May is Celiac Awareness Month

The point of Celiac Awareness Month, of course, is to raise awareness of celiac disease, a condition in which the body does not tolerate gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats, a condition that affects 1 out of every 133 people in the U.S. alone.

May is also Digestive Diseases Awareness Month, Food Allergy Awareness Month, National Arthritis Month, and National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month.

That's a lot of diseases...And a lot of awareness.

All of these conditions are food related, even osteoporosis. Those with celiac disease are at higher risk for developing osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones thin and become brittle. It's not just an old lady disease, as was once thought.

There's a school of thought that certain forms of arthritis are symptomatic of food allergies; the inflammation of the joints is an allergic reaction. Before you dismiss the idea, consider that in celiac disease the small intestines become inflamed when exposed to gluten, and other food allergies result in inflammation of the esophagus, the throat, the face... why not the joints?

A friend of mine's grandson has eosinophilic esophagitis (EE). He is sensitive to corn, dairy, soy, sugar, gluten and fruit, among other foods. Foods you and I would consider good for us -and good for our kids, like applesauce- put this kid's esophagus into inflammation hell.

So many aspects of our health pertain to food. And one man's healthy diet is another man's toxin. My mother lived to be 90 years old. She ate eggs almost every morning of her life. She salted all her food. And fat did not scare this woman.

My husband, at 48, had a triple by-pass and the doctor told us, straight out, that if he continued to eat as he had been (heavy on the fat and salt, light on the fruits and veggies) he would suffer dire consequences.

Contemporary cooks need to be more than just meal makers. They need to understand how food affects each member of the family. They need to balance the desire for good tasting foods and the need for foods high in nutritional value. And if they are dealing with food allergies and special dietary needs, these cooks need to master the art of culinary diversity.

My friend with the grandson with EE - his mom learned how to bake without eggs or butter, without wheat flour, corn syrup or granulated sugar. Now that's culinary diversity.

It's May. It's a month for making people aware, aware of how food affects your health and theirs. Do your part. Make something good to eat and share it with your family and friends.

For more information, visit
The Celiac Disease Foundation Website

The Low Salt Diet Puts You at Risk for Heart Disease Study

First Published May 16, 2011

Update: This post is relevant today in that we, as a population, are still warned of the dangers of a diet high in salt, fat, and sugar. Maybe the point is when looking at a study, any study, it might be a good idea to find out who's funding it.

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

Original Post: It's all over the internet. A study published in the May 4th edition of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA) claims that following a low-sodium diet now puts you at risk for heart disease.

It makes for a great headline. All these years the doctors, dieticians, nutritionists, and the medical community at large have warned against foods with high sodium content, telling us that too much salt in the diet may lead to hypertension, a condition associated with fatal heart disease.

Now, in 2011, suddenly a study, published in the respected JAMA magazine, says otherwise.

The Harvard School of Medicine newsletter, "The Nutrition Source",  disputes the findings, calling the study flawed. Dr. Walter Willet, who chairs the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, couldn't resist the pun when he is quoted as saying, "Take this study with a huge grain of salt, and then dispose of it properly."

The sampling for the study, titled, "Fatal and Nonfatal Outcomes, Incidence of Hypertension, and Blood Pressure Changes in Relation to Urinary Sodium Excretion"  consisted of only 3,681 participants, none of which could be considered a part of the "at risk" group: over 40 years of age, overweight, and leading a sedentary lifestyle. In other words, the study group was made up of what should have been the control group.

The methodology is also faulty. The researchers didn't monitor the participants' actual salt intake on a daily basis, nor did it account for height and weight differences, among other standards in such studies.

Out of the 3,681 people studied over an 8 year period, 84 people died of heart disease. That's 2 percent. Since all the participants were on a low sodium diet, the researchers concluded that a low-sodium diet leads to heart disease.

And this was published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association".

So who is singing praises to these faulty findings? The Salt Institute, the trade association for the salt production industry. Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute, in light of this stunning study, calls on the government to "[]stop their population-wide sodium reduction agenda and amend the Dietary Guidelines on sodium[]." She makes this proclamation against the governments War on Salt from the institute's website.

Because, you know, she's not biased or anything.

