Celiac Directory

The Gluten Free Challenge

2011-07-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get so frustrated living the gluten free life.

Tonight, the Artist and I walked a block and a half down the street to Liks Ice Cream here in Denver. Now, we’ve avoided Liks for years because 1) The teenage staff has always been surly and 2) they never seem to be able to accomodate gluten free, unlike Bonnie Brae Ice Cream that has a list of gluten free flavors (see my previous post on both establishments here.)

Surprisingly tonight, the young woman who waited on us was quite nice. I asked if she had a list or knew what flavors were gluten free. She said she didn’t think any, but she would check with the owner. Then, a customer standing in line said, “You can’t have gluten? That sucks!“. To which I looked at him and said, “Actually, no it doesn’t suck, it’s not like I am dealing with cancer” to which he pretty much shut up.

The server came back and said the owner said “to avoid any ice cream with bread in it.” Well, thanks, that helps a ton. So I’ll avoid the peanut butter and jelly sandwich ice cream but it’s ok to have cookie dough? The owner could barely look up from making his waffle cones. Needless to say, I didn’t get anything there (except more frustrated).

So here’s my challenge to all of you restaurant owners, manufacturers, marketers of gluten free products...

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Happy And Gluten Free?

2011-07-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

People with celiac disease are relatively lucky; a simple change in diet, without any drugs, can completely reverse all symptoms in most patients and causes no side effects. But maintaining a gluten free diet is, of course, far from simple. A number of treatment options are in varying stages of development, but no one has asked celiac patients what kind of treatment they would prefer to a gluten free diet, or if they would even prefer one at all. A recent study in the UK did just that. It found that over 40% of celiac patients are dissatisfied with the gluten free diet.

Aziz et al. gave a questionnaire to 310 celiac patients and 477 controls. The first section measured their satisfaction with the gluten free diet; the second measured their use...

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Warning - Gluten Intolerance

2011-07-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

According to the Mayo Clinic, untreated gluten intolerance - an umbrella term that embraces both celiac disease and gluten sensitivity - is associated with certain cancers, osteoporosis, infertility, skin rashes, joint pain and a host of other symptoms and diseases. The Clinic says that celiac disease alone, once rare, now affects 1 in 100 people and increases the risk of death fourfold. Gluten sensitivity may affect more than 20% of the population. A new, free e-book can help individuals determine whether gluten intolerance may be causing their health problems.

The e-book was written by Dr. Vikki Petersen, co-founder of HealthNOW Medical Center, Clinical Nutritionist, author, and pioneer in the field of gluten sensitivity, and is available on her website.

According to Dr. Petersen, intolerance to gluten could be the root cause of over 300 health complaints and conditions...

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Overcome Celiac Disease

2011-07-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

People with celiac, a digestive disease, must necessarily have a gluten free diet and eat gluten free foods. Even a slight intake of gluten could have serious consequences on the immune system as it would damage the villi in the small intestinal tract. It is the villi that, in its healthy state, help assimilate the nutrients into the body; otherwise, it would eventually lead to severe malnourishment and low performance levels.

There has been a lot written, lately, about gluten free...

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Stomach Aches And Gluten Sensitivity

2011-07-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

Recurrent abdominal pain is very prevalent in children and adolescents, making it one of the most common reasons children are referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist, a doctor who treats problems with the digestive tract and liver.
One common functional disorder that causes abdominal pain in children is irritable bowel syndrome. IBS is a gastrointestinal disorder that manifests itself as recurrent abdominal pain associated with changes in bowel movements. Children with IBS may have diarrhea, constipation or both. A typical symptom is bellyache around the belly button that usually goes away or gets better after a bowel movement. Between bellyaches, the child feels fine.

The exact cause of IBS is unknown, but it is believed to be...

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Best Gluten Free Desserts

2011-07-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

Imagine Thanksgiving without apple pie. Christmas without sugar cookies. Birthdays without a birthday cake. It sounds sad, doesn’t it? Food is an important part of life and celebrating with food is something we naturally do. Unfortunately, this sad scenario is a reality for many people when they find out they need to eat a gluten free diet. It’s hard enough figuring out what to eat for breakfast when you go gluten free, much less trying to cook some goodies for a birthday or holiday.

