Gluten Free Independence Day
Here are suggestions for a gluten free Independence Day celebration dinner:
red, white, and blue potato salad
red, white, and blue pasta salad
None of these recipes are specifically gluten free, but the substitutions will be easy and obvious.
Two Approaches to the Gluten Free Diet
Some people need to live gluten free. Others elect to live gluten free. When I was diagnosed eleven years ago, only the first group existed. Given the quality and cost of the gluten free food that existed at that time, it makes sense that few people — other than persons diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease — embraced the gluten free lifestyle.
Times have changed! Folks go gluten free because people in their social group are doing it, because it makes them feel younger and more energetic, or because they have swallowed the myth that it will help them lose weight. There are probably other reasons.
PAUL’S POINT-OF-VIEW. When people in the second group meet their goals, it is probably because the individual is now feeling better and almost everything works better when a person feels better. These “successes” may be a sign indicating undiagnosed celiac disease. It is virtually impossible to diagnose celiac disease in a person who is currently living gluten free. No one should begin any diet without competent advice and supervision — the thoughts expressed earlier in this paragraph should be shared with anyone who considers starting the gluten free diet, regardless of the persons reasons for beginning.
Shopping for Gluten Free Food
Shopping for gluten free food isn’t easy! How and where do we find what we need? How do we know that it is safe? How can we afford it? More and more supermarkets are making things easier by publishing lists of the ‘safe’ foods that they provide and/or by placing all their gluten free food in one area so that shoppers can find it more easily.
My power page “Gluten Free Supermarket Shopping” is designed to streamline your shopping chores. I’ve expanded it to include fourteen supermarket chains and more listing will be added daily. Each entry includes the name of restaurant chain, help in finding a convenient store, as well as links to printable information about available gluten free item.
Most stores offer coupons or “special offers” to attract customers. The third part of each listing includes links that enable you take advantage of these bargains. Be aware that these offerings will generally include some items that are taboo on the gluten free diet. As always, you must shop defensively.
Gluten Free, Gluten Free Cooking
Vegetables on My Gluten Free Plate
As you may have a heard, the graphic shown above has just been introduced to replace the ‘food pyramid’ as America’s official definition of “the balanced diet”. If the graphic did not reproduce legibly on your computer screen, be aware that there are now four official food groups: fruit (red), vegetables (green), grains (orange), and proteins (purple). If you need more information, check out my article on the subject.
The four segments on the plate indicates the approximate amount of each type of food that we should be eating. Note that fruit and vegetable groups about half the size of our plate. The largest segment of our diet should be vegetables. Vegetables are healthy, low in calories, and relatively inexpensive. Eating more vegetables would make Americans thinner, healthier, and allow them to spend much less on food. That’s particularly important for celiacs — the gluten free diet is expensive at best. But how do we make this system work? How do we get Americans to eat more vegetables???????
‘My Plate’ does not require us to physically separate the four groups, and one way to deal with this situation is use recipes that combine proteins and vegetables in a single dish. Here are three suggestions with links to the recipes: vegetarian lasagna, zucchini pizza crust, and baked fish on vegetables. Enjoy!
Gluten Free Rice Krispies
This morning’s breakfast featured gluten free Rice Rice Krispies. The “snap, crackle, and pop” sound brought back memories of childhood. I don’t recall what the original version tasted like, but I know that I enjoyed this cereal although I definitely will use sweetener next time (which will probably be tomorrow morning).
I liked the packaging. The words ‘gluten free’ are very prominent — apparently Kellogg’s is actively seeking the support of America’s gluten free / celiac community. I also liked the fact that the gluten free rice krispies are no more expensive than their wheat-based cousins. I am curious about why this new gluten free cereal is not highlighted on the Kellogg’s website.
Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Diet
My Plate and the Gluten Free Diet
Since ‘My Plate’ was announced less than 48 hours ago, reactions are tentative and vague. Most of the comments I read suggest that this is not a new diet but rather improved teaching tool. And everyone agrees that a new teaching tool was desperately needed — American’s were simply not getting the message. The newly-announced diet says a great deal about the importance of whole grains, but does not require (or even suggest) that wheat must be the grain-of-choice. Perhaps it is significant that the White House chef chose demonstrate this new approach to dieting by preparing a meal using whole grain brown rice.
I’ll be writing much more about ‘My Plate’ in the very near future. I have successfully followed the gluten free diet for a decade. Now I need a diet and a lifestyle that is both gluten free and healthy in all other respects.
Gluten Free English Muffins from Food for Life
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.
Is the Gluten Free Diet Safe for Everyone?
I urge you to watch these two video clips. The first is a segment from Nightline suggesting that the gluten free diet is valid as a treatment for celiac disease but is “dangerous” if used for any other purpose. direct rebuttal to the first, written and presented by a medical doctor who has a very different point-of-view.
I don’t usually express personal opinions in my articles, but I’m making an exception her simply because this topic seems to be ignored on the internet. My basic premise is that all diets are unsafe unless the dieter has professional guidance, access to reference books, support groups, and internet information.
For some, including myself, the gluten free diet is a treatment for celiac disease. I have made a commitment to remove all gluten from my diet for the rest of my life. I am concerned about cross-contamination since even minute amounts of gluten are dangerous. This is the classic definition of ‘gluten free diet’ and the only one adequately covered in books, on the internet, or in most physician’s offices
Other people see the gluten free diet as something that makes them feel better, have more of a certain type of friends, or lose weight. What will these folks do after they have achieved their weight loss goal, made different friends, and discover wheat-based foods that provide them with energy and enthusiasm?
