What is Celiac Disease?

Continually doing research on my son’s sensitivities to Gluten, Dairy, Eggs and Nuts and doing my best to find Allergy Friendly or Allergy Free Foods. I’ve come across Celiac Disease. It’s something I did not know exist until now, and 1 out of 133 have this condition.

Those with Celiac Disease must adhere to a life long diet modification without gluten. Gluten can be found in many wheat related food products such as breads, pancakes, cookies, brownies, pastas and waffles. Some foods you would not think have gluten would be soups and gravies that might use flour to thicken them up or some times you might dredge your favorite chicken, fish and french fries with flour to crisp them up, and meatloaf includes breadcrumbs. Other grains that contain gluten are barley and rye.

Even ingesting a small minute amount of gluten causes immunological toxic reaction that damages the villi in the small intestines, and therefore the food is unable to be properly absorbed. So all the nutrients that you might have gotten are passed through to the toilet.

Unfortunately, there seems to be no common thread that triggers the disease, so stress, viral infection, pregnancy, or surgery could be culprits. The symptoms are extremely wide ranging and not always a gastrointestinal disorder. While it is strange to associate the following with Celiac Disease, once diagnosed and treated the following seem to have been know to disappear; joint pain, anemia, depression, irritability, fatigue, weakness, unusual menstrual cycles, infertility, canker sores, loss of enamel, diarrhea, constipation, unusual weight gain or loss, vitamin deficiencies, flatulence, osteoporosis, pale looking, easy bruising, and nausea.

If you suspect or concerned about this disease, please contact your healthcare/medical professional team to determine the correct tests to check for this malady. They will probably test your blood for your Total Serum (IgA), Endomysial Antibody (EMA-IgA), Anti-gliadin Antibody (AGA-IgG, AGA-IgA), and Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody (tTG – IgA/IgG). After these blood tests, a biopsy maybe needed to confirm the damage of the diagnosis.

Here is a list of ingredients that do not contain gluten; meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, and rice. If your want some flour, try some flours made from rice, corn, potato, soy, and almond. If you’re tired of white rice, try quinoa, buckwheat or lentils. If your recipe requires some the glueyness that gluten provides, then add some xanthum gum or guar gum. Instead of wheat flour to thicken up some sauces, try starches made from corn, tapioca or potato. Remember to follow your recipes for the appropriate portions.

A final note, always read the ingredients on the back of the box. If you’re out at a restaurant, many now have a gluten free menu. Celiac Disease is a serious condition that people can live with, when proper precautions are taken.

P.S. My Gluten Free Pizza keeps getting better!

Which came first the chicken or the egg allergy?

Every morning, I would crack open three organic brown eggs in a medium sized bowl. Sometimes I would crack them open with 2 hands, and sometimes I would show off and use a one handed method on the rim of the bowl. Out drops the clear and yolk goodness into the bowl. Then with a folk in my hand, my wrist would gyrate like Elvis Presley’s hips to start agitating the eggs into a silky smooth mixture. Add a little water and more mixing, the egg concoction is ready to become an egg omelet.

During the mixing, the frying pan is being heated up by the electrical element on the stove, and I pour the mixture on to the hot pan. After some coagulation the mixture becomes a little firmer and starts to form that famous circular shape. With my handy silicon spatula, I make a some adjustments to the omelet to ensure that the eggs are sliding on the non-stick pan. A little shaking of the pan the eggs are ready to flip. I could flip the eggs with the spatula, but I call the kids into the kitchen to watch the 1-second show spectacular.

I let the eggs slide around a little more, and with a little wrist action the yellow round breakfast staple begins to flip in the air. It flawlessly lands smoothly back on the non-stick pan, and finishes cooking on the other side. “Tah Dah!” And I take a bow. The kids then yell out, I wish I could do that, and I tell them, “Practice, Practice and Practice.”

I slide the finished product onto a plate, sprinkle a little salt on to the omelet, and ask them, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

If you are allergic to eggs like my son, and eat something that contains eggs, your immune system releases and an army immunglobulin (IgE) antibodies, which triggers the release of certain chemicals, one of which is histamine to protect the body. Millions of people have this condition. While my son should outgrow this allergy, for many they will remain allergic for a lifetime.

