Happy New Year!!!!

Medjool Dates

So why write about dates.  Now that I buy a lot of gluten free items, I noticed the base for a lot were dates, Medjool
Dates.  So what is this odd fruit and why is it in so many products?

The Medjool date is a incredible fruit.  It has a delicious taste, amazing nutritional value and useful properties.  Dates
have been a food and healing source for thousands of years. 

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

As the year 2015 comes to an end, here's another great desert for that New Years party you will be going too.  It is easy and taste great, no one will know its gluten free.
So bake away and enjoy!!

Ingredients

Some New Years Tips For Gluten Free Eating.

As the holidays for now come to an end, this is the  last time to deal with holiday eating.  Gluten free eating has gotten easier over the past few years.  Growing awareness means gluten free is no longer a complete unknown when you  sit down at the holiday table.  So as the New Year comes, here are some last tips to ensure you stay gluten free.

• Plain meat is gluten free- Enjoy turkey, ham, chicken and brisket as long as it has not been marinated with gluten dressings.  Watch gravies thicken with flour.
• Traditional mashed and sweet potatoes are often gluten free.  Just check with the host and make sure no flour was used.

Truvia What Is It?

Having Celiac disease and eating healthy can be challenging.  You try to eat healthy and get all your nutrients from good foods.  To bake and save some calories, some reach for a sweetener.  In my house, we reach for Truvia.
So what is this sweetener, and is it safe for us to use.  Yes I can find pros and cons to all sweeteners, I feel Truvia tastes pretty good.  It comes from nature, is natural, and sweet.  It comes from the Stevia plant, that is fed only water and sunshine.  It is a plant from Paraguay, where people have grown, harvested and used as a sweetener for hundreds of years.  Today, it is grown in Asia and South America due to its need for long hours of daylight, water and warmth.
It can be used in baked goods and comes in brown sugar blend, which has 75% fewer calories then regular brown sugar.

What Is Xanthan Gum?

Now that you are gluten free, that funny ingredient Xanthan Gum is seen in a lot of foods.  What is it's function in the foods you are eating ?
What is Xanthan Gum? 
Xanthan Gum is a common food binder in foods and sold as a white powder to add to foods.  It is what makes gluten free bread have texture and consistency like bread.  It is a food additive approved for use in 1968.  It is gluten free and found in many gluten free products.  Sometimes it is mixed with locust, or guar gum and the result is a better binder for foods. 

Merry Christmas

Holiday Peppermint Bark

Easy last minute treat for the holiday.

Ingredients
12 ounces of white chocolate
24 hard peppermint candies

Directions

Line baking sheet with wax paper
Melt chocolate chips
Crush candies into small pieces
Mix all together
Spread evenly on baking sheet
Let stand for 1 1/2 hours or until firm

Enjoy!!

Ways Your Gluten Free Child Can Self Advocate

Having a food allergy, Celiac disease , or food intolerance can make life hard for a child or teen.
As a parent we need to empower our child, and teach them how to advocate for themselves.  The goal is to understand their needs and teach them to communicate them.  So how do we do this effectively?
Here are a few ways I feel will help them.

1.  Understand their needs- Children of all ages with any allergy, need to understand their needs.
They need to know why they have to follow a gluten free diet, and why is it important to their
health.  They will understand and learn to focus on what they can eat and not what they can't eat.

Christmas Tree Deserts!!

The holidays are a fun time to bake and make yummy deserts for any party you will be going too.
Here is one that is great, fun to make, and can be made gluten free.

A Gluten Free Christmas idea.

As Christmas comes near, there will be lots of food, high in fat, and most likely gluten.  Here's a great idea for something cute go bring for all to enjoy.

Gluten In Medications

Gluten in medicines, yes there can be, which is dangerous for people with Celiac disease.  For people with Celiac disease, there is only one treatment: follow a strict, life long gluten free diet. The diet part, requires reading labels, but allergens such as wheat will be listed.  However, there is no such labeling on medicines, which also can contain gluten.