A third version of the gluten free diet is practiced by such luminaries as Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow. Both these stars experienced a “gluten free cleanse”. Ms. Paltrow was on a strict gluten free diet for seven days. Ms. Winfrey lasted a full three weeks. Does three weeks count as a diet? I don’t think so! But these starts are at least acknowledging that gluten free food is an issue. The people who agree with them need our help and support.
These last two groups of dieters need professional support and advice. I hope that their needs can be met.
Happy Joe’s…Gluten Free Pizzerias
Happy Joe’s restaurants are a resource for gluten free pizza lovers in IA, IL. MN, MO, ND, and WI. Judging from what I saw on YouTube, it is a great place to enjoy ‘safe’ pizza. However, Happy Joe’s website has one foible that affects so many gluten free restaurants — the site mentions that gluten free pizza crusts are available but does commit itself by saying that the pies are gluten free in all respects — safe toppings, proper measures to prevent cross-contamination, etc.
I decided to include information about these restaurants after watching a YouTube video that they had produced. Several other video testimonials are available,
I have added Happy Joe’s Restaurants to my power page “Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants“. Click here if you need information about more pizzerias.
Weight Loss and the Gluten Free Diet
I recently googled the key words +”gluten free diet” and +”weight loss” and read all the ten articles listed on the first page. I noticed that:
- no one advocated going on a gluten free diet for the sole purpose of losing weight.
- no one suggested that it was easier (or harder) to lose weight while adhering to a gluten free diet. As one author put it, the only important thing is to “…adhere to a high-protein, low glycemic-load, nutrient dense diet”.
- none of the writers advocated going on a non-supervised diet, either a gluten free diet or a more traditional weight-loss diet.
Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Food
Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough from French Meadow
These gluten free cookies smelled great while they were baking and looked absolutely marvelous. I enjoyed the taste very much, but I would not advise serving them to wheat-eaters. They had a distinctive taste that screams ‘gluten free’ to wheat-eaters.
The cookies are certified ‘safe’ by the Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO) a program sponsored by the Gluten Intolerance Group. They were manufactured on equipment that is also used to produce soy products. The website includes a coupon for $1 off on any French Meadow product.
Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants
I’ve recently added new restaurants to my power page “Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants” and checked every item on the page to insure that the links were still working. Gl inuten free restaurant pizza is tasting better each day and becoming more readily available. I remember reporting that it was impossible to obtain a gluten free pizza in any restaurant in Portland, Oregon. I couldn’t find that article — I assume that I deleted it in disgust at some point. Anyway, things have gotten much better.
One major concern I have is that some sites use the term “gluten free pizza crust“. We know, of course, that a pizza is not gluten free simply because it has a gluten free crust. I am a bit concerned about any restaurant that does not understand the difference and assure its patrons that the pizzas are have been prepared in a ‘safe’ environment and that all toppings are celiac-friendly.
Gluten Free Toaster Waffles
Gluten free frozen waffles are available from Van’s Natural Foods and Nature’s Path. Be aware that these companies also sell wheat-based waffles. Everything is carefully labeled so there should be no problem if a shopper is really paying attention. Kinnikinnik Foods offers gluten free toaster waffles.
Ian’s Natural Foods takes this idea one-step-further by offering the “WaffleWich”, two gluten free waffles with a tasty filling in between.
This video shows a ‘different’ way to prepare gluten free waffles. This is a great trick to learn in the event that you are stuck in a situation where you fear that the only available toaster may be cross-contaminated.
Baking with Gluten Free Pizza Crusts
I used the gluten free pizza crust from French Meadow Bakery for my first experiment in making pizza from a professionally made pizza crust and my own toppings. I chose this package because each crust came in a single-use metallic pan used in many restaurants to make sure that gluten free pizzas do not come into contact with other grain products in the pizza oven. There are no cross-contamination issues in my kitchen, of course, but that pan certainly made it easier to clean up after I had finished my project.
My pizza project was a success! The pie tasted thousands of times better than any of the frozen pizzas I have tried in the past and cost about half as much. Adding my own toppings took only a few minutes. The crust was firm enough to support the toppings without being difficult to chew. The taste was was subtle but effective. From now on, when I need a convenience-pizza, I will use a pre-made crust.
Dr. Praegers Gluten Free Potato Pancakes
Dr. Praeger’s sweet potato pancakes taste great if you are eating them for lunch or dinner. My only problem is that I think of pancakes as breakfast food and my morning routine does not allow me to prepare them properly: you need to pre-heat the oven and then bake for eight minutes on each side.
Dr. Praeger refers to his products as “sensible food” and they certainly are IF you have the time to prepare them properly.
Is Couscous Gluten Free?
No, couscous is a wheat product and is therefore not gluten free.Lundberg Farms sells a couscous-like product made from roasted brown rice and I saw that item mentioned many times on the search engines. My internet research gave me little hope of finding ‘safe’ couscous dishes in restaurants.
Many cooks substitute millet or quinoa for couscous. Here is one example from a blogger who uses millet. This blogger prefers to use quinoa instead.
As you may know, many of my titles have the format “Is this food gluten free?” This format is ideal for getting the attention of the computers that place articles on google and the other search engines. You may also have noticed that in every case my answer boils down to “Yes if you take certain precautions.” I have added a tag to all articles of this type so that you can find them quickly. To use these tags, scroll down to the end of this article, past the ads. You will will see the words “is this food gluten free?”. Click on the tag and your computer will create a special page containing the first few sentences of each of my articles that have the same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the complete article.
