Sometimes I just want to shake people (no one in particular) and say “DUH!” I know I see things differently with my gluten-free vision (yes, I am a superhero), and things seem obvious to me. So I get frustrated. Let me explain…

An article came out on the newswire yesterday about a study conducted in Norway to assess the association between headaches and gastrointestinal complaints. The article began like this: “The prevalence of headache is higher in people with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as nausea, acid reflux, diarrhea, and constipation, than in people who don’t have these bothersome symptoms.”

Immediately I think about the fact that headaches and migraines can be symptoms of celiac disease or gluten intolerance. The gastrointestinal symptoms stated in the news article are also commonly caused by celiac disease or gluten intolerance. So it is clear to me that the people with the GI symptoms also have headaches because they are reacting to gluten in many ways, which is usually the case with people who cannot tolerate gluten. I was sure that the doctors who performed the study would draw the same conclusion, and probably also suggest that anyone with headaches be tested for celiac disease.

Alas, no. The conclusion of the study was simply that “headache sufferers generally are predisposed to GI complaints.” And at the end of the article one of the doctors from the study states, “It is important to consider the total burden of discomfort in these patients and to avoid headache medication with adverse gastrointestinal effects in those with much gastrointestinal discomfort.”

Huh? Those are the big conclusions? Oh, those poor headache people also have stomach problems. Boy did they get a bad deal! Well, let’s just be sure we don’t give them any drugs that could make their stomachs feel even worse.

It shouldn’t take a gluten-free superhero to see this gluten connection. It was concluded in a 2003 Italian study that “a significant proportion of patients with migraine may have celiac disease, and that a gluten free diet may lead to a improvement in the migraine in these patients.” I know people whose headaches went away once they cut out gluten. My husband is one of those people — he went from having frequent headaches and monthly migraines to having none since he started a gluten-free diet. No more Excedrin!

The bottom line of this post is that I know that many people suffer from headaches and migraines. If you are one of them, pleeease consider gluten as a possible cause.

Learn more:

Symptoms of celiac disease
Testing for celiac disease
Blood tests are not the final say
Gluten-Free Guide

Filed under: News & Research, Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance, Symptoms, Emotions | 5 Comments »

My daughter breaks out in hives if she has eggs. Actually, I don’t think she does if it is in a baked product (which she did eat one time by accident), but the allergist said that her best chance of outgrowing her egg allergy (fingers and toes crossed!) is to never eat eggs in any form. So, in addition to baking without gluten, dairy and soy, I can’t use eggs. Honestly, the other things wouldn’t be so hard, but not being able to use eggs in baking makes it extra-super-duper… uh… fun? (Trying to stay positive here.)

Luckily for me and anyone else who cannot tolerate eggs, there is Ener-G Egg Replacer! This is going to sound like an ad for this product, but I assure you I get no kick-backs (I wish). I write this post purely out of gratitude and amazement that this actually works. I don’t know how it works, but it does, even with my gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free stuff, including cookies, cakes, muffins, bread, pancakes and waffles.

Now there are a lot of egg replacer recipes out there, but I don’t really want to add mashed bananas to everything I make and I don’t have time to grind flaxseeds to a fine meal and then simmer them in water.

So, here’s what I do with the powdered Egg Replacer:

• I use more egg replacer than called for by putting in heaping teaspoons rather than leveled off teaspoons.
• I add warm water and use a whisk as I add the water - there are absolutely no lumps.
• I whisk the egg replacer and the water until it is frothy.
• I always use it right away - I don’t let it sit and if I do, I re-whisk it first.

I don’t know if this way of using it makes it better, but this is how I do it and it ALWAYS works in my baked goods. There are other brands of powdered egg replacer: Organ No Egg Natural Egg Replacer (gluten-free) and Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer (contains soy and gluten), but I haven’t tried them. If anyone has had success with these as well, please comment and let us know.

Related reading: Egg-Free Guide

Filed under: Products, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Egg Allergy | 2 Comments »

When my father, a retired pediatrician, was in medical school, he was taught that celiac disease was a childhood disease with 3 symptoms: failure to thrive (being underweight), a distended belly and diarrhea. Fortunately awareness is growing that celiac disease or gluten intolerance can become active at any age, can present with a multitude of symptoms, and that a person does not have to be severely underweight to qualify for testing. Still, if an overweight adult walked into the doctor’s office, it is doubtful that celiac testing would be most doctors’ first (or any) thought.

