Allergy | Allergies » celiac http://allergy-aware.com Allergy information about allergies Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:11:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Gluten Free Biscuits from Ann’s Kitchen http://allergy-aware.com/176/gluten-free/gluten-free-biscuits-from-anns-kitchen/ http://allergy-aware.com/176/gluten-free/gluten-free-biscuits-from-anns-kitchen/#comments Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:49:12 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/176/gluten-free/gluten-free-biscuits-from-anns-kitchen/ This is an excerpt from the Basic Breads DVD by Ann Brown & Capt. Videoman Productions. Best gluten free biscuits you’ve ever had. Ordering info: captvideoman@hotmail.com

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/176/gluten-free/gluten-free-biscuits-from-anns-kitchen/feed/ 7 Gluten Free Diets : Household Food With Gluten http://allergy-aware.com/120/gluten-free/gluten-free-diets-household-food-with-gluten/ http://allergy-aware.com/120/gluten-free/gluten-free-diets-household-food-with-gluten/#comments Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:35:25 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/120/gluten-free/gluten-free-diets-household-food-with-gluten/ Checking your household food for gluten can be a challenge if you don’t know what you are looking for. Learn how to find gluten in household foods withexpert tips on celiac disease in this free nutrition video. Expert: Sharon Powell Bio: Sharon Powell is a mother of a five year old son who has a gluten intolerance. Filmmaker: Reggie Hayes

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/120/gluten-free/gluten-free-diets-household-food-with-gluten/feed/ 4 Gluten-Free Roasted Turkey http://allergy-aware.com/128/gluten-free/gluten-free-roasted-turkey/ http://allergy-aware.com/128/gluten-free/gluten-free-roasted-turkey/#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:52:33 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/128/gluten-free/gluten-free-roasted-turkey/ Preparing Thanksgiving turkey for family on a gluten-free diet is a snap with these tips. Use this guide with any of the scores of roasted turkey recipes at MyRecipes.com.

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/128/gluten-free/gluten-free-roasted-turkey/feed/ 10 Bake Yes! To Cookies Gluten Free-Zero Sugar Carbs http://allergy-aware.com/119/gluten-free/bake-yes-to-cookies-gluten-free-zero-sugar-carbs/ http://allergy-aware.com/119/gluten-free/bake-yes-to-cookies-gluten-free-zero-sugar-carbs/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:59:29 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/119/gluten-free/bake-yes-to-cookies-gluten-free-zero-sugar-carbs/ Learn how to get the best results with the new Yes! To Cookies gluten free, sugar free, no digestible carbohydrate cookie mix for people with food concerns related to blood sugar and food allergies such as autism, celiac and gluten intolerance as well as those who are on diets and want weight loss and still enjoy a treat that satisfies snack cravings with a high fiber, yummy cookie that has no calories from carbohydrates.

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/119/gluten-free/bake-yes-to-cookies-gluten-free-zero-sugar-carbs/feed/ 0 TBB – A Gluten Free Thanksgiving http://allergy-aware.com/71/gluten-free/tbb-a-gluten-free-thanksgiving/ http://allergy-aware.com/71/gluten-free/tbb-a-gluten-free-thanksgiving/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:48:19 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/71/gluten-free/tbb-a-gluten-free-thanksgiving/ I taped the hubby and I making Thanksgiving dinner and decided to add the recipes and upload it. I had to squash five hours of cooking down to the smallest time period possible so I’m sorry about the length.

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/71/gluten-free/tbb-a-gluten-free-thanksgiving/feed/ 10 cu poppy’s seed bakery http://allergy-aware.com/175/gluten-free/cu-poppys-seed-bakery/ http://allergy-aware.com/175/gluten-free/cu-poppys-seed-bakery/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:51:55 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/175/gluten-free/cu-poppys-seed-bakery/ great contacts.DO YOU DO ANY OF YOUR OWN BAKING? Nothing at all with the gluten-free. Its such detailed and specific requirements and thats one of the reasons its difficult to find real quality gluten free. A lot of the big bakeries arent involved in it at this point because everything has to be separate, all their equipment thats being used. Like for me, I cant buy a loaf of gluten free bread and bring it to my slicer and slice it. That automatically cross-contaminates it so thats one of …