The release of these chemicals can affect the respiratory system (allergy like symptoms like wheezing and runny nose), gastrointestinal tract (cramping, diarrhea, vomiting or nausea), skin (hives or eczema), and the cardiovascular. In my son’s case, he would constantly cough, and our medical doctor thought it was asthma.

Now since my son has been diagnosed with an egg allergy. The breakfast show has been replace with sliced fruits and Van’s French Toast which are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, and I think a few more free items. The Van’s products actually taste really good. I originally found them at Wild By Nature and now Wholefoods.

Once and a while I will make a gluten free pancake and use a egg substitute called Egg Replacer by Ener-G. The ingredients include, potato starch, tapioca flour, levening (calcium lactate (not derived from dairy), calcium carbonate, citric acid), sodium carbonxymethlcellulose, and methlycellulose. The first I used it was in meatloaf, which I could not tell the difference

Other egg substitutes are:
· 1 tbsp ground up milled flax seed and 3 tbsp of water (it did not work out the way I thought it would)
· 2 tbsp cornstarch
· 2 tbsp arrowroot flour
· 2 tbsp potato starch
· 1 heaping tbsp soy powder and 2 tbsp water
· 1 tbsp soy milk powder, 1 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water
· 1 banana (great in cakes)

Some hidden sources containing eggs include:
· Albumin
· Lactalbumin
· Ovalbumin
· Ovomucin
· Ovomuclod
· Ovovitellin
· Viellan
· Surimi (imitation seafood ie sea legs)
· Some Vaccines

Common foods containing eggs include:
· Baked goods
· Caesar salad dressing
· Cream sauces
· Custard
· Eggnog
· French toast
· Hollandaise sauce
· Ice cream
· Mayonnaise
· Marshmallows
· Meatloaf (My families favorite!)
· Meringue
· Omelets
· Pudding
· Sherbet
· Soufflés
· Tartar sauce

The bottom line, always consult with your healthcare provider to review your nutritional choices when you have been diagnosed with an egg allergy.

Is Santa Allergic to Dairy?


Every year, my kids bake some delicious cookies (2010 they will be gluten free, egg free and nut free), and strategically arrange them on a plate. Then that plate is paired with a tall glass of milk and methodically positioned perfectly in front of the fireplace so that Santa has the optimum reaching distance from the snack to the Christmas tree. The kids want to make sure that he is refueled in order to finish his rounds flying around the world giving gifts to good little boys and girls.

Now the question, is Santa allergic to dairy? Based on his bloated belly, that is a possiblity! A dairy or milk allergy is an adverse immune reaction to animal milk protein that can be found cows, goats or sheep. These milk proteins are casein and whey. Also in the milk is lactose, the sugar in milk.

Casein is about 80% of the proteins in dairy. Some processed food that may contain casein; glazed donut, mints, non dairy coffee cream, cereal, high protein shakes, ice cream, baby formula, nutrition bars, processed meats like hot dogs, salad dressings, and whipped toppings. Even some sorbet’s might have dairy, so we usually opt for italian ices.

Whey makes up about the 20% of the milk protein. It is a liquid by product in the cheese making process when the curd (casein) is removed and strained away. Whey can be found in ricotta cheese, brown cheese and nutritional supplements (especially in body building formulas)

The concentration of whey and casein varies from different dairy products, and immune reactions vary depending on your sensitivity.

Not to confuse a dairy allergy with lactose intolerance, lactose intolerance is a non-allergic sensitivity, where a person cannot produce enough of the lactase enzyme to digest the lactose sugar in the milk. While lactose intolerance is not a food sensitivity, it can lead to intestinal distress and the development of food sensitivities.

