Gluten Free Garden

Baked potato with sauteed onions, zucchini and green pepper with fresh bartlett pears.

I would describe the last two weeks as a roller coaster.  I have days when I am high on energy and feel great, and days when I am barely functional and sick.  The LEAP program is a challenge and infinitely more difficult than any gluten or dairy free diet.  But, despite the difficulty, I am optimistic that this is absolutely worth it.  In the end, if I can identify all of my food sensitivities and mitigate reactions, I will ultimately be able to live a healthy, happy lifestyle without fear of eating.

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Amaranth-breaded catfish and fresh melon pear salad.

It has been a frustrating nine months.   When I first began to investigate the cause of my various health issues I believed my symptoms were caused by intolerance to gluten (wheat) and casein (dairy).  What I have found is that my sensitivity to food is much more complicated than I originally thought.

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This is an excellent article on the benefits of probiotics for celiac disease.  Please be sure to read through all of Dr. Mercola’s comments at the bottom of the article, as they are a great comprehensive overview of why celiacs (and nearly everyone else) should avoid grains.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/27/gut-bacteria-offer-new-hope-for-people-with-celiac-disease.aspx

This CNN article explores the many challenges in diagnosing food allergies and intolerance.  While I am pleased that awareness of diet-related symptoms is increasing, I can’t help but continue to feel frustrated by the lack of medical solutions to these problems. 

I, too, have had a “skin-prick” allergy test for approximately forty different types of allergens and the results were all negative.  The allergists’ advice to me was inconclusive and unhelpful at best:  see an IBS specialist.  I asked whether an IBS specialist would be able to help me identify causes of other symptoms such as skin irritation, migraines, fatigue, etc.  The allergists’ response was that I am absolutely not allergic to any foods (or, I can assume, just the forty allergens he actually tested me for…), but that if I really believe I have diet-related symptoms then I need to practice a limited diet.  I asked how I could medically determine which foods I should avoid if the allergy test was inconclusive.  He didn’t have any answer for me other than, “avoid what makes you sick.”

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This Saturday, April 17th, from 10:00am to 4:00pm is Gluten-Free Day at the Windsor Heights HyVee Grocery.  Be sure to stop by and check out their gluten-free products!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is a super-fast, super-easy recipe guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s faces.  Fantastic when frosted and decorated for Halloween, these muffins are delicious any time of year!  (We call them “muffins” so we can eat them for breakfast, but really they should be called “cupcakes!”)

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Yes, this article in the Los Angeles Times follows the research of several scientists who are working to reduce and eventually eliminate the symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and celiac disease.

Celiacs, would you take advantage of any of these therapies? What about the hookworm method???

Well, maybe you could name it… I think I would name mine Henry.

It is unseasonably cold in Iowa this month and I am feeling it!  I managed to pick up one of the many bugs going around and am home sick with a cold and sore throat.  Fortunately, I have a go-to recipe for mulled apple cider that I think is the perfect warm up beverage.

I made a huge batch of this on Saturday and took it to my friends who were dancing at the World Food Festival downtown.  Considering the temperature was hovering between 35-45 degrees, the hot cider was a huge hit!

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I’m so excited and proud to be the new co-writer of Gluten Free Garden. My sister has done an excellent job with this site and I hope to be as useful and entertaining as she has been for you all.

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Hello, dear readers, and happy fall!

You may have noticed that my Gluten Free Garden updates have been rather… sparce… as of late.  I blame my new job which requires a great deal of travel and also a passionate obsession with dance that overtook me during the summer (check out my music site, HannahBretz.com for details on that adventure).  Well, to keep the gluten free fun going today I have taken on a collaborator, conspirator and otherwise fabulous partner in crime… my sister Hailey.

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