How To Survive The Holidays With Celiac Disease

The holidays are a beautiful time of year involving lots of  food, parties and fun.  A time to create memories and cherish
 each moment. 
There are highs and lows and it is a busy crazy time of year for most.  Everywhere you go there is food,  high gluten  that
someone with  Celiac can not eat.  Managing Celiac disease is exhausting enough without the added stress from the
 holidays and parties.
 So here are some holiday survival tips I hope you find useful. 

Eat before you arrive: Never walk into a party or any occasion hungry.  There are few worse mood killers then finding that
 carrots are the only gluten free  food for you to eat.

Bring your own dish: Speak with the host of the party and arrange for you to bring a dish for all to enjoy.  Great time to
show people how good gluten free food can taste.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

As the pumpkin season comes to an end, here is a great muffin receipt you can enjoy in any season.
Pumpkin is great for its color, flavor, and its vitamins.  Pumpkin contains fiber, vitamin C, and is full of carotenoids (precursor to Vitamin A).  Lets not forget how great tasting it is.  A great way to get this healthy food in, is making pumpkin muffins, of course we will add some chocolate chips.

Ingredients

So Why Is A Gluten Free Diet Important?

So you are told you have Celiac, you are put on a gluten free diet.  The question to some is why, why if I have no symptoms must I follow a strict gluten free diet.  Over the past few years, the gluten free diet has received world wide attention.
People with any sensitivity follow it, stars think its healthier, and many have jumped on the gluten free wagon.  However, it is only recommended for those with Celiac or gluten sensitivity.

How Long Does Gluten Stay In Your System?

The question is how long after you ingest gluten is it out of your system?  The real question is not the time it takes to digest gluten, its how your body reacts after ingesting it.  When you ingest gluten it triggers an auto immune reaction.  The symptoms vary from person to person and can  last several days. 
After diagnosis of Celiac and going gluten free, you feel better, your body heals.  Any accidental gluten can cause a reaction that is different in every person.  Your body now sees gluten as a poison, and reacts.
In case of ingesting gluten, just drink lots of water and know you need to be extra careful with your diet.  As always the goal is to be 100 percent gluten free. 

National Cupcake Day!

Yummy Trader Joes Cupcakes!

Cookie Monday!!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Too Funny

Sneaky Ways We Can Get Glutened!

People with Celiac work hard to stay away from ingesting gluten.  In some cases even a crumb can make one sick.  So how can gluten sneak in? How does one deal with the side effects after eating or ingesting gluten. Symptoms vary from person to person, soon you will learn how your body reacts.  The next step is to figure out how you ingested gluten.  There are some sneaky ways it can happen, I will list a few.

A Few Myth Busting Answers to Life Without Gluten

Living with Celiac disease requires special dietary needs, and a willingness to try new tastes.  It takes patience, planning and understanding your new lifestyle and needs.  Whether your newly diagnosed, or not, there are still myths about the diet. I will go over a few of them.

• Will I outgrow Celiac disease?  Celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune condition that cannot be outgrown.  After being on a gluten free diet, some feel better with no symptoms of the disease. It is often present sometimes without symptoms, yet causes damage.  It requires a strict, lifelong gluten free diet.

• I still don't feel better on a gluten free diet, what should I do?  There are some areas to look at, you may not have given yourself enough time to heal. Children tend to heal faster than adults.

Do You Have Celiac Disease?

Many people are jumping on the gluten free diet train, thinking its healthy and better for them.  They say gluten hurts their stomach.  We thank those people, especially famous ones.  They have forced the companies to provide more choices for the Celiac community. 
 So the question is do you have Celiac disease and how do you know.   There are  two steps to finding out if you have Celiac disease, screening and diagnosis.   So who should be screened for Celiac disease? Anyone with symptoms of the disease, have a  First degree relative with Celiac and anyone who has another autoimmune disease.
Screening involves blood work, you must not be on a gluten free diet when you do this.  They may do a Celiac panel, IgA, and/or a genetic test.  Since Celiac is genetic, you must have the gene in order to develop the disease.

Your Ingredient Gluten Check List

The first step to finding out whether a food is gluten free is to read the label.  There are many ingredients other then wheat, rye or barley that must be avoided. I will list the ones to avoid.

