All is quiet in my house this afternoon… ahhh. But wait — something is amiss, for I have a 3 year old, not napping, somewhere around here. I eventually find her in the pantry, where she turns to look at me with a guilty (but cute) little face. She is holding what is left of a box of animal cookies. And that is my testimonial for the KinniKritters Animal Cookies made by Kinnikinnick Foods in Canada.

Not only are they gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and free of soy flour (they do contain soy lecithin), they are shaped like animals, as animal cookies should be, and they are tasty. I used to give her the Envirokidz Vanilla Animal Cookies (which are square by the way), and they are yummy, but contain soy flour. As I am now removing soy from her diet, I was thrilled to find KinniKritters, and even more thrilled that she loves them. She rarely even gets cookies, but at least I have these for those necessary occasions (you know — bribes).

Where to buy? If you can’t find them in a store near you, try Allergy Grocer or Glutenfree.com.

Ingredients: Sugar, pea starch, potato starch, palm fruit oil (non hydrogenated), white rice flour, tapioca starch, water, glucose, pea protein, sodium carboxy methylcellulose, vanilla flavor, salt, pea fibre, guar gum, inulin, ammonium bicarbonate(90), sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin.

Filed under: Babies & Kids, Products | 5 Comments »

… when you have food allergies

A topic that sometimes pops up in conversation with my girlfriends is the Mother-In-Law (hereafter referred to as MIL). This relationship can be a tough one, and if you or your kids have celiac disease or food allergies, it can be even more difficult.

It is not anyone’s fault. It just requires some — well, a lot of extra effort on everyone’s part. Even my wonderful, caring, fabulous, super-duper (she’s reading this) MIL and I have had our challenges when it comes to what to feed my family. Our last visit went quite smoothly, and perhaps yours can too if you follow the tips below.
(I am focusing on Mother-In-Law rather than Father-In-Law because I am generalizing that the MIL is usually in charge of the shopping and cooking in her house, but go ahead and apply this to anyone you want!)

If you plan to visit the in-laws for a few days, or if you or your kids spend time at their house regularly, follow these tips:
1. Be patient.

Don’t expect your MIL to understand your special diet right away, especially if you rarely see her. There is a learning curve when it comes to eliminating gluten, or dairy, or anything from the diet. You may feel frustrated, but she may be just as frustrated as you. I didn’t realize that my MIL was frustrated by the whole thing until a sausage brand mixup inspired her to utter a curse word under her breath at me! At least we can laugh about it now.

2. Plan meals ahead of time.

My MIL likes to plan ahead (like buying plane tickets in August for Christmas), so if we discuss meal ideas on the phone the week before we arrive, she can get her grocery shopping out of the way and not have anxiety about the food situation. Telling her brand names that she can find easily also helps.

3. Do your own grocery shopping.

Right when I arrive at my in-laws’ house, I drop off the kids and head to a natural foods grocery store. I buy cereal, bread, snacks and whatever else I will need for the few days we are visiting. This is the deal my MIL and I have worked out - I go, she gives me the money to pay for it. (OK, I’ll admit it, I always throw in a few extra goodies for myself!)

4. Get in the kitchen.

Offer to help make the food. My MIL asks me to make my gluten-free bread and any special treats that may be needed, like cupcakes if there will be a party, or dessert for a holiday dinner. The last time I visited, she asked me to show her how to make bread so she could make it sometime - now that’s progress! Another reason to get in the kitchen is to check ingredients of things, like flavoring packets or canned soups - stuff that goes into those “old favorite” recipes. (Oh - also check the Father-In-Law’s secret seasoning he uses on the bbq!)

5. Bite your tongue.

Obviously you need to let your MIL know if there is something that you or your family cannot eat, but hold back on the criticism. One negative comment can dash all your MIL’s efforts, even if in your mind they didn’t amount to much. Remember tip #1!

Well, hope that helps someone out there. I feel very lucky to have the mother-in-law that I do! Good luck with yours!

Filed under: Food Allergies, Tips, Emotions | No Comments »

Good news! Whole Foods has released their 365 Everyday Value Gluten Free Baking Mixes for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Some of the new products are sandwich bread mix, pizza crust mix, white cake mix, chocolate cake mix, brownie mix, muffin mix, and pancake/waffle mix.

