Gluten-Free Joke

It's official - you can't go anywhere now without someone making fun of gluten-free mania. I've commented before that  "marketing" gluten-free label on products that would never even be suspect (jam, for example)...makes me crazy. 

Today you'll even see "gluten-free" marked on a bag of almonds. Ingredients: Almonds. On the same bag: Does Not Contain Gluten. In this case, I'd guess that the distributor is tired of fielding calls on their customer service line. 

Don't get me wrong - I'm DELIGHTED to see packaging with clear "Gluten-Free" labelling - but c'mon. When things that would never be suspect are touting this status as a selling feature - it's no wonder the gluten-free scene is taking a lot of knocks right now. I just saw a print done by a local artist titled "GLUTEN FREE POETRY". 

Celiacs - get ready... I feel the winds are changing once again. Your fashionable diet is, well, becoming more fun to mock than to follow. Perhaps I'll feel like a dinosaur in a few years when I order out at a restaurant and ask whether a dish can be served up "gluten-free". We'll find all of those gf cookbooks stacked up alongside Mr. Atkins in the used book stores. Of course... I could be wrong. In which case, good thing there is gluten-free coffee (and more importantly, cookies) available down the street!

gluten-free dining out and holiday socials

Tis the season to be eating out more frequently - holidays mean gatherings of groups from the office, associations, teams… it's a time when larger groups book dinner out in restaurants you've never eaten at before. 

Today with so much hoopla about gluten-free… there are options. What frightens me, is that in many cases the establishment hasn't actually learned what gluten-free really means. Serving rice pasta that's cooked in the same pasta water as the wheat pasta (beware!), risotto made with the same pasta water (yes, this is common practise!), or fries cooked in the same oil as the battered onion rings, samosas etc. is par for the course. That's just for starters. There's the soy sauce in the marinade or the dressing, the bouillon used in the soup or sauce…. Those of us who live on a strict gluten-free diet know. Those serving a population that they believe to be following the latest trend - typically, do not. 

Don't get me wrong - I'm delighted that gluten-free living is being embraced and is helping more than just those with celiac disease. I'm very happy to live in a society that is starting to take healthcare to the level of diet before chronic illness requires stronger remedies. I love my gluten-free diet. It's just that today, I'm less trusting of the cavalier use of the term gluten free. I feel the need to throw around "celiac" in a restaurant while looking the server in the eye that pleas for them to take me seriously.  

A couple of weeks ago I ate in a restaurant for the first time and asked if the burger was gluten-free. The waiter responded by saying that it was provided I didn't have the bun. When I asked about fries, he said that they were made in the same oil as other gluten items. I immediately felt safer about the burger I'd just ordered (with a side salad). 

This weekend we were out in another new establishment which largely served pizza and pasta. They had risotto, so I asked about how it was made. The girl looked confused when I asked about the pasta water. When she came back she told me not to order it - not because of the water, but because even the kitchen didn't know what was in the bouillon. In the end I ordered the chicken - it was the only option on the menu. When in doubt, opt for simple (grilled or broiled, no sauce and clarify that something isn't dredged in flour first when it comes to meat and fish). Scare them with the thought that you might be ill right in the restaurant if you must :)

In the next two weeks I have at least 3 events that I can think of where I'll be dining with a large group in a restaurant I've never eaten at before. I will be perusing the menu on-line in advance and making a call before going to save getting lost in the shuffle of a big group. No one wants to get sick over the holidays… and this is one time of year where you're bound to find yourself outside of your comfort zone. I've written more extensively on holiday socializing HERE. 

Wishing you a safe and Happy Holidays!!

gluten-free now and then...keeping it healthy

Mum's gluten-free recipe cards held the secrets of my favourite treats growing up

Flashback to the early 1970's. No gluten-free anything in any grocery store. No internet. No computers for that matter. My mother was armed with her little index cards and her typewriter to record her groundbreaking research.

Celia was truly a pioneer in the gluten-free food world. On the days when you are feeling a little blue about having to go without something, it doesn't hurt to recognize that there is no better time to be diagnosed with a condition that requires or benefits from going without gluten. 

I think it's equally important to reflect on the fact that it was very possible to live well, and thrive on this diet before the market was flooded with specialty food products. As a veteran, it's been very interesting to watch the market change so much and see people adopting this diet without their doctor prescribing it to keep them alive.

