Gluten-Free Book Review: The Everything Guide to Gluten-Free Living

This is another book review I've been meaning to share with you for months! My good friend Jeanine Friesen, creator and author of "The Baking Beauties" a wonderful Canadian gluten-free food blog, has written a brand new book called, "The Everything Guide to Living Gluten-Free."

(...and I know I'm biased, but I'm thrilled this book is published by Adams Media, the publishers I work with as well and who also published my gluten-free slow cooker cookbook!) 

In the very beginning of the book Jeanine states, "...a gluten-free life isn't all about loss and restrictions. It is also about variety and abundance and finding new ways to enjoy your life."  THIS is why I love Jeanine. She believes in being positive and finding the best possible outcome even when you're diagnosed with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity or a wheat allergy. This book will give you an incredibly positive outlook on life gluten-free.

Complete with chapters on why people go gluten-free, an in-depth look at Celiac disease, and what gluten is and ALL the places it can be found. Jeanine's guide will give you tips and hints for every aspect of going gluten-free. There is an entire chapter on starting a gluten-free diet. How to organize and stock your kitchen gluten-free. How to go shopping gluten-free. How to eat out and travel gluten-free. If you want a complete all-in-one guide, Jeanine's book is the best resource for your gluten-free lifestyle!

And then on top of all that, Jeanine also includes 100 incredible recipes for starting a gluten-free diet. Recipes such as:

• Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
• Cheesiest Macaroni and Cheese
• Baked Chicken Fingers
• Lean Beef Stroganoff
• Waldorf-Inspired Quinoa Salad
• Baked Mexican Rice Casserole
• Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits
• Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Fluffy Raspberry Frosting

So do those sound good? I thought so! Jeanine's new book is NOW available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and probably your favorite online retailer! Please check out her new book, buy a copy, and please please please leave her a review once you've picked one up! 

Seriously, "The Everything Guide To Living Gluten-Free" is one of the best resources to have on hand if you are gluten-free. I hope to donate a few copies of this to my local library very soon! 

What's the most important tip you could give to someone who is newly gluten-free? 

Please share your thoughts in the comments below! 

Dr. Drew, you owe the celiac community and Jennifer Esposito a BIG apology!

Today's post actually is being shared with permission of Nikki Everett and her daughter Erin. Please make sure to read through the end of the post and then visit the change.org site to help 11 year old Erin ask Dr. Drew for a well deserved apology to the celiac community. 

To see Nikki's original article about this issue please visit her Charlotte, NC ROCK gluten-free support group website! 

Nikki & her daughter Erin

Hi Everyone,

If you have not seen the interview with Dr. Drew and Jennifer Esposito which took place 11/27/12, it has caused quite a stir in the community. The misinformation and total mishandling of celiac disease and leaky gut syndrome, not to mention Jennifer Esposito's claims of illnesses, was unacceptable.

Erin, my daughter, was so angry from watching it, she has written the following to send to Dr. Drew's show:

***************

Dear Dr. Drew,

Hi, I am an 11 year old girl that watched your show and hope to help you with your knowledge of celiac disease. First of all, not everyone has diarrhea, there is also constipation with celiac disease. They have to take your blood in tests or an endoscopy to diagnose celiac. Celiac disease is not a disorder it is a disease. When you called it only a disorder, that hurt my feelings because I am a celiac and I know what its like. It seemed like you have no clue what other kids and families go through when they find out they have it.

I was sick for many years but no one knew what was wrong. We went to doctor after doctor. They tried to tell me it was all in my head! On Halloween night, when I was seven years old and I went trick or treating,
I came home and was so sick to my stomach. I was throwing up all night long with my mom by my side. That same week I went to the doctors because I wouldn't eat anything and lost four pounds. My doctor did the same thing you did - example; "I think she has constipation nothing more, that would solve the hurting of the stomach." It kept on getting worse. My mom demanded that they do an endoscopy. They did and found out
I had Celiac Disease.

Mom started a R.O.C.K group. It stands for Raising Our Celiac Kids. One time when the kids and I were at one of our meetings, another girl came up to mom and said that she hadn't ever been able to eat a cake at a party in years. All the mothers were tearing up and mom felt joy in her heart. You see, we face people not believing our disease is as serious as it is all the time.

