Gluten-Free on Comedy Central's South Park Cartoon Season 18 Episode 2

The Ravages of Gluten : SouthPark Style

For those of you that may still be unfamiliar with the TV Cartoon Series "South Park", I must first issue a warning to readers: South Park is considered an adult animated sitcom, and it runs on the Comedy Central television network.  The adult rating is mainly due to the coarse, raw, nature of the comedy the show delivers, especially due to the substantial amount of profanity that is coupled to nearly any topic that can be depicted in the most non-politically-correct way possible.

I just had the opportunity to view Season 18, Episode 2 which is titled "Gluten-Free Ebola". As you may imagine, the evils of gluten have taken on a more sinister capability than in real life.  If you care to deal with such vulgar comedy, and want to see how gluten can be discussed in a truly absurd manner, then check out the episode... it is hilarious.

In brief, basically the town of South Park Colorado becomes the epicenter of an Ebola-like outbreak of deadly gluten exposure... whereby consuming too much gluten causes horrendous things to happen.  For the males of the population, it causes a certain body part to fly off and explode as well, and that tells you how far the absurdity of the show can go.

The show starts with a scene at the local school where one of the teachers has taken up a gluten-free diet and is sharing his experience of how awesome he feels because of it.  This provokes a predictable reaction from some others in the room: some scorn the gluten-free diet (which the coworker has started not because he suffers from Celiac, but because it is a "fad"), and others want to jump on the gluten-free diet bandwagon.

So, eventually the FDA and USDA get involved in a debate over gluten. At one point, a government scientist is demonstrating how gluten is the protein left over after removing the moisture and starches from wheat... and he condenses a block of absolutely pure gluten protein, on stage, during his demo, and tells the audience how it is harmless.  Of course, the audience challenges him on that statement: if the cube of highly-purified gluten is truly harmless, the scientist should eat it without hesitation...  so he does, albeit nervously...  and, things go horribly wrong...

South Park Season 18, Episode 2 : Gluten destroys the government scientist!

... the above picture, courtesy of South Park / Comedy Central, gives you a hint at the horrors that follow when you eat gluten: in this case, the scientist essentially disintegrates in spectacular fashion, with a certain body part flying off and exploding soon after this image (a fate shared by others during the episode).

As one may expect, things only devolve from here.  There is a gluten-quarantine implemented by the USDA where people exposed to gluten are locked up at a Papa John's Pizza for things like drinking beer, eating soy sauce, and so forth.  And, ultimately, the USDA's food pyramid is redefined to place grains (and thus gluten) in the tiny tip of the pyramid and fats at the bottom (largest area), leaving the several co-protagonists of the cartoon handing out frozen butter-pops (think butter lollipops) at the end of the episode, at a party, instead of the usual crackers, pretzels, pizza and such.

It's a truly hilarious look at a serious topic to those of us which really must avoid gluten to remain healthy and/or alive.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Nestlé Gluten-Free Chocolate Corn Flakes

Gluten-Free Chocolate Corn Flakes?

Now these sure sound oddly interesting!

Nestlé Gluten-Free Chocolate Corn Flakes

My wife just noticed this new Nestlé gluten-free cereal listed for sale on the Continente hypermarket website, currently on sale for €1,53, or about USD $1.70 (at current exchange rates), for a 13¼-ounce box (375 grams).

I have had Nestle's regular / traditional gluten-free corn flakes that preceded this new product, and like them quite a bit. I tend to add a few in with my homemade gluten-free granola which typically also features shredded coconut, cocoa or cocoa-nibs (or bits of dark chocolate), some almonds, raisins, dates, dried figs, and gluten-free oats among other things. The corn flakes add a bit of extra crunch.

So, now that I see there is a gluten-free chocolate corn flake on the market, I feel compelled to try them ASAP.

Are these Nestlé flakes available in the United States? If you have seen them, post a comment mentioning where you found them and the size/price if you could, and whether you like them.  So far, the first and only place I have encountered them for sale is in the Eurozone (specifically in Portugal), and I have a box on order so I can evaluate them first hand, and I plan to update this post with my review of these new chocolate corn flakes once I acquire a box.  Hopefully I will be able to get some within the next week or two.

Sure looks interesting!

I also noticed Nestle now has a gluten-free Gofree coco rice cereal (on the Nestlé UK website) that I am currently tracking down as well... which may be the first mainstream mass-produced brand of gluten-free chocolate crispy rice cereal (until now, most any commercial big-name brands have contained barley malt in the recipe).  More to come on these items...

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Waitrose Fiery Alcoholic Ginger Beer Review - Refreshing and quite nice!

Waitrose Fiery Alcoholic Ginger Beer Review

A new Gluten-Free "Beer" to try

This adult-only ginger-beer is a delightful recent find I encountered in the United Kingdom at the Waitrose grocery store chain.   When I first came across the bottles at the store, I was immediately intrigued by the description on the label: "An alcoholic ginger beer made with Jamaican Ginger, Sicilian Lemons, and a hint of Chili."

Waitrose Fiery Ginger Beer (Alcoholic)

 Chili, did I read??  Interesting!  So, I quickly took a look at the product page on the Waitrose web site to see if this is considered a gluten-free alcoholic ginger beer, and yes it is.  Perfect... and, as soon as possible a couple bottles made their way into my shopping basket and on to be chilled in the refrigerator.

Review: A refreshing, satisfying, cool drink with added zing

I found this gluten-free ginger beer to be rather delightful.  It definitely left me satisfied and was a great cool thirst-quencher perfect for summer.

The effervescence is noticeable, though not overwhelming — I'd say it is just about right.  I have had non-alcoholic ginger ales that have been either too flat or too stingy-bubbly, but this drink gets it spot-on in my opinion.

As for the presumption of "heat" I made upon reading the "Fiery" portion of the label as well as that mention of Chili — well, I certainly do not consider it "hot" in any way.  Any "fiery" aspects are quite tame, though that is just fine with me given that the drink comes together nicely with the discernible hint of those Sicilian lemons present in among the notes of ginger and the ever slight heat from the Chili.  I like the drink quite a bit, though I would welcome a true hotter (spicier) version with more Chili if it were ever produced.

Since the options for gluten-free beer are somewhat limited, and I am not particularly an avid wine drinker (occasional is plenty), this GF ginger-beer fills a gap in my drinks menu.  Definitely recommended, and count me in for refills next time I make it to Waitrose.

Now, if only this would be sold in the United States of America (USA)!  I am not aware of anything quite like this in the US, but perhaps I can find a way to ship the stuff there if enough demand exists?  Shipping would be cost-prohibitive I fear, and each bottle is currently costing £1.77 (i.e., around USD $3.00 at the time of this writing).  That is certainly going to equate to a "premium" gluten-free beer / drink option by the time any shipping and retailing-costs are added.   Anyone have "extra" luggage space and heading to the US?

Nice, bubbly, GF Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Healthy Gut Microbes May Prevent Celiac?

Intestinal Microbes Health Help YOUR Health

Those Beneficial "Bugs" In the News Again

I was just reading an article discussing studies by Oregon State University researchers into how gut microbes are closely linked to proper immune system function and other health issues. This may not be "news" to many readers, but it is further confirmation of the importance of maintaining a healthy GI tract — and it sure makes me wonder even more about the potential ill effects of using antibiotics to treat conditions, especially when not needed (since, antibiotics kill off the "good" bacteria in your gut as well as the "bad" bacteria in your body).

[Note: my next closely-related article is about Probiotic Levels in Yogurt and Kefir (billions and trillions of those beneficial bugs!)]

I have written here in the past about other studies connecting antibiotics and celiac disease, and this latest study deepens my concern. As quoted from the article I am referring to,

"In a healthy person, these microbes in the gut stimulate the immune system as needed, and it in turn talks back," Shulzhenko said. "There's an increasing disruption of these microbes from modern lifestyle, diet, overuse of antibiotics and other issues. With that disruption, the conversation [the "crosstalk" between gut microbes and our immune system and metabolic processes] is breaking down."