Gluten-free is not a guarantee that you will be healthier (or thinner for that matter!) Living simply, on fresh, local foods that are not mass produced is still the best option. I love having the gluten-free foods I crave at the ready, but as we all focus on living a little healthier at the start of a new year... I'm going to aim to keep my meals focused around lots of greens, beans and simple gluten-free grains. Ok, and perhaps an occasional (and much appreciated) cookie or two.

gluten-free birthday party...time warp.

gluten-free party circa 1975 that's me on the far right.

This is my seventh birthday party. Back in the day, being celiac on your birthday meant that you were special in more ways than one. Your hot dog was "special" your bun was "special" and your cake - was "special"... meaning gluten free (and often funny looking). Mum got full marks for pulling it off. 

Nowadays... a full on gluten-free birthday party could be thrown without comment. You can find gf versions of pretty much everything - and if you don't mind the expense... every kid can eat what the "special" kid is having.  

Today marks my 44th birthday... and everyone celebrating with me will be "having what I'm having". Times most certainly have changed!!

If gluten free is "over" - what's next?

photo credit: Women's Day magazine

I wanted to share some quotes from an article published in Canada's national paper today. I'll post a link to the full article at the end....  I simply want to ask the question: If this is true - how do you think those of us with celiac will fare when the gluten-free craze is over?

"The incidence of celiac disease, is believed to be four times as common today as it was 50 years ago. But representing only about 1 per cent of the population, those with celiac disease clearly aren’t the only ones propelling the market’s growth."

"An unknown number of people who suffer from allergies and other intolerances to the protein are also snapping up gluten-free products, while others are adopting a gluten-free diet for its perceived health and weight-loss benefits."

"According to a 2009 report, titled Gluten Free: Context, Insights and Predictions, sees gluten-free as something of a passing fad. The report predicted the interest in gluten-free dieting will peak at about 2012, and begin to peter out, as fad dieters and those interested in health and wellness drop away."

You can read the full article by Wency Leung for the Globe & Mail by clicking HERE

I must agree that gluten-free is not necessarily healthier. It depends what you choose to eat. I should also admit, there is a part of me that has been annoyed by manufacturers selling things like JAM as "gluten free". (That said, I recognize that it likely brought a lot of comfort to those who were new to the diet.) Apparently, we won't be seeing it much longer.

If 2012 is the year that gluten-free stops being so cool... what do you think the aftermath will be for those who NEED to be gluten-free for life?

Gluten-Free Article in The New York Times

This weekend there was an article in The New York Times that really got my adrenaline flowing. A link to the article can be found by clicking here: 

Should-We-All-Go-Gluten-Free?

Gluten-free diets are the topic du jour. What really struck me about this particular article was the General Mills element. 

Companies that are making mass produced, processed foods are on the gf bandwagon in a big way. I'm not as grateful as you might think. In fact, I published the following comment on the Times site last night: 

As someone who nearly died before being diagnosed with celiac disease 40 years ago - I am MORTIFIED by two elements that were highlighted in this article:

1) Gluten-free has most certainly become a 'fad' - and puts some of us at considerable risk when operating in the world at large. 10 years ago it was safer for me to order in a restaurant than it is today - because almost everyone assumes that they know what gf means, and most see it as a diet trend. 

2) WHY are we so hell bent on eating commercial foods - (made by General Mills no less) - as if we've learned nothing from the fact that our bodies don't want to eat processed crap.

I'm hardly a crunch granola type - but companies like General Mills already have way too much power over our food supply. They are worried about losing market share... and we are worried about not eating "what everyone else is eating". Monsanto has nothing to worry about. We are lemmings.

I concede that I was being a bit heavy, but I am really struck by how we are not learning anything from the rise in food intolerance. 

Instead of seeing this as a sign that something has gone wrong... and that perhaps we need to take better care of ourselves - we are greedily looking to make our lives look like they used to. We romanticize about foods, and forget how lousy we felt when we ate them (and not just because they had gluten in them!).

We don't seem to mind that our food is modified beyond recognition to behave the way we want it to (and survive on a shelf for a very long time). I'm not above eating gluten-free cake mix... but I have to say that I'm feeling worried about the direction this is taking.

I wonder what "food" will look like in another 25 years.

gluten free weight loss

Are you kidding me? 

Gluten-free has been touted as a great way to lose weight... but let's be clear, you can't eat gluten-free substitutes of "regular" baked goods and lose weight. 

To make them tasty, gf goods are typically chock full of extra fat and sugar - which also helps to bind them together.

I'm seeing gluten free blogs created by trainers and triathletes. People going gluten-free in preparation for a marathon. Some people, who are only reading the headlines, may believe that a gluten-free diet is the wonder drug for losing pounds. I agree that it is good for you... and that many people likely feel better without gluten. I've been to the celiac conventions. There are some skinny folks there - but most of us? We struggle with our weight just like the rest of society.  

