Monthly Archives: February 2010

In September 2009, an important conference took place in Chicago. Takeda sponsored the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Education Conference. The goal           of the conference was for celiac experts to share information about celiac disease with other doctors, though as the conference name implies, most were gastroenterologists. We all know that the first line of defense for celiac patients is the primary care doctor. The good news is that the many problems and challenges of diagnosing patients with celiac was covered in detail during the two day event. Admitting there is a problem is the first step to correcting the situation – hopefully.

As one would expect, celiac experts like Dr. Peter H. Green and Dr. Joseph Murray were speakers at the conference. However, the most exciting news for me was the fact that Shelley Case was also a featured speaker. Shelley was the only dietitian invited to present at the event – hardly surprising since she is considered the foremost authority on the gluten-free diet in North America. Her topic was “The Gluten-free Diet: What Every Physician Needs to Know”. Almost every doctor I met during my own celiac journey (and most I’ve met since my diagnosis) do not believe that people can eat great food on the gluten-free diet and therefore, most patients won’t follow the diet even with a biopsy diagnosis of celiac. Therefore, some doctors seem to try and avoid diagnosing patients with celiac disease. Thankfully, when Shelley was finished speaking, many doctors scrambled to pick up her book.

Shelley agreed to speak to me with me about this conference even though she is a very busy lady. She is always going somewhere to speak, work with the Canadian Celiac Association and constantly updating her best selling book The Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource.  Shelly went over many details of the conference with me recently, but first she shared some interesting news about a similarity between the U.S. and Canada. Most of us know there is a problem getting people properly diagnosed with celiac disease in this country.  Shelley reports that Canada doesn’t seem to be doing on so well on that front either. The last survey they did regarding length of time for a celiac diagnosis ws 11.7 years. That was several years ago and they are now analyzing the data from the last such study. Results are preliminary but so far it’s not looking like there has been improvement to shorten that time substantially. At the Chicago conference, there were several issues discussed regarding why many doctors are not giving their patients the proper care and service when it comes to celiac disease. To keep this post a quasi acceptable length, we’re just going to talk bout the blood tests for celiac disease.

Problems plague the celiac blood tests and doctors not ordering the complete celiac panel is just the start of it. Another drawback is that some patients may have a false negative on the IgA tTg or IgA EMA test, due to them having an IgA deficiency. IgA deficiency is much more common among people with celiac than in the general population. Sounds confusing, right? Yes, that’s another problem. If a doctor doesn’t understand the many nuances involved with the celiac blood tests, they’re going to send many patients away with a clean bill of health. At least they’re going to tell the patient that they do not have celiac. To learn more about celiac genetic testing (different than celiac blood tests), read the New York Times take on the topic, as well as the genetic testing article from Shelley’s website.

I’ve met countless people that tested negative on the celiac blood tests but they tried the gluten-free diet anyway. When the diet resolved a host of health issues, they stuck with it. Those people will never know if they have celiac (or non celiac gluten sensitivity) because they will never go back to eating gluten to find out. Please forget anything you’ve heard about how much gluten is enough to consume – and how long it must be consumed – in order to be properly tested for celiac disease. Some experts now agree that they do not know the exact answer to either question. The estimates of several pieces of bread a day might be correct, but the length of time this must be consumed for accurate test results is not actually agreed upon. We’ll cover the host of problems with the biopsy test next week, including the fact that it might not be the gold standard that doctors have considered it for many years.

OK – now for the fun part! Leave a comment below if you would like to win a copy of Shelley Case’s “must have” book The Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide. Shelley has generously offered to donate FIVE of her books for our lucky readers. The deadline for comments is Sunday, February 14th. Winners will be announced on this post on Monday, February 15th. Good luck!

UPDATE 2-15-10: Congrats to the following winners of Shelley Case’s book! They are Julia Lynch, Ina, Angie Adams, Will and Elisabeth Mills.

Special thanks to Shelley Case for sponsoring this give-away and most especially for taking the time to speak with me about the conference in Chicago!

So, we’re snowed in this weekend (maybe you heard that Falls Church, Virginia is expecting up to 30″ of snow, the most since 1722!) and we’ve been kicking around some new product ideas while we’re getting ready to doing some baking.

It’s really important to us that we focus our resources on designing new products that you’ll find useful and will make your life easier.  That’s why we’d like you to be part of our new product development process.

We have a new idea for a product that we think has the potential to make life easier for gluten free restaurant patrons.  But, even more importantly, we want to know what you think. We’ve put together a short survey about the new product to gather your thoughts. If there’s enough interest from within the community, we’ll get to work on this new product immediately!

