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Bread, pancakes, muffins, rice, pasta; gluten is in so many different things. Kind of like glue, gluten is the component that holds these foods together and there are many studies that suggest that it isn’t good for the body, at least not modern day gluten. In fact, some people can’t eat gluten at all.
For these people, they either have a difficult time digesting gluten or can’t digest it at all. Known as celiac disease, this gluten intolerance can have adverse effects on the body.

Do you think that you may be having trouble with gluten? Here are 10 signs that will tell you that yes, without a doubt, you are having difficulty processing gluten and that you should stop eating it.

  1. You have an increased amount of gas, bloating and diarrhea, or you are constipated. If you are having a difficult time digesting gluten, your bowels will be greatly impacted. In fact, for most people, this is the first sign of gluten intolerance.
  2. The development of Keratosis Pilaris, or ‘chicken skin’ on the back of the arms. This happens when the body has a deficiency in fatty acids and a vitamin A, which is secondary to fat-malabsorption, which is a result of gluten doing extensive damage to the gut.
  3. You feel tired, run down and like you are in a fog, especially after you eat a meal that contains gluten.
  4. You have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus or Ulcerative colitis. These autoimmune diseases are partially the result of your body trying to break down the gluten, even though it can’t.
  5. You have certain neurological symptoms, including dizziness or you feel as if you are off-kilter (imbalanced).
  6. You have a hormone imbalance, like PMS or PCOS, or you have been trying to become pregnant and can’t or you are otherwise infertile.
  7. You are experiencing frequent and severe migraine headaches.
  8. You have been experiencing constant pain that is not linked to an illness (fibromyalgia) or you have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. These diagnosis mean that your doctor is unable to identify what it is that is causing your condition.
  9. You have inflammation, swelling or pain in your joints, your fingers, your knees or your hips.
  10. You are experiencing serious issues with your mood, including anxiety, depression, mood swings or attention deficit.

If you think that you may be intolerant to gluten, you should talk to your medical care provider as soon as possible. He or she will be able to conduct a series of tests in order to accurately diagnose whether or not you unable to process gluten. However, even if your doctor does determine that you are gluten intolerant, it can take months or even years to clean it out of your system.

Alan Jackson is currently on the road closing out his illustrious career with his farewell tour, Last Call: One More For The Road. Jackson has been on his farewell tour since 2022, however, after a temporary break, he announced that he would be coming back despite being diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. As of now, Jackson is closing up those dates, as the final stint of his tour will end on May 17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Alan Jackson Hints At A New Album, Says There Is 'More Music to Come' -

Given that Alan Jackson’s touring days are coming to an end, it seems the country music veteran is soaking up every last note and moment. He seemingly attested to that fact at his recent show in Orlando, Florida, as the decorated country musician got fairly sentimental during the performance of his acclaimed song, “Drive.”

Alan Jackson Gets Sentimental at The Kia Center

During his most recent show at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida, Alan Jackson performed the fan favorite, “Drive,” from his 2002 No. 1 album of the same title. However, this was not a routine performance. Rather, Jackson let the emotions flow and shared the significance of the song both through story and expression.

Prior to breaking out into the song, Jackson stated to the crowd, “This is a song I wrote quite a few years ago when my daddy passed away. I wanted to write a song for him; I didn’t want to write some old crying-dying typical kind of thing, you know?” “When I started thinking about growing up, all I ever wanted to do was drive something. He taught me all about that. That’s what this song is about,” concluded Jackson.

Following the personal anecdote, Jackson started singing the tribute to his father and when the final chorus came around, the legend had to take a moment for himself. Not only did the moment mark yet another tribute to his father, but it also marked one of the last times Jackson would sing the tune in front of thousands of people. So, like everybody, it seems Jackson just might be having a hard time saying goodbye.

Vince Gill was one of the biggest country stars of the ’90s with 18 CMA Awards, including two Entertainer of the Year Awards and five Male Vocalist Awards, 22 Grammy Awards and a Country Music Hall of Fame to his credit. But, it’s likely that his proudest achievement was being an incredible dad to his daughters Jenny and Corrina

Gill’s daughter Jenny has shared numerous stories on social media about what it was like growing up as Vince’s daughter. Most of the stories are light-hearted and funny, a clear indication that she inherited her dad’s fantastic sense of humor. For instance, Jenny recalled a time early on in her dad’s career that fans were seeking out his home.

Jenny added that fans started driving by their house and taking pictures, something she found annoying at the time.

“So one day I’m outside riding my bike with my neighborhood friends, and a car stops. They say, ‘Hey kids. Do y’all know where Vince Gill lives?’ And I say, ‘Yeah. He lives in that house right there.’ And I totally pointed at my neighbor’s house.”

