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Celiac in Glamour Magazine

Eric — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:22:54 +0000

I heard of a good article about Celiac Disease and Gluten more specifically. It talks about Gluten and that it might be reasons why you are feeling ill. A lot of people are giving up Gluten to see if that is what was causing them to feel sick.

“Something you’re eating may be killing you, and you probably don’t even know it,” cautions Mark Hyman, M.D., in a blog post on the Huffington Post.

“A recent large study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with diagnosed, undiagnosed, and ‘latent’ celiac disease or gluten sensitivity had a higher risk of death, mostly from heart disease and cancer,” he writes.

Gluten: A Friendly Ingredient in Bread or the Evil One That’s Killing Us All?

Article From MSNBC

Eric — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:10:58 +0000

I stumbled across this article from a major news source MSNBC. It talks about potential reasons why people may be having bloating, cramping or general GI discomfort” and say “your diet may be to blame”. They give 2 potential reasons:

1) Lactose Intolerance

2) Reaction to Gluten

They give a pretty basic description of Celiac Disease

People who have a condition called celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease affecting the digestive system that is triggered by a protein found in wheat, barley and rye called gluten. When a person with celiac eats gluten, the body’s immune system responds by attacking the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. If you or your doctor suspects you may have celiac, you can be screened using a simple blood test. If the blood test is positive for celiac, your doctor will likely take a tissue biopsy of your small intestines to confirm the diagnosis.

Individuals diagnosed with celiac disease need to eat a gluten-free diet for the remainder of their lives in order to remain symptom-free and prevent additional damage to their gut lining. That means they have to completely avoid wheat, rye, barley, and any ingredients or food additives that contain these grains. Individuals with celiac cannot eat standard bread, pasta, or baked goods made with wheat flour (or any condiments or other processed foods with gluten-containing ingredients or additives). Thankfully, because celiac disease is now recognized as a common condition, there are lots of new gluten-free versions of our favorite foods available on the market to make life easier.

They also give some product ideas for those looking to go Gluten Free.

CEREALS
Nature’s Path Gluten-Free Whole O’s, Crunchy Maple Surprise, or Mesa Sunrise
Arrowhead Mills Organic Maple Buckwheat Flakes
Erewhon Gluten-Free Crispy Brown Rice Cereal (Regular or Mixed Berries)
Health Valley Organic Blue Corn Flakes
Barbara’s Bakery Puffins (Honey Rice flavor only) or Organic Brown Rice Crisps
Corn or Rice Chex
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal

BREADS
Ener-G Bread: Seattle Brown Loaf or Brown Rice Loaf
Food for Life: Wheat & Gluten Free Whole Grain Brown Rice Bread, Rice Almond Bread, or Raisin Pecan Bread
Food for Life Whole Grain Brown Rice Tortillas

CRACKERS
Mary’s Gone Crackers
Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers

PASTAS
Deboles Pastas (multigrain varieties)
Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Brown Rice Pastas
Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pastas
Le Veneziane Corn Flour Pasta

SNACK BARS
Lara Bars
Kind Bars

BAKING MIXES
Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix
Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix
Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix

If you are looking for some more product ideas make sure to check out my Product Reviews!

Is Caramel Color Safe?

Eric — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:05:54 +0000

I have seen many ingredient labels in my life and one ingredient that I always think twice about is Caramel Color. I have heard from some places it is fine if the product was manufactured in the United Sates and some say it is unsafe. I did some research on this topic and here is what I was able to find some helpful information on Celiac.com:

The problem with caramel color is it may or may not contain gluten depending on how it is manufactured. In the USA caramel color must conform with the FDA standard of identity from 21CFR CH.1. This statute says: the color additive caramel is the dark-brown liquid or solid material resulting from the carefully controlled heat treatment of the following food-grade carbohydrates: Dextrose (corn sugar), invert sugar, lactose (milk sugar), malt syrup (usually from barley malt), molasses (from cane), starch hydrolysates and fractions thereof (can include wheat), sucrose (cane or beet). Also, acids, alkalis and salts are listed as additives which may be employed to assist the caramelization process.

Your best bet will be to contact the manufacturer and confirm what they use to make their caramel color. In the US the most common is high dextrose corn syrup which would make it fine.

Here is another excerpt I found from Glutenfreeclub.com.:

Caramel coloring is what gives Coke, and other dark colas, the coloring. And caramel coloring is used in other food products too. For example, caramel coloring is in soy sauce, cookies, juices and some seasonings. Caramel coloring can be manufactured using different grains. In the United States, it is normally made with high dextrose corn syrup. But it is also infrequently made with barley. Dextrose is sugar and is safe. Barley is an unsafe starch for a Celiac.