Katz Gluten Free Bakery Products
Katz Gluten Free products are shipped frozen from their bakery in New York state, produced in a dedicated facility, and certified gluten free by the Gluten Intolerance Group. Shipping is free on orders over $30. You can buy on-line or patronize one of the retailers mentioned on the site. ! recommend their challah rolls which come in two sizes and are among the very few ‘safe’ bread products that do not have to be toasted to taste good. They also feature pizza crusts and loaves of bread.
Gluten Free Soy and Tamari Sauce
Most soy sauce is off-limits to us because its main ingredient is wheat. Soy sauce that does not contain wheat is called Tamari sauce. Personally, I now very few people who can tell the difference. Anyway, Kikkoman and San-J provide a ‘safe’ way to experience soy sauce.
Single-serving packets of gluten free soy sauce are available from The Gluten Free Pantry. Carrying a few in your pocket would make things tastier in situations where most diners are spicing up their meal with soy sauce.
Rice Krispies Will Soon be Gluten Free
Gluten free rice krispies will debut this summer. The celiac-safe cereal will occupy the same shelf as their traditional counterparts will be sold at the same price! (I wish more manufacturers and stores would follow that example).
Rice Krispies is much more than a breakfast cereal. For many, it is a key ingredient in many snack foods and treats. Click here to find a recipe for ‘lasagna for sugar addicts’ as well as other goodies.
Click here to learn how to make an edible Mothers’ Day holiday mug. This site includes several other edible-crafts ideas.
I have one concern about Rice Krispies. Rice Krispie Treats will continue to be extremely popular with children and adults. Some of those treats will be healthy and delicious because they are made from gluten free Rice Krispies. Other treats will be ‘gluten bombs’. How will we tell tehm apart?
Ruby Tuesday…a Gluten Friendly Restaurant Chain
My gluten free meal at Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant in Aurora, Colorado was real pleasure. I started with a trip to the salad bar. I usually avoid salad bars because of cross-contamination. I made an exception here because the food looked great, there were no obviously gluten toxic products with the possible exception of the salad dressings, and the gluten free menu stated that the salad bar was OK. The salad was a treat — I don’t have many opportunities to visit one.
My dinner consisted of shrimp skewers, a fully-loaded baked potato, and a vegetable. I made my selections from a gluten free menu which is part of a booklet that posts suggestions for diabetics, persons on a heart-healthy diet, and people who are allergic to any of the “big eight” allergens. A gluten free menu is available on-line (the gluten free information starts on page 8). I enjoyed the food, the service, and the general ambiance of the restaurant. I will be back.
Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.
The Gluten Free Labeling Summit
The Gluten Free Labeling Summit on May 4 was an important event. We got the attention of the public by building the world’s largest gluten free cake and informed, encouraged, and hopefully motivated our nation’s legislators.
This link will take you to a post written by a blogger who was involved in the event and has given us good information and lots of photos. Here’s an article from a local Washington D.C. newspaper.
Finally, I recommend this report from “The Savvy Celiac” and this video of the cake being constructed.
Is Orzo Gluten Free? How about Triticale and Bulgar?
Orzo is a pasta made with wheat. It resembles rice and it is usually OK to substitute rice or quinoa in recipies that call for orzo.
Triticale and bulgar are varieties of wheat. Some people who are on a wheat free diet report that they can tolerate triticale and/or bulgar but they are definitely not gluten free.
As you may know, many of my titles have the format “Is this food gluten free?” This format is ideal for getting the attention of the computers that place articles on google and the other search engines. You may also have noticed that in every case my answer boils down to “Yes if you take certain precautions.” I have added a tag to all articles of this type so that you can find them quickly. To use these tags, scroll down to the end of this article, past the ads. You will will see the words “is this food gluten free?”. Click on the tag and your computer will create a special page containing the first few sentences of each of my articles that have the same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the complete article.
Gluten Free Coupons from Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Markets offers gluten free bargains in its bi-monthly brochure ‘The Whole Deal”. The May/June has just been published on-line and promises $45 in savings. Not all the items are gluten free, of course, but the display on the web makes it easy to find gluten-friendly bargains.
For more information about shopping with gluten free coupons, scroll to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag saying ‘gluten free coupons and discounts’. The computer will prepare a special page showing the first paragraphs on other articles similar to this one. Click on the article excerpt to read the entire text.
Gluten Free at BJs Brewhouse and Restaurant
I enjoyed my lunch at BJs Restaurant and Brewhouse. I ordered from a printed gluten free menu that included two entrees, several dinner salads, stuffed baked potatoes, as well as gluten free pizza and beer. My waitress was clearly ‘celiac-savvy’. My gluten free pizza looked great! Some gluten free pizza-makers put their emphasis on the crust and throw on a few toppings. This pizza looked awesome! The taste was equally great. The crust was firm but still easy-to-chew. The seasoning was subtle but excellent. BJs is much more than a pizza restaurant. It has a full menu of Italian and other foods.
I enjoyed my meal at the restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. BJs also operates restaurants in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article
Blood Pressure and the Heart Healthy Celiac
The American Heart Association urges all Americans (celiac and wheat-eater) to control their blood pressure. Before we discuss how this is to be accomplished, we need to talk about one essential difference between the gluten free diet and virtually every other diet. Celiacs must eliminate all gluten from their diet; “cutting down” on gluten is not an appropriate option. On the other hand, almost no one needs to eliminate all sodium from their diet — that would be extremely difficult and quite possibly harmful. Our goal is to decrease our sodium intake until it reaches an acceptable level.