If one more person tells me how "lucky" I am to be celiac because I'm not tempted by the pastries on the kitchen counter at work - I might just scream. I have to curb my enthusiasm for lots of great tasting goodies (and junk food!) just like everyone else.

This recent interest on the part of "regular" people going gluten free, appears to be an offshoot of two other famous diet trends: the Atkins diet (which spiked in popularity and then like most diets.. crashed) & the Paleo (or caveman) diet. In a nutshell: zero carbs. This is not just gluten-free... for the most part, this is carb-free.

While I'm all for cutting back on the carbohydrates and building meals around protein and lots of vegetables, I'm concerned that this is not always an educated niche market. People selling gluten-free goods are NOT always going to regard gluten-free as a zero tolerance situation. 

If the baker at the market thinks - gf products are selling like hot cakes... I'll make a cake with rice flour (but dust my pans with pastry flour)... We are going to have a problem. If the waiter thinks you are watching your waist he may not take your questions about whether the risotto is prepared with pasta water very seriously either. (I don't mean to feed your paranoia. I'll save that topic for a future post.)

The more prevalent the gluten-free market becomes, the more I urge you to ask questions before taking the words gluten-free for granted. If you have celiac disease, I encourage you to let people know that for us, this diet is not a trend, but a prescription of living (ideally you can share this news without coming off as too much of a drama queen!). 

The word "diet" is a bit of a misnomer. If we want to lose weight on the gluten-free diet... we are going to have to cut back on the Pamela's peanut butter cookies, as well as the chocolate bars, ice cream, french fries and wine, too. Bummer.

gluten free market - it's hip to be gluten free!

This morning Bill and I went to the the Brick Works - an amazing place in Toronto that was once the location of the brick making kilns responsible for producing much of our city. Today this historic site is run by Evergreen, an environmental non-profit. Every Saturday they run an organic & local market. It was our first visit to this super lively venue. Among all the gorgeous fresh organic produce, there were five stalls selling baked goods.  The sweetest surprise was that of these five, three offered delicious gluten free goodies.

I am also noting another trend... many bakers are making goods that are both gluten-free AND vegan as a way of expanding their market with one product. Personally, I prefer butter and eggs in my baked goods... but I don't turn my nose up at any gluten free treat. 

I inhaled an enormous chocolate chip cookie from LPK's Culinary Groove... the image above shows the goods I left behind (this time!).  

Tonight I will scarf down a ginger loaf for dessert with friends. Jose from Pimenton gave me a sample... yum!! I asked him why they were offering gf - he replied that the market had driven the new products. I think that he too is curious to see how this "trend" will pan out.... I'm interested in hearing more about other's take on where this is all going. After all of these years going without - I'm still in shock at what is available around me these days.

gluten-free fad... a rant.

Today the celebrities are clambering for gluten-free. Perhaps they are desperate for a new publicity angle. It seems to be the latest craze since Madonna "discovered" Kabbalah.

Some might think that the new "trendy" gluten-free diet is good news for celiacs. Me? I'm not convinced. 

When I tell the waitstaff that I need to make sure that my burger patty is gluten-free I want to be taken very seriously. I can only hope that they aren't rolling their eyes and mocking me in the kitchen.

I feel compelled to tell them that I have celiac disease (emphasis on the "d-word") to ensure that they know I'm not living on something akin to the Atkins Diet. I don't like having to add a lot of drama around being a celiac. I've always had a little paranoia in restaurants, but I've never felt like I've had to defend myself as much as I do these days.

Don't get me wrong... I am a big believer in the gluten-free diet and think it's great that more people are embracing it as a healthy life choice.  

The market is soaring... in part fueled by the growing number of celiacs being diagnosed and in part by the natural medicine movement. Naturopaths will often have patients eliminate wheat and dairy as a first step to ruling out whether they are responsible for a host of symptoms.

All of this gluten-free attention is fueling more options on menus and on grocery store shelves. This is good news for those of us that otherwise wouldn't find a freezer full of options in the local grocery store. 

More people looking for food without gluten could lead to manufacturers seriously thinking twice before using it as unnecessary filler. 

I get it. 

However, when I saw the billboard advertising dog food as "free from glutens" I thought CRAP. Nobody is going to take this as seriously as I need them to. I am not trying to lose weight - or run my next marathon faster. I eat this way to stay alive. 

On the other hand, I guess it is kind of neat to have all of these celebrities wanting to live like I do :)