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/175/gluten-free/cu-poppys-seed-bakery/feed/ 0 Your Celiac Child at School: Seven Strategies to Maintain a Gluten Free Diet Monaday – Friday http://allergy-aware.com/57/gluten-free/your-celiac-child-at-school-seven-strategies-to-maintain-a-gluten-free-diet-monaday-friday/ http://allergy-aware.com/57/gluten-free/your-celiac-child-at-school-seven-strategies-to-maintain-a-gluten-free-diet-monaday-friday/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:48:39 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/57/gluten-free/your-celiac-child-at-school-seven-strategies-to-maintain-a-gluten-free-diet-monaday-friday/ imageStrategy 1:  Celiac disease is familiar to you now, but don’t assume that your child’s teacher knows anything about it.  Or what ‘gluten free’ really means.  Arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher before term starts to explain what celiac disease and a gluten free diet are all about .  Most teachers will welcome such a meeting and it is better to be done face to face rather than on the phone or by letter so that you can answer any questions and also so you can gage how much the teacher seems to understand.  Take something printed with you too for them to refer to.  On my blog I offer a free explanatory leaflet which explains celiac disease very simply and goes through the implications of a gluten free diet.  You may also want to speak to other people in the school such as the school nurse or secretary (or whoever offers first aid care should your child feel ill).   When my son (aged eight at the time) was diagnosed with celiac disease I met with his class teacher and headteacher to discuss any implications, such as cooking, gluten-containing playdough, birthday cakes that may be brought in and so on.  It was a really helpful meeting and they have been 100% supportive ever since.   Strategy 2: Send in a treat box of gluten free snacks and treats.   Now you have the teacher on side, they are likely to be very willing to keep a small supply of gluten free cakes and treats in their desk, just in case they are ever needed.  Vacuum packed cakes are useful for if someone brings in a birthday cake to share, and my son has had small sweets if someone brings in holiday candy.  Sometimes you can plan in advance but there are times when it is good to have a back up plan and my son has needed his treat box more than once in the past term!

Strategy 3: Educate the other kids   Obviously this is very age dependent, but we felt it was really important for our son’s friends to understand why he can’t eat the same food as them, why he has a treat box, and different lunches, and why he sometimes has time off school for hospital visits etc.  We also wanted them to understand that there are lots of things he can eat just the same too, so he still gets invited out to tea and to parties.  The teacher may have ideas of how to do this.  We made up a short talk one ‘Show and Tell’ day, about what celiac disease is, what he can and can’t eat in a gluten free diet and how he feels about all this.  He also took in some gluten free cupcakes for the class to try and it was a great success: they loved the cakes and are all very supportive now they understand more of what it is about. 

Strategy 4: If your child is having school dinners, speak to the catering staff   Again, don’t assume they will understand what a gluten free diet really means (I tend to ask people what they understand by this before I believe them).  They especially need to be aware of the danger of contamination from utensils used with gluten containing food.  Check their menus carefully and discuss options with them.  They do have a duty of care toward your child and it is certainly worth the time to befriend them and work with them on this.

Strategy 5:  If your child is taking home-made lunches to school, make them delicious.   It takes a bit of effort, and I long for the days when a quick cheese spread sandwich did the job, but it is worth it.  I always worried that my son would look at the other kids’ pack-ups and envy them their bread sandwiches and the shop bought cakes and biscuits he couldn’t have any more.  So my mission is to make his pack-ups more exciting than theirs (see my blog for ideas on this!).  I think this has worked.  He just gets annoyed than everyone wants to share with him and he can’t share back!!  Again, it’s a classic make your child feel special, not different.

Strategy 6:  Keep ahead on parties, trips and celebrations .  It’s kind of obvious but worth keeping in mind – especially if your school is a bit last minute on notices (as ours sometimes is).  I would rather know a week in advance rather than a day – especially if it involves extra baking (and it usually does!)  You will probably have to provide gluten free party food at christmas, and a slice of (iced) cake if someone is having a birthday and bringing a cake in.  That treat box is okay for emergencies but if you can be ready, so much the better.  Hopefully that on-side teacher will help with this.