Please take the time to learn more about celiac disease and gluten free living, so you don't make anyone else as sad as your show made me. We need people like you to educate others and spread awareness about this horrible illness. No one should feel ashamed of this disease.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely,
Erin R. Everett

***************

We will be sending it in today and ask that you help us by signing and sharing the petition we have made on Change.org
http://www.change.org/petitions/dr-drew-show-on-headline-news-we-would-like-a-public-apology-to-the-celiac-disease-community

Let's stand together and let mainstream media know that they cannot discount the seriousness of this disease because so many still suffer needlessly
and struggle to get diagnosis.

Thank you,
Nikki Everett

Director of Event Coordination
ECHO Event Solutions
Gluten Sensitivity Seminars, LLC
Founder ROCK (Raising Our Celiac Kids), Charlotte, N.C.

Please take a look at our GF/AF Expo Press page to see
what kind of exposure our vendors and presenters get from participating
in our events at www.gfexpopress.blogspot.com/

"Mommy, What is Celiac Disease?" -- book review & giveaway

I heard about this lovely little book when it was published last year on September 9, 2010. There are many celiac kids in our local community and quite a few in our gluten free support group. Yet as a group leader, I had absolutely no materials to help them understand celiac disease. 

Honestly, needing a helpful celiac children's book didn't even cross my mind until a friend (with a celiac daughter) asked me to speak to her local Girl Scout troop a few weeks ago.

(Speaking of which, please sign this online petition to encourage the powers that be of the Girl Scouts to create an allergen free/ gluten free cookie to sell, instead of making celiac girls sell cookies they cannot even eat!) 

The first (and only) resource I thought of was Katie's beautiful book called, "Mommy, What is Celiac Disease?" And I needed a copy ASAP! After doing some initial research I was completely shocked at how few books there currently are that explain celiac disease and the gluten free diet to children.

I quickly contacted Katie and she generously agreed to send me a copy, along with a copy to giveaway to my readers!

Katie's book is perfect for the fall season! With beautiful colors and a simple, understandable story... Katie shares how she helps her daughter understand what celiac disease is. I love Katie's positive outlook on celiac disease and how she helps her daughter understand that life will be just as good as it was before, that they simply have to change some of the foods that they used to eat.

Using language and pictures that children will appreciate and understand -- the story shares simple questions and answers about what celiac disease is, how it affects a child's body, and how doctors and families can treat the disease with diet.

I've read the book twice now and I love the joy it shares. As adults, we often get frustrated or bogged down by the challenges of celiac disease, but we don't think about how blessed we are to be able to make our bodies healthy by simply choosing the right foods.

Katie's sweet story is wonderful to read and I look forward to sharing it with my nephew Christopher when I see him next to help him understand why I have to follow a gluten free diet.

Would you like a copy of this book? Simply leave me a comment here on the blog and tell me who you would share this story with! You have until midnight, Thursday October 6th to enter a comment to win!

And meanwhile if you'd like to buy a copy, Katie offers the books at a discount through her website, where they are actually cheaper than if you were to order them through Amazon! This book would be perfect for school libraries, doctor's offices, gluten free support groups, and just for spreading celiac awareness in general!

International Food Blogger's Conference 2010 - The Sessions

IFBC held at the back of Theo Chocolate.

The 2010 International Food Blogging Conference took place at Theo Chocolate factory in the Fremont district of Seattle from August 27th - 29th. This was my first trip to the west coast. I loved Seattle, although personally I think the coffee shops downtown need to sell gluten free sandwiches along with their bagels and croissants! On Saturday morning we rode a bus over to the Theo Chocolate factory where we would attend sessions on food photography, food writing, law & ethics, specialized diets & blogging, how to write recipes, etc...

My trusty notebook used the first day of IFBC, I quickly learned my laptop would have been more appropriate for following tweets and adding my thoughts.

Udi's provided gluten free muffins for the morning sessions. If you haven't tried them, they are delicious (even though apparently that's an over-used flavor description that should never, ever be used on food blogs... oh well). The lemon muffins were my favorite! The muffins were light, tender, and full of that lovely sweet-tart flavor that reminded me of gluten-filled donuts. Yes. I would spend good money on these gluten free muffins.

POM Wonderful was also a sponsor of IFBC. I can't tell you how many bottles of pomegranate juice & tea I had at this conference. My body should be absolutely loaded with antioxidants. The tea was addicting and I loved the different flavors of tea infused with the juice. POM Wonderful provided a healthy alternative to the beers & wines that were also offered.

More pomegranate info: If you want to know how to open a pomegranate, I did a post about the process here. I also shared how to make pomegranate molasses here.