Some dairy substitutions include;
· Coconut Milk
· Hemp Milk
· Nut Milk (Almond)
· Rice Milk
· Oat Milk
· Potato Milk
· Soy Milk

Some symptoms to dairy allergy include;
· Abdominal Pain
· Acne
· ADD/ADHD
· Anxiety
· Arthritis
· Canker sores
· Constipation
· Diarrhea
· Ear Infections
· Fatigue
· Fibromyalgia
· Gas
· Headaches
· Heartburn
· Indigestion
· Iron deficient anemia
· Irritability
· Irritable Bowel Syndrome
· Joint Pain
· Lactose Intolerance
· Osteoporosis
· Poor Growth
· Poor immune function (frequent illness)
· Sinusitis

Read the labels and work with your healthcare professional team to review your dairy options. Be Well!

Food Allergy Ingredients Labels

Your largest source of gluten free foods!For the forty some odd years that I’ve been roaming the earth in search of food and other stuff to eat.  I usually thought, if the packaging looked good, the food inside must be good.  Sometimes if tasted good, and most of the time it was bad for me for one reason or another.

In the last several years, I was cautioned to pay attention to my blood pressure, so I search for the sodium content in the foods that I eat, and that was that.  I really never read what else was in the food that I was about to devour.  Again, it looks good, it must be good.

Now that my son has been screened to be sensitive to Gluten, Dairy, Egg, and Nuts, I read each label scanning for the allergies that will harm my son.  Probably 99.9% of everything on the shelf of the grocery store contains some thing that my son cannot eat.  I’ve been visiting GlutenFree.com, which has the largest variety of gluten free products.  Even thought it might be gluten free, I still need to look out for Dairy, Eggs and Nuts.

During a recent shopping visit to WholeFoods, I asked the pizza maker what happened to the Gluten Free pizza they had during the grand opening.  It turns out they have wheat flour floating in the air, that they cannot claim that pizza to be Gluten Free.  It even had Dairy Free cheese!  So I am now relegated to making home made Gluten Free and Dairy Free Pizza, but that will be another article.

Some times my Dad watches the kids.  He’s an old school character, and thinks kids should eat everything.  I constantly remind him that his grandson can not have bread, cheese or nuts, and I cringe and have to yell, “Stop!” when he is about to give my son a piece of toast. 

Thank goodness, my son knows better and politely refuses the toasted baked slice of bread.  So whenever we go shopping, I grab a box and quiz to scan for any allergy culprits.  Some words he searches for; barley, malt, casein, or eggs.

In order to be able to advertise a product as Gluten Free, there must not be more than 20 parts per million of gluten be present in the product by testing each product coming off the production line.  As you read the labels, many products are free of any grains and other gluten-containing products but the potential for cross contamination is possible.  Therefore, only with dedicated facilities and production lines can you guarantee an item to be gluten free and sealed.


StarbucksStore.com
For example Starbucks in it’s open and inviting environment can not claim to provide gluten free coffee, but on it’s shelves the have products that meet gluten free requirements such as Food Should Taste Good Chips, Kind Bars, Peeled Snacks, Lucy’s Cookies, and Two Mom’s Raw Granola.

As for being Dairy Free, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration has not established any regulations regarding Dairy Free on package labels.  Without a regulatory definition in place there is no guarantee that the Dairy Lee statement on a food labels is really free from any milk proteins.  While Milk and Cream can be easily seen as milk, a milk derivative such as casein or whey might be overlooked as being milk.

Shop our wide selection of high-quality culinary spices from kitchen classics to exotic blends.

One of the places I frequently visit is Frontier, which is a natural products co-op.  All of there products are highest in quality.  More importantly, they have a stringent food safety program regarding allergen control which prevents cross contamination.

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 became effective on January 1, 2006.  Which requires manufacturers to clearly identify on their food labels if their product contain products that are derived from the eight major allergenic foods and food groups; wheat, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, or soy.  These eight groups account for 90 percent of all food allergies, and all other food allergies such as sesame are not required to be listed in accordance with FALCPA.

 An example Ingredients List;

Ingredients: Enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and/or cottonseed oil, high fructose corn syrup, whey (milk), eggs, vanilla, natural and artificial flavoring, salt, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), lecithin (soy), mono-and diglycerides.

