Tag Archives: Diet

I have had the opportunity to connect with Dr. Stephen Wangen, the founder of the IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, WA.  Awhile back, at a CSA (Celiac Sprue Association) meeting I had the pleasure of helping Dr. Wangen with his book signing.  He had flown in to Denver to speak on his books, Healthier Without Wheat and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution. There was a full audience of folks, just like you and I, who were able to ask personal questions and learn more about living with Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, as well as exploring other areas such as food allergies.

Since that time, Dr. Wangen and I have had the chance to talk about what the IBS Treatment Center does to help people really understand their bodies and how food can be affecting them.  He explores the possibilities of Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance and food allergies and helps people to develop a healthier lifestyle tailored to their specific needs.  At the same time, Dr. Wangen has observed the emotional affects these conditions can have on people and understands that not feeling well emotionally has an affect on how people take care of their physical well being.  What makes his practice so fantastic is the positive nature.  Dr. Wangen helps people view the changes by looking at the benfits and the gains and focusing on what people can have, rather than on what they can’t.  Here is what Dr. Wangen had to say when I asked him about his own experiences. Read More »

In  Part 1 of this article about nutrient deficiencies in the gluten-free population, I posed four critiques and questions that I promised to answer in today’s part 2. Without further ado, here we go…

Critique #1 questioned the small sample size of the research. I can’t do anything about that, and there’s not much to be said about it, so let’s move on.

Next, I think it’s easiest to address critique #3: How did nutrient deficiencies in the gluten-free population compare to Americans as a whole? To answer that question, I pulled data regarding nationwide averages from the USDA’s Community Nutrition Mapping Project. If I amend yesterday’s table that showed the percent of the gluten-free population who are deficient in given nutrients, and add to it a column for the national averages, this is what you find:

These numbers change the perspective a bit, I think. It’s not simply that the gluten-free population is nutrient deficient. When you compare us to the national averages, it gets slightly more complex. In some cases, such as folate, riboflavin, thiamin, and iron, we’re two or more times as deficient (as a group) than the nation. However, in other cases, such as B12, B6, and calcium, we still have greater rates Read More »

I was recently reading a press release from Nature’s Path Organic about two of their new cereals. The press release made a familiar argument: the cereals “provide gluten avoiders with whole grains… unlike many gluten-free cereals which forfeit nutritional benefits…” The implication is that many gluten-free cereals (and other gluten-free processed foods, by extension) are more highly processed in order to improve taste and texture. But they do so by sacrificing nutritional quality.

There is some truth to this logic. Foods made from whole grains are inherently healthier than heavily processed foods, and I’ll use our good old enemy – wheat – to demonstrate. I compared whole grain wheat flour (less processed) with white, unenriched wheat flour (more processed) across a range of nutrient measures. Not surprisingly, the wheat underwent a profound loss in Read More »

Save up to $50 on Medifast gluten-free diet meal packages through September 30^th.

Medifast Gluten-Free 4 Week Package. Click image to see more.

Medifast has developed two gluten-free packages for people on the gluten-free diet who want to lose weight quickly and safely. The gluten-free packages come in a 4 week package and a 2 week package.

Discount codes are good until September 30th, 2011. Use these codes at checkout:

Medifast – $50 off any purchase of $275 or more! Good through September 30th. Click here & Use Coupon Code: SEP30H

Medifast – $25 off any purchase of $150 or more! Good through September 30th. Click here & Use Coupon Code: SEP30H25

What is Medifast?

The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan was developed by a medical doctor in 1980.

Medifast Meals are individually portioned, calorie- and carbohydrate-controlled, low-fat meal replacements.

Every Medifast Meal is based on a similar nutritional “footprint” that provides a proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. Medifast Meals are fortified with  Read More »

Could it possibly be?  At long last, there’s some movement on the behalf of the gluten-free labeling movement.

This is REALLY big news for people who are gluten-free in the U.S.!  The FDA has re-opened a comment period for 60 days to solicit opinions from health professionals, scientists and the public on a potential ruling for defining gluten-free as less than 20 ppm.

Why 20ppm? According Michael Taylor at the FDA at stakeholder teleconference on Aug 2nd, it’s the lowest amount that can be accurately quantified, and many leading experts believe it is a safe amount. Europe has used it for 20 + years.  Several prominent researchers, including Dr. Alesso Fasano and Dr.Stefano Guandalini, spoke in favor of the new proposed legislation. “This is a standard that has been in use in Read More »

The suitability of oats as part of the gluten-free diet has been a source of controversy, with some groups pointing to research suggesting oats are safe and others pointing to other research demonstrating oats are dangerous to those with celiac disease. Close inspection of available medical research clearly shows that oats, even “gluten-free” oats, should not be included in the gluten-free diet at this time.

Until the early 1990’s, oats were excluded from the gluten-free diet, along with wheat, barley and rye. Then, a few pilot studies suggested oats may not cause the harm previously thought. The idea was proposed that people with celiac disease would find their diet more palatable, and would benefit nutritionally, if they were allowed to eat oats.

Heavy contamination of many oat products with wheat, rye, and particularly barley, was a concern. Companies began to produce so-called “gluten-free oats.” These oats were tested for the presence of wheat, barley and rye. They are vigorously marketed as “safe” for celiacs. However, studies show that even “uncontaminated oats” (oats not containing wheat, barley or rye) are toxic to an unknown number of people with celiac disease.

Early studies proclaimed oats to be safe, but they have since been judged faulty with poor validity. Nevertheless, they opened the floodgates to Read More »

[Editor’s Note: Warnings against the gluten-free diet are on the rise, which makes no sense given the facts that the rate of successful medical diagnosis of gluten disorders is woefully inadequate, replacing gluten containing foods with gluten-free alternatives has no detrimental affect on nutritional status and the benefits of  removing gluten from the diet of people who suffer from gluten disorders are widely documented. The following is a response by gluten-free author and expert, Ron Hoggan, Ed. D, to a recent piece in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, “Dieters Warned on Going Gluten-free,” by China Millman.”]

Dear China Millman,

Thank you for your interesting article on gluten-free dieting.  I was very pleased to read that you include patients with non-celiac gluten sensitivity among those who should follow a gluten free diet.  I assume that you have arrived at your estimate of 20 million who are afflicted with wheat allergy, non-celiac and celiac gluten sensitivity using Dr. Fasano’s  estimate that 6 to 7 percent of Americans have what you refer to as this “milder form of gluten intolerance”.  There are other Read More »

Happy New Year Celiac Scoop friends! I hope everyone had wonderful Gluten-Free Holidays! My holidays were filled with family….friends….and delightful Gluten-Free Goodies.

Unfortunately…that means my jeans are now a little too tight, and I’m afraid to step on the scale at the gym. I’m sure many of you are in the same boat right now… But, let’s not get down about it. We all have to “splurge” once in a while… and let’s face it, one of the fun things about the holidays is doing just that. In December, we shop too much, we spend too much money, and we eat waaay too much.

But here it is! A New Year! New possibilities are ahead of us, and its the perfect time to develop healthy new habits. It shouldn’t be about going “on a diet” just to lose the holiday weight…it should be about making permanent lifestyle changes… It’s about living our healthiest! And living Gluten-Free and being healthy should go hand in hand. :)

So, cheers to 2011, and making it the healthiest yet! Who’s with me?!?!Here are some tips on weight loss that have helped me every time I’ve gained a few and want to get back on track asap:

Read More »