Before we proceed, we need to debunk two myths. (1)Seasalt is NOT lower in sodium than regular salt. (2)The major source of salt in our diet is NOT the salt we use in cooking or the salt we add at the dinner table. The major problem is the salt that is used in processing food.
The American Heart Association recommends that we consume no more than 1500 mg of sodium daily. Fortunately, we probably don’t have to actually account those milligrams. (The people who do need more help than I can provide.) All we have to do is to choose low-sodium ingredients and products whenever possible.
My original plan was to close this article with a list of foods and recipes that are both low in sodium and devoid of gluten. There are thousands of possibilities so I will simply suggest that you use the google or some other search engine and use the terms “low sodium” and “gluten free”. You’ll find hundreds (maybe thousands) of choices. Let me know if you have personal favorites. I would welcome the chance to publish your ideas.
The Gluten Free Labeling Summit
On May 4, celiac activists will prepare the world’s largest gluten free cake. This action will highlight the need for legislation defining the term ‘gluten free’. Currently, there are more rules governing trout fishing than rules concerning the labeling of gluten free food. The point is not to generate more rules but to deal with what the Huffington Post calls “the public health crisis no one is talking about”.
http://www.capwiz.com/celiac/dbq/stickers/?command=fedstickers
Actually, lots of people will be talking about it this week. While the activists are providing a wonderful ‘photo op’ by constructing the cake, other celiacs will be meeting with legislators encouraging them to adopt legislation on the subject of gluten free labeling requirements.
Since this site is one of the sponsors of this event, I feel entitled to give my opinion as to what this legislation should look like. We need to test foods periodically and label them according to the amount of measurable gluten they contain. We need several different types of labels, to accommodate different opinions as to the amount of gluten that is acceptable. That approach works well in the gas station. We have three grades of gasoline — why not three grades of gluten free food? Share your thoughts with your Senator or Representative.
Gluten Free Mothers’ Day 2011
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.
Udi’s Gluten Free Granola
Udi’s Gluten Free Granola comes in six varieties, taste great, and has the same great quality that seems characterize all Udi products. They are made with certified oats and are advertised as “anti-junk cereal”. The phrase “uncluttered flavors” seems to sum up the situation. My favorite breakfast is fruit yogurt with Udi’s granola added.
If you can’t find this good-stuff locally, use the graphic above to purchase them at Amazon. The link will take you to the variety pack but you can order any or all of the flavors from this webpage.
Gluten Free Toast from a Shared Toaster
Gluten free toast from any toaster???. Cross-contamination is not an issue thanks to No-Strick Post-It bags that can be inserted into any toaster to prevent contact with toxic materials that may be in the toaster. I use this product when I am away from the dedicated toaster that I have at home. I’ve been using the same set for about a year (with only small signs of deterioration). The package includes instructions for making garlic bread, panini sandwiches, and even warming up pizza slices. Use your imagination to dream up other projects.
If this product is not available in your local store, use the graphic at the top of the page to order if from Amazon or link here to order it from The Gluten Free Pantry.
The Heart Healthy Celiac…The 7 Steps
Today I completed the Life Assessment Check published by the American Heart Association. My wife suffered cardiac arrest earlier this month. I’m happy to report that she is progressing well and I want to do everything possible to prolong life an goo health for both of us.
I was totally disappointed with my results on the test! That’s an understatement!!!!! The simple truth is that I did not understand many of questions and did not know how to answer the rest.Why? One of the reasons was that for the past decade I have been focused on gluten free living and ignoring all other aspects of healthy eating. It’s time for me to change that situationand share what I have learned with my friends. The American Heart Association lists these “Seven Simple Goals”:
1. don’t smoke (since this item does not directly involve the ingestion of food, I will not include it in my series of articles)
2. maintain a healthy weight (please see my power page ‘‘The Gluten Free Weight Loss Diet’)
3. engage in regular physical activity (since this goal does not directly involve ingesting food, I will not write about it in this series of articles.)
4. eat a healthy diet (this entire website is devoted to the topic of eating a healthy diet. I’ll discuss that in the final article of this series. That article is scheduled for publication on May 13.)
5. manage blood pressure. (I plan to publish an article on this subject on April 30).
6. take charge of cholesterol (I’ll deal with this topic on May 7)
7. keep blood sugars at healthy levels. (I’ve scheduled this topic for May 10.)
These goals are “simple” in the sense that they can be stated in short phrases. On the other hand, they are very difficult in that they involve accessing a great deal of information and making very significant behavior changes. Read this article to learn more about this problem.
The American Heart Association acknowledges this issue. They state that short steps are important. They recommend starting by making “one change today” and progressing at an appropriate pace. They acknowledge that the changes do not need to made in specific order.
Eco-Planet Hot Cereals
Eco-Planet Hot Cereals are a great convenience food when you need a hot breakfast that you can prepare quickly and easily even when you are not fully awake. These packets are a must-have when you’re trying to cope with the “complimentary breakfasts” available at some motels. If you have access to hot water and a bowl, you are OK.
These cereal packets are available in three varieties: apple and cinnamon, apple and brown sugar, and original flavor. I normally need two packets for a filling breakfast. I only require one of these packets, so these cereals are a real bargain.
These cereal packets are made with certified oats and six other whole grains. Can you name seven grains that are OK for celiacs.? I couldn’t until I did the research for this article. They are certified oats, amaranth, flax seed, quinoa, sorghum, buckwheat, and millet.