The survey consists of 10 short questions about a brief concept description for a product that does not currently exist, but that we’re considering for development.  Please click here to take survey.

Check out the survey to see what we’re working on and to share your thoughts. Your voice is an important one in our product development process. Is this new concept a great idea? A terrible one?  Will it make your life easier? We can’t wait to hear what you think! Please take the survey now.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, how will you treat your gluten-free sweetie? Chances are it’ll involve chocolate. Tiffany wrote a post on enjoying a gluten-free Valentine’s day. You may have noticed in the chocolate section two big chocolatiers are missing, Godiva and Lindt. Here’s the story.

Godiva
While it’s so convenient to pick up a box of Godiva (they seem to be in every mall these days), you may want to skip it. Godiva claims that ALL of their products may contain gluten.

ALL of our products including solid chocolate pieces may contain gluten. Any person with a gluten allergy should NOT consume ANY of our products.

Sounds like someone definitely does not want you eating their chocolate! That said, I found it pretty hard to believe all their chocolate contains gluten — so I called and asked for ingredients for a random truffle flavor. The rep, Maryanne, read a list of ingredients that were all gluten-free. So what gives? I’m guessing the issue here is cross-contamination or perhaps just an overzealous legal department. No surprises there.

But what DID surprise me — they use vanillin (artificial vanilla) and partially hydrogenated palm oil. Both ingredients are gluten-free, but in my opinion, have no place in a quality chocolate. Hey, I’m not chocolate snob, you’ll often find me munching on a Hershey’s Bar (according to the Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide, the plain milk chocolate bar is gluten-free), but Godiva charges $1.75 for a single, 3/4-inch square piece of chocolate. For around the same price, I can go around the corner to Artisan Confections and get hand-made chocolate that uses real vanilla and butter.

Okay, end of rant. The bottom line: Godiva clearly doesn’t want you eating any of their products. But that’s okay, plenty of companies do want your gluten-free business!

Lindt
Lindt’s another common mall chocolatier that’s sadly not gluten-friendly due to the possibility of cross-contamination.  Too bad because I can’t help but love a company that’s so generous with free samples in the store!

Unfortunately, at this time we cannot guarantee that Lindt chocolate is gluten free. Our white and extra dark (70% cocoa and above) chocolate products by nature do not contain barley malt. However, because they run on the same production lines as other products there is a chance of cross contamination. Lindt is aware of the growing prevalence of Celiac’s Disease and other conditions. We are sensitive to the fact that these large groups of consumers are unable to enjoy our chocolate at this time. We hope in the future to be able to accommodate the needs of all our consumers and offer options to satisfy varying dietary requirements.

In case you missed it, check out Tiffany’s post on some gluten-free alternatives for your sweetie.

This is a quickie post to let our readers know that Starbucks stores are giving away free KIND bars today, February 5th, 2010. This news comes to us from Gluten Free Works. I thought all Starbucks stores were supposed to have KIND bars. However, the location at our Super Target (Atlanta) does not have them, or any other of the new gluten-free snacks. If they have the bars at your Starbucks – enjoy!

Thanks John, for the information!

When holidays involving food roll around, people with food allergies and intolerances can get a bit anxious about what might be safe for them to consume. Valentine’s Day is one of those days. True, the holiday is also about flowers which thankfully are usually not eaten (except in fancy restaurants). But it’s also about candy and for some, a romantic dinner out. The first time I ever ate out after my diagnosis was on Valentine’s Day. I was determined to not let having celiac keep me from enjoying life, but looking back I don’t recommend this idea to other “newbies” to the diet.

For three years, I vowed that I would not stay home on Valentine’s night just because I could not eat gluten. We eat out all the time but do avoid dining at peak times whenever possible. Each year our experiences when dining out on Valentine’s Day were less than optimal. The good news is that I never got served gluten but I also encountered overstressed servers at all three places we tried on February 14th. Finally last year, we stayed in and had a gloriously gluten-free gourmet meal without the stress that had accompanied the previous three years. Since Valentine’s Day is on a Sunday this year, we are going out again, but at an absurdly “early bird dinner” time. The Triumph Dining Restaurant Guide lists tons of places that are happy to accommodate gluten-free diners, but on any busy night (Friday, Saturday) or  special holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, the best of intentions at a restaurant can go horribly wrong.

