The Dangers of Gluten Sensitivity
It’s fairly easy to determine whether someone has celiac disease; it involves a simple test. However, it is possible to be sensitive to gluten without actually having an intolerance to it. Gluten sensitivity is much harder to diagnose because the test for celiac disease will come back as negative. So, how are you supposed to know if you should be eating gluten free diet foods?
The only way to determine if you should adhere to a wheat free diet is to eliminate gluten from your food intake and see if your symptoms go away. If you begin to feel much better after starting the new diet, it’s fairly safe to say that you just have gluten sensitivity. But if the symptoms persist, you must look to your doctor for other answers. It’s hard to say what foods are safe to eat and what aren’t. Some people with sensitivity find that their bodies can handle small doses of gluten.
The safest and smartest thing to do is to just live on a wheat free diet just like those with celiac disease do. There’s no point in putting your health at risk and you don’t want to cause your body more damage.
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Gluten Free Flying Tips
Traveling can be a stressful ordeal for anyone, but even more so for those restricted to gluten free diet foods. The last thing you want is to be stuck on a plane for several hours with little food to eat. Here are some easy tips to make your plane ride a little more enjoyable, and filling!
- When booking the flight, book a celiac meal ahead of time. Many airlines now offer these meals and can make accommodations.
- After boarding the plane, let the flight attendants know that you are the one who ordered the meal so your food is not mistakenly given to someone else.
- If the meal has been forgotten about, explain your situation to the staff and let them know what foods you can eat. If you’re lucky, you might get the first class chef to prepare a special meal just for you.
- Always come prepared with plenty of snacks, like gluten free crackers, just in case. Forgoing food the entire trip is not a wise decision.
- If you can’t book a special meal, eat right before the flight and pack a lot of snacks.
- Never trust the regular meals offered on flight. Even if you scrape off what you can’t eat, there can still be cross contamination.
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Gluten Free Expo in Washington
The smell of pizza, courtesy of Bella Monica FlatBread Company, wafted in the air at the first ever Gluten-Free expo in Washington D.C. this past Friday. Bella Monica, along with 60 other vendors, gathered together to show the gluten free community that good food, free of gluten, is not hard to find. At the expo you could find everything from gluten free cookies and cakes to wheat free breads and burritos.
The event was hosted by the Celiac Disease Program at Children’s National Medical Center. They received over $20,000 in proceeds. Over 600 hungry people showed up and were able to taste generous portions from each of the vendors. Both local and regional vendors appeared, many of whom were already in town for the Fancy Food Show (a food convention for trade professionals only).
It was truly an inspiring event to see such a wide array of gluten free diet foods. Most were very impressed to see such diversity and to know the market is growing. Hopefully this will not be the last expo and others around the country will take notice and start their own. If you’re searching for though, look no further than Josef’s!
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Gluten Free Diet Foods for BBQ’s
Now that it’s 4th of July, you will be throwing and going to plenty of barbecues all summer long. If you have celiac disease, though, you might be a bit worried about indulging in the party food. You have to be very careful about what you ingest. With a few helpful tips, your summer doesn’t have to be a washout.
Since normal bread is out, pick up gluten free hot dog and hamburger buns. Otherwise it’ll just be meat patties for you. If you’re at someone else’s house, leave the bread off. Sauces and marinades can be tricky. Ones that are store bought will most likely have gluten. Instead, look up recipes to make yourself. You can find some tasty ones here.
Cross contamination is a big concern. You cannot grill your food on the same grate with foods that contain gluten. A simple solution is to cook all your gluten free diet foods first. Otherwise, you can cook your food on aluminum foil. As for side dishes, you can’t go wrong with fresh fruits and vegetables. It won’t upset your intestines and it’s just plain healthy and delicious! For dessert, pick up some gluten free cookies from Josef’s.
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A Wheat Free Diet Does Not Have to Limit the Taste Buds
Maintaining a wheat free diet does not mean one has to give up on taste, a fact I did not believe until I sampled some gluten free diet foods. These items did not taste different from the foods with which I was familiar.
One of my best friends adheres to a gluten free diet for health reasons and I became familiar with gluten free products as a result. Initially, I almost pitied her for her limited diet and disdained the wheat-free foods she consumed. After trying some wheat free cookies, I realized that such products could still taste delicious.
I began to investigate different gluten free snacks. She and I began to share treats watching movies, gossiping etc.; it was a form of bonding we had never been able to experience before then. Prior to this food awakening, we were careful to keep our foods separate, now I appreciated her gluten free crackers, and wheat free cookies!
Together we would select an online gluten free bakery and have products delivered to our dorm. She likes shopping online because she finds that it can be the easiest way to accumulate a wide selection of wheat free foods. This experience taught me to expand my food palate. It also made us closer since it gave me a fundamental understanding her condition and how to normalize a wheat free diet.