And, it is not just antibiotics that are brought into question in this study.  How about dirt... or, should I say our lack of exposure to dirt?  Yes, we (modern humans) are probably making things worse by being TOO "clean":

"Appropriate sanitation such as clean water and sewers are good. But some erroneous lessons in health care may need to be unlearned -- leaving behind the fear of dirt, the love of antimicrobial cleansers, and the outdated notion that an antibiotic is always a good idea. We live in a world of "germs" and many of them are good for us."

Our immune systems have developed over the course of human history to function optimally by adapting to natural exposures to varied bacteria (in things like dirt) that modern sanitizing products wipe out (externally).  And, antibiotics are essentially "sanitizers" that wipe out internally-present bacteria (including the plethora of "good" ones that we need to function properly).

Celiac and Other Conditions : the Role of Gut Microbes

The article mentioned Celiac Disease (i.e., autoimmune gluten allergy that requires us to be on a gluten-free diet) as well as other conditions where there is an interplay of gut-microbe-crosstalk and our bodies:

"An explosion of research in the field of genomic sequencing is for the first time allowing researchers to understand some of this conversation [between gut microbes and our immune / metabolic systems] and appreciate its significance, Shulzhenko said. The results are surprising, with links that lead to a range of diseases, including celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Obesity may be related. And some studies have found relevance to depression, late-onset autism, allergies, asthma and cancer."

Seems like more and more evidence is piling up that should make us want to avoid things that destroy the optimal natural internal gut-microbe balance.  And, perhaps (my opinion), we can improve things in the near-term by introducing probiotics into our gluten-free diets and avoiding anything that will further negatively impact our systems.

I like how the article concludes with forward-looking thoughts about probiotics and such:

Once researchers have a better idea of what constitutes healthy microbiota in the gut, they may be able to personalize therapies to restore that balance. It should also be possible to identify and use new types of probiotics to mitigate the impact of antibiotics, when such drugs are necessary and must be used. 

Such approaches are "an exciting target for therapeutic interventions" to treat health problems in the future, the researchers concluded.

Sounds like a good course of research to me!  And, while these people study their "bugs", I will personally continue to avoid antibiotics and antimicrobial products while at the same time enjoying my "bug-filled" (probiotics) in things like kefir, yogurt, etc.  In addition, I think my beneficial bugs much prefer a highly vegetable-laden diet :)

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

USA Gluten-Free Food Ingredients Labels Law 2013 Updates

New USA Gluten-Free Label Rules for 2013 / 2014 —Clear Definition of "Gluten-Free" at 20PPM MAX

When do these new Gluten-Free Labeling Standards Take Effect?

I placed this paragraph before all others because it is very important to make sure you realize that these regulations and standards are NOT immediate — we have just a short one-year wait (unless something changes yet).

We have all been waiting anxiously (many years for many of us) for such standards to come about. And, finally, we have the ruling that becomes effective on September 4, 2013 (although, NOTE: the all-important [gluten-free products labeling] compliance date of this final rule is August 5, 2014).

Finally, Standards for Gluten-Free Products / Ingredients Labels!

This topic of United States gluten-free labeling laws has gotten quite a bit of attention lately now that the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published their final ruling on the matter in the very detailed 26-page PDF document: 47154 Federal Register/ Vol. 78, No. 150 / Monday, August 5, 2013 / Rules and Regulations — section 21 CFR Part 101 [Docket No. FDA–2005–N–0404] RIN 0910–AG84 Food Labeling; Gluten-Free Labeling of Foods.

I have included the quoted summary-text of the ruling (see below).  But, feel free to read that ruling in its entirety if you have time... it is interesting, and seems to really make a good attempt at preventing GF product manufacturers from "gaming the system" by playing with label wording and so forth; such attempts will lead to a product being deemed "misbranded", and presumably enforcement action will ensue quickly to minimize our risk of exposure to gluten.

What Counts as Truly "Gluten-Free" under new Standards?

Thankfully, the HHS / FDA ruling has made this about as simple as possible for everyone with Celiac Disease.  In short, a product labeled as "gluten-free" MUST test at less than 20 parts-per-million (20ppm / 20 ppm)!  That is really about it.  And, this of course means that, in practice, there can be essentially zero traces of grains like wheat, rye, barley and hybridized / derivative / related grains like spelt, kamut, triticale, and so forth in your foods, or that 20ppm would be exceeded for sure.

20 ppm means that you cannot have over 20milligrams of gluten per kilogram of food. Keep in mind that a milligram is 1/1000th (a thousandth!) of a gram, and a gram is approximately what a small paper-clip weighs —  so this is saying that a full kilogram of food (2.2 pounds of food) cannot contain more than 1/50th-of-a-small-paperclip's weight in gluten within in!  That is a rather small amount (chop a small paperclip into 50 pieces to see) across a rather large pile of food (eating a kilogram of food at once is quite a bit, unless it is nearly all liquid).

What About "Gluten-Free" Oats?

The HHS / FDA made gluten-free oats an acceptable gluten-free product label using the same standards: i.e., oats labeled as "gluten-free" MUST test at less than 20 ppm gluten in order to be considered gluten-free.  Again, simple.  You don't have to eat the GF oats if you still feel unsafe doing so, but at least you will know how much gluten is in such "gluten-free" oats if you choose to consume them  — the same percentage of gluten as any other "gluten-free" labeled diet products.

The Ruling: HHS / FDA Summary Text

Quoted from that PDF:

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is issuing a final rule to define the term ‘‘gluten- free’’ for voluntary use in the labeling of foods. The final rule defines the term ‘‘gluten-free’’ to mean that the food bearing the claim does not contain an ingredient that is a gluten-containing grain (e.g., spelt wheat); an ingredient that is derived from a gluten-containing grain and that has not been processed to remove gluten (e.g., wheat flour); or an ingredient that is derived from a gluten- containing grain and that has been processed to remove gluten (e.g., wheat starch), if the use of that ingredient results in the presence of 20 parts per million (ppm) or more gluten in the food (i.e., 20 milligrams (mg) or more gluten per kilogram (kg) of food); or inherently does not contain gluten; and that any unavoidable presence of gluten in the food is below 20 ppm gluten (i.e., below 20 mg gluten per kg of food). A food that bears the claim ‘‘no gluten,’’ ‘‘free of gluten,’’ or ‘‘without gluten’’ in its labeling and fails to meet the requirements for a ‘‘gluten-free’’ claim will be deemed to be misbranded. In addition, a food whose labeling includes the term ‘‘wheat’’ in the ingredient list or in a separate ‘‘Contains wheat’’ statement as required by a section of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act) and also bears the claim ‘‘gluten-free’’ will be deemed to be misbranded unless its labeling also bears additional language clarifying that the wheat has been processed to allow the food to meet FDA requirements for a ‘‘gluten-free’’ claim. Establishing a definition of the term ‘‘gluten-free’’ and uniform conditions for its use in food labeling will help ensure that individuals with celiac disease are not misled and are provided with truthful and accurate information with respect to foods so labeled. We are issuing the final rule under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA). 

DATES: Effective date: The final rule becomes effective on September 4, 2013. Compliance date: The compliance date of this final rule is August 5, 2014. See section II.B.4 (comment 35 and response 35) for an additional explanation of the compliance date and implementation of this final rule.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Medical Bills in the USA

American Medical Bills: Out of Control

Time Magazine Explores the Issue in Depth

We can only hope never to need healthcare treatment in the USA beyond whatever our insurance we may be lucky enough to have at the time will cover. Luckily, years ago when I first encountered Celiac Disease as a result of many visits to the ER, various doctor visits, and a wide variety of medical tests and procedures, I was fortunate enough to have health insurance that picked up the majority of the cost!

