When I was diagnosed in 1999, the gluten free diet was the prescription used to control celiac disease. Since that time, there has been a dramatic change, brought on in part by the increased availability of gluten free food and the vastly improved taste and texture. When this website started in 2002, it was inconceivable that anyone would embrace the gluten free lifestyle if they had any viable option.

Earlier this month, I posted an article titled “Two Approaches to the Gluten Free Diet“, in which I stated that there are two groups of gluten free dieters;

• some people need the gluten free diet to control celiac disease (I am in that category).
• some people elect to follow the gluten free diet because it is popular, well-publicized, and allegedly helps with weight loss.

I have recently realized that is a third group:

• some people pick-and-choose, selecting  gluten free products when it is convenient to do so. These people argue that cutting down is better than doing nothing.

These people folks argue that reducing the amount of hard-to-digest is a great idea and that doing something is better than doing nothing. It is hard to disagree with this argument, but I think there is a danger here. They may be doing  just enough to mask symptoms and that is never a good idea. Obviously, that last sentence is strictly Paul’s Point-of-View and should be regarded as such. Here are some more of my thoughts:

All this makes no difference to me because I know that I am in the first group. I know that my function as the author of this website is to present information about what food is and is not gluten free. People are welcome to make any adjustments or changes that seems to fit their situations.

The thoughts expressed in this article came to me while I was working on our current survey about how we deal with persons who are considering adopting the gluten free lifestyle. I’ll be announcing the results in my newsletter this Thursday (6/23) and introducing July’s survey the following week (6/30). If you haven’t had a chance to be part of the Click here to take survey You will see nine comments that might be addressed to someone who is thinking about going gluten free and asking you to mark the comments you consider appropriate.

I recently enjoyed my first English muffins since I went gluten free in 1999, using the brown rice muffins manufactured by Food for Life. English muffins are one of my favorite memories from my pre-celiac days. My only complaints about the muffins was that there were no specific cooking directions on package or on the website. Given the cost of gluten free food, I really hate to experiment. This is particularly true when I have not yet had breakfast. I’ll keep trying, at least until this package is empty. Perhaps I will achieve the golden brown color that I remember from the-good-old-days  and saw pictured on the package.

Here are some ideas for celebrating Mothers’ Day gluten free.

♦ DINE AT THE OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE. They have a great gluten free menu, service in almost every community in the country, and — most important on a day like Mothers’ Day — they can prepare a gift card that features a photograph of your children of grandchildren. What a way to show off!

♦ HAVE BREAKFAST IN BED. Mom will love the breakfast and everyone will enjoy the activity.

♦ SHARE A GLUTEN FREE  MOTHERS DAY GIFT BASKET. Amazon dot com gives you hundreds of options. Here are some of my favorites.

People living gluten free are searching for “healthy eating regimens that include all aspects of diet and nutrition and are appropriate for people living gluten free”. That was the main conclusion of the survey we conducted February, 2010. I agree completely, and my wife’s recent heart attack has given me the motivation to pursue this idea I began my research by getting some background information in an article published by the Virginia Department of Health. I found nothing in this article that precludes people from following a diet that is both gluten free and heart healthy. The American Heart Association  has established a set of goals which they call “The Simple Seven”. They are determine to change the ugly reality that only 1% of the population has optimal heart health. I recently took their “Life Assessment Check“, a computer-scored test that summarizes a person’s current heart health status and suggests appropriate changes. I’ll share the results with you in my next article.

Good luck finding gluten free food at the airport or during your flight. We celiacs are on our own — not an unusual situation for us. My strategy when flying is to bring a case of gluten free energy bars with me. That keeps the hunger pangs away until I find some real food. I eat when I’m hungry but I gorge myself when I am bored — and I am bored on long flights. The fact that the bars are identical helps to deal with my boredom in some other way.

Go Picnic (dot) com provides a wide variety of pre-packaged picnic style meals that do not require refrigeration or cooking. They are packaged in sturdy cardboard and so will “survive” being packed in your luggage. Be cautious while you are visiting this site — everything is clearly labeled but all the meals are not gluten free. Apparently, these meals are only available on-line. I also discovered that Alaska Airlines and Jet Blue actually sell gluten free snacks during the flight.