That’s why I’m so excited today to tell you about Gluten Free Gourmet Desserts...

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Back to School Gluten Free

2011-07-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

The school year is just around the corner for 10-year-old Emmy Cartwright.

That means a whole new group of teachers to train and rounds to the doctor for the girl and her mom, Helen.

The fifth-grader at a Chandler charter school was born deaf and wears a cochlear implant. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with diabetes. Last year, she learned she has celiac disease, a condition in which her body can't process gluten - which is in many foods, such as bread.

"We just did our endocrinologist appointment to make sure her levels were all in check," Helen Cartwright said. The endocrinologist also checked to make sure...

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Making Gluten-Free Worry-Free

2011-07-22T19:41:00.001-07:00

Consult JCB is a new business venture rolled out this year focused on providing gluten-free dietary solutions to the hospitality, healthcare and education sectors as well as individual client care.

Founded by Garden City resident Joan Schmidt and her sister Barbara Callanan of Long Beach, JCB is ready to bring gluten-free dining to the next level.

Though the gluten-free lifestyle has become wildly popular even among the Hollywood set...

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Wine Sensitivity

2011-07-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last month our brilliant gluten doctor, Dr. Vikki, wrote about the correlations between gluten and casein sensitivities. And since many of our gluten-free readers are also casein free–like me–I thought I’d share some information about one of casein’s sneakiest sources: wine.

Here’s a bit about how casein, or milk protein, can make it into your wine glass:

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Celiac and Hair Loss

2011-07-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

As someone who has personally suffered from unexplained temporary hair loss in the past, I was not at all surprised to learn of the many correlations between gluten sensitivity and hair loss.

Personally speaking, I know that when I maintain a strict gluten-free diet, my hair is thick and lovely, and when hidden gluten sneaks consistently into my diet, the thinning begins again.

The more research I have done on this subject, the more common it seems that...

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Sunscreen and Gluten?

2011-07-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

It’s that time a year to enjoy days at the beach and out by the pool, but don’t forget the sunscreen!

But which sunscreens are safe for those of us who are also avoiding topical gluten–and aren’t filled with awful chemicals?

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Portland Subway Adds Gluten Free

2011-07-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Interesting news about SUBWAY! I went last night to the Subway on SW Bond in the South Waterfront to to try out their new GF sandwich offerings. I understood it to be test market event, looks like it's so much more. (See Big News below.)

I spoke to Katherine Orr, Director of Operations and Michelle, the DA (District Agent) in charge of Western Oregon, inc. Bend and SW Washington. Michelle also happens to own that Subway restaurant on SW Bond. The bread that they used was by Rich Products out of NY. Looks like they were a conventional bakery and then acquired a GF bakery. They look to be like a big food-service company offering GF items out of Buffalo.

The bread was more of a hamburger bun, smaller than the typical Subway roll. They washed their hands before every GF order, and put on new gloves. They open a bag that contains an individual GF bun, place it on a piece of paper, and sliced the roll/bun and toasted/warmed it. Then the toppings were added. Any meat is gluten-free except..

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Celiac Disease on the Couch

2011-07-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

Kathleen (not her real name) came to counseling because of anxiety. After an intake, we identified several areas in her life that sounded like they were contributing to her difficulties. We started working with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a system that looks at the thought sequence you use, and where a distorted belief can be corrected and thereby relieve suffering.

After teaching her a series of formulas....

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Why So Tired?

2011-07-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

Anna Sobaski of Iowa City couldn't understand why she always felt so tired.

"My question was, 'is everybody else, the thousand of people on the road, as tired as I am?' and the doctor always said yes."

A trip to her dermatologist for a skin rash finally gave her the answer that had alluded her doctor.

She, like three million other Americans, had celiac disease, a genetic disease that is triggered after...

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Get Used To It

2011-07-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

I’m not going to lie. I ate a handful of Perky’s Crunchy Flax Cereal by Enjoy Life and wondered what state of gustatory deprivation the gluten-free eaters I know must be in to actually have gone out of their way to recommend this cereal to me. But, I kept eating — reluctantly at first — and my palate began to accommodate itself to the potent flax flavor of the cereal until, amazingly, I decided I was on my way to liking these crunchy little balls of flax!