After reading the new Feb-20-2013 Time Magazine cover story titled "Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us", I feel more fortunate than ever!  WOW!  That very detailed (10 pages, 24000 words) article about the out-of-control health-care pricing practices in the USA made me think about how something as "simple" as diagnosing Celiac Disease, gluten-intolerance, or a food allergy could bankrupt many people.

Figuring out I had a dietary condition that manifested itself through all sorts of strange symptoms required me to undergo more tests and procedures than I care to remember.  Perhaps that is the first obvious issue: doctors had not even considered CD when contemplating my symptoms.  So, over the period of a year or more came the various GI tests, scans, cardiac monitoring, blood tests for all sorts of thing (of course, none were for gluten-antibodies), and so on.  And, I knew all that testing must be expensive, but I was lucky: my health-insurance covered most everything aside from some rather reasonable co-pays at the time.

Since then, I have become much more knowledgeable about the actual charges hospitals and practitioners assess, especially upon those that can least afford them: people without health insurance and not eligible for Medicare/Medicaid.  Those unfortunate people that can least afford the bills will be the ones to get slapped with an insanely-high rather arbitrary "list price" for every little service, supply, procedure, etc the hospital / practitioners provide, according to the "chargemaster" (the name for a hospital’s internal price list).

With this knowledge in hand, and as reinforced by this new and very good Time Magazine article on the subject, I realize that the various exams, diagnostic procedures, and "treatments" I endured while trying to simply figure out what was wrong with me (due to Celiac Disease as I now know) would cost a fortune if I had to pay per the "chargemaster" (list price) pricing!!  WOW!  Read the article and you will start to understand how close everyone in the USA is to being bankrupted by the roll of the medical dice.

For now, unless you have access to Medicare or great private Health Insurance, you are just one sickness away from bankruptcy.  Thinking about how something like Celiac Disease -- which is nothing you can "prevent" -- may ensnare you in this medical-billing financial hellhole should be enough to really make us all stand up and say: enough is enough!  But, that apparently is not going to happen until this rather obvious USA health-care "bubble" bursts completely.  So, you best eat well, exercise a lot, stay in the best shape you can, and hope that all this preventive action you undertake is not instantly rendered nearly pointless (from a financial sense at least) by something as simple as an unavoidable condition or disease not of your making.

To that end, I am adhering to a strict gluten-free diet, exercising regularly, and doing my best to avoid the USA "medical system" if at all possible.  I have tried to become as educated as possible and rather familiar with medical terminology, common conditions, and relevant symptoms too... all in hope that I can rely on my own judgement to help identify conditions and avoid unnecessary treatments, doctor visits, and so forth.  There is a wealth of freely available information to help us now (though, one has to "filter" what is out there for legitimacy, especially online), and there are all sorts of somewhat affordable home medical-tech for simple biometrics monitoring (e.g., blood pressure, blood sugar, diet tracking, etc).

I hope to never encounter the "chargemaster" hell, or any medical billing hell, as described in that Time article!  I am too young for Medicare and must contemplate the fact that I will need to somehow afford and maintain (generous) private health insurance between now and Medicare-eligibility-age, all while medical costs and medical-insurance costs are spiraling out of control in the USA.  The obvious solution is to simply have Medicare eligibility start at age zero (birth) for all, but then how dare we join the ranks of every single other developed country in the world that will not let their citizens go bankrupt over insane healthcare pricing?  So, read the Time article and decide if this "free market" is delivering anything that resembles the benefits of a "free market" and decide if you can afford to ever be without (very generous) health-insurance in the USA -- and read why "generous" means more insurance than you are likely to have.


Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Gluten-Free Product Review: Lucy's Holiday Cookies

Lucy's Holiday Gluten-Free Cookies Review

Stocking Stuffers for Celiac and GF-dieters, the easy way.

[by Kate — guest gluten-free blog author] 

Odds are that the Gluten Free friend, family member, or coworker on your Christmas/ Holiday list was not so naughty this year as to earn him or herself a nice big, hunk of coal. But, for anyone not super familiar with Gluten Free eating, finding the perfect GF stocking stuffer or small gift could pose a bit of a challenge. So much of a challenge, in fact, that coal might start to look like a decent solution. Okay! Maybe that's a stretch...

Over the years the Gluten Free market has become increasingly populated with pre-made food items that are both tasty and pretty affordable. They still, typically, cost a little more than their wheat-containing counterparts but there are a lot of options out there nowadays that won't break the bank.

Tasty pre-made Gluten Free baked goods, like cookies, are more readily available now than when my father went on the Gluten Free diet about 8 years ago. In fact, companies like Lucy's are even developing Gluten Free baked goods geared toward the holidays, including their new "Holiday Sugars" and "Chocolate Merry Mint" cookies.

Overall Impression

The cookies were fine. The holiday sugar cookie tasted more or less identical to their normal sugar cookie, it seems to vary mainly by way of holiday re-packaging and marketing. The chocolate mint cookie was the better of the two and is apparently actually produced as a special holiday-only flavor.

In general, I'd describe them both as crunchy though perhaps a bit silty on the tongue. But, I think they're decent (for pre-made GF cookies) and if I had to live completely within a gluten-free diet and/or within the restrictions a host of other allergies may impose, I'd definitely be happy eating them.  Not having any particular restrictions aside from being vegetarian (I can eat "normal" - non gluten-free foods if I choose to), I can honestly locate pre-made cookies I would rather eat instead.  Depending on your skill in the kitchen and time you have available, you can probably create overall better fresh homemade gluten-free cookies.  But, in a pinch, these should do just fine.

Diet Considerations

Both of Lucy's Holiday Cookie varieties satisfy an impressive range of common dietary restrictions; they are:

• Gluten Free
• Peanut Free
• Tree-Nut Free
• Dairy Free
• Egg Free
• Trans-Fat Free
• Kosher
• Cholesterol Free
• All Natural

In other words, whether you're searching for a small item as a gift or stocking stuffer for someone who is Gluten Free, Vegan, allergic to nuts, or lactose intolerant, these cookies have you covered!

Lucy's elimination of these allergens does not only speak to their interest in individuals practicing a range of specialty diets, it speaks to the company's awareness of an issue plaguing many Gluten Free eaters--a large number of the Gluten Free population, in addition to not tolerating wheat products, suffer a host of other food allergies and sensitivities. For the individuals with Gluten Free eating requirements and additional food allergies to boot, safe pre-made foods are hard to find, and Lucy'sis one of the companies that caters to them.

Lucy's commitment to their Gluten Free and Allergen afflicted client base is readily signaled on their website, which prominently displays their Gluten Free certification, their dedicated production facilities, and the list of allergens the company has made its reputation on excluding from its products. In addition, the website provides a page of Food Allergy Resources including links to support groups and information for persons with Celiac Disease or food allergies.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

What is Dow Wellence™ Gluten-Free Additive Made From?

Dow: Promising Better Gluten-Free Breads

Have you seen the advertisements for Dow's Gluten-Replacement?

You know the gluten-free market is growing when companies like Dow take notice. And, if you are like me, over the past few months you may have seen ads from Dow (Chemical Company) talking about their breakthrough ingredient that makes gluten-free baked goods better than ever. Well, these ads are referring to a Gluten Replacement product from Dow Wolff Cellulosics called: WELLENCE™ GLUTEN FREE.

[Update: 2017: I notice Dow also has other gluten-free plant-based stabilizers now like WALOCEL™; I have had quite a few bread products in the UK/EU that use these or similar types of methylcarboxycellulose / Carboxymethylcellulose or CMC for short (all the naming variations get confusing) products and they are utterly fantastic and superior to Xanthan Gum and other such gums!. Breads made using these, like the UK's Genius Bread gluten-free bread products, are just incredibly like the real thing!]