This is a private label product which means that Whole Foods contracts an outside manufacturer to make the products and package it as Whole Foods brand. On one celiac forum, someone said that they confirmed with their local Whole Foods store that the mixes are produced by Gluten-Free Pantry for Whole Foods. When I emailed the corporate office of Whole Foods asking if the same, the response was this: “…the identity of these manufacturers is proprietary information. The manufacturer produces for their own brand as well as for other companies. Divulging this information is a breech in contract and jeopardizes the integrity of the manufacturer and their clients.” I actually don’t agree that anything is being jeopardized here - in fact, people are happy to have Gluten-Free Pantry’s mixes more available and at a lower price.

I am hoping that the 365 Chocolate Brownie mix is the same Gluten-Free Pantry Chocolate Truffle Brownie Mix which is my favorite gluten-free brownie mix. The ingredients seem to be the same, just listed in a different order. If anyone has any positive or negative experiences with these mixes, please add comments.

Filed under: News & Research, Products, Gluten Intolerance | 5 Comments »

Okay, the Quaker Oats Company’s new hot cereal is not really called “Take that, celiac!” but it might as well be. Perhaps “Gluten-filled Gluten-y Hot Gluten” is a better name. The new cereal, which is really called Simple Harvest, is made from oats, wheat, barley and rye! Here is a graphic from their new website (created just for this cereal):

I mean, seriously, is Quaker trying to buck the gluten-free trend? Did they aim to create a cereal whose every ingredient is toxic to up to 12% of the population? Just when you think that people are starting to get it… oh well.

If you are looking for gluten-free hot cereals, here are my favorites:

• Pocono Cream of Buckwheat
• Oatmeal made with gluten-free oats
• Bob’s Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal which contains brown rice, corn, buckwheat and sorghum

Be sure to top with any combo of the following: maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, dried fruit (like raisins or cranberries), frozen fruit (like blueberries, which thaw when they hit the hot cereal), nuts, a little milk or milk substitute.

Filed under: News & Research, Food Ideas, Gluten Intolerance | 1 Comment »

Q. I just had food allergy testing (FOODstats Elisa test for IgG and IgE) and have been searching for information regarding IgG response to foods. So far all I can find is that an IgG response does not prove I have a food allergy. My reactions were high for the following foods: wheat, wheat gluten, gliadin, whole wheat flour, white flour, spelt, all dairy including milk yogurt, casein, eggs yolks, egg whites, bananas, pineapple and I even tested positive for sugar. I had a blood test for celiac about a year ago and it was negative. Do I take these results with a grain of salt or could there be some validity here? My husband has almost identical allergies although he had several IgE reactions.
Thanks for your insight!

A. Whenever you have multiple food allergies, this suggests that your gut is leaky: that is, the junctions between your intestinal lining cells have been disrupted. Protein fragments from wheat, barley and rye, that cannot be completely digested by your own enzymes can cause the disruption, and do not have to go through the classic celiac disease mechanism that depends on genetic factors, antibody generation (anti-tTG or anti-gliadin antibodies). Thus, you will test negative to standard blood tests (which in commercial labs may only be 45% sensitive) for celiac disease. You must get HLA DQ2 andDQ8 testing, and consider an intestinal biopsy. You may have NCGS — non-celiac gluten sensitivity. My advice: get HLA tested, get an intestinal biopsy, then go on a gluten-free diet.

Health and happiness,
Dr. Aron

Have a question?

Filed under: Ask the Doc, Celiac Disease, Food Allergies | 1 Comment »

When I began my gluten-free diet, I worked at a startup tech company. Many days I ate lunch at my desk (I wasn’t really a computer geek, but pretending to be one). I could easily run out and grab a sandwich from the nearby cafe or a bowl of udon soup from a market down the street. But when I found out that the bread and the noodles were the culprits in my stomach pain, I was left scrambling for something to eat at lunchtime. I eventually found stuff to eat (obviously). Here’s what I came up with — standard work kitchen appliances (a frig and a microwave) required:

1. Thai Kitchen instant meals

Thai Kitchen clearly marks their gluten-free products (not all are gf). Their microwavable Instant Rice Noodle Bowls, Instant Rice Noodle Soup (bring your own bowl), Noodle Carts, or Take Out Meals can be made in minutes in the microwave or with boiling water. If you want a little more substance (and nutrition), add chopped vegetables or meat to the noodle bowl before microwaving. Trader Joe’s sells bags of chopped veggies if you don’t feel like chopping your own.

2. Rice cake turkey melts

Take 2 rice cakes, top with cheese and slices of turkey. Put in the microwave or toaster oven until cheese is melted. Eat as is or top with sliced tomatoes, avocado or salsa.

3. Wraps

Read my posts about gluten-free wraps and how to steam them.