In a 2006 study done in the U.K., it was concluded that 39% of celiac patients at the time of diagnosis were overweight (some obese) and only 5% were underweight. Dr. Peter Green says, in his book Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic, that celiac disease needs to be considered by doctors regardless of a person’s weight.

I have seen a “puffiness” in some people that get diagnosed with celiac disease or discover that they have a gluten intolerance. It is a bloating that can occur all over the body, or sometimes around the face or middle. And I have seen people lose that puffiness on a gluten-free diet. I believe that anyone who is feeling unwell but can’t explain why should be tested for celiac disease.

For more about celiac and being overweight, read this article called Celiac and Obesity — There is a Connection from celiac.com.

Filed under: Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance, Symptoms | No Comments »

Q. My daughter (2 1/2) turned jaundiced a couple of weeks ago. For the past year and a half, she has never had a solid stool and her loose stools are foul smelling. She has always had a distended looking abdomen and did not start eating solids until she was 18 months old or she would throw up. Her hair is still thin and short like that of a one year old and her hair is very dry and lacks luster. She is very tiny. Lately, she began gagging herself and would let out huge belches, sometimes with a little vomit. Then when she turned yellow, the doctor tested her liver enzymes which were elevated. An ultrasound showed nothing amiss. Hepatitis and Mono tests were negative.

Finally, a friend told me that a friend of hers has a 5 year old who turned jaundiced and it turned out to be Celiac Disease. I have made an appointment with the gastroenterology department at St. Louis Children’s Hospital this Saturday to see if they can confirm. I have had many digestive problems and had wheat sensitivity show up in my own blood work since she was born. Now, I avoid wheat in general myself, but I have never had the endoscopy. I went ahead and took my daughter off of wheat and dairy five days ago and yesterday she had one of the first solid bowel movements I have ever seen from her. Her belly looks almost normal and she looks less jaundiced. So, I am wondering what you think as well. Thanks for your consideration!

A. Your case sounds very similar to one that I addressed several months earlier. Both you and your daughter need to be thoroughly tested for celiac disease, and that includes an intestinal biopsy. I’m glad that you made the right contact in St. Louis. I wish you and your family a lifetime of gluten-free health. Stick around, some exciting research is coming down the pipeline to make the millions of celiac sufferers achieve a normal life.

Health and happiness,
Dr. Aron

Have a question?

Related reading: Symptoms of celiac disease

Filed under: Ask the Doc, Babies & Kids, Symptoms | 1 Comment »

I have put recipes and cooking tips on this website, but I know that people want more! So I am asking you, beginning and advanced cooks alike, do you have an original allergen-free recipe (free of gluten and/or other top allergens) that you would like to share on this website? Whether simple or complex, do you whip up something that others with celiac disease, food allergies or intolerance could enjoy?

If so, please participate in this little thing I am calling the “Who needs Martha allergen-free recipe exchange“!

Email the recipe to me by midnight March 2 and I will post it along with your name and (if you wish to send) a picture of either the food you created or you or your family.

If you write your own blog, this a blog event! Post your recipe on your blog by midnight on March 2nd. Please mention this event and also include a link back to this post. Then, email me at alison@surefoodsliving.com and include your name, blog name and permanent link to your post. I will do a roundup of all the recipes posted.

If you share my disappointment with Martha, let’s make something good out of this and help each other out in the kitchen!

Filed under: Food Ideas, Events, Recipes and Cooking Tips | No Comments »

Last week I wrote about Martha Stewart’s competition that could potentially launch a magazine for people with food sensitivities.

The allergy-free magazine idea won 57% of the popular vote, but they declared a tie between it and a pet-centered magazine and pet products. On TV Martha practically brushed off the allergy-free idea (see the video), saying that they will include allergy-free recipes in their current publications, so clearly no new publication will be launched. Oh, except the pet one. With pet products. I guess we food-allergic and intolerant people aren’t viewed as marketable.

We are marketable, Martha and everybody else, we are! We pay more for our special foods, we buy allergy-free cookbooks, we buy online, we would gladly pay more for a special meal at a restaurant if it were offered. Do you have something we need? We’ll buy it! C’mon, Martha, you can think of some way to make money off of us, can’t you??

Martha chose the idea that would make more money — I suppose there are more pets than food-allergic people, and think about all those color-coordinated monogrammed dog collars that will sell like hotcakes! But I really wish, given her status in our society, that she had chosen instead to make a real difference in people’s lives.