A- atta flour, B- barley grass, barley malt, beer, bleached flour, brewers yeast, bran, bulgur
C- cereal binding, Chilton, cookie dough, couscous, criped rice D- durum wheat, dinkle
E- edible films, starch, and coatings, enriched flour, emmer

More Gluten Before Age 2 Risk For Celiac?

Recent studies have shown that children who ate more foods with gluten before the age of 2, have a greater risk of developing Celiac disease if they carry the gene.  The amount of gluten in the first two years, may  play a role in the disease.  Eating gluten didn't cause the disease, but showed it had an impact on it. 
Many have concluded, if you carry the Celiac gene, eating a lower gluten diet in the early years may help the progression.medicinenet.com

National Brownie Day!

Today December 8th is National Brownie Day.  So why let the gluten eaters of the world have all the yummy brownies, there are many great tasting gluten free recipes to choose from.  I will give you a great gluten free brownie that all will love.

Gluten Free Brownies
Ingredients
3/4 cup of all purpose gluten free flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Can Celiac Affect Your Teeth?

Celiac disease can affect your skin, joints, your mood and especially in children their teeth.
There is no current research on how Celiac impacts teeth.  It seems to affect the enamel especially in children. Enamel is the translucent, tough outer shell of the tooth, it protects teeth from damage.  Many studies show this defect is more common in people with Celiac disease.

A study was done in 2009, which showed Celiac individuals, especially children, have nearly triple the rate of enamel defects than the non Celiac person.

Happy Gluten Free Hanukkah

Healthy Afternoon And Evening Gluten Free Snacks

Afternoon/ Evening Snacks

• make a smoothie with yogurt, banana and blueberries
• gluten free cookies
• popcorn
• low fat ice cream or yogurt
• corn nachos and salsa
• gluten free pudding
• fruit
• make a gluten free smores
• dried nuts some dark chocolate
• gluten free bar

Healthy Mid Morning Snacks

Midmorning Snack

• String cheese and gluten free crackers
• hard boiled egg and an orange
• dried fruit and some almonds
• yogurt with berries
• peanut butter with apples or bananas
• kind bar or gluten free bar
• some peanuts and almonds
• gluten free cereal with milk

Vitamins and Supplements for people with Celiac Disease

There are nutritional deficiencies seen in people with Celiac. This is caused by the damaged small intestines inability to properly absorb enough nutrients the body needs.  Newly diagnosed people with Celiac disease are commonly deficient in iron, fiber, calcium, zinc, vitamin D, magnesium, folate, vitamin B12, as well as protein.  Also common is a delay in puberty due to low amounts of vitamin B, folate, and iron. 

Once a strict gluten free diet is followed, the small intestines recover and are able to properly absorb nutrients again.  Blood work should be done to assess the need to continue vitamin supplementation.  For some its beneficial to just continue with them.

Final Gluten Free Food Lists

As you see there are plenty of foods to chose from.  You need to do your homework, check labels and try different brands.  You will find foods that are gluten free that you like and don't like.  You will adapt to your new lifestyle, and always think, its not what you cant eat but what you can.

Frozen

• vegetables
• gluten free pancakes, waffles
• gluten free wraps
• gluten free bread
• gluten free dinners

A majority of the gluten free meals and breads are found in the freezer section of the store.

Day 3 of 4 Gluten Free Food Lists

Having Celiac makes snacking a challenge at times, especially being a hungry teenager. When my son stays late at school   I always get asked, mom what should I bring to snack on.  Having Celiac you must be prepared and not rely on outside foods.
There are plenty of choices to choose from, that are healthy and gluten free.

Snacks

• Rice cakes, flavored are yummy
• gluten free crackers
• nuts, sunflower seeds
• popcorn
• fruit/ dried fruit
• jello/ gluten free pudding
• corn chips
• gluten free pretzels/ potato chips
• gluten free bars (kind, quest) there are many others to chose from
• gluten free cereal

These are just some of the choices out there.  I always say try the different brands and see what you like.  The key to a healthy diet is variety and healthy foods.

Love this!

Day 2 of 4 Gluten Free Food Lists.

  Meats/Protein

• chicken/ turkey
• fish/shellfish
• canned tuna or chicken
• tofu
• beef
• cold cuts ( all Boars Head are gluten free)
• hot dogs
• gluten free veggie burgers