It’s been at least ten years since I took a flight long enough to include an actual meal (and that was prior to my celiac diagnosis). According to what I’ve read and heard, celiacs on these flights need a back-up plan for what to do if the allegedly-gluten free meal does not materialize or is not satisfactory.

I need to prepare for situations where it will be difficult or impossible to find gluten free. Like most Americans, I spent today (3/11/2011) glued to my television watching the earthquake/tsunami tragedy unfolding in Japan and praying for their survival. It’s been a difficult day for all of us, particularly when we realized that there were celiacs in that crowd and that they were enduring an extra burden because they probably could not find gluten free  food. Let’s face it friends, this sort of tragedy could befall us, and it would be even more unbearable if we were starving and/or ‘glutened’ because we could not ‘find’ safe food. Our rescuers would have higher priorities than locating gluten free food.  We’d be on our own.

I did some soul searching and a bit of on-line research before I wrote this post. I’ll share them tomorrow. But I wanted to get this out as soon as possible.

Visitors to this site continue to write rave comments about about Udi’s wonderful gluten free bread and bread products. I agree, Udi’s is the best thing that has happened to us since I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999.

They are also saluting Snyders of Hanover for its new gluten free pretzels and praising Subway for testing new gluten free products and striving to enter the gluten free market. But these comments seem to ask an important question — these firms can certainly prepare and sell ‘safe’ products, but can they handle the cross-contamination issues? I hope so!

I’ve added your comments to four of my gluten free posts this week. Three members of America’s gluten free community shared my joy by reminding everyone that Udi’s Gluten Free Breads is the best news the gluten free world has ever received. I agree completely!!!!!!!

I also received and posted two comments about the tests currently being conducted by Subway restaurants. The second comment is attach to my followup article about Subway’s tests. Both comments dealt with the general problems (calories, etc.) of eating at fast food restaurants. I agree completely but I think I’ll stay on the sidelines of this discussion. My goal is to alert you to the availablility of gluten free food. There are obviously other criteria involved in chosing a place to eat. One of the writers also alerted us to a possible source of cross contamination at Subway.

l also enriched my posts “Gluten Free Pretzels from Snyders of Hanover” and “Seniors With Celiac“.

I’ll be publishing “Gluten Free Updates” every Monday. My update articles will include your comments as well as information that I have added to posts and pages.

Super Bowl Sunday is a great day for food and parties and therefore a challenge for people living gluten free. I’ve written about Super Bowl Sunday each year since I began this site. My posts for the last two years are worth revisiting.

My post just prior to last year’s Super Bowl included video demonstrations of foods you might want to share as well as some suggestions for avoiding cross contamination.

My 2009 article emphasized the essential topics of gluten free pizza and gluten free beer.

Later this week, I will publish an article about gluten free opportunities in the Dallas area. For the rest of us, here is a video demonstration of cooking Garlic and Butter Clams Casino, a wonderful addition to any party. Be sure to use gluten free bread crumbs and make sure that your Worcester sauce is OK.

Just don’t cheat!!!! Everyone who successfully lives gluten free has a set of strategies. Alcohol may be flowing freely at your party and the function of alcoholic beverages is to lower inhibitions. Don’t 2011 with a hangover and a gluten reaction. Here are some suggestions:

♦ Use the buddy system. My son and his wife will be our hosts on New Year’s Eve.They were there when I fell apart  from celiac disease. They’ll keep me honest. My wife will be there too.

♦ Remember, this is not a dinner party. Eat before you come. Focus on the people rather than on the food.

♦ Bring food. Thousands of recipes on the internet are tagged “new years eve” and “gluten free”. I  didn’t think this a time to try a new recipe. Use one that you already love to prepare and to eat. Is this the time to experiment? Originally I said NO but then I discovered a wonderful site called Taste Spotting dot com. This site has great photographs of  food whose recipes are featured on various sites, Fifty four of them are tagged “gluten free”. Click on a recipe that excites you and share your creation at the party.

♦ Review the rules for drinking gluten free. Click here to read my post on that subject.

Living gluten free is not easy. But it is “doable” in every sense of the words. Celiacs and others living gluten free can deal with their diet issues, live happy and productive lives, and achieve fame and success.