A low-sodium diet doesn't mean no-salt. It means monitoring your sodium intake, and keeping it below 2400 mg a day, but no lower than 500 mg a day. And if you are over 40, overweight, and tend to be a body at rest for a good part of the day, eating foods high in sodium and salting everything you eat is going to put a lot of pressure on your heart. Plain and simple.

The Picky Eater Problem: Is He Fussy, or Is Something Wrong?

First Published Nov. 16, 2010

Update: This post is for every parent and caretaker worried about that one kid who doesn't want to eat. Find out why.

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

Original Post: There's a school of thought that some parents adhere to when it comes to meal time: Eat what's served or go without. But without finding out why a child is a picky eater, such a narrow approach is impractical and doesn't offer solutions.

I say this from experience: If your child is picky about his or her food to the point where you're concerned about his health, don't force him to eat or punish him. Take him to a nutritionist, dietician or forward-thinking pediatrician.

My son was picky as to be difficult when it came to eating and I tried all the tricks, to no avail. I didn't force him or punish him, but did try the "eat this or nothing" approach. He chose not to eat.

I nagged the doctor, insisting there was something strange about his selective approach to eating. The pediatrician merely shrugged it off. If he had been more enlightened, my son's digestive disorder may have been diagnosed much, much earlier. But his "picky eater" status was ignored, until he was an underweight teenager and his endocrinologist tested him for Celiac.

Yes, this one doctor finally conceded that my concerns were valid: My son's body had been trying to tell us something all along.

Now, though his diet is specialized, he is eating, and eating more healthily than before the diagnosis. So I reiterate: If your child is a picky eater, and the food he or she chooses is of specific tastes and textures, investigate the possibility there may be a physiological cause.

Read: Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen's blog, How to Tell If Your Picky Eater Needs Help

Watch: PBS Nova The Science of Picky Eaters

Gluten Free Chicken Dippers

First Published Nov. 3, 2010

Update: This recipe still holds up. Add a salad and it's a dinner. 

Thanks for reading. October, 2025

Original Post: These chicken dippers make a great snack or serve them with a salad for a tasty meal. Use chicken tenders or slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts into strips. Tenderize them a little bit so they cook up quicker.

Ingredients:
Approximately 1/2 pound of chicken tenders or sliced chicken breasts
1/2 cup or so of gluten free flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup of corn meal
1/4 cup of corn flour
2 tbsp. vegetable oil or preferred cooking oil

Directions:
1. Lay the chicken strips or tenders out on a clean cutting board and cut away any visible fat. Pat the chicken dry.
2. Spread the gluten free flour out on a dish and break the egg into a bowl. Beat the egg just enough to mix the yolk and white.
3. Mix the corn meal and corn flour together and spread out on a dish.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.
5. Dip the chicken strips or tenders into the flour and shake off the excess. Dip into the egg, then into the corn meal and flour mix. Turn to coat evenly.
6. Drop the chicken into the hot oil and brown. Turn and brown the other side. Remove to a clean plate.

That's it. That's all there is to it. Serve them with a favorite dipping sauce. My son likes ketchup. My husband and I like a Polynesian dipping sauce.

I converted this recipe for my daughter the vegetarian, substituting mozzarella cheese for the chicken. Put the cheese into the freezer for about 10 minutes, then cut into sticks, about 1/4 inch thick. Follow the same process and serve them up with barbeque sauce.

The best thing about this recipe is the versatility. Add chili powder to the corn meal mix, or paprika. Make a little jalepeno sauce and serve it up. Once you have a basic recipe such as this, the possibilities are all up to you.

Creating Gluten Free Baking Recipes

First Published October 14, 2010

Update: The original post is more of a tips for baking gluten free, rather than an actual recipe post. And I haven't been able to locate this particular recipe for some time. But the advice holds true, though now we have cup to cup flours, and mixes that make great tasting cookies. I still follow these basic guidelines - the right flour for the bake, add an acid, and use a good margarine when baking from scratch.

Thanks for reading. September, 2025

Original Post: I recently succeeded in creating a recipe for gluten free cookies. The cookies don't crumble when you pick them up or turn rock hard after an hour or so. I've named these luscious treats "Gluten Free Chocolate Success Cookies."

When creating this recipe, I started with the basic foundation for the standard chocolate chip cookies, taking into account that I would need more fat and sugar than a recipe with wheat flour, and a little more moisture as well.