Dow is pitching this as a "plant-based cellulose that mimics gluten attributes and helps gluten-free bread, pasta and dough taste more like the real thing". Or, in their more marketing-hyped Dow Wellence Gluten-Replacement description (at time of this writing):

"Finding a suitable replacement for gluten to create high-quality gluten-free foods has been a significant challenge for the industry. Wellence™ Gluten Free is a plant-based food ingredient that mimics the water-absorbing and structural capacity of gluten—allowing food manufacturers to create best-in-class gluten-free foods that satisfy the dietary needs of consumers without compromising on taste, look, or feel."

OK, so what exactly is Wellence Gluten-Free Made From?

I was curious to find out what this "plant-based cellulose" gluten-replacement is derived from. And, honestly it took some digging around to locate anything in detail. Their video ad talks about how "green" and "sustainable" of solution this is, how nothing else in the market offers the qualities their gluten-replacement does, and so forth. But, what is it exactly?

I finally located the answer in, of all places, their "Wellence Gluten Free 47129 Raw Materials Origin" technical documents (link). And, this is what it comes down to (per Dow's documentation, quoted here, that I was able to find at the time of writing this blog entry):

"Wellence 47129 parent materials are water-soluble polymers derived from cellulose, the most abundant polymer in nature. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose, sodium salt products are manufactured from highly purified cellulose which is further modified to obtain the desired properties. The wood pulp used by the parent material of Wellence 47129 plants in Europe and North America is a high purity, specialty cellulose designed for chemical processes. These materials are manufactured in compliance with all local standards and requirements. Wellence 47129 parent material products produced in our plants in the United States and Germany are manufactured with raw materials from France, Norway, Canada, and the United States, depending on the specific grade being produced."

Yes, you read that correctly... Dow Wellence Gluten-Replacement is derived from wood pulp, essentially. But, do I care, or should you care?  That is a good question, and the answer depends a lot upon whether you believe modern chemistry is an ideal solution for a gluten-replacement, or whether you think we (with Celiac-Disease and/or gluten-free diets) should rely completely on more traditional replacements such as Xanthan and Guar Gum,... or perhaps better yet, for those like me that cannot tolerate such added gums, how about completely mainstream "normal" things like gluten-free whey-protein or gluten-free chia-seed or perhaps another favorite of mine: gluten-free plain non-fat Greek yogurt?

I am personally quite curious to see/try products that use this Dow product.  I cannot say I have seen anything in the store that specifically mentioned it on the ingredient label (not sure it would say Wellence - if that is required by license - or if it would just say "cellulose" or such).  I will keep my eyes open and try to find a loaf of bread or something with it in (instead of Xanthan and the usual gums), since perhaps my GI tract will not hate it as it hates gums!  That'd sure be a plus.  I am not too concerned about wood-pulp derivatives, no matter how odd it sounds.  But, honestly, the bulk of my baking/cooking will rely on those "normal" ingredients I mentioned earlier: yogurt, whey, chia, etc.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Stop Type-2 Diabetes Progression with Turmeric / Curcumin / Curry

Avoid Type-2 Diabetes with Turmeric / Curry

Spice helps with Type-2 Diabetes Control

The latest journal of Diabetes Care from the American Diabetes Association reported its findings regarding "Curcumin Extract for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes". Curcumin is the primary curcuminoid of the spice turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family.

The following picture is courtesy of Spicely organic spices, which sells certified GF turmeric in large quantities (like this 1 POUND for $13.99, as of early 2018).

Turmeric (image: Spicely Organic)

While Curcumin / turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years (Ayurveda is a Hindu system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine), modern researchers are now assessing the efficacy of curcumin in delaying the development of type 2 diabetes in the prediabetes population. This latest study employed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo- controlled trial using 240 people that were considered pre-diabetic.

Observed Results look Promising

The following is a quote from the study results that in summary show very intriguing and positive preventive effects for the trial subjects that were in the curcumin-consuming group:

After 9 months of treatment, 16.4% of subjects in the placebo group were diagnosed with T2DM [Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus], whereas none were diagnosed with T2DM in the curcumin-treated group. In addition, the curcumin-treated group showed a better overall function of β-cells, with higher HOMA-β (61.58 vs. 48.72; P < 0.01) and lower C-peptide (1.7 vs. 2.17; P < 0.05). The curcumin-treated group showed a lower level of HOMA-IR (3.22 vs. 4.04; P < 0.001) and higher adiponectin (22.46 vs. 18.45; P < 0.05) when compared with the placebo group.

OK, that may be a bit technical, so let me get to their summary...

The study concluded the following:

A 9-month curcumin intervention of a prediabetes population significantly lowered the number of prediabetic individuals who eventually developed T2DM. In addition, the curcumin treatment appeared to improve overall function of β-cells, with very minor adverse effects. Therefore, this study demonstrated that the curcumin intervention in a prediabetes population may be beneficial.

This looks like a great reason to consider including more turmeric in your Gluten-Free diet! Anything to prevent the development of Type-2 diabetes is wonderful, and the observed improvement in pancreatic Beta-Cells is great news. So, bring on the turmeric, and let's keep that blood sugar under control!

Gluten-Free Diets can certainly include Turmeric

Turmeric is a flavorful, orange or yellow colored spice that is an essential ingredient in many curries (encountered in Indian, South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine). You can obtain capsules of turmeric powder if you do not like the taste of turmeric and would prefer to simply swallow a pill containing the spice, but, I definitely enjoy Curry and welcome such tasty gluten-free foods into my diet.

You can make your own curry spices following recipes available on the web, but I am going to be honest here and admit that I take the easy way out (most of the time) and purchase pre-made gluten-free curry-powders and/or curry-type sauces. I have made my own before, but getting the flavor-balance of the component spices to be just right can be a challenge, especially when a constituent spice varies considerably in intensity depending on the supplier.

Gluten-Free Favorite Indian Sauces

This is a quick "product review" embedded in an otherwise science-oriented blog posting, but it is relevant: many of these delicious pre-made gluten-free sauces by Maya Kaimal Fine Indian Foods contain turmeric.  I do not know how much turmeric they contain, but these are a great example of how wonderful turmeric-containing sauces can taste (check the ingredient-list for which ones contain turmeric -- most have some).

Maya Kaimal Indian Foods

(image courtesy of Maya Kaimal Fine Indian Foods web site)

My current favorite is the Vindaloo Indian Simmer Sauce! Fantastic! A wonderful mixture of curry spices with coconut and just a touch of heat from chilis. In addition to tasting wonderful, these sauces are so easy to use (i.e., they are ready-to-go... just heat and serve). And, you can probably learn how to make a great sauce of your own if you want to — just check out the ingredient list and contemplate the proportions that you may want to try in your own curry-spice mixtures.

For some nice low glycemic-index/load meals, consider pouring some of this sauce over some steamed cauliflower or cooked lentils (a couple favorites of mine). And, if you are new to turmeric in your cooking and/or new to curry, this should be a nice introduction to a flavor-filled experience that may ultimately lead you to including more curcumin in your diet (and hopefully reducing the likelihood of developing Type-2 diabetes).  As always, combine this latest blood-sugar-control news with a good dose of exercise and a well-balanced diet for maximum potential.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Affordable, Quick Celiac Disease Test and Monitoring Method

New Test for Celiac Disease: Faster, Cheaper

"Lab-on-a-Chip" Blood-Analysis Technology Shows Promise

Imagine having an accurate, quick, cost-effective diagnosis and monitoring solution for celiac disease and gluten-sensitivity available. All of you that have endured the current costly and invasive methods of testing for Celiac Disease — like an upper-GI / duodenal endoscopy and biopsy (been there, done that, hated it) — will certainly appreciate how much better testing could be if a simple drop of blood could be analyzed to determine if you have Celiac Disease or are being exposed to, and are reacting adversely to, gluten. The thought of being able to simply place a drop of blood on a sensor, either at a doctor's office or perhaps even at home, sure sounds like a fantastic alternative to me!

