Gluten free

Celiac Disease (CD) is not curable, but it is manageable by eating a strict gluten free diet.  That may not be enough.

Many suffering from CD still feel ill even after being faithful to a gluten free diet.  Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease which causes your body to attack and destroy the microvilli and villi in your small intestines.  These are key to the absorption of nutrients from food and are also where many enzymes used in digestion are made.  When these are destroyed, the ability to absorb nutrients decreases and can lead to malnutrition.

This is not all that happens in a damaged intestine.  Gluten can cause the tight junctions, spaces between cells lining the intestines, to be damaged or destroyed allowing larger molecules such as proteins and even microorganisms to pass into the blood stream.

Under normal circumstances, the intestinal wall only permits small particles to pass through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream. When these larger molecules make it through into the blood stream our bodies do not recognize these  larger molecules and an autoimmune response begins.  It is these autoimmune responses that may be the cause of you still feeling ill.  What needs to happen to feel well again, is to heal the gut.

Yummy turkey burgers! Healthy AND delicious!

Being sick at a young age and having to go to numerous doctors has made me more aware of my body. I know when I feel great and I know when something’s “off”. When I realized food was the culprit of my illness I was persistent until we got answers. There were times I wanted to back down and settle because I was tired of fighting, but thank god I didn’t.

Although I have an amazing team of doctors supporting me, I have learned I’m my own body’s expert. I know what foods make my stomach hurt and I know what Read More »

Question: Is Baking Powder Gluten-Free?

Gluten-free baking recipes frequently call for “gluten-free” baking powder and some products are labeled “gluten-free.” Why is that? Learn what’s in baking powder and even make your own fresh gluten-free baking powder at home.

Answer:

No, not all brands of baking powder are gluten-free. Baking powder is made from baking soda, cream of tartar (a bi-product of wine production) and a “moisture absorption agent” which is usually, but not always cornstarch. Other starches including potato starch (gluten-free) and wheat starch (contains gluten) can be used in baking powder products.

Therefore, not all brands of baking powder are gluten-free. According to manufacturer information, the following baking powder brands are gluten-free. Most of these products are available at large and small grocery stores in the United States. Read More »

Is your kitchen a gathering place?

The kitchen is a natural place for people of all ages and backgrounds to share stories and flavors.

When transitioning to eating gluten-free, cooking and meeting in the kitchen will probably change.

It means double checking each addition to a dish or scrambling to make sure there is no cross-contamination. Read More »

So you’re diagnosed with Celiac Disease or a Gluten Sensitivity and you’re all like, “It’s the end of the world,” and you proceed to rant about how a life without gluten is not a life worth living. Even though you might want to listen to R.E.M. on repeat and binge over your last plate of fried chicken wings, you just need to get over it.

This all might sound a bit harsh to the newbie, but you need to cope, and once you do, you’re going to realize that eating gluten-free is quite possibly the best thing that could have happened to you. Here are three reasons why eating gluten-free doesn’t ruin your life:

Read More »

Gluten-Free Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns Photo 2010 © Teri Lee Gruss

Tired of eating juicy grilled burgers on a heavy, dry, flavorless gluten-free buns? This gluten-free hand-shaped bun recipe makes soft, yeasty authentic looking hamburger buns. It’s adapted from a recipe by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt which appears in their cookbook 125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Makes 6 Buns Read More »

In a new medical study, researchers from MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) were surprised to discover that nearly one in five children with celiac disease sustained persistent intestinal damage, despite strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.¹

Consistent With Results Seen In Adults

These findings are consistent with research in adults, which showed that more than 33 percent of adult patients on a gluten-free diet have persistent intestinal damage, despite a reduction of symptoms or the results of blood tests.

It Was Assumed That Intestinal Lining Healed In Children

Current guidelines for pediatric celiac disease patients recommend a single biopsy at diagnosis and follow-up blood testing to monitor recovery of the intestinal mucosa. It was assumed that intestinal mucosa (lining) healed in children after adopting a strict gluten-free diet and that the blood tests would accurately reflect whether healing was occurring or not. It appears this assumption was incorrect.

1. http://www.news-medical.net/news/20161130/Study-finds-1-in-5-pediatric-celiac-disease-patients-on-gluten-free-diet-sustain-persistent-intestinal-damage.aspx [↩]

Hello to everyone! I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you what I’ve learned about baking gluten-free quick breads, such as Pumpkin Cornbread Squares, after 10 challenging months of adapting wheat flour recipes and experimenting with gluten-free flours, starches, and gums.  Here are some of the questions I asked myself and the answers that I found.

Q: Why would I bake gluten-free when I can now buy a variety of gluten-free products at a grocery store?

A: You may enjoy baking and want to continue.  Or you may want to save money and not buy packaged foods.  Perhaps, you’re not happy with the quality or taste of what’s available.

Or perhaps you’re like me.  I’m not only gluten-sensitive (recently diagnosed), but also lactose-intolerant and on a forever diet to keep Type 2 diabetes at bay. The result is that Read More »

Every morning my freshman year in high school, I felt sick. I would miss a lot of first period class & summer swim workouts as a consequence. My mother and I could not figure out what was wrong.

Bob’s Red Mill chocolate chip cookie mix using soy free Earth Balance

Every day shortly after breakfast, I would get nauseous and have to lie down. One morning, I told my swim coach, who was frustrated with me missing so many workouts, I had “morning sickness.” At the time I was 14 and clueless to the usual context in which that phrase in used. Mom was mortified. I had to clarify to coach that I was not actually with child, and then it was off to the doctor, who confirmed I was likely lactose intolerant, so I stayed off dairy.

Down the road in college, I started getting sick after many meals, and after a few years of searching, I finally got a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity. First milk, now Read More »

Shopping for gluten-free foods can be inexpensive and fairly easy. Follow these nine steps for successful gluten-free shopping:

1. Learn Naturally Gluten-Free Foods. Only foods containing wheat, barley, rye and oats contain gluten. All unprocessed meat, poultry, seafood, fish, eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and grains like corn and rice are naturally gluten-free. This list of Safe Foods will help you.

2. Learn Gluten Code Words. Flour, rye and oat bran are obvious, but learn other names, like seitan, vegetable protein and malt, as well as common hiding spots, like sauces and coatings. Follow this helpful list of Hidden Ingredients.

3. Read Ingredient Labels Every Time. Ingredients can change. You may find a food you counted on for months now lists Read More »