Gluten Free Diet, Living Gluten Free
The Heart Healthy Celiac
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.
French Meadow Bakery Gluten Free Bread
I recently enjoyed the Honey Multigrain Bread from The French Meadow Bakery. The bread has a very distinctive taste, thus providing variety in my diet — all gluten free bread does not taste alike, but there is a certain “sameness”. I also enjoyed this bread because it does not have to be toasted. After more-than-a-decade on the gluten free diet, eating untoasted bread is a bit of a treat.
The bread’s texture is great. It holds together well in a sandwich, The size of the slices is about the same as that found in wheat-based bread. The bread is gluten free, lactose free, peanut free, and contains flax. I found it in a freezer rather than the bread section of store.
COUPON ALERT: Discount coupons are available but you will need to add your name to their mailing list and may have to download special printing software. If your in-box is full as mine, don’t forget that it is possible to un-subscribe from the mailing list and delete the software at any time.
Is Qdoba Mexican Grill Gluten Free
Qdoba grills are available nationwide. I enjoyed my meal there and everything turned out OK, but I learned a valuable lesson — ask a lot of questions before dining at a place that you only-vaguely remember as being gluten free. When I was doing the research to write this article, I discovered that Qdoba does not use a dedicated fryer for gluten gluten free products. Qdoba has a rather extensive allergen guide booklet available at there entrance, but it does not mention barley or rye. Also, the guide is much too long to be digested while waiting to order your meal. I successfully dodged a gluten bomb this time, but….
Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.
Ted’s Montana Grill…a Gluten Free Restaurant Chain
Ted’s Montana Grill offers a great gluten free bunless bison burger. The rest of the menu (both gluten free and conventional) seems to be equally good, but one of my first objectives in trying out a new restaurant is to find out if the bunless burgers are attractively presented, good tasting, and large enough to satisfy my appetite. The meal I enjoyed at Ted’s exceeded my expectations!
Ted’s Montana Grill operates restaurants in 14 states. Click here to read their gluten free menu.
Click here for information about Ted’s concerns for the weight loss diet, the heart healthy diet, and the needs of diabetics. FYI, as many of you know, my wife experienced a cardiac arrest on March 29. She is doing miraculously well and we expect full recovery. I’ve had the chance to do a lot of thinking about a lot of different of subjects. One result can be seen in the first sentence. When I review a restaurant or a food product, I’ll link you to all the nutrition information that I can find.
Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.
New Planet Gluten Free Beer
New Planet Gluten Free Beer is currently available only in Colorado. I’ve enjoyed it twice during my current visit to the Denver area and would love to drink it more often in the future. My introduction came when my hosts wanted to prepare a casserole that included one bottle of beer as an ingredient. I enjoyed drinking the beer and my hosts concluded that it ‘it didn’t make much difference’ whether wheat based-or sorghum-based beer was used in cooking. That, of course, was the answer I was hoping for.
My second experience with this great beer was at The Mellow Mushroom, a pizza restaurant in suburban Denver. It was a great way to wash down an equally great pizza.
A Personal Note
Patty, my wife of 42 years, suffered a heart attack on March 29. She’s doing well! To quote the head of the cardiology department “Patty, you cheated death”. We were traveling when all this happened, and God (with the help of the 911 ambulance) brought us to the Sky Ridge Medical Center in Denver, Colorado. These people are great. If you have to have a heart attack — and apparently we had to have one — it’s great to be around people who are upbeat, supportive, and totally competent.
I’m sharing this with you because you are my friends. I never realized how important you are to me. This site will certainly continue — it’s a blessing to have something to do that is productive and creative to do while sitting in a hospital waiting room. For practical reasons, it’s great to be able to earn money working almost anywhere and setting my own schedule. Patty is totally supportive of my intention to continue. (I have temporarily suspended my weekly newsletters.)
I plan to transform this website to make it useful for people who live gluten free, people who must eat heart healthy, and diabetics. My wife will be the driving force behind those last two categories.
Thanks for listening. Have a great day.
The Mellow Mushroom..a Gluten Free Pizza Restaurant Chain
I loved the gluten free pizza that I shared at The Mellow Mushroom. Few pizzerias do an excellent job with the crust, the toppings, the appearance of the pizza, and the atmosphere of the restaurant where we enjoyed our pizza. The Mellow Mushroom seems to excel in all those respects. I washed down my meal with a bottle of New Planet Beer, a beverage that is currently only available in Colorado. I’ll talk about the beer in another article.
The Mellow Mushroom franchises locations in sixteen states. The website states that gluten free pizza is available at all locations but does not give specific information.
Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.
Labeling Gluten Free Food…the Battle Continues
The Food and Drug Administration has been directed to develop standards for manufacturers who wish to label their products ‘gluten free’. They have had this mandate since 2004 and — guess what!!! — we are still waiting! During that time, the demand for gluten free food has multiplied, the quality of the food has increased, and there is a flurry of information and misinformation. Consumers like you and I are confused, and there is an ever-growing need “to give notice to manufacturers (especially those who are jumping into this hot market to make money…) that making foodstuffs labeled ‘gluten free’ comes with a great deal of responsibility.”
I am proud to announce that this website is one sponsor of an event designed to get gluten free labeling back on the front burner at the Food and Drug Administration. On May 4, 2011, we will be baking and decorating (and most-of-all publicizing) the world’s largest gluten free cake. Click here to learn more about this exciting project. The project’s website is titled “It’s a Big Deal!”. It certainly is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are Rice Krispies Gluten Free?