What I've learned in gluten free baking is that applesauce is a great way to reduce the crumblies- a condition in which the cookie or bread or whatever is overly dry and crumbles when you bite into it. I've also learned that using margarines such as Smart Balance or Earth Balance helps reduce the bad fats that my husband - who enjoys the Chocolate Success cookies- is not supposed to have.

I've also learned that substituting a gluten free flour mix cup for cup rarely works in gluten free baking. When using rice flours, I may need more. When using bean flours, I may need less. That's why finding the right combination of flours is so essential.

The most important thing I've learned is that some recipes take much longer, like my gluten free breakfast bread. I've been working on it for a few months now, but it's still not right. However, I think I've got the cinnamon rolls down, and that recipe will be coming soon. I hope.

Product Review: Gluten Free Bisquick Pancake and Baking Mix

First Published September 28, 2010

Update: General Mills Gluten Free Bisquick is still a big part of my cooking and baking. So this post is still good today.

Thanks for reading. September, 2025

Eating Pancakes

Original Post: Bisquick, the pre-mix packaged product for baking, was introduced by General Mills in 1931. Now, in 2010, General Mills offers Gluten Free Bisquick Pancake and Baking Mix, and I decided to test it against my own pancake mix.

Gluten Free Bisquick is available in a 16 oz package, and the cost at my local supermarket was $5.99. On the back of the package, the pancake recipe calls for 1 cup of the mix, 1 cup of milk, 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and 1 egg. That recipe yields 10 pancakes.

I made up a batch of Bisquick pancakes and served them to my son, asking him first if they tasted good, and then if they were better than mine.

Now, he may be biased because I am, after all, his mother, but he said the Bisquick pancakes were good -he gave them an exuberant thumbs up- but he claimed mine were better.

I had tasted the pancakes on trial here and found them to be quite tasty. They were a little denser than those from my own mix and so had a little more texture. But the taste was spot on, equal to that of any pancake house.

The most attractive feature of this mix is the convenience factor. Though I make up my own mixes and store them for use, there are times when I'm caught short. Having a mix on hand, ready to use, that tastes good and isn't expensive is a real boon for those who cook gluten free.

Disclaimer: I did not receive this product as a promotional item or for review from the producing company. I paid for it myself.

Product Review: Pamela's Products Gluten-Free Bread Mix

First Published September 24, 2010

Update: I haven't made bread for some time; brands such as Udi offer bread now that is pretty good, and it freezes well. But I want to try making a loaf of bread using one of the flour blends that claim a 1-to-1 cup exchange. That is, you can replace the wheat flour ingredient in a recipe for the gluten free blend -cup for cup. If it calls for three cups wheat flour, use three cups of the blend. So yes, I have to try that.

Thanks for reading. September, 2025

Watch how this bread comes together on our YouTube video

Demonstration of Pamelas Amazing Gluten Free Bread Recipe

Original Post: Each week I make at least one loaf of gluten-free bread from scratch for my son. This week, though, I made bread using Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix. It's a yeast bread, and a packet of yeast is included. All I needed was 2 eggs, 1/4 cup of oil and about 1 3/4 cups of water. Into the stand mixer it goes and then into a prepared 8x4 loaf pan. Let it rest for an hour and then into the oven for 70 minutes.

I was skeptical. I've been disappointed before by bread mixes: the taste is bland, the texture crumbly or the middle collapses during the baking process. But I hadn't tried Pamela's bread mix yet, so I purchased a 19 ounce package for $5.99 and made a loaf of bread.

The final product tastes good, isn't crumbly and rose just like yeast bread should rise, with a nicely browned dome shape. Now, $6 is a bit high for a loaf of bread, plus the cost of additional ingredients, but contemporary cooking is sometimes a bit more costly.

Pamela's Products Gluten-Free Bread Mix, though, is available in bulk through Amazon.com, and it brings the cost down a bit. And you can store the packaged mix in the freezer, so the investment is well worth it.

Considering that I often pay as much as $4.50 for a loaf of whole grain, trans-fat free bread in the supermarket, the cost of Pamela's Gluten-Free Bread Mix isn't too bad.

Disclaimer:

 I did not receive this product as a promotional item. I paid for it myself.