Tag Archives: Gluten free diets

The History of Celiac Disease

220px-Samuel_Jones_Gee_1881[1]The earliest description of celiac disease was recorded in the second century A.D. In 1888 Samuel Gee published a monograph on celiac disease that “to regulate the food is the main part of treatment … The allowance of farinaceous foods must be small … but if the patient can be cured at all, it must be by means of diet.”

In the early 1900’s a carbohydrate restricted diet was advocated where the only carbohydrates allowed were ripe bananas and rice. Then in the 1950’s Dr. W. K. Dicke published work reporting that celiac children improved dramatically during World War II when wheat, rye and Read More »

My Food Revolution: How I Became Gluten-free & Dairy-free

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.

Bobs Red Mill Chocolate Chip Cookies

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 »

Food Nutrition Labels: What the Terms Mean

The food label is an effort to simplify and encourage the use of nutritional information. It is clear, informative, and detailed, providing everything a consumer would normally need to decide if a food meets their nutritional standards before buying.

Nutrients
The common nutrients, such as Total Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium, are required fields. Other nutrients, such as Iron and Vitamin K, are optional and not required to be listed.

Serving Size
Serving size tries to reflect the amount a person can eat. It must be about the same for like products, which makes it easier to compare the nutritional qualities of related foods. Serving sizes are expressed in both common household and metric measures. Read More »

Tips to Help You Start a Gluten-free Diet

More and more people are on a gluten-free diet these days. Whether you have Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, an allergy, autism, or an anti-inflammatory disease, your situation is the same. You need to figure out how to tackle this crazy world of gluten-free living.

Our society is so gluten-filled that it can often be overwhelming to think about not eating gluten for the rest of your life. We are told to eat our multi-grain cereal for breakfast, our sandwich on wheat bread for lunch and fancy high-fiber grains with our dinner. But what do you do if you can’t eat any of these things anymore? Read More »

Step by Step Guide: Beginning the Gluten-Free Lifestyle

FOR THE NEWLY-DIAGNOSED CELIAC AND DH’er STEP-BY-STEP:  BEGINNING THE GLUTEN-FREE LIFESTYLE©

by Janet Y. Rinehart, Houston,  and Lynn Rainwater, San Antonio

BEGIN

A definite diagnosis of Celiac Disease (screening blood tests plus endoscopic biopsies) and/or Dermatitis Herpetiformis (skin biopsy) means a lifetime commitment to a gluten-free diet.

  • Take full advantage of your local chapter membership.  Our group leaders and contacts have experience with the gluten-free diet.  We can help you acclimate to the changes in your lifestyle. We welcome your questions.
  • Join national celiac support groups, for example: Read More »

Stop & Shop Launches New Health and Wellness Initiatives

Kristen Beals Gluten Free Works

PURCHASE, N.Y., April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC is launching two new health and wellness initiatives this month to address health concerns for all customers and their families. In its ongoing efforts to fight childhood obesity and help kids live healthier lifestyles, Stop & Shop announced that the first issue of its brand new Kid Healthy Ideas, a free health and wellness quarterly magazine, is now available in all stores.

The 12-page, full-color publication, is geared towards kids ages 8 to 12 and features health-related educational articles, games and recipes.

Read More »

Do You Make Your Own Gluten-free Bread?


Homemade Gluten Free Bread
I have often wondered what percentage of people following the gluten-free diet actually make their own bread.  I tend to use mixes to make sweet breads, but I usually buy my gluten-free bread off the shelf, or from my favorite local gluten-free bakery Pure Knead.

Most of us know that gluten-free bread has come a long way in the last five years, so there are a number of great options to be purchased at local health foods stores that don’t contain artificial ingredients and have the taste and texture of wheat-based bread.

Still, there seems to be a rising percentage of people who prefer to make their own gluten-free bread. Some of my favorite gluten-free bread mixes to use are: Read More »

Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings Adds Gluten Free Promise to Packaging

Kristen Beals Gluten Free Works

OAKLAND, Calif., April 18, 2012 — Add Hidden Valley Salad Dressings to the growing list of foods to clearly call out that they are gluten free.

The makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings have added a “Gluten Free” logo to bottles and dry packets of its signature Original Ranch® dressing as well as much of its Farmhouse Originals product line. Packages with the new logo should appear on store shelves this summer.

The packaging change is designed to help Read More »

Food Strategies For Newbies: A Day in the Gluten-Intolerant Life

gluten-free-claire-harrison

When I became a gluten-sensitive newbie a year ago, I couldn’t figure out what I’d eat on a day-by-day basis.

This hadn’t been a problem when I became lactose-intolerant because so many alternatives to cow’s milk products were in the grocery stores. Nor had it been a diet problem because my program (Weight Watchers) was not restrictive in choice, just in portion size.

But gluten-sensitivity (and also a problem with oats, alas) threw me into a complete tizzy. So many of my favorite foods were out the window. What was I going to eat at breakfast? For lunch? What about when I just wanted to grab a snack? Read More »

FDA Gluten Free Labeling Update

Cheryl Harris Gluten Free Works

The FDA is finally moving on regulating the claim “gluten-free” on packages, which is fantastic news!  Lots of people have put in countless hours to make this happen.  We’ve got 1 month left to comment—until October 3rd—and YOUR comment is vital to getting the law YOU want.

During the Aug 2nd teleconference, we heard that the comment period was re-opened and we might have a law by late 2012.  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 Europe for almost two decades, & the science supports the U.S. adopting it as well,” commented Dr. Fasano.  I posted highlights of the teleconference, but upon reading the 90+ page safety assessment, I had a lot of questions! http://1.usa.gov/r4NDLA

The safety assessment suggests that for the most sensitive Celiac, Read More »