Jenny said that she watched the fans take pictures of the wrong house for several minutes, something that she says brought her “so much joy.”

But, it was the story that Jenny Gill shared during the CMT Giants tribute to her dad that brought tears instead of laughs.

Jenny, who is Gill’s only daughter with Sweethearts of the Rodeo singer Janis Oliver, took the stage to share a story about how her dad turned down the initial invitation to make his Grand Old Opry debut. He turned down the invitation in order to keep his word to his then-6-year-old daughter, a moment she has never forgotten.

“When I was in first grade I really wanted to play in my school talent show. So, I asked my dad, who I knew could play guitar really well, if he would play for me sod that I could sing. And, of course he said ‘yes.’” Jenny shared, as her dad is shown on camera fighting back tears. “So we were practicing and practicing for the show that Saturday night. And then he got a phone call. It was his first-ever invitation to play on the Opry. And he asks them, ‘This Saturday night?’”

Jenny recalled that her dad told the Opry he couldn’t make it. “So, instead of making his Opry debut that night, he showed up at my elementary school to play for his 6-year-old daughter. And we performed ‘You Are My Sunshine.’”

Later in the evening, Vince Gill took the stage to share the rest of the story.

“Here’s the best part of that story with Jenny and the Opry….Fast forward a million years later and she marries Josh,” Vince shared, adding that they were all trying to decide what song they should play for their father-daughter dance at Jenny’s wedding.

“We couldn’t come up with anything we liked. She called me and says, ‘I’ve got the perfect song.’ I said, ‘I do too!’” Vince said. “We both said, ‘You Are My Sunshine.’”

Turning down the Grand Ole Opry’s initial invitation didn’t hurt Vince Gill’s career. In fact, he was inducted as a member in August 1991, only 7 years after he moved to Nashville.

A miscarriage is an extremely painful experience, particularly for women.

Lauren Warneford went through 18 miscarriages and lost all hope to ever give birth and have her dream come true.

However, back in 2017, she and her partner got what they call their miracle baby.

Nowadays, Lauren wants to help other women with a problem like hers.

For 16 long years, Lauren and her husband, Mark, tried to have a baby together. They spent over $100,000 on IVF treatments, and have nothing else but 18 miscarriages. At last, Lauren and Mark at the age of 48 and 55, respectively, got their miracle baby.

Every separate pregnancy, Lauren would suffer a miscarriage at around the 14-week mark. She was crushed every single time. In the end, they found out that Lauren had a condition called “killer cells.” It is a condition which causes her body’s own cells, the ones which are supposed to kill cancer and other dangerous cells, to also attack embryos and killing them. In 2010, this pair from the UK decided to give up their hope of ever getting a child of their own.

However, after five years, they were given a sliver of hope: Embryo donation in the Czech Republic. They decided to try and went there. The treatment was successful, and after a very tense pregnancy, their son William was born by c-section at 37 weeks.

“I must have done a pregnancy test every day for the first three months,” Lauren said. “I was absolutely terrified; sometimes, I would take one twice a day. At one point, I had to go to the hospital because I had high blood pressure, and even though the doctor said I was okay, and the baby was fine – I didn’t leave because I was terrified.”

Finally, the two of them felt enormous relief when they could finally hold their miracle baby William in their arms. Certainly, being new parents at their age has its challenges. They have less energy than younger parents, and strangers are often confused, thinking they are William’s grandparents. But even with all the challenges in front of them and the money they spent, nothing would make them give up their beloved child.

Lauren released her book Baby Dreams in the summer of 2020. In the book, she explains her devastating experience with miscarriages and ruined hopes. She also then talks about IVF and encourages women to take those treatments. She wants to give hope and some significant information to other women trying to have children of their own, by telling her own story.

“I want to help others who are struggling – I don’t want women to suffer in the way that I did,” Lauren says. “Now my mission is to help other women. I don’t want them to suffer. I think if women were to talk about this more often and being more open it wouldn’t be so taboo and it would help society. I would like to address that and help women feel more comfortable.”

After a century of the Grand Ole Opry hosting some of the best country artists in the world, the historic stage held a live Opry 100 celebration featuring some of the current country greats.

The artists that performed during the show included: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Randy Travis, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, The War & Treaty, Vince Gill , Amy Grant, Clint Black, Trace Adkins, Marty Stuart, Alan Jackson, Post Malone, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Yolanda Adams, Ricky Skaggs, Terri Clark, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Jamey Johnson.

The performances highlighted the range of the artists included in the Opry family. One incredible performance was given by Luke Combs. Watch below.

Blake Shelton Hosted The Historic Opry 100 Celebration

Blake Shelton was the host of Opry 100 but also performed “Pickup Man” live.

