In light of the recent article by Huffington Post entitled “Famous and Gluten Free?” it seems like the perfect time to update my article on celebrities who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease to include those who are also gluten sensitive, wheat intolerant, or those who choose to eat gluten-free foods.

The term gluten free is being used in the media quite often.  Sometimes it is use appropriately and other times the gluten-free diet is touted as a ‘fad diet’, ‘weight-loss diet’, ‘dangerous diet’, etc. Jeopardy recently used gluten free foods as a category.

It is also apparent that TV shows want to get in on the action and openly ‘mock’ the disease and perpetuate the ‘fad diet’ aspect.  Gossip Girl, 2 Broke Girls, and Man Up are the recent offenders and it seems Read More »

There are many reasons people who wish to lead a healthier lifestyle chose to avoid gluten in their diets. Those with gluten allergies and intolerances, however, don’t have a choice. For them, consuming undetected gluten poses a real health risk. The trouble is that traces of gluten can be found in foods that don’t naturally contain it, due to cross-contamination, cooking methods, food additives, etc. This is especially true when it comes to restaurant and commercially processed food.

This is a hearty dish perfect for late fall or winter. It’s also wonderful with any root vegetable like turnip, carrot, parsnip, rutabaga, and sweet potato. If you don’t want to bother cutting the squash many stores offer it pre-cut.
Read More »

Chick-fil-A is expanding its gluten-free options by adding grilled chicken nuggets and Buddy Fruits to their Kid’s menu.

According to Chick-fil-A’s full-time dietitian Jodie Worrell, these new menu additions come as part of Chick-fil-A’s broader initiative to offer healthier menu options to customers. Initiative highlights include the addition of the Fruit Cup in 2004 and moving to a complete menu (including all condiments) with zero trans fats in 2008. Chick-fil-A also is actively working to reduce sodium across its menu, including a 40 percent sodium reduction in its Chargrilled Chicken filet, 25 percent less sodium in breads and removing 10 percent of sodium in dressings and sauces. Additionally, the chain has removed high fructose corn syrup from its chocolate milk, and some salad dressings and sauces.

According to the company, adding grilled chicken nuggets to their kids menu marks the first time a national fast food chain has offered Read More »

Well, it’s that time of year yet again…we’ve all made our new year’s resolutions…and more than likely, we’d all like to shed a few pounds :0)

In my 2011 weight loss post, I talked about 5 important factors for weight loss success:
1) Eating more lean, healthy protein
2) Chowing down on veggies
3) Cutting back on sugar
4) Avoiding processed foods
5) …and exercising!

Hopefully all of us are doing our best at these things… if we do, the weight should come off pretty easily without having to really “diet.” I’d just like to add a few more things that have helped me, and hope they can help you too :-) Read More »

On a recent visit to a museum, my husband and I stopped at its cafeteria for a snack. The choices were cookies and cupcakes, pretzels and potato chips, and assorted drinks.  Clearly, the cafeteria didn’t cater to those of us who are gluten-sensitive, lactose-intolerant, and/or weight watchers.

Much against my will, I bought the only snack I could tolerate although it meant throwing my diet out the window: potato chips.  And much against my dislike of being labeled a complainer, I decided to speak up.  “Would you consider carrying gluten-free products?” I asked. “I can’t eat most of what Read More »

There are a number of nutrient deficiencies associated with Celiac and other autoimmune disorders. These occur not only BEFORE diagnosis, due to flattened villi and malabsorption, but AFTER diagnosis as well.  It’s up to us to choose healthy, naturally gluten-free foods (like fruits, veggies, lean protein and brown rice) in order to feel the best we can. Even then, we may still have deficiencies.

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago. Although I have experienced dramatic improvements in my health, sleep quality, and energy level, I have still been dealing with some “weird” symptoms that I wasn’t sure were going to go away. These include eye floaters (which I’ve noticed for about 2 years now), shakiness and rapid pulse especially during the first half of the day, and carbohydrate intolerance. (Eating high carb meals have been giving me headaches). So…. I was VERY excited when I heard that Gluten Free Works was going to be offering . I couldn’t wait to try it out.

When I got my results back, I was AMAZED at how many nutrient deficiencies I still had after being Gluten-Free for this many years. I came up deficient in:

VITAMIN A (this explained the eye floaters)
CHROMIUM (I had never heard of chromium before now, but this explained my problem with carbs. I have since read that a deficiency in Chromium leads to DIABETES… so I’m glad I figured this out now, rather than later ;)
SELENIUM (had never heard of that one either) Read More »

Gluten is the trouble-making ingredient you’re supposed to avoid when going on a gluten free diet.  But how do you avoid something if you aren’t sure what it is or where to find it?  I’ll admit, this can be a challenge.  It’s just not as obvious I’d like it to be, but once you learn how to spot it you’ll feel more confident about grocery shopping.  Also, knowing what gluten is and how it works in food can help you understand how to cook with gluten free ingredients.

What Is This Gluten Stuff?

Gluten is the stretchy glue that helps bread, pizza crust, and other baked goods get nice puffy air pockets.  It creates a flexible structure that helps each baked good hang together without necessarily being tough or chewy.  When a baker knows how to properly activate the gluten protein, it will start doing its thing. The presence of gluten has influenced baking techniques for decades, even centuries.   Sorry, I’m not trying to build up gluten as some kind of magical essence that turns good food into great food.  It’s just one of many ingredients with useful properties out there in the world.  It happens that wheat is commonly grown and used across the world, and it affects a lot of food in Western cultures.

Ready for a little science?  Gluten is made up of two types of proteins – one is the Read More »