This can be very confusing for people, and I’ve seen it in various forums and in my email box. Some people believe that many of the Coke products are safe to drink. Others think you should stay away from any product containing caramel coloring…..
So how do you know if caramel coloring is safe? It always goes back to the same procedures I followed for the above product. I ask! If a food product has caramel coloring listed as an ingredient, I need to call the company or check their website and ask them to tell me the parts per million of gluten. If it is over 20 ppm, or they can’t tell me, I don’t eat or drink it.

After doing this research and reading various articles I have come to the conclusion that if I am unsure where the product was made or if it does not say “Gluten Free” on the package I will either

a) Call the manufacturer
b) Avoid it

I hope this helps clear up some confusion on what to do with this tricky ingredient!

Great Article From NY Times: Genetic Testing for Celiac Disease

Eric — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:48:30 +0000

I came across this article from the NY times. I think it is a great read and provides a lot of good information.

Dr. Sheila Crowe, a professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology in the department of medicine at the University of Virginia, recently joined the Consults blog to answer reader questions about celiac disease, an often overlooked digestive disorder that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, is eaten. In previous posts, Dr. Crowe exploredthe varied symptoms of celiac disease and confirming a diagnosis of celiac disease. Here, Dr. Crowe responds to readers asking about the disease running in families, genetic tests that may help confirm a diagnosis, food allergies and thins that set off the ailment.

A lot of interesting questions are answered such as:

Which Groups Are at Highest Risk for Celiac Disease?
Do a Rash of Symptoms Point to Celiac Disease?
Late-in-Life Onset of Celiac Disease
Here is a link to the article : Genetic Testing for Celiac Disease

I think its great that they did an article about this and I applaud the author for writing a great piece!

Back to School With Celiac Disease

Eric — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:13:09 +0000

I found a good article about sending your kid with Celiac Disease back to school and offers suggestions to the struggles you may encounter. The article talks about ways you can bring up the situation to the right people who work at the school. It is important to speak with the dietitian, school nurse and even the principal. At a younger age like elementary school your child may not understand completely what they need to avoid so it is important to get an adult on the same page so they can look of for your student. When speaking with the dietitian of the school you could offer alternatives for your child during lunch time or ask what types of food they believe to be Gluten Free, even then you need to make sure their is little cross contamination.

I remember after I was diagnosed with Celiac in the 2nd grade the struggles I went to at my school to get a good lunch. It was so uncommon that hardly anyone knew what I was talking about so I ended up bringing my own lunch which can be healthier most of the time. Now that Celiac Disease is becoming more common I think it will be easier to get a meal at a school cafeteria for students younger and older. Does anyone have any more experience with school nurses or people in the kitchen? Please share so we can all get new ideas!

Follow this link to the article: Going Back to School

Benefits of Oats

Eric — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:11:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I did a product review on Bob’s Red Mill Rolled Oats and then a recipe for Oatmeal Cookies. I recently found an article that explains the health benefits of eating oats. I found the article on Health.Learninginfo.com. It goes into some good detail about oats and how they can benefit the body. Recently I have been eating oatmeal nearly everyday, I am glad I found a breakfast that is both delicious and healthy for me. If you have not tried oatmeal or do not eat a lot, I would at least give it a shot.

According to the article and the American Cancer Society oatmeal can benefit the body simply because oats are a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber.

Here are 6 reasons why oats are good for your health:

1. Insoluble fiber’s reduce toxicity in certain bile acids.

2. Soluble fiber may reduce bad cholesterol.

3. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion of starch.

4. It has been found that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop heart disease.

5. The phytochemicals in oat may also have cancer-fighting properties.

6. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein.

Health Benefits of Oatmeal

How Much Water Should You Drink? Train2Move Answers!

Eric — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:18:14 +0000

A few posts ago I discussed what snacks would be good before and after working out. I said that water could possibly be the most important part of snacking before and after working out. A great friend of mine Scott Olson runs a fitness blog and complete with Workout videos, fitness tips, exercises of the week, fitness products, and other great ideas. He is one of the best trainers I have ever worked with and I have learned so much from him and his site Train2move.com. One of the weekly posts is by another great trainer Loren Sheets. He is in charge of the “Fitness Tip Of the Week”. A few weeks ago he did a good post that fits in with what I just discussed a few days ago, drinking water and working out. Thank You to Train2move and Loren Sheets for the following information:

How much water (or liquids) should you drink when you are working out? Many studies have been done to determine how much, what kind, and how often people should drink during their workouts. But there are many answers to these questions, and many variables come in to play. The answer may vary by the type of exercise, the temperature, and each individual person. So what is the best rule for hydration that we should follow?