This performance was in partnership with Trace Adkins and Clint Black for a “Party Jam” mashup of ’90s country favorites.

Black sang the 1998 hit “Nothin’ but the Taillights,” and Adkins performed “(This Ain’t) No Thinkin’ Thing.” Watch a portion of the mashup below.

The Performance You Missed

The performances mentioned only scratch the surface of the jam-packed country music show that was the Opry 100 celebration.

From a beautiful tribute by Carrie Underwood to Randy Travis to a lively collaboration between Post Malone and Travis Tritt, the night will truly go down in history.

To wrap up the live show, which aired on NBC and Peacock, the 50+ Grand Ole Opry members in attendance all stood on stage to sing a tribute to Dolly Parton, performing her hit song “I Will Always Love You.”

The crowd was led by Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood of Lady A, who Carrie Underwood and Reba McEntire joined.

After this performance, the live show did not reveal that the entire group of members who were already on stage stayed for one more performance.

This additional performance could only be viewed by those in attendance at the show.

The iconic group of country superstars all sang in unison to close out the Opry 100 with the beloved song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.”

Watch the unseen performance below. Per a post on the Grand Ole Opry Instagram, you can now catch the full performance if you stream Opry 100 on Peacock.

Tonight (March 19), the Grand Ole Opry celebrates 100 years with a night of performances from some of the biggest names in country music. It would be nearly impossible to celebrate the last few decades of the genre without highlighting the contributions of Alan Jackson. With that in mind, he took the stage tonight to perform one of his best-known songs and the crown jewel of ’90s country nostalgia, “Chattahoochee.”

Alan Jackson Delivers Unforgettable Performance Of 'Chattahoochee' at 'Opry  100' - Country Now

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Jackson wrote “Chattahoochee” with Jim McBride and released it as the third single from his album A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ‘bout Love) in 1993. The song became a massive hit for Jackson, topping the Hot Country Songs chart and peaking at No. 46 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart. It went on to be the publication’s No. 1 country song of the year and won both Single and Song of the Year at the CMA Awards. More than 30 years later, it remains Jackson’s signature song.

Jackson has helped shape country music since he made his debut with Here in the Real World. His honky tonk style and sharp songwriting have influenced countless artists. However, he remains humble. In an interview, he told the Opry about his aspirations. “If I was gonna say somebody I wanted to be like, the two singer/songwriters in country music that stick out to me are Hank Williams and Merle Haggard,” he said. “I don’t know that there’s tow any better that have written songs. I just don’t put myself in that category,” he added.

Alan Jackson’s History with the Grand Ole Opry

Alan Jackson’s history with the Grand Ole Opry is almost as long as his career. He released his major label debut album Here in the Real World in February 1990. Then, a month later, he made his Opry debut in March 1990. A little more than a year later, Roy Acuff and Randy Travis inducted him into the Opry on June 7.

Jackson continues to keep the flame of traditional country music alive. As a result, he was a perfect addition to Opry 100: A Live Celebration.

Watch Alan Jackson perform “Chattahoochee” live at the Opry 100 in the video below.

Fans attending Nashville’s Big Bash New Year’s Eve event sure didn’t see this coming!

Though they probably expected and anticipated Australian-American country music star Keith Urban to be performing at the event, they probably didn’t expect his superstar wife to join him on stage.

Keith Urban, left and Nicole Kidman perform at Nashville's Big Bash New Year's Eve on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Nicole Kidman surprised the crowd at Nashville’s Big Bash New Year’s Eve event. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Nicole Kidman surprised the crowd at the free New Year’s Eve event, taking to the stage with her husband of almost 20 years.

The actress wore a black pea coat with a leopard print turtleneck underneath, along with skinny jeans tucked into knee-high boots.

She wore her curly hair in an up-do as she walked onto stage to hug her husband, before promptly leaving again.

Urban wore what seemed to be a simple black T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up, but when he turned his back on the crowd to hug his wife, fans could spot white and pink lettering all over his back.

Kidman again joined her husband, as well as other music acts such as Bert Kreischer, Rachel Smith, Kane Brown, Katelyn Brown, Bunnie XO, Jelly Roll, on stage to speak to the crowd.

But the Babygirl star again shocked the crowd when she and Urban locked lips in front of 220,000 fans – as well as their fellow musical acts, who smiled at the interaction.

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman hug on stage Nashville Big Bash New Year's Eve event
The couple shared a hug in front of thousands. (TikTok/@visitmusiccity)

Urban and Kidman have been married since 2006 and share daughters Faith Margaret, 14, and Sunday Rose, 16.

She also shares son Connor, 29, and daughter Bella, 32, who she adopted with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise.