Hallelujah. Kellogg’s Rice Krispies will be gluten free before the end of the summer! I’m always pleased when a major company make a widely-sold and extremely popular product available to the gluten free community. And I’m glad that I got this information from Kellogg’s official website. So often, rumors which may or may not be true flood America’s gluten free community before we get official and therefore totally reliable information.
I am concerned about one thing. The website does not make it clear whether all Rice Krispies will be gluten free or if both a wheat based and a gluten free version will be available. Rice Krispie Treats are one of the most popular snacks in America. I hope we don’t find ourselves in a position where some of those snacks are delicious and nutritious but others are ‘gluten bombs’.
Is Chick-Fil-A Gluten Free?
I enjoyed really great chicken salad at Chick-Fil-A in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last weekend. Since ChIck-Fil-A is so well-known to celiacs, I had looked forward to eating there and was a bit disappointed. That was my only option for a complete meal that I could get from the printed menu or the menu that was posted on-line. I could probably have gotten good answers if I had asked questions, but I prefer to limit my dinner-salad-eating to situations where I have no other options. Since Chick-Fil-A has such a great reputation in the gluten free community, I was expecting them to have gluten free information fully publicized on the site, on the menu, and in posters displayed in the restaurant. For example: I know that at least two different chicken fillets are available without a bun. Will I be able ignore the absence of the customary bun? Does the bunless meal contain enough food to fill my stomach? The only ready to find out is the ‘hard way’.
Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.
Maggiano’s Little Italy…a Gluten Free Restaurant Review
This week I attended a 50th anniversary celebration at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Englewood, a suburb of Denver, Colorado. There were 45 guests at the three-course banquet. I required a substitution during each course. A chef came from the kitchen and worked with me to plan my dinner My meal was delicious, I was served at the same time as the other guests, and my desert was “to die for”.
I loved the restaurant. The food and the service was outstanding! The ambiance was perfect for an anniversary celebration. Maggiano’s has a great reputation among people who live gluten free. A question: why would a restaurant group that has gone to a great effort to accommodate the gluten free community not mention their gluten free options on-line? This is a very minor criticism and is true of so many gluten friendly restaurants. But I am curious.
Restaurant chains that serve the gluten free community are vital to our ‘good life’. It is sometimes good to eat in a restaurant that seems familiar even though it is far from home. Restaurant chains are large corporations with legal departments that will make sure that individual restaurants do not make promises they can’t keep. To find other gluten-friendly restaurant chains, scroll down to the bottom this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that reads “chair restaurants”. The computer will create a special page that contains the first few sentences of articles that have that same tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.
Gluten Free Airplane Food
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.
St. Peters Gluten Free Beer…a Product Review
This beer minds me of the wonderful brews I consumed joyfully and in large quantities while I was working in Germany as a civilian employee of the US Defense Department. That beer, of course, was destroying my as-yet-undiagnosed-celiac gut. That’s another story. St. Peters sorghum beer is described as “a clean crisp beer with a pilsner style lager finish and aromas of citrus and mandarin”. That sounds great, but all I know for sure is that I loved it. The beer came in a bottle that was copied after the bottles that were used in fancy restaurants in the 1770.
The only problem with this beer is that it is hard to find. It’s brewed in England. If you are lucky enough to live in Sebasterpol or Sonoma, California, click here to visit a restaurant that serves this beer along with other gluten free foods. I discovered this beer at Gustav’s restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Good luck to the rest of you. Try googling the term ‘St Peters beer’. If you find anything, let me know so that I can add your information to this article.
A Celiac Story..the Long Road to Recovery
“I’ve always had significant digestive problems my entire life. In fact, when I was an infant, my parents lovingly called me “diarrhea-baby”. By the time I was in kindergarten, my mom was tired of my complaining about having a stomachache every day, so she finally took me to see the doctor, who diagnosed me with lactose intolerance and completely cut out dairy from my diet. So throughout elementary school, the stomachaches were less severe, but still there. In middle school and high school, I remember not being involved with too many social activities, since I always had to make sure I was within 10 ft of a bathroom. My friends thought I was strange and somewhat of a hermit, and they rarely invited me to go anywhere with them. Besides, I was just embarrassed to be around people and hated that I was always in a lot of pain. No one understood what I was going through, and they all thought I was over-exaggerating and feeling sorry for myself. And honestly, I didn’t know exactly what was wrong with me. All I knew is I barely got any sleep and the toilet became my constant companion.
“In college, I continued having pain and diarrhea, but finally got to see an actual gastroenterologist when I was 20. (My mom never took me to a gastroenterologist when I was younger because we couldn’t afford it.) The doctor did a colonoscopy and endoscopy on me, and told me that my digestive system and its problems were equal to what he sees in the average 70 yr old. The doctor diagnosed me with GERD and IBS. In my early to mid 20′s, I still suffered from a lot of pain. I should’ve bought stock in Imodium, Phayzyme, Tums, and Pepto Bismol, I took so much of those type of medicines. My entire life seemed to revolve around pain, nausea, and diarrhea.
“But by the time I was 26 yrs old, my health took a definite and sudden turn for the worst. I could barely get out of bed every morning and take care of my 2 yr old son at the time. New symptoms flared up severely, and they included severe dizziness joint pain, and also muscle pain/tingling, jolts (spasms) of my whole body, hot flashes, cold sweats, severe abdominal pain where I could barely breathe, major motion sickness in the car, anxiety and panic attacks, and depression. I lost a significant amount of weight in a matter of 3 months, though I was trying to eat anything that would stay down. By this time, I was down to 105 lbs. (And at my sickest point, I was 97 lbs!!!! and I am 5’5 tall!) I was literally spending 5-7 hrs in the bathroom in a 24 hr period.