A promising new technique for analysis and detection of Celiac Disease got my attention when I just read about it. If things progress as expected, we could see a test within the next couple years that is no worse than pricking your finger and placing a drop of blood on a sensor (sort of like what people monitoring their blood sugar for diabetes do regularly). Words alone can hardly express how much better this sounds than endoscopes and biopsies!

The new "CD-MEDICS" (Celiac Disease Management Monitoring and Diagnosis using Biosensors and an Integrated Chip System) project being undertaken by a consortium of 20 partners with substantial funding from the European Commission has created a system using a combination of technologies from microfluidics, nanotechnology and genetic testing to produce what is in effect a "lab on a chip" technology that will offer a quick, low-cost and highly accurate test for Celiac disease.

Imagine having INSTANT ACCURATE RESULTS Available!

This new CD-MEDICS approach offers the incredible advantage of instant diagnosis. A disposable lab-on-a-chip (the whole "chip" looking about like a credit-card in size), upon which a drop of blood has been applied, is placed into a biomedical interface instrument and analysis of the blood sample is carried out in a matter of minutes. Results can then be immediately output to the hospital information system and added to the patient's electronic health record — can you imagine?

Let's contrast this with the current incredibly slow, potentially invasive, costly, and often incorrect or overlooked diagnosis of Celiac Disease... as the article I read states:

The condition [Celiac Disease] is thought to affect one in a hundred genetically predisposed individuals, but many sufferers may be unaware of the causes of their health problems: the average delay from onset of symptoms to diagnosis is almost 12 years. And, if they seek medical attention, there is a high risk of misdiagnosis: for every case of Celiac disease that is correctly identified it is thought that there are seven more that are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed [i.e., ONLY ONE IN EIGHT cases are diagnosed properly now!].

You may be wondering how this new approach can replace other tests and be accurate. Well, it combines DNA testing along with testing for gluten-antibodies in your blood:

'For the first time, we have two microsystems of completely different functionalities -- one for DNA typing and the other for the detection of antibodies -- and we have designed these microsystems to have a common interface with the instrument so that only one instrument with one slot is required for both microsystems,' Prof O'Sullivan says. 'For diagnosing Celiac patients two tests are necessary as DNA testing -- specifically for variants of the HLA gene associated with the disease -- or testing for gluten antibodies alone can return false positives. Testing for both means the results are much more accurate.'

Perhaps even more interesting is how this approach can be used to test for gluten-free diet compliance and exposure to gluten:

Follow up tests to monitor the patient's response to treatment can be carried out in the same way using only the microsystem to detect gluten antibodies.

How much will it cost? When will it be available?

Current DNA testing is expensive, and invasive testing is ridiculously cost-prohibitive. That is where this new testing method really shows promise. How about $25! Yes, only twenty-five bucks — if we (here in the USA) can ultimately get the test for the 20-Euro price equivalent that is projected for European markets. Of course we are the only major developed country without any universal national healthcare program, so it will not surprise me if that $25 turns into $100++ here! But, I guess we will have to wait and find out.

Perhaps I can make a new business of purchasing a testing device (expected to cost around $8,000 USD) and a bunch of these "labs-on-a-chip" and specialize in just giving people Celiac Disease testing and gluten-free-diet compliance monitoring? It sure would be nice if something like that was available to drive down cost and make this available to a wide range of people. I'd be a my own first customer; I am curious to see how my diet-compliance is, especially in case I am accidentally being exposed to gluten somewhere I do not know about.

This system and process is currently being tested in Slovenia and is expected to be widely available in the next 2 or 3 years if all goes well. For validation, testing of a few hundred patients is underway and involves comparing the results of Celiac tests using this new system with those from analyzed tissue biopsy samples (i.e., results from traditional invasive approach). If you want to read the entire article that I did, see this link.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Gluten Allergy in Mothers Increases Risk of Schizophrenia / Psychiatric Disorders in Offspring

Are your Children at Risk?

Study Links Women's Gluten-Sensitivity During Pregnancy to Psychiatric Disorders in Children

I just finished reading about a rather concerning study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Johns Hopkins University (United States). We all know that there is a genetic component of Celiac Disease and heritability implications, but this new study goes beyond examining whether your offspring may end up with a gluten-sensitivity alone, and looks into the potential implications for lifelong mental-health in the offspring of women who are gluten-sensitive.

I would argue that the sample-group size was rather limited, as it only involved 764 birth records (and neonatal blood samples collected) between 1975 and 1985 and the patient followup since then. But, this data is still significant enough to merit further study and attention.

Researchers were looking at both casein (cow's milk protein) and gliadin (a gluten component-protein), and found the concerning mental-health correlations only when a mother produced antibodies to gliadin (gluten). The neonatal blood samples collected decades ago allowed researchers to determine whether a newborn had elevated IgG antibody levels at birth (thus, indicatating an immune response to gliadin proteins in the mother, since the mother's antibodies during pregnancy are essentially "shared" with the baby).

Double the Risk

This is the first study to point to maternal food sensitivity as a potential trigger for non-affective psychoses, and other psychiatric disorders later in life for their offspring. "Non-affective psychoses" refer to psychoses not related to emotions or moods (e.g., schizophrenia and delusional disorders) as opposed to affective psychoses (e.g., bipolar disorder, which does involve mood/emotion abnormalities).

211 of the children in this study subsequently developed non-affective psychoses. This was about twice the incidence rate as the standard population:

The results of the study show that children born to mothers with abnormally high levels of antibodies to gliadin [gluten] had nearly twice the risk of developing non-affective psychosis later in life, compared with children who had normal levels of gliadin antibodies. The risk for psychosis was not increased among those with elevated levels of antibodies to casein [milk]. The link persisted even after researchers accounted for other factors known to increase schizophrenia risk, such as maternal age, gestational age, birth by Caesarean section, and birth weight.

Should you be Concerned?

That is a tough question. I found myself thinking about all the people I know with Celiac Disease or any other strong reaction to gluten (wheat, rye, barley) proteins, and then I though about how many were female and how many of them have children. Even in my small circle of friends, family, and acquaintances, I can count a LOT of children of women with gluten allergies.

I could not help but wonder: are some of these children going to suffer some mental disorders later in life because of a gluten-allergy their mothers had? Wow, that is just something nobody wants to see happen, yet the statistics from this particular study sure raise concerns.

I do think follow-up studies will be important, and larger study-populations should be helpful too. The doctors running this study clearly feel the same way:

"There are studies in the past that show that people diagnosed with schizophrenia more often than others are suffering from various forms of immune responses to gluten. We will now conduct follow-up studies to clarify how gluten or sensitivity to it increases schizophrenia risk and whether it does so only in those genetically predisposed,"

I am looking forward to any further studies that shed more light on the details of the causal relationship between gluten allergies in women and the mental health of their children throughout life. This is certainly an important topic to any of us that come from bloodlines with gluten-sensitivity (especially on the mother's side of the family tree).

There are just tons of questions that come to mind that will hopefully be answered in the future. I think of things like: what about mothers that have kids prior to developing Celiac (i.e., I wonder if in their pre-Celiac-diagnosis years if they still had increased antibodies to gliadin without knowing), etc.  I also wonder if women with Celiac, but on a very strict gluten-free diet, still have enough antibodies present in their blood to still impart potentially negative inputs into their child during formation.  Many questions like this run through my head...