Now let’s talk about candy. There is so much good news raining down on us these days – tons of food products are being reformulated to be gluten-free and more and more restaurants are providing great gluten-free options to their customers. There is one area where I don’t notice a huge improvement from four years ago, when I first investigated the issue. Candy companies seem to be lagging behind some of the other companies in terms of gluten-free allergen information. Since candies are generally processed on the same lines that many allergen ingredients are, candy companies often just tell us not to eat their products. Even though the candy listings in the Triumph Dining Grocery Guide have grown substantially in the last couple of years, some pretty big names won’t be found there still.

Russell Stover Candies have actually improved their website information regarding allergens and this is much appreciated. At least potential consumers can read their statement and make an informed decision about the products. Recently I noticed heart shaped boxes of both Hershey’s Kisses and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups at Super Target. At least those are two items are gluten-free and each is quite inexpensive. Many items from Necco’s are gluten-free, including Haviland Thin Mints, which are only $1 at Everything’s a Dollar! The iconic Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts are gluten-free as well. With any candy not marked gluten-free, always read the ingredients, of course.

Ordering gift baskets from gluten-free companies is an option. I Can Have That, Carriage House Gifts and Well Baskets are just a few of the companies that offer nice gluten-free themed gift baskets. Edible Arrangements is a nationwide company that offers fresh fruit bouquets that can also be dipped in chocolate. When I spoke to someone from the company’s corporate office, they said they didn’t “think” there was any gluten in the chocolate since the word gluten wasn’t listed in the ingredients. That person referred me to my local Edible Arrangement store, where I found a more assured business owner. She quickly told me she’d investigated to make sure the chocolate they are using is gluten-free. You might want to verify the safety of chocolate at other Edible Arrangements before ordering.

Photo courtesy of Cybele Pascal

We found some nice online ordering candy options including Raising the Candy Bar and The Natural Candy Store. Also, this helpful post from Celiac Family can guide those with more than just gluten to worry about. If you want to make youre own gluten-free candy, check out the chocolate heart recipe from Jens Gluten-Free. If Red Velvet Cake is something you’ve been craving, check out Cybele Pascal’s gluten, dairy, soy, egg and nut free recipe from The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook!

Whatever you do for the holiday, remember to enjoy yourself and eat fabulous gluten-free food!

Hot & Spicy Chex Party Mix

This Sunday is a big day for football fans – and for the rest of us who primarily go to Superbowl parties to hang out with friends and enjoy great food. We will  actually be out of town and won’t be able to attend a very fun party we were invited to. However,  we’ll be enjoying meals at a 100% gluten-free restaurant so I certainly can’t complain.

Usually at an event like a Superbowl party, the guests bring food to share with others. That’s great if all the food at the outing is gluten-free, but it can be tricky to find safe things to eat if you’re the only gluten-free guest. Depending on your hosts, you may or may not feel comfortable eating food they make. If many people attend the party that you do not know, you probably won’t be comfortable asking them about every ingredient (and brand used) in their dish.

Eating something before such an event is usually a good idea, as is taking something safe for you to eat. If you want to share, parcel out plenty of your dish just for you. That way, others can’t contaminate it at a table full of gluten. Be greedy. Take a LOT of whatever you brought to eat. You can always not eat it all, but if you get hungry because you don’t have enough to fill you up, you’re not likely going to have fond memories of the evening.

If you want to whip up a gluten-free dessert to share with others, you might not want to shout from the rooftop that the treat is gluten-free. Depending on who the party guests are, they might purposefully avoid anything gluten-free. It’s much more fun to watch the food you take disappear and THEN tell everyone they just ate gluten-free cake, cookies or whatever goodies they scarfed down.

We went to a party last fall and took a Scalded Milk Cake made by Mark Fitchpatrick, but didn’t tell any of the guests the cake was gluten-free. As it was being devoured and raved about, I kept my mouth shut. When I suggested our hosts take the last two pieces of cake for themselves, I then let others know the cake was in fact, gluten-free. More than a couple of them said “not the cake from that container. It couldn’t have been – it was delicious”. Exactly.

If you need some ideas for great gluten-free dishes for this weekend, check out the options we found while scouring the world wide web.

• Elana over a Elana’s Pantry offers up lovely options, as always.
• Karina, aka Gluten-Free Goddess,  makes a yummy (and easy!) nacho recipe perfect for Superbowl festivities.
• Teri at About.com has a host of half-time party recipe ideas.
• The Tostitos website offers up a chili cheese bake that’s easily made gluten-free.
• My never fail crowd pleaser is Cheesy Corn dip and it only calls for five ingredients.
• Last but not least, using gluten-free Chex cereals offers many great snack mix options. Just remember to use gluten-free ingredients and OMIT gluten ingredients like Wheat Chex, regular pretzels (use Glutino instead) and bagel chips.