Strategy 7: Teach your child to read labels   They need to know what foods contain gluten, an be able to recognise the gluten free symbol on food (great if your child is a non-reader).  Practice lots at home until your child is confident and then let him go.  He/she is going to have to learn to take responsibility for their own eating (obviously in an age appropriate way) and the sooner the better.  My son’s friends are used to offering him a sweet then handing over the packet so he can read the label.  It’s great to know he can do that when he goes to their houses for tea too.

School can be a scary prospect if you have a celiac child.  Maintaining a gluten free diet around a load of peers you want to be like, and adults you can’t argue with can be tough.  But it can be done and is done, by thousands of celiac children the world over.  As parents al we can do is our best to prepare both our child and their school as much as possible.  Then wave them off in the morning and try not to spend the day worrying about them!!

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/57/gluten-free/your-celiac-child-at-school-seven-strategies-to-maintain-a-gluten-free-diet-monaday-friday/feed/ 0 Tasty Gluten Free Products http://allergy-aware.com/89/gluten-free/tasty-gluten-free-products/ http://allergy-aware.com/89/gluten-free/tasty-gluten-free-products/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:33:50 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/89/gluten-free/tasty-gluten-free-products/ imageIn the gluten-filled world where we have spent most of our lives until now, we learned as children which products we liked to eat and which we didn’t. Now, as sufferers of celiac disease or as a gluten intolerant, we find ourselves thrown into the task of finding gluten-free products to replace all those foods containing wheat, rye, barley and oats that we loved to eat–like bread, cookies, cakes and pastas. Our lives have suddenly become much more complicated.

A totally gluten-free diet means learning to cope with the creation of menus for three meals a day every day of the week with gluten free products most of which we’ve never heard of or even tasted. While some products on the market are good, some are only okay and many are so bad that you may as well eat the carton on the box it came in. At the start of your gluten-free diet, many of the foods you have purchased will end up in your garbage pail and leave you frustrated and on the verge of deciding to give up on gluten-free food after only trying a few things. How can you ease your suffering and find what products are the most tasty in the easiest way possible, avoiding the costly and time-consuming trial and error system? One of the best ways is to follow the crowd. Log onto the on-line celiac message boards and local support groups. Here the members will tell you in no uncertain terms what gluten-free products are worth eating and which should be avoided at all costs.

Since most people with celiac disease were diagnosed with the disease well into adulthood, they, like you, remember exactly what their favorite products tasted like. The modern gluten-free food manufacturer has a lot of work to do in the taste-pleasing department if he wants to keep his customers. Word of mouth spreads quickly in the celiac community. If a product meets or exceeds expectations, it quickly gains a following. If the product is tasteless, the word spreads just as quickly. There’s nothing that a person with celiac disease hates more than spending good money on bad food. What follows below are some foods to get you started on your way. We have carried out a survey of some of the best-loved gluten-free food along with the names of their manufacturers. K-Toos (cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies similar to Oreos); KinniKritters (animal crackers) and Tapioca Rice Cinnamon Buns (cinnamon rolls) are some of the favorite products coming from Kinnikinnick manufactures. All Kinnikinnick products are manufactured in a gluten-free facility so there is no need to worry about cross-contamination. As they have over 100 products there are plenty of products to choose from.

If you are looking to go the mix route try looking in the health food sections for such popular mixes as Perfect Pie Crust, Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix, Favorite Sandwich Bread and Angel Food Cake, all from the Glutino Food Group. Pamela’s Products is another well-recognized brand that deserves its place high on the list of favorite gluten-free brands. Their Amazing Wheat-Free Bread Mix is among the most popular due to its soft, bendable texture. Their Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix comes in a large, 4-pound recloseable zipper bag! If you are looking for pasta, no list of the best gluten-free brands would be complete without mentioning Tinkyada Pasta which can be used instead of regular pasta to cook all your pre-gluten-free pasta-based family recipes like spaghetti, casseroles and lasagna. And the best part about their products, which come in all the traditional shapes such as spaghetti, fettuccine penne, spirals, lasagna, shells and elbow macaroni, is their taste and high quality which enables celiacs and non-celiacs to enjoy the same great meal.

You might be surprised at how easy it can be to live well on a gluten-free diet with some of these delicious, quality products in your kitchen.

So here’s to happy and tasty gluten-free eating!