Lemons used in our writing exercise. The fragrance throughout the room was lovely and clean!

Speaking of lemon muffins, one session we attended was a writing workshop led by Kathleen Finn. The workshop focused on teaching us how to improve our writing skills and descriptive techniques. We had to think of ways to distinguish the taste and feel of a lemon along with the sound of a lemon being chopped -- without using the word lemony or citrus-y. It's harder than you might think. There were absolutely amazing writers in that room of food bloggers, and somehow funny sexual references in their sentences seemed to abound... you don't think a lemon is sexy?

Shauna James Ahern and Alex Jaimeson, Food Blogging for Specialized Diets. I love that they were both wearing red!

My favorite session of the entire conference was the panel on Food Blogging for Specialized Diets. Shauna James Ahern was the first panelist. She is author of the blog Gluten Free Girl, and the books "Gluten Free Girl: How I found the food that loves me back, and "Gluten Free Girl and the Chef." Joining Shauna was Alex Jamieson, a vegan holistic nutritionist and author of the books: "The Great American Detox Diet" and "Living Vegan for Dummies."

Shauna and Alex talked about the joys of writing about food. Some reasons discussed: food bloggers love the experience, they love to help people, and they want to share the joy they find in their kitchens. Shauna and Alex also shared the challenges that can come from working on a blog, why special diets seem to be increasingly more common, and how to make readers of all types of foods welcome to your blog.

A great point that Shauna made during this session was that no matter who you are and no matter what you can eat -- most people have at least one food that they avoid for health, taste, or ethical reasons. So really, we're all specialized food bloggers. We may not state it formally on our blog... but in general everybody has reasons for eating what they do.

Alex shared great stories about why she was a vegan (mostly for healthy reasons - the animal welfare/environmental ethics came later) and she shared her passion for helping people feel well. I loved Alex's enthusiasm for healthy food. The conversations between her & Shauna were engaging, fun, and exuberant! The joy shared by these two women simply radiated throughout the room!

Penny De Los Santos' first cover photograph for Saveur magazine shared during the photography session.

Another session that won people over at IFBC was the photography presentation by award-winning food photographer Penny De Los Santos. Penny was passionate about re-thinking photography. Penny taught that you can learn how to "make" a picture instead of taking one. I loved her incredible delivery & teaching style. I could have listened to Penny talk about the art and philosphy of photography for hours. I was deeply touched by Penny's reflections and intense love of knowing exactly the right moments to make a picture. Penny made me want to read the manual of my little, lowly "point-and-shoot" camera and actually made me believe that even I could make phenomenal pictures.

Melissa from Gluten Free For Good, beautifully summed up the photography session in her recent post on IFBC. If you would like more information on this session, please visit the IFBC website. (Penny's session will be available to view soon!)

Wendy of Celiacs in the House, accepting her Theo chocolate bar which held a ticket stating her prize for winning the photo contest. Go Wendy!

After the inspirational presentation from Penny, attendees were challenged with the task of "making" pictures during lunch on Sunday. I was absolutely BLOWN away by the quality photographs these food bloggers created. The photos were simply incredible. Beautiful. I can honestly say I'm not one of these bloggers! I love to write, I love to cook & bake, and I love creating recipes. But photography (at least at this point in time) is not one of my talents!

I think the highlight of this session for the attending gluten free bloggers was finding out that Wendy from Celiacs in the House won the photo contest. Wendy's award-winning photo was taken by her Canon Powershot SD1200 IS.We were all so proud of her for showing that you don't have to have the world's best camera or lighting equipment to make a beautiful picture. Along with learning photographic techniques, many people also have to develop the talent of being able to see beauty in unexpected places. Wendy... you have that gift!

• Here are the IFBC photograph winners posted by Kathleen Finn, author of "The Sharper your Knife, the Less you Cry" and IFBC writing session instructor.

Wowed by the port-a-potties of awesomeness...

Last but not least for today...

Ahhh... the port-a-potties. You know I love you to post this picture. The fancy-pants port-a-potties were the talk of the town at IFBC. Theo Chocolate factory didn't have enough restrooms for 350 food bloggers, so Zephyr Adventures (co-sponsor of IFBC) went out and found "The Royal (Portable) Restrooms", advertised as "a regal portable restroom experience." You just don't know what you were missing. Those port-a-potties of awesomeness had artwork on the walls, mirrors, a sink, soap dispensers, towels, a rug on the floor, and get this... individually-wrapped MINTS. Now mind you, there were a few food bloggers who were still a little put out at the thought of using port-a-potties throughout a 3 day food conference, but I have to say they certainly added something fun to talk about while waiting in line for food... or.... well... the port-a-potty.