Reading these stories enriches our lives and brightens this or any holiday season. Isaiah Mustafa is my gluten free hero for today. He came out of “nowhere” to star in one of the most talked-about commercial in America today. Celebrities like Jay Leno and Ellen Generes have interviewed on television. Watch these two video clips and then I will offer some more thoughts. (The commercial ‘m talking about is at the beginning of the Ellen Degeneres video,

This gluten free “hunk” is a vegan who uses no alcohol, caffeine, or processed sugar. He mention during the interviews that living gluten free was the only “really hard one”. We can all agree with that comment.

This celiac Santa Claus has brought Christmas joy to the Boulder, Colorado community. He has been responsible for at least $50,000 in donations to the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland.

He displays 21000 Christmas lights in his yard along with numerous inflatable toys. What makes his display unique is that it is connected to three web cams plus other technology that allows his viewers to turn lights on and off and to inflate or deflate his inflatable displays. He invites his viewers to donate to the Center for Celiac Research at The University of Maryland. The donations are entirely voluntary.

Click here to view and to “play with” his displays. This link will take you to a an article describing this unique project and including excellent pictures. I say thank you and Merry Christmas to Alek Komarnitsky, the genius behind this project and the father of two children with celiac disease.

Be sure to have a look at my power page “Gluten Free Christmas” which summarizes everything I have written on the subject.

Gluten free issues obviously affect our stress levels during the Christmas season. My articles this month have offered practical tips for lowering that frustration level, but today is a day to lighten up. I need a “break”, and I suspect that some of you do too.

I started my morning by reading my favorite piece of celiac humor. It has nothing to do with Christmas, but it does allow us to laugh at ourselves. Enjoy “The Successful Celiac Check List”.

I also listened to The Celiac Christmas carol This video is the last item on my power page “Gluten Free Christmas“. Hopefully, there will be other items on that page that will be useful to you.

I found two websites that uplifted me simply by reading their titles. The first one was www dot gluten free foods rock dot com. Yes they do (rocking is apparently a good thing). When I was first diagnosed ten years ago, gluten free foods did not rock.

The other interesting title was www dot celiac bites dot com. This title sounds sarcastic and bitter. But the blogger has an upbeat and practical approach “get over it — one bite at a time”.

I’ve enjoyed writing this article. I actually have the will to spend the rest of my day writing my Christmas letter and putting up the lights outside the house. I hope that it has energized you.

Yes, it is possible! On my recent vacation, I enjoyed a great gluten free dinner plus a two-hour medieval horse show and jousting tournament at the Medieval Times “castle” in Myrtle, Beach, South Carolina. This company also has outlets in Toronto, Chicago, Lindenhurst New Jersey, Baltimore, Orlando, Buena Park California, and Atlanta.

My meal consisted of chicken, spare ribs, and potatoes and — according to the custom of the Middle Ages — was eaten with the fingers. My dinner was served separately, although I don’t know how it was different from my wife’s meal. I was told not to eat the soup and decided not to eat the bread. The dinner was delicious!
The gluten free option is not mentioned on the Medieval Time’s website. I learned about this great opportunity from a posting on another site which specified that the gluten free option was not available on-line and gave me a phone number to call.

Triumph Dining” just released its guide to 6500 restaurants that offer gluten free meals throughout the nation. To celebrate this great event, they have authorized me to give away four copies of this awesome guide.

I decided to award a copy of this guide to the 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th person to submit lists of “Ways to Ensure an Enjoyable, Relaxing, and ‘Safe’ Gluten Free Restaurant Experience”. We have already received our first entry:

1) try to research the restaurant ahead of time for gluten free menu options and safety of food preparation
2) notify your server of your “allergy” / severe reaction to gluten/wheat
3) show server and/or chef your restaurant card explaining what items are harmful
4) carefully study menu
5) ask lots of questions of server and cooks
6) try to find out if they are aware of cross contamination
7) bring my own salad dressing or bun, if necessary
mention my food allergy several times to make sure they are clear about my concerns
9) order off their gluten free menu, if available
10) only eat at reputable restaurants who are aware and understanding of celiac disease or gluten allergies
11) knowing it is risky to go out to eat, rest assured that i did everything in my power through research, preparation and communication to ensure a safe, enjoyable meal

I originally thought of judging each entry and trying to identify the four best. But that is neither possible nor necessary. Everything everyone has to say on this subject is worthy of publication. Please e-mail your thoughts to me at gfceliac@gmail.com. Click on my first article on this subject to see my list and review the rules of the contest.