The study will be published in the June issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, and the summary I refer to was available here on Science Daily.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available

Gluten-Free Diet Improves Autism Symptoms

Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet Improves Autism Symptoms in Children

Autism Researchers Examine Link to Allergies — Gluten and Casein in Particular

For those readers that are looking to a gluten-free diet in hopes of improving the symptoms of autism, new research from Penn State College of Medicine is lending some scientific basis to what many suspect: that a gluten-free and casein-free diet may lead to improvements in behavior and physiological symptoms in some children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

As noted in their findings, "...autism may be more than a neurological disease -- it may involve the GI tract and the immune system." And, "Gluten and casein seem to be the most immunoreactive [allergens]", and were therefore the allergens chosen for further examination by this study.

Gluten-Free, Casein-Free, or Both: Which Diet Is Best for Autism?

Having followed this discussion for years, I have been looking forward to more in-depth scientific research on the subject. This particular Penn State study relied on information provided by 387 parents / primary-caregivers about their autistic children; a 90-item online survey on "GI symptoms, food allergy diagnoses, and suspected food sensitivities, as well as their children's degree of adherence to a gluten-free, casein-free diet"..

The study results did seem to indicate that the combination of gluten-free and casein-free works best:

"According to the researchers, some of the parents who filled out the surveys had eliminated only gluten or only casein from their children's diets, but survey results suggested that parents who completely eliminated both gluten and casein from their child's diet reported the most benefit."

The full results appeared online this month in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience.  But, i

But, I am glad the researchers also hinted at the following fact, since I consider the results a bit subjective even as they are quite valuable for spotting commonality and trends:

"While more rigorous research is needed, our findings suggest that a gluten-free, casein-free diet might be beneficial for some children on the autism spectrum," Pennesi said. "It is also possible that there are other proteins, such as soy, that are problematic for these children."

That is something to keep in mind. Although the results indicate that improvements were seen in GFCF diets, this study is not concluding that gluten and/or casein are the cause of autism or something that, if completely removed from the diet, will cure autism. Autism is a complex condition, and this is just one piece of the puzzle.  What the study definitely suggests, per the aggregate subjective feedback provided by parents of autistic children, is that a gluten-free/casein-free diet may help some children with autism improve their symptoms.

Remove Gluten and Casein to Improve Autism?

So, if you have a child with autism, should you move them to a gluten-free, casein-free diet? The researchers offered the following advice regarding this:

"If parents are going to try a gluten-free, casein-free diet with their children, they really need to stick to it in order to receive the possible benefits," she said. "It might give parents an opportunity to talk with their physicians about starting a gluten-free, casein-free diet with their children with ASD."

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, science-articles, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are availabl

Chocolate Cake Diet to Lose Weight?

Eat Desserts with Breakfast to Lose More Weight

Finally, a Diet Plan I can get Into!

Since I am such a fan of Desserts, I was absolutely intrigued by a recent article about some Tel Aviv University research that found "dessert, as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also includes proteins and carbohydrates, can help dieters to lose more weight — and keep it off in the long run." Now, that is something you don't see diets pushing every day!

The goal of the research was to determine whether meal time and composition impacted weight loss (both short term and long term) or if calorie count was the main factor. The findings were fascinating. Over a 32-week long dietary study, 193 clinically obese non-diabetic adult participants were placed in a group that either added dessert items to their breakfast (e.g., cookies, cakes, chocolate, etc) or not; both groups consumed the same total calories per day. The group that consumed dessert with breakfast lost an average of 40 pounds more than the group of participants that avoided those items. Even more amazing is how the group consuming desserts with their breakfast managed to keep those pounds off longer.

Wow! It almost sounds counter-intuitive, but, the researches offer the following explanations:

"They key is to indulge in the morning, when the body's metabolism is at its most active and we are better able to work off the extra calories throughout the day, say Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz, Dr. Julio Wainstein and Dr. Mona Boaz of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Diabetes Unit at Wolfson Medical Center, and Prof. Oren Froy of Hebrew University Jerusalem. Attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term, explains Prof. Jakubowicz. Adding dessert items to breakfast can control cravings throughout the rest of the day."

I'm Sold! Bring on the Desserts with Breakfast.

I am probably not the only one that will find the prospects of Gluten-Free Desserts with my breakfast to be an enticing one. In fact, I will admit that I have always tended to consume most of my "desserts" early in the day, and I actually consider my homemade gluten-free pancakes to be almost-dessert ("cake" is in the name for a reason).  And, though I cannot guarantee results for anyone else, my own weight is well within the "normal" range (note: I do exercise regularly also, which certainly helps and should go along with any diet).  Now, there is a bit more to this research report that is worth mentioning...

Calories were rather limited for the participants, even as they had dessert with their breakfast.  Men were limited to 1600 calories per day and women had a 1400 calorie allotment.  That is definitely less that what I consume on a typical day, but I am also not trying to lose substantial amounts of weight.  The makeup of the breakfasts were either a 300-calorie low-carb diet version for the "no dessert" group and a 600-calorie high-protein and carbs diet (always including desserts like chocolate, etc).  But, total daily calories remained the same (i.e., the dessert-breakfast group had to consume 300 calories less during lunch/dinner).

Interestingly, the weight-loss results were essentially a "tie" at the mid-point of the study period, with both groups losing 33# on average.  But, in the coming weeks, the low-carb (no dessert) group regained 22# on average while the group eating desserts with breakfast lost another 15# on average.  The long-term results greatly favored the cake and chocolate eaters!

The researchers offered more insight into why things turned out this way:

"One of the biggest challenges that people face is keeping weight off in the long-term, says Prof. Jakubowicz. Ingesting a higher proportion of our daily calories at breakfast makes sense. It's not only good for body function, but it also alleviates cravings. 

Highly restrictive diets that forbid desserts and carbohydrates are initially effective, but often cause dieters to stray from their food plans as a result of withdrawal-like symptoms. They wind up regaining much of the weight they lost during the diet proper. Though they consumed the same daily amount of calories, "the participants in the low carbohydrate diet group had less satisfaction, and felt that they were not full," she says, noting that their cravings for sugars and carbohydrates were more intense and eventually caused them to cheat on the diet plan. "But the group that consumed a bigger breakfast, including dessert, experienced few if any cravings for these foods later in the day." Ultimately, this shows that a diet must be realistic to be adopted as part of a new lifestyle. Curbing cravings is better than deprivation for weight loss success, Prof. Jakubowicz concludes.

I agree.  Do you?  I base my agreement on the fact I can feel those cravings more on days where I don't include some "treats" (delicious carbs) with my breakfast.

Diet Plan: Eat Desserts for Breakfast

These results are certainly worth of hands-on research!  I don't know if I can afford to lose any weight per se, but I do know that when I get my tasty carbs early in the day that I experience the effect mentioned in the study: I crave carbs less later in the day. As such, I am looking at this latest information as confirmation that my current habits have at least some scientific backing now, and I will continue to enjoy my Gluten-Free Desserts with my breakfast.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are availabl

Gluten Nightmares : Dreams of Eating Normal Food & Realizing the Consequences

Do you have Gluten-Nightmares?

Dreams about accidentally eating gluten / wheat

I can not help wonder if I am alone in experiencing rather vivid dreams, or nightmares as it may be, about consuming wheat products or other gluten-containing foods and then, in these dreams, realizing what I had done and freaking out about it.

I find it rather strange and disturbing that even after being 100% gluten-free for many years now, I have dreams in which I am in a situation where "normal" (gluten-containing foods) are being served, and for whatever reason I am partaking in its consumption along with everyone else in the dream (others that would be unaffected by gluten).

Most often, the food my subconscious falls for is PIZZA!  Next is bread — especially a great Italian Bread, Sourdough, or other fantastic artisan bread.