4. Tamales

If you can buy fresh tamales, these are an easy and yummy meal. Tamales come in different varieties, are almost always gluten-free and can be microwaved. Eat them plain or add your own salsa, sour cream or guacamole. I love Primavera tamales from Sonoma, CA, found in Bay Area markets and Whole Foods.

5. Homemade Tex-Mex bowl

Rice and beans can be a satisfying meal - take some cooked rice and throw it in a bowl with any kind of canned beans (I like black or pinto), add salsa, meat, olives, peppers, cheese - whatever you like. Take the bowl to work and microwave it all together. Bring tortilla chips to scoop it up.

6. Frozen meals

Amy’s Kitchen has a great selection of gluten-free meals, including enchiladas, lasagna, bowls (in case you don’t want to make your own), and even Indian.

Rice Expressions makes microwavable bowls of rice for people who really don’t like to cook!

See, you don’t have to starve!

And here are 4 more gluten-free lunch ideas.

Filed under: Food Ideas, Products, Gluten Intolerance, Tips | 3 Comments »

Today I went shopping at Andy’s Market in Sebastopol, CA because they have an amazing selection of gluten free products, including gluten free oats and oat flour. As I was browsing the dairy aisle, I discovered a yogurt called Ricera, which is made from whole grain rice and rice protein, contains the usual active cultures found in other yogurt, but has no dairy or soy. It is processed on shared equipment that is used for soy and dairy products, but it is thoroughly cleaned in between to reduce risk of cross-contamination. It came in four flavors: vanilla, blueberry, peach, and strawberry. I bought the vanilla and blueberry flavors to try. Here’s the review.

Both flavors were good! The overall texture was creamy and yogurty, although the vanilla was just slightly gritty. The color of the vanilla wasn’t appealing because it was light brown (it’s made from brown rice), but the blueberry looked like any blueberry yogurt. I detected a hint of a bitter aftertaste in both, but it wasn’t too strong. Mostly, it had the sweet/sour taste of regular yogurt.

I know that my children would enjoy it like they do any yogurt, with some cereal poured on the top to stir in. For someone who hasn’t ever been able to have yogurt because of a dairy or soy allergy, rice yogurt may be a small dream come true.

Filed under: Babies & Kids, Products, Food Allergies, Dairy Allergy, Soy Allergy | 3 Comments »

I had a hard day the other day. It was the end of the Labor Day weekend that we spent with family members in a shared vacation house. Because of my 3 year old daughter’s food allergies, which include cashews, I emailed everyone ahead of time and requested that no one bring nuts to the house. Everyone complied and it was a nut-free weekend. I didn’t really worry about her allergy to eggs or her sensitivity to gluten, dairy and soy, since these are not life-threatening for her.

The last morning there were eggs for breakfast. She didn’t have any, but everyone else did, so who knows where egg ended up - on counters, on people’s hands, etc. That same morning she ate gluten-free pretzels with soy flour in them because she found them in the cupboard before I realized it.

I don’t know whether it was the eggs or the soy, but my little girl all of a sudden turned into a monster. For a while I thought she was just having a tantrum and I kept battling her, trying to win because, well, I’m the mom. She said she was cold, but didn’t want clothes on, even to go outside. She became upset because her sandwich was not cut in half. Okay, I thought, she is having some 3 year old behavior. Because there was nothing I could do to satisfy her, I decided to ignore her - or at least stop trying to please her. She then became hysterical, kicking her legs like a maniac and screaming. It turned from a tantrum to something else - it was like she became possessed and like she was trying to get out of her own body. Something was not right and I knew she needed help.

When I laid her down on the bed, I asked her if anything hurt. No, she said. I then asked her if anything itched. She nodded and pointed to her tummy. When I lifted her shirt I saw hives dotting her torso. She also had a rash on her upper chest and upper back. I quickly gave her Benadryl, gave her a kiss and she fell asleep, exhausted.

And then I cried. I cried because in that moment I felt I had failed her as a mother - I didn’t keep her safe and I didn’t respond quickly enough to spare her the agony that she felt but couldn’t explain. I hardly ever cry about my own celiac disease or my daughter’s many food allergies and intolerances. I try to stay positive because I know that despite our food sensitivities, my family is happy and healthy and enjoying life. I know that I am doing a pretty darn good job at managing all the food challenges and that I shouldn’t beat myself up about this one time. I know that, but I couldn’t help it - I cried.

Filed under: Babies & Kids, Symptoms, Emotions | 9 Comments »