Click on the graphic to get more information and/or grab your copy of this new guide.

I like gluten free foods that have a unique combination of tastes — there is less temptation to compare those foods with their wheat-based cousins. I’m not sure how to describe this taste, but I know that you’ll like and so will everyone shares it with you. It’s a but pricey compared to other snacks, but it is good to splurge once in a while. As usually, Glutino has provided us with high quality food.

These great pretzels are probably available locally, but if you are interested in buying on-line, I recommend this link to The Gluten Free Pantry. This link will take you to two pages of pretzel related links. I intend to try the chocolate covered pretzels next.

Published 9/21/10

There are at least two different ways to define “gluten free”. That’s one of the reasons why there is so much controversy.

♦ The traditional approach states that any product that contains any amount of a product made using wheat, barley, rye, or oats is unsafe. If this definition is used, most soy sauce and vinegar is taboo. Many people who use this definition believe that a product made in a facility that processes wheat, barley, rye, or oats is unacceptable.

♦ A modern approach is to measure the gluten in a product and define any item that meets the criteria as “gluten free”. There are many different criteria.

◊ The Codex Alimentarius, a document which provides European countries with their definition of gluten free, states that 20 parts-per -million is acceptable, even in a situation where gluten toxic items have been processed to removed the toxic elements and meet the test standards.

NOTE: This sentence was rewritten to correct an error in the original text. Read the comment below for more information.

◊ America’s Food and Drug Administration has not officially adopted standards for gluten free food in the United States will probably any product with less than 20 parts per million is acceptable.

◊ The Gluten Intolerance Group certifies food that contains less than 10 parts-per-million.

◊ The Celiac Sprue Association limits its certification to products with less than 5 parts per million.

Read my article on this subject for more information. This article also gives examples to help our understanding of the term “parts-per-million”. FYI, even the finest laboratory equipment can’t detect the complete absence of gluten.

♦ A third alternative is to contact the producer of the product and consider their answer to your questions about the gluten free status of a product.

Here is a copy of an e-mail I received from a member of America’s gluten free community telling how she uses a combination of the second and third alternative to make her decisions.

“The Codex Alimentarius standard for gluten free foods specifies that most celiacs can tolerate below 200ppm of gluten. Some foods are prepared in such a way that the gluten protein in the wheat can no longer be recognized by the immune system; (I believe that the protein becomes denatured during the manufacturing process?). Often manufacturers will list food as gluten free if it cannot be detected by their equipment, even though some may still be present. You’d be surprised what you are able to tolerate – if I suspect that I may be able to tolerate a product I usually just give them a ring and ask what data they have on their gluten content. I rang Kikkoman who said that the gluten was altered in the manufacturing process and therefore it is highly unlikely I would experience any symptoms. Being a highly symptomatic celiac, I put this to the test, as if I even if something has been fried with a gluten-containing food or a pan is reused I will be up all night and ill for around 24 hours. True to their word, I was absolutely fine.”

Published 8/14/10   Updated 8/16/10

Parents of gluten free children will need to pack at least 175 lunches per child this school year. Other parents face the same dilemma, of course, but our challenge is greater because we can’t allow our children to “trade lunches” with wheat-eating children or to “cheat” because they have refused to eat the lunch we pack and end up being so hungry they will eat whatever is available. It’s a huge problem!

Here is some basic information that may help:

This article sets the goal for all parents. I have added some comments in parentheses to make it relevant to the parents of children living gluten free:

“Our goal is “to make sure that the lunches you pack are envied (or at least not scorned) by other (wheat eating) children, but eaten (not traded or thrown away) by your child”

The article makes many suggestions about how to do this, and modifying the ideas to meet our needs will be relatively easy. “Thirty Ideas for School Lunches“, an article prepared by Good Housekeeping, is not specifically gluten free, but the ideas are useful.

Encourage your children to e-mail me with their ideas about their favorite gluten free lunch. My address is gfceliac@gmail.com.

In this video, a mother outlines her unique plan for dealing with a gluten fee child during a school celebration in which gluten toxic food is being served.