Gluten-Filled Nightmare / Dream Analysis

Clearly I must miss these "real" foods during my waking life, even as I feel quite satisfied with the gluten-free-diet equivalent replacements for most everything I ate in the pre-Celiac years.  But, regardless of what my conscious brain thinks about my diet, my subconscious haunts me at least a few times per year with these nightmares about eating gluten and realizing that I am going to become violently ill (since, in the dreams, I have consumed large amounts of those tasty, but evil, gluten-filled menu items).

This is where the dream becomes a nightmare: I know the damage that even a little gluten exposure can do to my body, and in my dreams I become aware of the fact that I just ate a LOT of gluten.  Then my mind is racing about what to do to minimize the effects of the gluten-exposure (there are not many options).  And, I am already thinking about how bad the exposure is going to be and how severe my symptoms will get —  I even think of going to the hospital. This is simply disturbing.

I think that my dreams are motivated not just by a desire to consume gluten-containing foods, but probably moreover by a desire to be able to just have the freedom to eat most anything that is being served — be it at a party, a restaurant, etc — and not have to constantly avoid foods that will surely contain gluten or that may contain gluten (due to cross-contamination).

These dreams tend to develop most often around times where there are events (like company Christmas parties) that I know I will not be able to safely consume a single item at.  So, my subconscious decides to run with this thought and torment me a bit and/or remind me of my need to remain vigilant with regards to gluten avoidance.

Have You Experienced This?

I am curious as to how widespread such thoughts are among the wheat-free / gluten-free / Celiac Disease community.  I guess this could apply to people with peanut allergies or any other condition where accidental ingestion of unsafe foods would lead to serious side effects too.  Feel free to post your comments if you have anything to share.

Here's hoping that this is uncommon, as it really is disturbing and shakes me up a bit as I emerge from my gluten-nightmares!

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available for free.

Gluten-Free Product Review: Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix by Enjoy Life

Gluten-Free Product Review: Not Nuts!  Seed  and Fruit Mix

[by Kate — guest gluten-free blog author] 

I’m a fan of Enjoy Life’s brand of Gluten-Free products, which also happen to be free not only of wheat & gluten, but of many other allergens that plague gluten-free eaters including nuts, dairy, egg, soy, casein, and sulfites.  Enjoy Life also get big points for producing products that are sans-trans fat, contain no artificial ingredients, and which can appease both Kosher and vegan eaters.  Let’s just say that the Enjoy Life brand makes a whole of people disingenuously considered “picky” eaters by the larger population of allergen-free and celiac/gluten-free people very, very happy!

As consistent readers might recall, I’ve recently tested out and written reviews here on the Gluten-Free Blog for Enjoy Life’s line of GF crunchy cookies (see: Gluten-Free Cookies Review) and their crunchy flax cereal (see: Gluten-Free Crunchy-Flax Cereal Review).  And, now, I’ve tried their rather interesting take on a fruit and nut mix…without the nuts!

Instead of using nuts in their mix given high incidences of nut allergies in GF populations and the more general food-consuming public, Enjoy Life has substituted seeds—sunflower kernels and pumpkin seeds—for nuts to deliver up a product whimsically named, Not Nuts!  Seed and Fruit Mix.

Currently there are two varieties of the Not Nuts! Product:

• Mountain Mambo — with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, raisins, apples, chocolate chips, and cranberries
• Beach Bash — with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, pineapple, cranberries, and apricots

As you’ve likely noticed, the ingredients of the two varieties are quite similar, the seed content in both instances being composed of sunflower kernels and pumpkin seeds.  Now, I don’t know much about seeds or, more importantly, about edible seeds, but it seems to me that there must be a vaster variety of seeds out there to incorporate into these products in order to offer a comparable diversity of taste comparable to very distinctly flavorful varieties of mixed fruit and nut products.

In fact, I did a bit of searching on the web, and came across the blog of a Registered Holistic Nutritionist in Toronto which offered a blog post about the most ubiquitous edible seeds, charmingly titled: “Not Just for Squirrels: Edible Seeds”.  After taking a quick peek at the post, I found myself wondering “where are the cardamom seeds in Enjoy Life’s Not Nuts! Seed and Fruit Mix?”  And, alternatively,  "Where are the Pine Seeds (aka Pine Nuts) or Poppy Seeds?" Let’s get a bit adventurous and break out of the sunflower and pumpkin seed mold, here!

GF Product Review: Conclusion

That critique about seed-variety aside, I like the product and plan to eat much of it when I go out of town in a few weeks to present a paper at an academic conference (wish me luck!).  This gluten-free fruit and seeds blend is really an incredibly convenient, healthy, and filling on-the-go snack and manages to be that while also tasting quite good!

And, if I can digress from review-mode and sneak my way into personal story-telling mode, I can’t help but think of Bath, England every time I take a bite of Enjoy Life’s Seed and Fruit Mix.  It conjures up memories for me of sitting on the steps of an old, beautiful church in Bath eating a yogurt parfait from a local Starbucks and discovering that the parfait contained yogurt, fruit, and SEEDS!  It was the best yogurt parfait I ever had, and I plan to re-create it with my Enjoy Life Seed and Fruit Mix, some frozen blueberries, and my much beloved Fage 0% Greek Yogurt.  Bath, England here I come…

Images are the courtesy of Enjoy Life Food's web site [NOTE: A couple years after this article was written, the image-links were no longer valid, so, sorry, no pictures remain].

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Lower triglycerides with Spices

Spice-Up Your Gluten-Free Diet and Lower your Triglycerides

The Health-Benefits of Common Spices

I was just reading an interesting publication from the Journal of Nutrition wherein Penn State researchers were reporting their observations regarding the effects of a High Antioxidant Spice Blend (in one's diet) and how these significant amounts of various common spices could reduce the typical post-meal Insulin and Triglyceride responses while increasing antioxidants too, particularly when added to a high-fat meal.

Lowering triglycerides is certainly a good thing, since high levels of triglycerides (in your blood) are linked to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. And, since humans are "hard wired" to enjoy the taste of high-fat meals, if it could be as simple as adding some significant doses of culinary spices to our gluten-free diets to help lower our triglycerides, I am all for it.

Which Spices, and How Much Spice?

This particular study was not done using gluten-free foods, but that should not matter since the only difference between the "control" group and the "spice" group was just the spices — implying that it is only the spices that account for the observed reduction in insulin and triglyceride responses:

"The researchers added two tablespoons of culinary spices to each serving of the test meal, which consisted of chicken curry, Italian herb bread, and a cinnamon biscuit. The control meal was identical, except that spices were not included." 

All of the spices used within this study are generally what I would consider "mainstream" spices — though turmeric would be the one spice I would more closely associate with Indian and/or middle-eastern cuisine, and cloves are used rather sparingly in Western dishes too from my experience (clove can quickly overwhelm other flavors). Here are the spices that were used in the study:

"In the spiced meal, we used rosemary, oregano, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, cloves, garlic powder and paprika,"

If one considers all the possibilities for using such spices, many wonderful and tasty main dishes, appetizers, desserts, and even drinks come to mind. I use a LOT of cinnamon in my daily gluten-free buckwheat pancakes for example, and I enjoy making Chai Tea with Cinnamon, Cloves, and even a bit of black pepper (plus Cardamon and other complementary spices). I like turmeric, garlic, black pepper, and paprika in dishes ranging from potato salad to quinoa/rice dishes to the chicken curries (mentioned in the article).  There are many, many tasty dishes where these spices could be used to produce fantastic flavor-filled meals.

My only concern in reading this article was related to the amount of spices the researchers used: two tablespoons.  The didn't give a breakdown of how much of each spice was used, but my first thought is how I can consume a LOT of spices like cinnamon, garlic, and black pepper, but I use relatively little oregano, paprika, clove, and turmeric due to their relative "strength" (flavor-wise) in dishes.  I can consume two tablespoons of cinnamon in one batch of my pancakes, but I can hardly dream up a way to consume (in an enjoyable fashion) two tablespoons of clove at once :)

Results: Substantially Lower Triglycerides and Lower Insulin Response

The results were rather significant and encouraging:

"We found that adding spices to a high-fat meal reduced triglyceride response by about 30 percent, compared to a similar meal with no spices added."

