photoshopped to a point where it’s not a true representation of how you look in person. If you have some that are high fashion or conceptually strong because of the manipulation then that’s cool. There are some photographers who do a great job with altering photos to the point where it enhances the image. The best example I’ve seen recently was an image of Erin Stern photoshopped to look like Wonder Woman by Scott Harben. Now THIS is a great example of how Photoshop is a good and done well. I could show you thousands of photos where Photoshop is bad and ugly but just visit any of the popular message boards and you’ll see more than enough.

Erin Stern as Wonder Woman. Photo by Scott Harben.

I spotted this image and it’s amusingly on point. It reads, “What’s the secret to my success? It’s Adobe Photoshop Day Cream”.

A number of women are entering online modeling contests like the one FLEXonline.com is currently running. Remember when entering contests like this if you win you’ll be competing in person for the top prize. If your skin is blemished, you’ve had your sleeved tattoos removed or your butt jiggles more than a bowl of Jello you won’t win.

Think about these things when selecting a photographer to work with, submitting to magazines, entering contests and building a portfolio.