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Understanding Your Symptoms
A lot more people seem to be developing celiac disease these days and there has been a drastic increase in the amount of wheat free diet food and gluten free diet foods. Because of this, many people are now wondering if they too have celiac disease. Every time they have a stomach problem, they assume it’s either celiac or a development of lactose intolerance. However, people need to separate the occasional digestive issue from reoccurring symptoms.
The most common symptoms include frequent diarrhea (or constipation), bloating, and abdominal cramping. While these are good indicators you may have a serious problem, they’re not the only determining factors. Look for unexplained weight loss and anemia as well. If your body can’t break down the gluten, it will not be able to absorb nutrients properly and you will lose weight.
A good idea is to keep a food journal and record whenever you feel symptoms. This can help you form a link to the underlying cause. If you’re suffering from these symptoms for quite some time, visit the doctor immediately who can perform tests to see if you have celiac disease. It’s better to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to your health.
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A Gluten Free Bakery for Father’s Day
I feel like just yesterday we were taking out my mom for Mother’s Day and now we’re about to celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday. I hope you already purchased your father something nice. For my dad, it’s a new set of golf clubs –which is probably a similar gift for your dad! But dad also likes to indulge in his sweet tooth. That’s why I also decided to shop at Josef’s, a gluten free bakery.
Dad has to follow a strict wheat free diet, but he doesn’t let that stop him from eating delicious cookies. When he first learned he had celiac disease, that was his first question –”Doctor, please tell me I can still eat cookies!” Yeah, dad might be related to Cookie Monster, we’re looking into it. So I made sure I ordered a few boxes of Josef’s scrumptious cookies to give to him on Father’s Day. Well, he’ll get one box and the rest are for the entire family.
So keep dad healthy this year and have him eating right. Don’t give him too many cookies though. We don’t want dad spoiling his special dinner with all those cookies!
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Gluten Free Diet Foods: It’s a Wrap
When it comes to gluten free diet foods for dinner, I don’t like a lot of muss and fuss. After work, I’m tired from the long commute and I just want a simple meal. Nothing fancy. One of my favorite quick meals to make is chicken wraps. But if you’ve been living gluten free, then you know you can’t just pick up any package of wraps. You have to hunt for some gluten free ones.
Next dice up your chicken and marinate it in some Italian dressing or teriyaki sauce. Get your fixings ready to add. Of course you need lettuce, but I enjoy some type of cheese, cucumbers, shredded carrots, diced avocado, and black olives. I would normally say tomato, but I personally don’t like it. Add whatever you like. Everything always tastes delicious. But the best part of these chicken wraps is the lack of fattening salad dressing. Instead, I like to use Sabra hummus –Greek Olive Hummus to be exact. They have several different flavors so find the one that you like the best.
Spread the hummus on the wraps and then add the cooked chicken, lettuce, and everything else. Roll it up and you’re ready to go. Check back for more great ideas with your gluten free diet foods!
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Bridging The Gluten Free Gap
I recently started seeing someone who was living gluten free. When a relationship is new meals and snacks are often a great way to get to better know a person. When two parties have seemingly insurmountable dietary differences it can seem like they have nothing in common. Of course this is just the kind of silly illogical leaps the brain takes when you first begin dating someone new. There are most definitely ways a person who does not eat gluten free can incorporate elements of a gluten free diet into their diet to meet a potential mate halfway.
For one thing when she recently made it clear she intended to visit my apartment I made sure to have a gluten free snack or two at hand. She was very appreciative that I had managed to snag some gluten free cookies and gluten free crackers, and had them laid out on separate serving trays like a model homemaker. I think she was honestly really charmed by my effort to serve her specialty diet. I also made sure to ask a lot of questions about it. I was curious about what led to this change in how she ate and the whole time I thought about how a switch might benefit not only me but our burgeoning relationship as well.
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Having the Gulten Free Munchies
Sometimes we don’t need a full meal to be satisfied. Whether it’s late at night or just between meals, we all get that urge for something extra. For that familiar snack. Now it’s true that a lot of snacks have become very fulfilling in recent years. When cookies suddenly become larger than your head, you know there’s something wrong with your snacking rituals. But for the gluten free crowd out there there are so many solutions that people still don’t know about. Like the delicious gluten free cookies.
These scrumptious delicacies are completely gluten free. They can serve as a great snack between meals just like regular cookies, but without all that gluten. There are so many gluten free snacks that can help your hunger during any hour of the day. Being on a gluten free diet no longer means that you have to adhere to a strict meal schedule.
With more and more gluten free snacks entering the market, anyone who wishes can enjoy gluten free food whenever and however they please. You can attribute it to technological advances, perhaps in the mechanics of making the gluten free food, but more importantly, it’s due to a rise in demand, for better and higher quality gluten free food.
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