Gluten Free: The Celiac Site

Gluten Free: The Celiac Site Gluten Free: the Celiac Site was reborn on September 5 in a new format that will enable me to present more information, to organize that information more effective, and to present it in a user-friendly format.

The internet provides everything we need to live gluten free. My mission is to mold that jumble of information into usable form. As you probably know, you'll be confronted with more than six million choices if you google the term "gluten free".

My mission is to allow you to focus on the articles that matter most to you and give suggestions about how to use them effectively.

My mission is to provide information, not to give advice. All decisions rest with you.

08 February 2010 ~ 0 Comments

Results of our Survey

The results of our survey will be announced on Thursday. Over two hundred celiacs and others living gluten free have responded to the question “What do you need…” I’m excited about the answers. They have the “ring of truth”. They are needs that I have the power to address those needs. I can’t do everything at once, of course, but I can be of help!
This seems to be a good time to remind everyone that I am not a doctor or a dietician and have no academic credentials in these areas. But, I’ve lived gluten free for a decade and now feel better than I did prior to my diagnosis. The internet has been my tool for living and thriving gluten free.

This is version three of the website that was born in 2002. I’ve set this guide-line for myself:
I relay information. I state personal opinions. I do not give advice. As I’m sure you realize, everything that appears on the internet is not “gospel truth”. I point you to information. It is up to evaluate that information.

06 February 2010 ~ 0 Comments

A Healthy Diet for Celiacs

People living gluten free want more that a diet free of wheat, barley, rye, and oats. However, when we google the term “gluten free diet” we are inundated with suggestions for eliminating gluten but no advice about how to eat a healthy diet.

We need a simple and straight-forward “total” diet plan; simply living gluten free is complicated. We want to do more than that. The best tool I’ve found for that is the Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid.

Keep in mind that there is new version (introduced in 2005) and an older version. References to both systems appear on-line, The best way to tell the difference is that the graphic for the old system (the one we learned about in elementary school) has horizontal bands while the newer version has vertical bands and is referred to as “My Pyramid”.

I suggest that you browse through this site. FYI, you will not find any recommendation (or even suggestion) that you eat gluten toxic grains. You’ll be pleased to note that the pyramid now states all measurements as “cups” or “ounces” rather than the elusive and vague term “servings”. Keep in mind that I have no academic or medical credentials. I relay information and occasionally state personal opinions. I do not give advice.

05 February 2010 ~ 0 Comments

Make Your Own Gluten Free Mixes

Why would a person want to make their own gluten free food mixes? The answer involves four key words:

MONEY. You save money by buying your ingredients in quantity. Also, if you package your mixes attractively, they make wonderful gifts for family and friends.

TIME: You can make up your mixes at a time that is convenient for you. You don’t have to do everything during your busy meal-preparation time.

APPEAL: You can customize your mix to suit the needs and tastes of your family. Giving your family some input the composition of the mix might make them more enthusiastic about eating gluten free.

♦ CONVENIENCE: Since your packets will be much smaller than the contains for the individual ingredients. they are much easier to store. (Remember to store your mixes in the refrigerator or freezer). You can place a few packets in a suitcase and be ready to cook when you arrive at your destination.

In short, do-it-yourself mixes have all the advantages of cooking from “scratch” and all the convenience of cooking with mixes. Click here for recipes for gluten free mixes provided by www.budget101.com. This article also gives ideas for turning your mixes into welcome gifts.

04 February 2010 ~ 0 Comments

Gluten Free Updates

This week I was able to add one gluten free restaurant, a gluten free bakery, and a celiac friendly market. As always, I am mentioning the new “discoveries” here and giving details in the article about the state where the “find” is located. That helps keep all relevant information in the same place. Items indexed this week include:

♦ Seva Vegetarian Restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

♦ Mermaid’s Bakery in Denver, Colorado which specializes in “gluten free cakes and cupcakes”.

♦ White Birch Gluten Free Market in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

03 February 2010 ~ 0 Comments

Losing Weight Gluten Free

“Do gluten free diets take off pounds?” Not automatically, it depends on the choices that the dieter makes. Celiac friendly food does not cause weight gain or loss simply because it is gluten free. Both gluten free and wheat based diets can be equally effective. That is a very brief summary of an article posted recently at eating.health.com. This article is great! Be sure to read the whole thing.

A gluten free blogger wrote about “The Top Five Reasons I Look Great on a Gluten Free Diet“. I’m guessing that the words “great” and “slim” mean roughly the same thing to her. Her ideas are simple and practical. For example: she notes that almost all junk food is gluten toxic and celiacs have at least two reasons for avoiding it.

Many of our food issues are related to what The Savvy Celiac (a blog) has called “gluten entitlement“. We sometimes kid ourselves into believing that gluten free food is good for us IN ANY QUANTITY. Click on either of the links in this paragraph to learn more about this harmful myth.