“I kept going back to the gastroenterologist, in desperate need for help. He ran about 15 tests on me, including another colonoscopy/endoscopy, barium enema (one of the most painful tests they ever did!), small bowel series, CT scans, ultrasounds, Xrays, bloodwork, you name it! The most frustrating thing was that every test came back completely normal, except the small bowel series, which did indicate flattening of the villi that would indicate only Celiac Disease, so the doctor ordered the Celiac blood test, and did a biopsy of my small bowel (during the colonoscopy). Both tests came back negative! So of course he didn’t further investigate the Celiac aspect.
“Finally the doctor admitted that he was truly puzzled about my case, so then he recommended that I see a neurologist, who wanted to test me for Meniere’s Disease (chronic vertigo) or even a brain tumor. So I underwent 2 MRI’s of the brain, both showing that yes, I had a brain (thank goodness!), and yes, it was healthy. But the doctors were still at a loss as to why I was so sick. All he could do was prescribe Phenergan for the nausea, Imodium for the diarrhea, and Wellbutrin for the anxiety/depression. And all I could do was pray for a miracle.
“I had been eating the bland BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast) to try to stop the diarrhea. I had also been eating plain bagels, graham crackers, saltines, anything to alleviate my stomach pains (and unknowingly I was poisoning myself even more!), and yet I was in the bathroom constantly. So at this point, I picked up the yellow pages and looked up dieticians in the area. But unfortunately most of the dieticians in the area would not even see me, since at the time I was on Medicaid. Finally, I found a wonderful dietician who talked to me on the phone for a few minutes, and decided she would see me even though she didn’t take my insurance. She was determined to help me.
“After some discussion, the dietician asked me whether I had gotten tested for Celiac Disease because I did have flattened villi in my small intestines. I told her yes, but the tests came back negative. She said that the celiac tests tend to be only 70% accurate. Therefore, she wanted me to start the gluten-free diet right away, regardless of the fact that Celiac had been ruled out by the doctor. Then she said to call her in a week or so, and let her know how I was doing. I had no idea what “gluten-free” meant, so she gave me some information on it, plus I had to do some research on my own. I didn’t even think this insane diet was going to work, but I was at the end of my wits, so I was willing to try anything!
“So the next day, I started the gluten-free diet, and within a few days, I started feeling TONS better! The diarrhea and the abdominal pain diminished, and I stopped feeling so dizzy. I called the dietician back the following week, and thanked her for saving my life, both in the mental and physical sense. In the following months, I re-gained about 8 lbs! I felt so relieved that the worst part of my suffering was finally over, and that there WAS an answer to my problem! And that I wasn’t crazy after all! The gluten free diet was a complete miracle for me, and the exact answer to my prayers!
“I called my gastroenterologist and told him the news. So he reviewed my long-term symptoms, put two and two together, and officially diagnosed me with Celiac Disease, an auto-immune digestive disease. I will have to follow a strict gluten free diet for the rest of my life. Gluten is a wheat protein, and it has many derivatives that I also have to avoid.
Finding foods that do not contain gluten is a challenge, but I would rather deal with that than what I have dealt with for the majority of my life–excruciating pain! I have found a few health food stores in the area that carry foods I can eat, and have been broadening my food spectrum whenever I can. I have learned to be very open-minded and adventurous eater when it comes to my diet. I eat a lot of tofu, brown rice, potatoes, vegetables, and fruit, and make sure I take my vitamins every day, esp Vitamin B12.
“I have been gluten free for 7 years, and have gained almost all my healthy weight back, so I’m about 114 lbs now, and feeling the best I have ever felt in my life. Yes I still do have my bad days, but overall I can say my health has improved 3000%!!!! It was a complete miracle that I came across the dietician that was willing to help me even though she didn’t accept my insurance. If she hadn’t been so generous and willing to help me, I have no idea where I would be right now. I sometimes think back at what I went through, and wonder how I endured such pain. Sometimes I even get teary-eyed, because I am so thankful that I have my life back. I am a new person!
“My wish is to become an educator and spokesperson of Celiac Disease and also an advocate of Celiac Awareness. I want to provide help and support for those who are suffering like I had suffered. Sometimes diseases and tests do not follow the “rules” of the book, and so that’s what makes Celiac disease so tricky. I have already helped 2 friends discover they have Celiac. They both told me how they was feeling physically, and so I suggested that they ask their doctors to test them for Celiac, and sure enough, their tests came back positive. They are both feeling so much better on the gluten free diet. So I want to help many more people! That is why I wrote this article, and also I have started writing a book about Celiac Disease, and I’m hoping to publish it by the end of the year. It’s important to me to help teach the public about this under-diagnosed auto-immune digestive disease that is not widely known throughout the world.”
Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Shopping
Gluten Free Canned Soup
Gluten free canned soup is available from at least three American companies. You’ll probably find these locally but they are also available on-line from the manufacturer. Click on the manufacturer’s name to visit their website or shop locally for the soups listed below.