I’ve written three articles about the gluten free singles scene (the most recent in 2008) and was discouraged to find out that none of those links are still functioning. How unfortunate!!! I can’t imagine anything more difficult than having to explain celiac disease early in a dating relationship.

I did discover that there is a group for single celiacs on Facebook as well as one at MySpace.com. Perhaps they will be useful to you.

I did this research after receiving an e-mail from a member of America’s gluten free community asking “Why don’t they have a site for single celiacs and expressing some of the same thoughts I’ve just discussed.
Short answer: no one with the proper qualifications has found an appropriate way to meet that need. I had my last date in 1965 and have been have been married longer than the internet has been in existence. Clearly, I am not the person for that job. But I’ll venture to guess that at you are reading because you are a single celiac with some knowledge of the current singles scene. Those are the only real requirements. I can help with the rest.

Published 7/16/10

In 2007, Anheiser-Busch launched Redbridge Beer, a dream-come-true for America’s gluten free community. When I wrote about this, I shared my dream that beer and pizza would also someday be available to every gluten free American.

When I published my “Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants” list in April, I was happy to report that this dream of gluten free pizza is becoming a reality. Uno’s Chicago Grill offers gluten free pizza at all its restaurants. Garlic Jim’s has been certified by The Gluten Intolerance Group. Pizza Fusion and Godfather’s Pizza offer “safe” pizza at many of their stores.

Yes, dreams come true! I’ll share my dream and hope that some of you will share your hopes with America’s gluten free community. (My e-mail address is gfceliac@gmail.com.) I hope some day to be able to enjoy a piece of gluten free toast with my breakfast omelet. It’s really not that difficult. A restaurateur could win my business simply by investing in a dedicated toaster, coaching his staff on how to use it, and posting a reminder notice next to the toaster.

Published 6/28/10 Updated 8/13/10

Our “Gluten Free Supermarkets” list grew today with the addition of Giant Foods (with outlets in DC, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia), The Gluten Free Foodies Market and Bakery in Paulsbro, Washington, and Natural Li’s Healthy Pantry: Your Neighborhood Gluten Free Shop in Houston, Texas.

This new information came from members of America’s gluten free community who shared their knowledge by using our special survey designed to with their fellow celiacs. That survey is still available. Please help us gather information about gluten free food shopping opportunities. It helps to include the city and state where your store is located. Otherwise things get complicated for a person like myself who is considering stores in all parts of the country.

Living gluten free often results in misunderstandings and confusion. Sometimes it may lead to family conflict just as it did in the situation that led to this e-mail I recently received:

“The family members or friends who REFUSE to comply due to whatever reason (ignorance, stupidity, apathy, unloving), should be given all necessary information about Celiac Disease in writing along with a brief explanation of how sick you get if you eat gluten products. If they seem to understand, good. But if they don’t, then meet with them one-on-one to more fully describe how VERY sick you get and exactly what happens to you, plus add the possible effects of malnutrition, cancer….whatever gets their attention. If they still won’t comply, tell them you are very sorry that you cannot attend future dinners, parties, events, holidays at their home due to their non-compliance. Then just don’t go there to eat. It should only take one time before they get it. O the other hand, you could just eat first and not eat any of the food and do not enter the kitchen. My mother-in-law refuses to comply so we do not eat at her house ever and when she comes into our house with food, we just hand it back to her and ask her to leave. If she leaves food in the house that she has brought for us to eat, we throw it down the garbage disposal. Some people are only able to think of themselves no matter what you tell them.”

My personal reaction to this is the writer is responsible for his or her diet (unless there are some very special circumstances that are not mentioned in this letter). The people involved in this conflict have a double-edged problem — curing the physical wounds caused by celiac disease and the emotional wounds caused this family dispute. I pray for them in both situations. I was rather lucky: the two principle cooks our family (my wife and daughter-in-law) watched me fall apart from celiac disease and will never allow me to cheat. My symptoms are serious enough that I will never cheat intentionally. In some respects, having serious celiac symptoms is a blessing.

I’d love to publish your ideas about this subject and/or accounts where the gluten free diet has resulted in serious conflicts. E-mail me at gfceliac@gmail.com or leave a comment at the end of this article.

Take a look at a picture of this concession stand at Coors Field in Denver. It’s great to know that “safe” food is not only available, but is prominently displayed at major league baseball games.

