Green Options

Just because you have Celiac Disease, or are eating gluten free doesn’t mean you have to give up all your favorite foods.  You may have to relinquish a few, but with a little help, and some trial and error, you’ll find that there are wonderful gluten free substitutes for many of your favorite foods out there, you just gotta find ‘em.

In one of my earlier posts (Time saving Gluten Free Products You’ll love) I threw out a couple of products that make my life of gluten free cooking and baking much easier,  namely Pamela’s Baking Mix and Kinnikinnick Products.  Here are some other things that you may have enjoyed in your previous gluten filled life, that you thought you had to give up:

If you’re living a gluten free life, there are a couple of companies that I’ve come to love over the years for the wonderful products they make.  They’re both great time savers for those days when you’re rushed, short of time, or just don’t have the means to prepare a meal from scratch.

Pamela’s Baking Mix is an all purpose gluten free baking mix that I use to make pancakes (just add eggs and water), scones, biscuits, and corn bread.  Many of the recipes just involve adding eggs, butter, and an ingredient or two, making them fast and easy to make.  It also has dozens of other uses as well, including brownies, breads, muffins, and bagels.

Celiac Disease is one of the most common, undiagnosed genetic disorders with an estimated 1 in 133 people, or 2 million people, afflicted with the disease in the United States alone (figures cited from here and here).  Persons of Irish, English, and other Anglo backgrounds tend to be more prone to the disease than those of other ethnic backgrounds.

This disease is not a food allergy, but an auto-immune disorder that people do not grow out of over time.  The results of this disorder vary widely by individual, and can range from mild to severe, even requiring hospitalization.

Kids of moms who have an autoimmune disease such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease have up to a three times greater risk for autism, according to a new study.

The first two have been linked in earlier research. But the surprise might be the last disorder, which is more commonly recognized as an intolerance to gluten. (Not “intolerance” as in: “I don’t want you in my club,” but as in “My body gets crampy and nasty and sick when I eat you.”)

Coincidentally, perhaps, there has been a four-fold increase in the incidence of celiac disease over the past 50 years.

Researcher William W. Eaton, chairman of the Department of Mental Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, said of the study,

This finding reinforces the suggestion that autoimmune processes are connected somehow with the cause of autism and autism spectrum disorder. This finding is on the pathway of finding the cause of autism.

There may be an overlap in the genetics of some of the autoimmune diseases and autism that would not be trivial. Autism is strongly inherited, but we don’t have the faintest idea where. But this may point a flashlight to areas of the genome that connect to autism.

He pointed out that these sensitivities might be factored in with environmental triggers.

If you are allergic to wheat or you have celiac disease, or if you just plain love dessert, these chocolate chip cookies are sure to be a winner in your house.

This wheat-free cookie recipe is quick and easy to make, and by substituting the oat flour with rice or quinoa flour, it can be a gluten-free dessert. It also happens to be vegan, but you’d never know by the taste.

Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Which ancient grain:

• is 15 to 18% protein?
• has five times the iron as wheat?
• contains three times the fiber as wheat?
• delivers twice the calcium as milk?
• is a great source of magnesium and manganese?
• is high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid?
• contains both lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids usually missing from other grains?

This nutritional powerhouse is easy to prepare and can be substituted for other grains in just about any recipe. It is a gluten-free food, making it an easy choice for sufferers of celiac disease or wheat allergies to replace wheat, barley, and rye in grain-based recipes.

What is this amazing superfood?