If you attended IFBC this year, please share your comments on your experiences of the trip!

Tomorrow I'll share more highlights of IFBC and our first trip to Seattle!

Why Am I Gluten Sensitive? -- By Dr. Robert McCarthy

Today's guest post is written by a Dr. Robert McCarthy, founder of McCarthy Family Chiropractic  in Greenville, North Carolina. Dr. McCarthy is an advocate for those who are gluten sensitive in the Eastern NC region. 

WHY AM I GLUTEN SENSITIVE?
THE HEALTH DAMAGING EFFECTS OF GLUTEN
By: Dr. Robert McCarthy

More and more people these days are hearing about gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. However, it is still a poorly understood health condition, even among traditional health care providers. I recently had a patient tell me that his family doctor scoffed at him when he shared the fact that he was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity. The doctor replied by saying he doesn’t think gluten sensitivity is a “real disease”. He went on to say that there just isn’t enough research to prove it.  If any of you have suffered from accidental gluten exposure, I’m sure you’d beg to differ. The problem lies in the fact that the research has been around for decades, but the doctor just hasn’t read it.

Gluten sensitivity and its wicked stepmother, celiac disease are very real entities that can be diagnosed with scientific lab tests. However, you need to use the right test or you may wind up with a false negative. I’ve had patients wind up on anti-depressants because no one could identify the cause of their symptoms. The doctor then says, ”It’s all in your head”.  The most accurate and sensitive test is a stool sample. You also need to have the genetic test done to see if you have 1 or 2 genes for either gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.

Gluten is a sticky protein made up of glutenin and gliadin. When water is added, as in cooking, the two bind together forming gluten. If you are genetically predisposed, it’s just a matter of time before symptoms appear. Symptoms can range from mild bloating and cramping all the way to disabling abdominal pains. Another problem with proper diagnosis is that many gluten sensitive people have no abdominal symptoms at all. They may have a reaction to gluten that triggers an autoimmune attack inside their body. Whatever tissues or organs are attacked will determine their symptoms. One of the most common effects of repeated gluten ingestion in susceptible individuals is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Other very common symptoms include aches and pains, lack of energy, brain fog, altered immune system function, depression, and other autoimmune reactions.

Gluten is a problem for these people because they lack the enzyme DPP4, which is necessary for complete digestion of gluten. This leaves a large molecule called gluteomorphine floating around inside your intestines. In time it will disrupt the inner lining of your intestines leading to another condition called leaky gut syndrome. You actually wind up with holes in your intestines allowing all sorts of pathogens to directly enter your blood stream. This leads to a whole cascade of events that fire up your immune system, which in turn can lead to autoimmune disease. Some different body tissues that then fall under attack are the thyroid gland (Hashimoto’s), the pancreas, the lining of your stomach, and even your brain and nervous system.

This information has been well documented going back to the 1920’s. In fact, during WWII in Denmark, there was a grain shortage and people with celiac disease became better. The Roman physician, Galen, described a condition in which the digestion was upset by gluten containing foods as early as the second century BC. If your doctor is not up to date with the latest research, it’s time to find a new doctor.

    

From Dr. McCarthy's website:

Dr. McCarthy graduated from the prestigious S.U.N.Y.@ Stony Brook with a bachelor’s degree. He then attended New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, NY, graduating with a Doctorate in Chiropractic. After graduation Dr. McCarthy accepted an appointment to the NYCC faculty where he was a distinguished instructor in orthopedics, neurology and radiology.

Dr. McCarthy moved to Greenville and established his private practice, McCarthy Family Chiropractic in 1996. Having a focus on meeting the health needs of entire families, Dr. McCarthy offers unique treatments for children, adults, and elderly patients. He has a passion for helping people who have “been everywhere” and “tried everything”. Chronic conditions that destroy people’s lives are given special attention in his office.

Currently, Dr. McCarthy serves as the chairman of the Research Committee for the North Carolina Chiropractic Association. He lectures regularly on posture, nutrition, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain.

As an active member of the Greenville community, Dr. McCarthy attends Covenant UMC with his wife and 5 children. He is also the founder and head coach of the Pitt County Youth Lacrosse League and the President of the East Carolina Youth Lacrosse League.