But who needs Martha?

Filed under: News & Research, Emotions | 14 Comments »

Q. I’ve seen “neurological symptoms” listed as a possible symptom of celiac and gluten intolerance –are tics one of these possible “neurological symptoms”? My four year old is currently undergoing testing for celiac, but she also has begun to exhibit frequent and significant tics.

A. It is possible that the tics are related to celiac disease. Neurologic involvement in celiac disease is the slowest to resolve, as nerve tissue regenerates very slowly, so be patient with the gluten-free diet. You should also consult with a pediatric neurologist, as there may be symptomatic relief available while you await resolution of the problem.

Health and happiness,
Dr. Aron

Have a question?

Filed under: Ask the Doc, Celiac Disease, Symptoms | 3 Comments »

Dairy-free, soy-free margarine does not exist to my knowledge. Most baking recipes call for butter or margarine, and Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Shortening Sticks work great if you can tolerate soy. (Buttery Sticks contain soybean oil and soy protein, Shortening Sticks contain soybean oil.) But what is a dairy and soy-intolerant person to do?

I have been using Spectrum Naturals Organic Shortening which is non-hydrogenated palm oil. It has worked for me in baking recipes that call for butter or margarine. I follow the Joy of Cooking (my favorite cookbook for learning the basics) substitution recommendation for shortening in place of butter:

for 1 cup of butter (2 sticks) replace with 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of shortening

So far, my cookies (gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free and soy-free) have turned out with a light and fluffy texture and taste really good! (You don’t really taste the shortening at all.) I was so happy to discover this product when I cut soy out of my daughter’s diet in addition to gluten, dairy and eggs! Yippee!

Look for Spectrum shortening at a natural foods or health foods store, or you can buy it on Amazon.

Filed under: Products, Dairy Allergy, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Soy Allergy | 15 Comments »

A hot slice of pizza topped with the special of the day, a toasted bagel with cream cheese, a rich fudgey brownie, a coconut lemon square, coffee cake, a bite of biscotti. These are some of the delights that you can savor if you pay a visit to Mariposa Baking Company in Oakland, CA. Oh yeah - and did I mention that it is a completely dedicated gluten-free bakery?

Patti Furey Crane started Mariposa after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. When she cut gluten out of her diet in an attempt to deal with the MS, she realized that gluten had been making her sick for 10 years and exasperated her MS symptoms . When I asked her if eliminating gluten has helped the MS, she replied, “I’m not on any medication for MS and have no symptoms now — though I do have an occasional flare-up that reminds me to slow down, eat well and reduce stress.” (Read more on the connection between MS and diet and a study that showed increased antibodies to gluten in MS patients)

You don’t even have to be gluten-free to find that everything in this bakery is delicious. Mariposa began with brownies and biscotti. Now there are all the things I mentioned above plus cookies, little loaves of bread, and sometimes (if you’re lucky!) perfectly seasoned croutons. You can buy a frozen pizza crust and make your own pizza at home. Unlike other gluten-free crusts, it is not mealy or doughy or overly chewy — it is a thin crust with the right amount of crunch (bake it to your preference).

Mariposa Baking Company is located at 5427 Telegraph ave, Unit D3 in Oakland, California. Telephone number: 510.595.0955. But you also might find Mariposa products at a store near you.

Filed under: Products, Restaurants/Bakeries/Stores | 2 Comments »

Last night I attended a great fund-raising event called the Gluten Free Cooking Spree in San Francisco. 5 teams, each made up of a chef, a doctor, and dietitians, competed to see who could make the tastiest gluten-free meal using pasta as a main ingredient (or polenta or risotto). Appetizers, the main courses, desserts and drinks were all gluten-free and delicious.

I was most impressed by the homemade spaetzle (a German pasta) made by chef Paul Ruegner of Charlotte’s Bakery — this was the first time I had eaten fresh, handmade gluten-free pasta, not a packaged version. It was really fun to eat and drink at an event without worrying about the ingredients — it is a freedom that only people with celiac disease or other food allergies can understand!

If you can’t eat gluten, look out for more Gluten Free Cooking Sprees around the nation to raise money for the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for celiac disease.

Think you or someone you know might have celiac disease? Take a look at the NFCA’s Symptoms Checklist, or read my Symptoms page.

Filed under: Events, Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance | 3 Comments »