Other easy snack options are veggie sticks with gluten-free dip, corn chips with gluten-free salsa (try Newman’s Own) and microwave popcorn.  If you’re not into Superbowl parties, the above recipes will work great for many other gatherings. Just remember that if you take time to prepare for social outings, you can enjoy all the things you did when you were not on a restricted diet. There is no reason to give up fun just because you can’t eat gluten!

The nice folks from Pamela’s Products sent me a few items to sample and review a while back. The Ginger Mini Snapz cookies were scarfed down in two days by the gluten eater in the house. He’s addicted to ginger snaps of any kind but he particularly loves the Pamela’s version due to the strong ginger flavor. I’m not a ginger snap person but use the cookies to make excellent ginger pie crusts for key lime pie and lemon bars. Easy instructions for making pie crusts from Pamela’s cookies are on their website so check it out if you haven’t already.

Next up was the Cornbread & Corn Muffin mix. Since we’d actually been enjoying this mix since it came out last year, we were thrilled to be able to enjoy it with Darn Good Chili this time around. If you’ve ever had Jiffy (gluten) corn muffins, then you know what the Pamela’s Products version tastes like. It’s simply great corn bread, period. For holiday cornbread for dressing, we actually use the Pamela’s Pancake & Baking mix to make cornbread (recipe on Pamela’s website as well). That version reminds me of my Grandmothers southern cornbread – meaning it is perfect for cornbread dressing!

Last up from Pamela’s was the Chocolate Brownie Mix. Because my husband has an aversion to dark chocolate (who knew someone could be allergic to dark and bittersweet chocolate?), we had never tried the brownies from Pamela’s. Obviously making a batch of brownies for one person isn’t an option but for the purpose of this review, I decided to give most of the brownies to gluten eaters at my husband’s workplace. Not only could I review them – I’d get gluten lovers to rate them as well. Not surprisingly, I thought the brownies were perfectly moist, chocolaty and delicious! There are many recipe versions on the bag and I made the original “oil recipe”. Though you might assume that version is dairy free, the allergen statement on the bag says that there might be traces of dairy in the mix, due to processing practices. What did the gluten lovers think of Pamela’s brownies? Everyone who scarfed them up said they were delicious. Many people were unaware that the brownies were gluten-free, which tickles me to no end.

Everyone who’s had Pamela’s great products knows how great they are – from the baking mixes to the prepared cookies to the frosting mixes. The chocolate frosting is the best dark chocolate version I’ve ever had. Pamela’s Products – the company – also stands out in ways some people might not be aware of. One of the events they are involved with is coming up on February 16^th.  It’s called Pancake Tuesday. If you are involved with an organization who is hosting such an event, you might want to contact the company about a product donation. That way even people who can’t eat gluten can enjoy Pancake Tuesday.

Excerpt from press release:

PAMELA’S PRODUCTS HELPS GROUPS CELEBRATE PANCAKE TUESDAY WITH PANCAKE MIX DONATIONS

ORGANIZATIONS AND PARISHES CAN REQUEST PANCAKE MIX DONATIONS ONLINE

Ukiah, CA (January, 2010) – Pamela’s Products, an award-winning leader in the gluten-free foods arena, celebrates Pancake Tuesday with pancake mix donations to community groups, church parishes and firehouses. While events built around the allure of pancakes have become a more frequent addition to most community calendars, Pancake Tuesday, taking place on February 16, 2010, is considered one of the largest nation-wide pancake events. With church parishes and community centers either preparing for Lent or simply celebrating an old Irish tradition, Pancake Tuesday is a day to bring together friends and strangers to share a meal.

While, being a gluten-intolerant parishioner or community member can be an isolating experience, more organizations and parishes are taking steps to ensure that their shared meals are more inclusive and adhere to the dietary needs of all their members. Pamela’s Products has been donating their pancake mix for community pancake events year-round since their earliest days 22 years ago. They have increasingly been asked to donate more, as the preferred choice, many times in place of the traditional wheat based pancake mixes. Parishes and organizations can simply contact Pamela’s Products by logging onto to their website at www.pamelasproducts.com to arrange donations and they will send their gluten-free pancake mix to your event.

Special thanks to Pamela’s Products for my review samples, and for continuing to make great products that everyone can enjoy – even those without any food intolerances!