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What, exactly, does "gluten-free" mean?

2011-07-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

The question matters deeply to a fast-growing number of people who try to avoid gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and a large number of things made from those grains. But at the moment, a "gluten-free" label doesn't mean that a food contains no gluten at all, or even that it's free of all but trace amounts. "Gluten-free" means pretty much whatever the manufacturer wants it to mean.

That's not supposed to be the case. In 2004, Congress passed a law requiring the Food and Drug Administration to define...

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GF Cold Cuts?

2011-07-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Cold cuts can be gluten free IF you choose carefully.

Here’s a list of companies whose websites list gluten free cold cuts or deli meats:

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Gluten-Free and the TSA?

2011-07-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

If you eat gluten-free and have traveled by air recently, you've probably noticed two things: 1) it's tough to bring some types of food through the TSA's airport checkpoints, and 2) there's practically nothing gluten-free to eat on the other side of those checkpoints.

Here's some information on what kinds of gluten-free food the TSA allows — and doesn't allow — through airport security.

Although rules from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) governing carry-on luggage and food items continue to tighten, you still have a variety of options on gluten-free foods you can carry on an airplane.

The TSA should allow any form of solid food, although your meal will need to go...

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Cataracts and Celiacs

2011-07-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

People with celiac disease may find they are more likely to need cataract surgery in the future, according to a new study.

Research conducted at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm and featured in the American Journal of Epidemiology, highlighted that vitamin deficiencies which are prevalent in people with celiac disease are associated with cataract formation.

Over the course of the study, the researchers established that there were 397 cataracts cases among 100,000 people with celiac disease each year, compared to 311 cases among the general population.

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Gluten-Free, Not Moist-Free

2011-07-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

When she was an undergraduate, Karen Miller took a cake-decorating class with a friend. She liked it and was good at it, but there was one problem: she couldn’t eat anything she made.

Ms. Miller, now 30, had just learned that she had celiac disease, an allergy to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. “I imagined my wedding cake someday, kids’ birthday cakes, all the celebrations I wouldn’t be able to experience like everyone else,” she said. “I decided to experiment until...

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The Mystery of Celiac Disease

2011-07-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

EDMONTON - Five-year-old Alex McCallum recently found out she's a celiac. It's a club she didn't want to join. None of the one in 133 North Americans who qualifies for membership has a choice. And the club just keeps getting bigger.

U.S. researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., say celiac disease today is four times more common than it was 50 years ago. They also found that celiacs who didn't know they have the autoimmune disease were four times more likely to die...

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CPK Adds Gluten-Free

2011-07-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

Crave pizza? You're in luck: California Pizza Kitchen has launched a new gluten-free pizza crust, which means that 29 of its pizzas now are available gluten-free.

Customers of the restaurant chain, which has locations in more than 30 states, can order favorites such as the Original BBQ Chicken pizza, the Pear & Gorgonzola pizza and the Wild Mushroom pizza with a gluten-free crust.

California Pizza Kitchen also says...

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Frontera Enchilada Sauces

2011-06-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, I noticed the many of the products on the Frontera website were noted to be gluten-free. Since then, some items on the website had their descriptions changed from “gluten-free” to “no gluten ingredients used.” This change happened before I got to try any of the sauces packaged in environmentally friendly pouches.

After carefully reading the very straight forward ingredients in the Red Chile Enchilada Sauce (in a pouch), I decided to give it a try. There wasn’t anything even slightly...

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Frito-Lay to Label Certain Snacks Gluten Free

2011-06-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Another sign that gluten-free is going mainstream: snack giant Frito-Lay will begin labeling some of its products "gluten-free" later this year.

Frito-Lay maintains a list containing some 33 products that meet proposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards for gluten-free (the list was updated just last week). The same document also contains a separate...

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Keeping Celiac Guest's Safe

2011-06-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Preparing gluten-free food for a guest with celiac disease (or food for someone with any other intolerance or allergy) is a serious responsibility, because the guest's health is at stake. (In fact, in the case of certain allergies, a life could be at stake.) This doesn't mean you should hesitate to invite someone who's on a gluten-free diet -- it just means...

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