Kidman previously spoke about the importance of family with Elle magazine.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban kiss Nashville's Big Bash New Year's Eve on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
They also shocked the crowd with a kiss. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

“I have a very full life with people that I love. I’m raising daughters. I’m a wife, I’m a best friend. I’m a sister, I’m an aunt. I have deeply intimate relationships with people,” Kidman told the publication.

“And that, to me, is the meaning of life – and then taking care of what we leave behind, who we leave behind and how we do that, and our sense of respect for that.”

At the 2024 ACM Awards, Reba McEntire lit up the stage with her signature charm as she enthusiastically introduced one of the night’s most talked-about moments—Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s duet. She boldly declared, “They were made for each other!” The country icon couldn’t help but hide her excitement at how stunning Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton looked together.

As the couple stepped into the spotlight, all eyes were on them, and it was clear they were just as in sync offstage as they were on it.

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton took center stage at the 2024 ACM Awards with a heartfelt performance of “Purple Irises,” leaving the audience mesmerized. Stefani dazzled in a glittery purple bodysuit adorned with a large iris and Shelton complemented her with a gray suit jacket and jeans. The stage design featured purple irises and a stained-glass backdrop, enhancing the visual appeal of their performance.

 

Blake’s signature country sound laid the foundation, while Gwen’s soaring vocals added a touch of magic. Their chemistry was undeniable, with every glance and harmony reflecting their deep bond.

The performance felt intimate yet grand, as the couple poured emotion into every note. Fans in the audience and watching from home were swept up in the moment, with many highlighting their undeniable chemistry and labeling it the “best performance of the night.” From the first chord to the final note, Gwen and Blake proved once again that their music—and love—are a perfect duet.

Country Queen Reba McEntire made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 17, 1977. At just 22 years old, Reba fulfilled her lifelong dream of performing on the iconic stage she held since her first visit to the Opry when she was was only seven.

McEntire performed a moving cover of Roger Miller’s “Invitation to the Blues” which was featured on her self-titled debut album.

Her family traveled hundreds of miles from Oklahoma to the iconic Nashville stage to witness her performance, not yet knowing just how big of a star she would end up becoming. However, her family may have just gotten a clue to how big of a star Reba was transforming into when none other than Dolly Parton showed up.

How Dolly Parton Shook up Reba McEntire's Grand Ole Opry Debut

McEntire became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry nine years later in 1986 in a special televised event in honor of the Opry 60th anniversary and performs at the famed stage any chance her strenuous schedule allows.

McEntire was set to perform a second song of Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams” but was unable to due to Parton’s surprise performance and finally lived out her dream of performing the iconic song at the 1987 CMA Awards ten years later.

Watch Reba’s pitch perfect a cappella rendition of Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams” in the video below!

Country music legend Kris Kristofferson recently passed away at age 88. His family and friends announced the devastating news in a statement:

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28, at home. We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”

Country fans would most likely know Kristofferson from his chart-topping hits: “For the Good Times,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” He also impressively won a Grammy for his songwriting ability and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.

 

It is hard not to admire Kristofferson’s contribution to the creative world. In addition to his country music contributions, he acted in over 100 television shows and movies, most notably his role in A Star Is Born, where he co-starred with Barbra Streisand.

Dolly Parton Pays Tribute to Kris Kristofferson After His Death

Dolly Parton and Kristofferson have shared a long-lasting friendship and collaborative relationship. Just last week, days before his passing, Parton posted a throwback video of her and Kristofferson performing “Ping Pong.” She captioned it, “There’s nothing like making music with friends!”

The duo did not stop there; they have collaborated on two separate songs over the years. They created “From Here To The Moon” and “Put It Off Until Tomorrow.”

Watch Parton and Kristofferson singing together in 1984 below.

When Parton heard about her dear friend’s passing, she took to Instagram with a touching yet simple message. She said:

“What a great loss
What a great writer
What a great actor
What a great friend

I will always love you, Dolly”

Their friendship and their shared impact on country music will not soon be forgotten.

Dolly Parton Fans React To Kris Kristofferson News

Dolly’s Instagram followers commented on her post, sharing their grief and love for Kristofferson.

“My mother and I would put his records on and sing our hearts out together.”

“Soo true!! He will never be forgotten”

“What a great voice, singing and speaking.”

“Truly one of the most gifted songwriters ever.”

“Fly high Kris, we your fans will miss you and will always love you!”

“So sorry for your loss Dolly and all who loved him”

“I am so sorry for your loss Miss Dolly. He was a brilliant and beautiful man, and he will be missed.”

Our deepest condolences to Kristofferson’s family and friends during this time.

In memory, watch the duo sing “From Here To The Moon” below.