The easiest way to answer this to think about our bodies and how they respond to fluid loss. When participating in vigorous exercise, our bodies sweat as a means of cooling our body temperature. Sweat is composed mostly of water, about 99 percent, and contains other chemicals and minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and several others. Also, water escapes your body when you exhale. More water will be lost this way while exercising than when resting.

So with these things in mind, what kind of drinks should we bring with us to the gym or perhaps on a run, if you can carry a bottle or take short breaks? You can never go wrong with water, but I would even suggest buying those enhanced waters that contain sodium and vitamins, such as vitamin water or propel. Avoid things like gatorade if you can, simply because of the high amounts of sugar. They tend to leave a film in your mouth that creates and even greater desire for water.

When answering the question of how much to drink, I would trust our natural instincts on that one. Listening to your body will probably be the best guidelines here, simply because thirst is an instinctive response that our bodies produce in order to balance our fluid content. So, drink before you feel thirsty. If you get to the point of thirst it can be too late. Make sure on a day you are going to workout that you are keeping yourself hydrated prior to your workout, not just during. Another good rule that I learned is the color of your urine. If it is clear, it is an indicator that you were well hydrated. I recommend Using these simpler approaches, since there are too many other factors involved to really put a number to it that will work for everyone.

When I go workout, I typically have a bottle of water close by and take a quick drink every couple minutes, whenever I feel like it. This usually adds up to maybe one, sometimes two full bottles of water, depending on what and how long the workout is, and how hot it is. Try keeping a vitamin water with you this week when you work out, and let your body tell you when its thristy.

Here is a goal for this week, try to drink a minimum of 80 ounces each day. Spread it out so get a water bottle, many are 16 ounces, and drink 5 of them. This has some great benefits to it that go beyond just hydration as well. Here is an article we posted about other benefits of water from Jack Medina.

I really enjoy reading their posts daily to get news ideas and tips and I recommend checking it out!

Another Great Option for Seattle Residents! Fantazimo Foods!

Eric — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:22:46 +0000

I have said before that the city of Seattle is one of the top cities to be living in with Celiac Disease because of the awareness level and the amount of Gluten Free restaurants and options at stores. I found an article from NW source that talks about a new business called Fantazimo Foods that is offering to deliver healthy lunches to kids at area schools. With parents cutting back and busy schedules they got the idae to help eliminate the problem of having to pack a nutritious lunch for their kid. It seems pretty easy. You log-in, and order your lunch before 4pm of the day before you want the lunch and it gets delievered to your school in the morning in a brown lunch bag with your name on it. The site says they are expanding to include more schools in the greater Seattle area.

There are 2 sizes, each offer an entree, a fruit, a vegetable, a protein and a water. The great thing about this is that they can offer Gluten Free lunches. There are other specialty options like vegan and nut free. They can accomodate any dietary restriction which is awesome. I think this is an excellent idea. When I was a kid I struggled through lunch time because there were virtually no options at the school cafeteria and I had to always bring a lunch from home. It would have been really nice to have a lunch delievered to me daily! I wish this would have been around 15 years ago!

Can Gluten be Absorbed Through the Skin?

Eric — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:27:01 +0000

I found an interesting topic on the Mayo Clinic website. An interesting question was asked about people with Celiac Disease and absorbing Gluten through the skin. A common misconception is that Gluten can be absorbed through the skin and can be harmful for the person with Celiac disease and cause a reaction. Gluten must be ingested in order for a reaction to occur and if you are using a cosmetic product that contains gluten you should not have to worry about a reaction. The only time I would be worried if their was any risk of swallowing the product. You should worry about products close to your mouth like toothpaste or chap stick. So double check ingredients on the products you use around your mouth.

To sum it up… If Gluten in not ingested you do not need to worry about a reaction unless you accidentally swallow the product!

Great News for iPhone Users!

Eric — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:18:58 +0000

If you have an iPhone there are applications that you can download that will make following a Gluten Free diet much easier. There are apps that allow you to search for gluten free restaurants in the area, or search for ingredients to be aware of. Also there is an app that allows you to choose which allergy you have to follow (egg, dairy, gluten for example) and find places that would be safe to eat. This is a good example of technology and how it can help us succeed on this diet. I believe as time goes on it will become easier and easier, this is a step in the right direction.

One of the best I believe is GlutenFreed I also think iEatOut does a good job at providing options. Unfortunately these apps are available on the iPhone, so if you are like me and have a blackberry or another phone with internet we will have to browse the web. These applications have come in very handy when trying to find places to eat when I am with my girlfriend. She has a iPhone and downloaded these applications when she found out about them. I recommend at least downloading the free ones, although I am sure that the ones that you have to buy are a little more in depth.