Newsweek Shines the Spotlight on Gluten-Free Eating
by Kalyn DennyIn an article called Waiter, Please Hold the Wheat, Newsweek magazine recently explored the topic of celiac disease and gluten-free eating. One of the magazine's conclusions: eating gluten free is getting easier, and gluten-free bloggers can help.
The article starts with the story of Alice Bast, who battled an array of baffling symptoms and saw 22 doctors before a veterinarian friend finally suggested she be tested for celiac. She later decided to create the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness in 2003 in hopes that others could avoid the years of suffering she endured.
Newsweek goes on to outline the wide array of symptoms of celiac disease, a condition that still often goes undiagnosed, even though it is estimated that 1 in 133 Americans may suffer from it and a blood test to test for the antibody has been available since 2000. Current research by Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University is showing that celiac disease is not just a severe allergic to wheat and gluten, but also an auto immune disorder that can harm many parts of the body, so early identification is crucial.
Once you have confirmed the diagnosis, you should be prepared to spend the rest of your life avoiding hidden gluten in foods. But Newsweek claims that "living gluten-free has never been easier." More and more gluten-free products are available in stores and restaurants.
There's no doubt that help is available on the web. Newsweek mentions Gluten-Free Girl Shauna James Ahern, whose book on living Gluten-Free will be released soon, and whose blog contains a list of Gluten-Free Recipes.
Another blogger getting a big-time nod from Newsweek was Karina's Kitchen - Recipes from a Gluten Free Goddess, who has a list of over 200 creative Gluten Free Recipes. Both these blogs are the source of great ideas for eating gluten-free.
Here are some other online resources that might also be helpful. If you know someone who's trying to avoid gluten in their diet, these are places on the web that can offer a lot of suggestions:
Blogs Can Help with Gluten-Free Cooking and Baking, my earlier post on Blogher.
Spotlight on Gluten-Free Food Blogs from Simply Recipes (includes a custom search engine to search Gluten-Free blogs.) If you have a gluten-free blog that's not listed, Elise is inviting you to leave your url in the comments.
Karina's Kitchen page of links to Gluten-Free information, resources and a large list of more gluten-free bloggers
Gluten Free Bay's great collection of recipe roundups for various holidays, all featuring gluten-free recipes.
Glutenfree.com is an online spot to order gluten-free food products.
Glutenfreerestaurants.org is a site that allows you to search by zip code to find gluten-free restaurants in your area.
If you have a Gluten-free blog or know other good sites that aren't mentioned here, please feel free to leave your links in the comments.
Blogher Food Editor Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn's Kitchen.
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Comments
wow!
Kalyn- What fab coverage on this important topic! The goal of Alice Bast and the NFCA- to get people tested for celiac disease- is inching forward each day. With over 2,900,000 undiagnosed celiacs in the United States, this is no small feat!
Since going gluten-free in December 2001 I have witnessed big changes in awareness. Where there were maybe four or five gluten-free bloggers when I started blogging two years ago, there are now well over a hundred, and new bloggers are jumping in to the gluten-free pool daily.
The Internet has been a huge part of the growth in celiac awareness- with doctors so often resistant to test for gluten sensitivity (not to mention, being out of date with the broadening spectrum of celiac disease), the willingness of women to share their experiences, symptoms, advice and resources on-line has filled the gap- and no doubt saved lives.
Kudos to you for covering such an important topic! And kudos to the gluten-free mothers and bloggers who share their hard won wisdom- and recipes- with the world.
k a r i n a
Karina's Kitchen: Recipes from a [Gluten-Free] Goddess
A Painter's Kitchen [art. words. life.]
So True
A colleague of mine has celiac disease, and when we eat out on business he has a little card for the chef that explains celiac disease in several languages. He's never had a problem. It just goes to show how commonly understood it is now.
Good stuff
You included some great resources in there. I'm always looking for sites with more gluten free info and recipes. My 8 year old son had Celiac disease.
If you're ever going on a cruise, Disney mastered gluten free for my son this past Dec.
Here goes again!
I just left a comment which didn't seem to show up anywhere, so this could be repeating myself.
Karina, I'm also amazed at how many gluten-free blogs have popped up. I think it's a good sign that people are getting diagnosed and educating themselves how to eat gluten-free.
Nutmeg96, the card sounds like a great idea!
Valmg, thanks for the tip about Disney cruises, what a great service for a cruise line to offer.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Right after college, I went
Right after college, I went and lived in Europe for half a year. I came home very very sick. My family doctor diagnosed me as allergic to wheat & rye. Over the next year, I discovered that oats and barley were not my friends.
For the last 14 years, I have been gluten-free due to my "allergy" diagnosis. If I have even but a bit of wheat, I have major gastro-intestinal distress as well as migraines. Last year while living in Europe again, I was delighted to have so many gluten-free options available. But I found myself reacting again, as wheat starch (processed) is allowed in small amounts in European "gluten-free" foods. Back to the doctor I went this summer.
I asked my doctor for a test to see if I was celiac or gluten-intolerant or ... I wanted to know. My multiple test results came back last week. I tested out as allergic to wheat, rye, and oats, as well as severe celiac disease.
I am relieved to find out that I have an official "diagnosis", as it puts a name to the food struggles I have had since childhood. My great aunt Elise was diagnosed as having "sprue" in the 1950s (celiac's disease), but no one in the family thought to get tested for it. There is a great deal to be done to educate the average GP and internist on celiac's.
My sister has had a lot of medical problems the last few years, has been to a range of doctors with no diagnoses, and whenever I suggest that she get tested for celiac's, it is genetic - if Great-Aunt Elise had it and I have it, well she may have it, she gets really upset and says she can't give up bread. I understand it is hard, I have lived without for 14 years, but feeling good and being healthy is more important than eating bread.
If a member of your family is diagnosed with celiac's, do go get a blood test to rule it out. I wish someone had tested me when I was 3 and not 23, it would have saved me years of misery.
Really valuable comment
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sure other people will find it helpful. And excellent point about the blood test. Much better to feel good and focus on the tasty things you *can* eat!
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Even those who are not celiacs are choosing
Flourless eating
http://www.blogher.com/white-flour-glue-gut
I just posted this blog and thought you may be interested in it. Because even those who are not Celiacs are choosing not to feed their families as much flour. This company called Bizzy Lizzy Bakery has created a product that has no flour and they are just amazing. It is getting quite the notice by in the media.