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/89/gluten-free/tasty-gluten-free-products/feed/ 0 Secrets To Gluten Free Baking Part 1 – Arnel McAtee http://allergy-aware.com/55/gluten-free/secrets-to-gluten-free-baking-part-1-arnel-mcatee/ http://allergy-aware.com/55/gluten-free/secrets-to-gluten-free-baking-part-1-arnel-mcatee/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:57:33 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/55/gluten-free/secrets-to-gluten-free-baking-part-1-arnel-mcatee/ arnelsoriginals.com Call me at 805-322-6900 I got used to cooking gluten free meals but the one item I missed was good gluten free bread. The products out there were a sad excuse for bread, usually hard, dense, dry, and crumbly. Some companies got the taste right, but no one had a wholesome loaf with a good texture. And so I baked. Each week I my family gave me helpful suggestions and the next week, I started afresh. FINALLY, after eight years of baking bread, I am happy with the results. I …

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]]> http://allergy-aware.com/55/gluten-free/secrets-to-gluten-free-baking-part-1-arnel-mcatee/feed/ 1 For Your Celiac Child, Should The Whole Family Go Gluten Free? http://allergy-aware.com/53/gluten-free/for-your-celiac-child-should-the-whole-family-go-gluten-free/ http://allergy-aware.com/53/gluten-free/for-your-celiac-child-should-the-whole-family-go-gluten-free/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 05:23:58 +0000 Jane Simpson http://allergy-aware.com/53/gluten-free/for-your-celiac-child-should-the-whole-family-go-gluten-free/ imageWhen your child is first diagnosed with celiacs disease, one of the biggest questions is ‘Should the whole family go gluten free?’

Certainly there are advantages to this option: equally there are disadvantages. It is a question that needs discussing and working through,preferably as a whole family, as everyone is affected, the earlier the better.

The first option is for only the affected family member to go gluten free, and the rest of the family to eat as they always have.   This may be the most popular option if brothers and sisters object to eating gluten free food – especially if they object to giving up certain gluten containing favourites such as cakes and biscuits! As my daughter used to say on occasion, ‘I’m not celiac- why am I not having my favourite food because he is?’ So this option would in some ways maintain family harmony, although it does continually point out the celiac child as being different. It also means that whoever is cooking for the family will often have to make multiple meals which is both time consuming and difficult.

Another argument is that if the rest of the family are eating gluten all the time it is incredibly difficult to avoid cross contamination for the celiac child. The whole family needs to be very aware of contamination issues but mistakes happen – especially when children or teenagers are in a hurry!

On the other end of the scale, the whole family could go gluten free.

This has the great advantage of eradicating gluten from the kitchen completely, so cross contamination is not an issue at all. The family can eat together, the cook only has to prepare one meal, and the celiac child is not the ‘odd one out’. This can work well in a family where someone does most of the cooking and also bakes gluten free cakes and biscuits on a regular basis.

 The big disadvantage of this option, however, is the cost. If pre-prepared meals are a large part of the diet, or if you buy a lot of gluten free cakes and biscuits, this can be an incredibly expensive option! Gluten free products are generally quite pricey and for the whole family to eat it unnecessarily will cost! You may also get complaints from other family members who neither want nor need to eat a gluten free diet.

We, like many other families I have talked to, have settled for the middle option. We all eat… mainly gluten free!

Everything I bake is gluten free: the whole family has homemade gluten free cakes and biscuits in their lunchboxes and there have been no complaints about this at all. Family meals are also gluten free: this is very easy as I do not rely on pre-made sauces etc, and there are so many meals that are naturally gluten free that it really doesn’t take much planning.

However, because of the expense (and my complete failure with the bread maker) my son has his own gluten free bread while the rest of us have sliced (to avoid contamination) bread. We also have a separate tub of margarine with a big red cross on it for using on wheat bread, and two toasters. Also because of the expense, my son will have things like gluten free fish fingers while the others have normal, and the normal ones are cooked on a special baking tray.

In fact it is the gluten things that are singled out as being different in our kitchen, because most foods and kitchen areas are completely gluten free. It has worked for us. My son never feels any different, and the ‘gluten things’ are kept separately and carefully.

It is an issue that needs thinking through. But life gets so much easier when the whole family knows where they stand with it. And compromises can be reached to ensure that every member is happy.

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