♦ WOLFGANG PUCK. roast chicken and wild rice, tortilla, creamy tomato and basil, hearty lentil with vegetables , black bean
♦ GLUTEN FREE CAFE. chicken noodle, veggie noodle, black bean, cream of mushroom
♦ AMY’S KITCHEN. Amy’s produces nineteen different varieties of soup. Rather than memorizing the long list, I suggest that you at the logo that is on all Amy’s cans and packages and then read the label to determine which ones are ‘safe’.
Celiac Disease for Dummies…a Review
The first time I heard the term ‘celiac disease’, the doctor was talking to me and about me and was delivering what seemed like a death sentence. Perhaps you have had the same experience. After I recovered from the initial shock, my goal was to master the gluten free diet before I died from celiac disease (whatever that was), starvation, or severe boredom brought on by my current diet.
In the beginning, I was so busy mastering the gluten free diet that I learned very little about my disease. This book “Celiac Disease for Dummies” changed all that. It is easy to understand and written well enough to useful and interesting. This book helped me understand that — compared to other persons with chronic diseases — I am lucky. I am healthier than I was before my diagnosis. If I follow directions, I will have absolutely no symptoms and my life expectancy is longer than it would have been if I had not been diagnosed. I heartily recommend this book. If you can’t find it locally, use the graphic at the top of the article to order it from Amazon dot com. It is also available in a Kindle edition.
Advertising on this Gluten Free Site
Please be aware that the ads on most gluten free websites must be read “defensively”. Sorry about that — this site should be a safe place to shop. The reality is that most ads are placed by a computer that analyzes how we behave on the internet and feeds us a set of ads based on our habits. If I move to my wife’s computer, I will get a completely different set of ads. Right now, I have done some research on what people who live gluten free should be doing to continue eating ‘safely’ even in the face of a disaster like the one in Japan. Currently, I’m being bombarded with ads for all aspects of disaster preparedness. Also, the computers at google know that I am interested in pizza but have not (and probably won’t ever) understand that I only buy gluten free pizza.
I feel self-conscious about seeming to recommend products that might be harmful to you so I have written on this subject several times. Please realize that the only options I have are to accept this advertising or charge you a hefty fee for the use of this site. Thanks for understanding.
There is an interesting article in the March 31 edition of Time magazine. The internet has changed the way we think about advertising and about privacy. This information does not pertain directly to gluten free living but it is certainly important for every internet user,
Gluten Free Awareness Month / Day
May is “gluten free awareness month”. To give us another opportunity to call attention to our cause, “National Celiac Awareness Day” is celebrated on September 13, the birthday of Dr. Samuel Gee, the first physician to link celiac disease to diet in 1877.
The Gluten Intolerance Group is again this year sponsoring its Chef to Plate Awareness Prigram” in May. Read their article to see where you fit in. This article contains a seven page list of addresses and phone number of gluten free restaurants that will be participating. I intend to print out that list and take it with me when I go on vacation next week.
I’ve been trying to think of ways that I could help raise celiac awareness. The thousand-or-so people that read this site are already aware. All my relatives are aware, and I spend very little time in restaurants that are not already gluten-savvy. But, I’ve had at least two opportunities to improve gluten free awareness this week.
♦ I recently ate what was probably the worst-tasting gluten free cupcake I have ever tasted. It was in a posh kiosk in a very upscale shopping mall. The cupcake cost at least twice the amount I pay at my local gluten free bakery. I suspect that the people in charge of this place were under the delusion that people who must live gluten free would gratefully accept something that tasted like cardboard. I would have welcomed that or any cupcake ten years ago, but I have a lot more choices now and I intend to use them. I haven’t done anything about this yet. I should respond. I’m guessing that the owners of this establishment would be mortified if they knew what they have been serving.
♦ I attended a workshop last week that provided a gluten free option for lunch. The bad news is that I did not find out about this until after I had finished my brought-from-home meal. I chided the leader of our group about this and she responded with words to the effect of “they mentioned that in my instructions but I didn’t know what it meant”. She knows me well enough to be aware that I can’t eat the cookies that she usually serves at our meetings, but she never connected that with the term “gluten free”.
Celiac Awareness is important, of course. But the needs are changing and — if anything — we need to be more creative. I’ll write more about this as soon as possible. In the meantime, I would love to read your thoughts on the subject.
Deborah Kaye’s Gluten Free Cookies…a Review
I thoroughly enjoyed these gluten free cookies created by Deborah Kaye. They tasted great, but what I enjoyed most was that they felt so “home made”. The cookies are 4-5 inches in diameter and are not perfectly round. These cookies look “home made” — the traditional perfectly round shape screams out that the item was made in a factory. I did not realize that this is was important until until I tried these treats. I enjoyed the soft chewy texture and the fact that I could pull them apart just like I did in the “old days”. The cookies are individually wrapped which helps with freshness and makes them great for people to carry lunch to school or a job. I plan to use them as “airplane food” next week when I go on vacation.
The cookies are available on-line or at retail stores in Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. The kitchen is 100% gluten free but does use peanuts, tree nuts, and dairy ingredients. The oats are “certified gluten free”. There are no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
I had an very positive experience with these cookies. I was attending a one-day conference and, since I assumed that would not get a gluten free meal, I put an apple and one these cookies in my brief-case. When I pulled these out during the lunch break, the people at the table were fascinated. I usually feel a bit self-conscious pulling out my “diet lunch” but this time everyone looked at me enviously. The difference was the colorful and attractive wrapper on the cookie. Details like that make a difference!
This is definitely a suggestion rather than a criticism, but I hope that when this company expands (and it will grow), I hope that they will produce some cookies that are not made with oatmeal. I could get hooked on these cookies but I would need a bit more variety.
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