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Celiac Awareness Month – Four Health Problems Not Often Related to Celiac Disease That Should Be

Celiac Disease causes hundreds of signs, symptoms, associated disorders and complications. Almost all of them can be improved, reversed or cured by removing gluten from the diet and treating the symptoms individually.

  1. Dental Defects – Most dental enamel defects occur as the teeth are forming. White spots, weakness, ridges and malformed teeth are due to nutrient deficiencies. These issues are frequently said to be caused by antibiotic usage, poor hygiene or genetics. This important article discusses Dental Enamel Defects in Celiac Disease. This article explains how Dentists Can Help to Recognize Celiac Disease.
  2. Muscle Weakness – We tend to get used to how we feel, so many people do not realize they are becoming weaker over time. Nutrient deficiencies due to celiac disease before and even after we adopt a gluten-free diet, if our diet is not sufficient, can lead to muscle weakness. It is important to understand Health in Depth: Muscle Weakness in Celiac Disease.

Cooking with Coconut Oil – Includes Bonus Sweet Surprise Cherry Pie Recipe

gluten free coconut oilI first became introduced to coconut oil when I purchased the BabycakesNYC cookbook. Not only does coconut have a great flavor, but it’s a great substitute to make egg-free french toast and easily substitutes in exchange for canola oil when baking.

While I am no nutrition expert, I’m a nutrition guru, who loves to learn about the health benefits of different foods.  After all, you are what you eat, right?

Gluten-free Homemade Ranch Dip or Dressing Recipe

Copyright (c) 2011 Amy Fothergill

I was sitting at the table, reviewing one of my recipes which had not been tested yet for my cookbook. Ranch dressing is one of those items you would assume would be gluten-free until you look at the label. Then you also might see all of the other ingredients that aren’t so appealing.

My kids are big fans of ranch dressing so I thought, why not try it right now?  I normally don’t make everything from scratch but I was curious to see if it was worth it to make my own.

Assuming you have the ingredients in your kitchen (which I usually do), this can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes. It’s always better if it sets but if you can’t wait, don’t worry, it’s still great.

When I made it, I called the kids over for a taste test. They grabbed some carrots from the fridge and dug in. My son then announced

3 Reasons Being Gluten-Free is NOT The End of the World

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:ryan-gosling-e1362972367527-224x300

Gluten Free Gnocchi Recipe

Recipes shouldn’t just be a list of ingredients with obscure directions. A recipe needs to teach the recipient how to recreate the dish the writer has made.

Gnocchi can be intimidating to many people but with a good set of instructions and the consistency of dough, you’ll want to make it all of the time.

Although the base for gnocchi (pronounced nywak-ee) is potato, regular all-purpose flour is usually also added. When eating gluten free, you may feel like you’ll never be able to enjoy these tender dumplings again. But, there is hope.

Gluten-Free Hamburger Bun Recipe with Hot Dog Bun Tips

gluten free hamburger bun recipe
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

Study Finds 1 in 5 Children With Celiac Disease Sustain Intestinal Damage Even on a Gluten-Free Diet

baby-sleeping

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.

Sources:
  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 [↩]

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

Gluten Free Baking FAQs

gluten_free_Pumpkin_Cornbread

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

Swiss Researchers Find Zinc Prevents and Cures Acid Reflux Better Than Drugs

acid reflux remedy zinc
Sores from acid reflux

Researchers in Switzerland have made the welcome discovery that the essential nutrient zinc effectively inhibits gastric acid secretion in humans.

The researchers were investigating whether zinc could lead to a rapid and sustained increase of stomach pH (more alkaline) in both animals and humans and provide a rapid acid suppression therapy. They demonstrated that zinc offers a new and prolonged therapy for