Wow, 30 percent lower just from the addition of these spices!  That is certainly noteworthy. If you want to read more details, you can find the original article here.  I would definitely like to see some other studies confirm these results in the coming months and years.  You would think it would be very easy to do so, since the study sounded quite simple to duplicate

The results went further too:

When the meal contained a blend of antioxidant spices, antioxidant activity in the blood was increased by 13 percent and insulin response decreased by about 20 percent. 

The insulin-response numbers alone should be getting the attention of any researchers studying diabetes / blood-sugar conditions and treatments.  20% is a substantial number for sure.

So, whether or not spices produce this desirable lowering of triglycerides in your gluten-free diet or not, it sounds like an easy enough change to consider working into your meal program.  The cost of spices may be semi-prohibitive, but if it could offset medical costs, I'd personally choose investing in spices.  I am working on ways to add more of these spices to my own gluten-free foods on a daily basis, and it is mainly just the turmeric, paprika, and clove that I do not regularly consume, so my changes should be minimal.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Costco Gluten-Free Bargains 2011 - Part 1

Costco Gluten-Free Bargains, Deals, and Money-Saving Items

I wrote a Gluten-Free Blog entry about Gluten-Free Food Bargains at Costco a couple years ago, and thought it was a good time to post some updates to that blog as Costco has introduced new gluten-free items and/or modified the pricing of gluten-free foods that have been available ever since I wrote the original article.

We have been able to really save a lot of money purchasing some of our regularly-used gluten-free items from CostCo, and enough so that the savings definitely pays for the annual membership. I have compared the bulk-pricing of certain gluten-free diet items to the non-bulk-pricing counterparts in normal grocery stores, and in some instances we are saving well over 50% on the same items! This adds up to huge savings over the period of a year (i.e., the membership period) and has easily exceeded the $50.00 annual fee.

I will be posting more of these observed gluten-free items and prices in future blogs, as there are many more items to list than I want to cram into on blog entry :)

Gluten-Free Quinoa at a Great Price

Quinoa is a gluten-free grain that is a perennial favorite with me! As such, this Costco gluten-free bargain is a huge money-saver for me. This 4-pound bag of Earthly Delights Organic Quinoa is only $9.49, which pushes the per-pound price down to a very reasonable $2.37/pound! Compare that to what some grocery stores want for small boxes — I have even seen prices at some grocery stores approaching a per-pound price that is up there with what Costco charges for this entire 4-pound bag!

Needless to say, when you find money-savings potential like this on a gluten-free diet food that you regularly consume, the savings adds up. I prefer Quinoa to rice for many reasons — taste, texture, and nutrition — and thanks to this much more affordable way of buying quinoa, I can also like it without feeling like the price is much of a detractor.

Gluten-Free Tasty Bite Madras Lentils

As you can see in the picture, Costco wants $6.99 for a box of (4) 10-ounce packages of these ready-to-eat Madras Lentils. I rather enjoy these semi-spicy Indian-inspired lentils over a bit of rice or quinoa. I have also found that these work well as a baked-potato topping. They are simple to prepare (just microwave them for about 90-seconds), and I find the price decent for a total of 8 servings (pushing the per-serving price under a dollar).

I am not going to do a full product review at this time, but I will say that I like the fact that they are vegetarian, gluten-free, have no MSG or preservatives, and are all natural. They only have 150 calories per serving, and that includes a nice 7grams of protein and 14% of the RDA of Iron. What I do not care for is the 510mg of sodium per serving, but luckily I consume very little sodium in my diet otherwise, so this is not a big deal for me personally. But, it is something to consider.

Gluten-Free Almond Butter

If you have shopped around for almond butter, you know that it can be rather expensive depending where you find it. Well, here comes Costco to the rescue with a very nice deal on what is clearly labeled "gluten-free" Almond Butter from Maranatha (brand), with a nice big 2# jar costing just $5.99. At $3.00/pound, this is getting down into the price territory of peanut-butter, and as such you may want to try some wonderful variations to peanut-butter cookies or similar gluten-free desserts and recipes (especially if someone you know has a peanut allergy but can still consume almonds).

This almond butter is ground to a "creamy style" consistency, though it is still very thick. Why? Well, this is the real deal: it has only ONE ingredient — ground dry-roasted almonds. That's it! No added sodium (awesome!), no added anything. As such, the almond oil naturally separates to the top and you have to stir it in once you open the container. It's full of protein too (7g per 2 tablespoons). At only $3.00/pound, I turn to almond butter much more often that I would otherwise.

Gluten-Free Rice Dream Organic Rice Milk

Costco sells this gluten-free rice milk in cases of twelve (12) one-quart-sized (i.e., 32-ounce) containers for $16.49. This brings the per-quart price down to $1.37, which is by far the best price I have found it for anywhere. It is not uncommon for me to see the same quart-sized containers at the grocery store for $1.99 or higher. And, since this product has a rather lengthy shelf-life, you can buy a case, save some money, and have it around for quite a while.

We use enough of this gluten-free drink to save a lot of money over a year. In fact, the savings on this rice milk alone nearly pays for our membership. We use a fair amount of it on breakfast cereals as well as in things like our homemade gluten-free smoothies. I personally tend to mix it half-and-half with Living Harvest's Tempt hemp-milk to cut down on the carbs a bit while also introducing some extra Omega 3's and 6's into the equation, but the hemp-milk is around $4.00/quart as compared to this $1.37/quart bargain rice-milk from Costco.

Gluten-Free Pure Via : Stevia Sweetener at Best Price anywhere

Pure Via (Pepsi company's brand of Stevia Sweetener) has saved me countless calories and carbohydrates, and now Costco is saving me a lot of dollars as well — they have the Pure Via Stevia Sweetener (which is gluten-free per the company website's FAQ) for only $9.79 for a 400-packet box. This 400-count box gets the per-packet price down to a very reasonable 2.5-cents/packet.

With no carbohydrates and no blood-sugar impact, this sweetener is great for my morning tea or coffee. I admit I like my tea rather sweet, so I will use 2 packets of Pure Via in a large (20-ounce) glass of tea in the morning. I also use it in my smoothies to sweeten without calories, which is handy when I am using otherwise low-sugar ingredients in the smoothies particularly.

I have not yet tried to bake any of my gluten-free desserts with it yet, but sooner or later I hope to see if I can create some reduced-sugar dessert recipes by substituting at least part of the sugar with this Stevia product. If so, buying stevia in bulk at Costco will make even more sense than it already does. Again, this deal is saving me a lot of money already (I have seen smaller packages/boxes of PureVia sell at prices that are 5-times or more the per-packet price this Costco bargain offers).

Gluten-Free Corn Tortillas : Super Bargain

Mission Brand Corn Tortillas - 100 count - $2.99! (that is 5#12oz of tortillas!) Clearly labeled gluten-free and a super-deal at just 3-cents per tortilla! These gluten-free tortillas are wonderful for making all sorts of "wraps" also - whether you like placing some salad items in them, your favorite meats, etc. I am utterly amazed at the price of only 3-cents each! Wow! They hold up rather well in the fridge, and I have managed to use one bag of these over a period of 3 months without a problem. These are a no-brainer purchase for me, as I enjoy gluten-free corn tortillas in my diet on a regular basis.

More Gluten-Free Costco Bargains to Come...

This is just the first installment of the Costco gluten-free products I will be discussing here. So, stay tuned and I will be bringing another list of deals to you soon. Hopefully you have a Costco near you where you can take advantage of these low prices and bulk-items when it can save you money.

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.