Aramark Corporation operates concession stands at several Major League baseball stadiums. Read this press release that the options they provide at five major stadiums.

Here’s information about our options at the Minnesota Twins stadium.

Yesterday, I published an article on the pain caused by the accidental ingestion of gluten. Your response was amazing — at least three responses in the first ten hours after the article was posted. There may be more and I will publish everything I get without attempting any editing. Keep in mind when you read these letters that are not professional medical advice. They are individual celiac’s attempting to help others.

Please keep the comments coming, either by submitting a comment at the end of this article or by e-mailing me at gfceliac@gmail.com. We can all say thank you to the person who submitted the original letter. She has assisted all of us. What is on your mind? How can we help each other.

************

Hi,
When I have ingested gluten and begin to feel the gastro effects, I take the following and it helps tremendously:

1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 cup very warm water

Heat the water, add honey and cider vinegar, stir until honey is disolved, and sip. Don’t drink it down, sip it.

The first sip may make your cheeks pucker (like when you eat a really good dill pickle), but after that it is actually good. I don’t mind the taste at all.

Good luck! I hope this helps others as it has me.

************

I, too, would be interested in the responses to this question. I asked my doctor the same thing recently and he didn’t have any suggestions for me. He gave me a bottle of Gluten Ease, but from my understanding, that’s missing the point since that is supposed to be taken with a meal you know has gluten in it. I need help for the times I am unknowingly glutened afterwards. I don’t “cheat”; I avoid gluten at all costs. However, with having a shared kitchen, things happen! There are times where I could’ve come to work if it weren’t for the pain, and my boss gets really, really upset when I call in sick. If there were anything I could do to lessen the pain enough to come to work, I’d sure love to know about it!

************

I am a celiac. I had a gluten allergic reaction where my throat swelled up and I was having trouble breathing. I grabbed a glass of high potency vitamin C drink (at least 10 grams of Vitamin C) and downed it before my throat had a chance to fully close. It really saved my life and my doctor told me that the Vitamin C was the best home antidote I could have used.

If one is having intestinal impact from having ingested gluten, Dr. Schulze has several products which do help. He recently added a “bowel detox shot” which is herbs in a liquid form. It one downs the entire “shot” they will have immediate relief. There are also some other products on his website which also help clean out the intestine of any gluten residues.

*************

“What do you need to simplify your gluten free lifestyle and/or to make it more effective and productive?” 215 people answered that question on our recent survey. I’ve summarized the responses at the bottom of this article. (Unfortunately, reading the chart requires a better computer and/or sharper eyes than I have, so I repeated the information in the space after the chart.)

I WILL ADDRESS YOUR EIGHT MAJOR CONCERNS. I am not totally sure how to do so, but I am excited about the opportunity to find out. I’ll talk in general terms about a few concerns today and write about others in the next few days. Specific solutions will come as soon as possible.

Your primary concern was finding “healthy eating regimens that include all aspects of diet and nutrition.” That’s my main concern too. I kind find gluten free substitutes for any just about any gluten toxic item in my diet — I am no longer malnourished because of undiagnosed celiac disease — but what about the big picture? Is my diet healthy in all respects?

The ability to control our weight is an important feature of what I am calling “The Total Diet that is Gluten Free”. Weight control emerged as the sixth major concern on our survey.

I’ll write more general comments tomorrow and announce specific initiatives as soon as possible.

column 1 / ORANGE / “healthy eating regimens that include all aspects of diet and nutrition and are appropriate for people living gluten free / 31 responses / 14.4%

column 2 / LIGHT BLUE / “specific lists of restaurants offering gluten free choices” / 28 responses / 13.0%

column 3 / PURPLE / “living gluten free on a budget” / 26 responses / 12.1%

column 4 / DARK ORANGE/ “specific lists of gluten free foods” /22 responses / 10.2 %

column 5 / GREEN / “information about ‘best buys’ am competing brands of gluten free food” / 19 responses / 8.8%

column 6 / BROWN / “controlling weight while living gluten free” / 18 responses / 8.4%

column 7 / DARK BLUE / “cooking and baking gluten free food” / 17 responses / 7.9%

column 8 / RED/ “information to help make decisions about foods, restaurants, etc. / 15 responses / 7.0%