If you have recently taken out a life insurance policy or intend to in the very near future, you should learn exactly what to expect from such a cover.

Firstly, it is a great policy to invest in if you wish to protect either a mortgage or your family.  There are generally two types of cover you can choose from, including any one of the above.

Life insurance cover generally provides your family with financial stability in the event of an incident.  This payment can be used to keep up with the repayments on a mortgage or alternatively as an income.  For example, a stay-at-home mum won’t have any source of income other than her partner’s wage; if this was to suddenly cease then both the mum and children would find it very difficult to live without the cover from a life insurance policy.

This cover doesn’t have to solely protect one person; it can in fact be invested in as a joint cover.  This is a great idea for parents wanting to protect their children or nieces and nephews.

The bills for such insurance can be set to monthly fixed costs, which will mean you will always know what is leaving your account …

You can eat gluten-free, dairy-free and peanut free while still enjoying some exotic foods.

Take Thai soup made with coconut milk. This is the perfect gluten-free, dairy-free and peanut-free exotic and spicy soup. Obviously, if you have to avoid all tree nuts, this one is not for you.

Another bonus: this soup can also soy free if you buy the right oyster or fish sauce.

Cooking from scratch with known ingredients from home gives you the chance to try some new cuisines. When you make it at home, you can be assured of its ingredients. In some cases, you’ll end up with something that is inspired by another cuisine and not quite like the original. That’s okay too! For most of us with allergies, some variety is a good thing.

Thai Coconut Chicken soup is a quick and tasty meal! Just add some gluten-free bread for a filling lunch or supper.

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Monique’s Favorite Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
36 ounces of chicken broth
4 ounces ginger root
2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish or oyster sauce, gluten-free (Wok Mei is a good option)
hot sauce to …

If you are following a gluten-free diet, you know that one of the biggest issues is bread. Not only is the gluten-free bread on your local store shelves very expensive, it often lacks in both texture and taste.

There’s nothing worse than dry, crumbling bread, whether it’s gluten-free or not.

May I suggest an alternative? You can make a single serving of bread – fresh – in about 5 minutes (and that includes all your prep time). Variations on the recipe will give you a morning muffin, that fills you up and keeps you going until lunch.

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Monique’s Good Morning Flax Bread

Ingredients (for the basic recipe):
1/4 cup flax meal
1 egg
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a wide, flat bottomed bowl that is microwave safe. Mix thoroughly! (You don’t want lumps of baking powder in your finished product). Put immediately in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes. (You’ll have to watch; every microwave is different.) You’ll see your bread “puff up” – this is good!

When the bread is done, take the container out (watch for hot spots) and simply turn it over and “bump” it to get the bread out. You should have a round shaped …

It turns out that I might just have celiac disease: when consulting with a health professional who was reviewing some blood tests, she said I had some results that would make her think of celiac and that I should be tested for it.

I suppose it’s no surprise. We’ve been gluten free (more or less) for most of the past 8 years. I’ve always felt better when I ate gluten-free food; but once in a while, I’d slip or otherwise convince myself that a little wheat couldn’t hurt me after being told by the doctor that I didn’t have any allergy to gluten.

Celiac is not that uncommon – and recent studies show that it is often under-diagnosed. Undiagnosed celiac is not a small thing: it actually raises your chances of dying by a significant factor. This is also not surprising: with so much wheat in so much of our processed food, how could most people ever pinpoint that gluten was causing them a problem?

Yet it would be there, causing damage to your small intestine, and compromising your ability to absorb the nutrients from whatever you put in your mouth, whether vitamin pills or last night’s dinner.

Another issue with celiac …

With Valentine’s Day only a few days away, it’s the time to be thinking about a nice little something for your significant other.

If you are in a new relationship, and aren’t looking to make a pledge of undying love (but would like to let the person know that you like them) allergies can create a significant challenge, especially if you don’t know your new flame that well. Flowers could be a problem for pollen allergies; cheap jewelry could mean your new sweetie breaks out because of a nickel reaction; that lovely dinner out could have you interrogating a waiter, or even leaving the restaurant.

Possible food allergies mean that chocolate might be off limits too.

Your best bet – ask your new sweetie if he or she about any allergens! Not only is this a signal that you’d like to get to know them better, it also shows your consideration for their well-being. After all, even after a few dates you might not know about a hidden latex allergy, which would make that cute balloon bouquet a real no-no.

Fairly safe bets for any new sweetheart include cards of all kinds – and if you don’t know what gift …