 Another example of declares a possible an allergen right after the Ingredients list and looks like this;

Contains Wheat, Milk, Egg, and Soy

Again, please read the labels, be cautious, and enjoy your meals and snacks free from allergies!

What does Gluten do you your body and you don’t know it?

Surprisingly millions of people are allergic to wheat type breads, bagels, pastas and pastries every day. In addition, many unknowingly have complications with those products that contain gluten. Gluten attacks the small hair-like projections on the intestinal wall (called villi) by slowly wearing down the villi. Normally these villi absorb the nutrients and vitamins as food passes through the intestines.

Now the food nutrients pass in the gut less absorbed and unbroken down. Part of the bowel is anticipating the food to be in a certain state so it continues to process the foods further down the line. By this time it only can absorb what water is left. By this time you feel a pain in the lower belly and experiencing constipation.

This traffic jam then affects the emptying of the stomach then some get acid reflux and heartburn. So you grab an antacid like Pepcid AC or other products to help you feel better. It’s important to realize that everything is connected and the type of diet does make a difference.

In addition, from the villi being worn down and constipation increases, tiny holes are created in the lining, which lets food particles leak into your bloodstream rather than being broken down and absorbed normally. Then your body’s own natural defense system then starts to fight these “foreign invaders” and attacking the body. From this, you may see other symptoms such as skin rashes, eczema, bloating, mouth sores, and headaches to a name a few.

While some people will have this life long complication known as Celiac Disease (Leaky Gut), others can rebuild the intestinal lining with a gluten free diet to start the healing process. It may take 6 months of strict adherence to a gluten free diet. Just like anything else, it takes practice, practice and practice to get use to removing gluten.

Our Family now feels better with these changes. We have all noticed that our bowel movements are regular. I would have never thought eating breads would cause such complications.

The teachers have also noticed a difference, since he is able to eat his lunch and instead of thinking of being hungry, he can concentrates on this school work with his belly full of good food, which we are very happy with.

Look out for Hidden Gluten!

As I watched with amazement as the pizza maker flipped the spinning pizza dough high in the air, and then finally he creates the perfect landing zone for some red tomato sauce and tasty toppings. Then, I remembered that my son will no longer be able to eat his favorite food. The dough has gluten I explained to him. Then we walked down the shopping center and grabbed some chinese food.

Inorder for the dough to remain elastic and stretch as it spins in mid-air, the dough has a composite of gliadin and glutenin proteins called gluten. In fact in Latin, gluten means glue. The glutenin in wheat flour is what gives the elasticity and chewiness to the dough.

Gliadin and glutenin come from the endosperms of many grass-related grains, such as barley, rye and wheat. While gluten is normally associated with bread and other baked goods. You need to be cautious with hidden sources in your food, so unless the product is labeled as gluten-free or is made from non-gluten sources. Be very vigilant in what you eat.

Look out!
· Food Starches unless they are made from arrowroot, potato, tapioca or corn
· Flours unless they are made from pure rice, corn, potato or soy
· Some medications
· Malt (so no more Beer L) is used as a flavoring or coloring
· Cream sauces might use a thickening agent made from gluten
· Distilled white vinegar is maid from grains
· Spices might contain flour as a filler
· Soups might use a roux based from flour
· Restaurants can cross contaminate so look out for a gluten certified kitchen

Very surprising places for gluten!
· Cosmetics
· Envelopes where you lick the adhesive
· Lotions
· Toothpaste
· Mouthwash

Now I’ve been experimenting with different gluten free doughs to make my own pizza. So far my favorite pizza dough mix is made by Bob’s Red Mill. I subsitiute the egg with an egg substitute made from gluten free starches. The key is to roll the gluten free dough out with a rolling pin. Since, I prefer a thin crust pie, the crust is crispy which I like.

It’s taken some time for my son to get use to the fact that he can not eat breads, cakes and pizza made from wheat flour. The non-wheat flour breads, cakes and pizza’s have been surprisingly delicous. Fortunately being gluten sensitive for him is a temporary situation for the next few months. People with Celiac Disease must avoid any source of gluten for the rest of there lives.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.