Do you have a Crockpot? (I don’t). Do you want to get one? (I do!)

Why do I want a Crockpot? Because I have found a hilarious blogger called the Crockpot Lady. On her blog she has vowed to use her Crockpot EVERY DAY for a year. And bonus — almost all the recipes are gluten-free!

She has made everything from pasta, to fish, to bread, to bananas foster, to rice krispy treats in this throw-back appliance! I have got to get one soon. (Birthday coming up in May, if anyone is curious…)

Really, whether you are gluten-free or not, visit A Year of CrockPotting — you will enjoy the recipes that make your life easier, and you will laugh as you read them!

Filed under: Food Ideas, Recipes and Cooking Tips, Gluten Intolerance | 3 Comments »

Q. I was diagnosed with celiac disease Marsh IV three years ago. I did better for a little while but now I seem to be regressing. The doctor I had never said anything about follow ups, just stay gluten free. Am I at risk for more severe problems because it is Marsh IV? Can you regress even though you stay gluten free? I’m only 41 but have been feeling like 75.

A. You may be having “refractory celiac disease”, a much more likely event given your Marsh IV pre-treatment biopsy. You need to have the following: IgG and IgA anti-tTG antibodies tested, imaging of the small intestine by either barium small bowel xray, or CT enteroclysis, and a repeat biopsy. After that, a plan of further treatment can be established. If you are in Northern California, we could initiate these studies at California Pacific Medical Center. You should see a gastroenterologist in your area if not near us.

Health and happiness,
Dr. Aron

Have a question?

Filed under: Ask the Doc | 2 Comments »

I admit it, I used to watch The Apprentice years ago. And I liked it. (Yes, I was a Survivor fan too!)

It’s been a while since I have tuned in, but this Thursday, March 27, I might just have to watch The Celebrity Apprentice to see if Trace Adkins, country singing star, wins in the finale. If he does, his chosen charity, The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), will receive a check for $250,000. It’s great that he is raising awareness about food allergies!

Watch this video to see why he is personally motivated to win the challenge:

Filed under: Food Allergies, Publicity | 1 Comment »

There has been much research on the relationship between celiac disease and autoimmune thyroid disease, and a new study out of Italy confirms that indeed celiac disease “is significantly increased in patients with thyroid autoimmune disorders.”

People with either Hashimoto’s Disease (also known as hypothyroidism) or Grave’s disease (also known as hyperthyroidism) should be screened for celiac disease, according to doctors and researchers knowledgeable about the relationship between the two disorders.

A 2005 study found that the prevalence of celiac in patients with Graves’ disease was 4.5% as compared with 0.9% in matched healthy controls. A 2007 Dutch study found that 15% of people with Hashimoto’s disease has positive blood work for celiac disease, and 4.8% had villous atrophy (flattened villi in the intestines), a higher number as compared to the general population.

According to Dr. Peter Green, in his book Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic, celiac disease may predispose a person to thyroid disease, meaning that celiac disease actually happens first, but that doctors will more often test for thyroid disease first. Therefore, celiac disease is being missed in people who are being treated for their thyroid problems. And to make it even more confusing, many of the symptoms of these thyroid diseases can also be symptoms of celiac disease or gluten intolerance — fatigue, feeling run down, feeling cold, constipation, weight gain, weight loss, just to name a few. Interestingly, many of the people with thyroid disease who test positive for celiac have “silent” celiac disease, meaning that they don’t have the obvious gastrointestinal symptoms.

Can a gluten-free diet improve thyroid conditions? If a person has celiac disease or gluten intolerance underlying a thyroid disease, then the person must be gluten-free to relieve other symptoms and to lower the risk of developing other autoimmune disorders. Whether or not it will reverse the thyroid disease just depends on the individual. According to one study, most patients with hypothyroidism normalized after a year of following a strict gluten-free diet and so, the researchers concluded, “gluten withdrawal may single-handedly reverse the abnormality.”

Related reading:
Symptoms of celiac disease
Testing for celiac disease

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

This is so cool…

The chef at a Chicago restaurant, himself a father of children with food allergies, has created four special nights in 2008 for diners with food allergies.

Restaurant information:

• Restaurant: Bistro 110
• Chef: Dominique Tougne
• Cuisine: French American oven cuisine
• Address: 110 East Pearson St., Chicago, Illinois
• Phone: 312-266-3110

Allergy-Free Dinner Schedule:

• March 24 — nut-free menu (featuring nut-free sole fillet “almandine” and faux peanut butter and mousse parfait)
• May 12 — gluten-free menu (featuring dough-less “quiche lorraine” and gluten-free tagliatelle with ragout of mussel, clam, shrimp and tarragon)
• September 29 — dairy-free menu (featuring cream-free “cream of lentil” soup and roasted chicken breast with corn flan)
• November 17 — shellfish-free menu (featuring shellfish-free seafood soup and an uncannily lobster-esque monkfish ragout)

If you live in Chicago - enjoy! If not, this is a start — suggest the idea to a restaurant near you!

Filed under: Events, Restaurants/Bakeries/Stores | 1 Comment »

Q. I had a positive transglutaminase and I am having an endoscopy done to confirm that I have celiac sprue. I am just wondering what other autoimmune/inflammatory diseases would cause a positive transglutaminase result?

A. Undiagnosed and untreated celiac disease is often associated with other autoimmune diseases, and thus a positive tTG antibody test may indicate the presence of other autoimmune diseases. That said, no one will diagnose you with an autoimmune disease based solely on the positive tTG; you’ll need to be tested for ANA, RA, and a host of others. The good news is that many of the associated autoimmune diseases with celiac disease can be reversed with a gluten-free diet.

Health and happiness,
Dr. Aron

Have a question?

Filed under: Ask the Doc | No Comments »

For parents of food allergic children, especially those who could have an anaphylactic reaction, it is very scary to think about where the food allergen may be lurking. Even if parents are able to control what their child eats, they still have to worry about what other kids have on their hands, and what is left on desks, cafeteria tables, drinking fountains and playgrounds. I have wondered how much of the allergen is really left in these places — how dangerous is it? As long as everyone uses wipes, is it okay?

One 2004 study shed some light on these questions. The purpose of the study was “to detect peanut allergen under various environmental conditions and examine the effectiveness of cleaning agents for allergen removal.” Here’s what they did:

• They smeared peanut butter on tables and then used different cleaning methods and tested the peanut allergen remaining. The cleaning methods used were plain water, dishwashing liquid, Formula 409 cleaner, Lysol sanitizing wipes, and Target brand cleaner with bleach.
• They randomly tested other surfaces in schools, such as desktops, water fountains and food preparation areas for peanut allergen.
• They applied peanut butter to people’s hands and used different cleaning methods to see how much of the allergen remained. The cleaning methods used were plain water, antibacterial hand sanitizer, Tidy Tykes wipes, Wet Ones antibacterial wipes, liquid soap and bar soap.
• They had people wear personal air monitors to detect airborne peanut allergen during different simulations — people eating peanut butter sandwiches (school setting), people shelling and eating roasted peanuts and walking on the shells (a sporting event), opening and eating a little bag of unshelled peanuts (an airline flight).

Here were the results:

• Tables: All cleaning methods except the dishwashing liquid removed the peanut allergen. After cleaning with the dishwashing liquid, 4 of 12 tables still had peanut allergen of varying quantities on them.
• Other school surfaces: peanut allergen was found on 1 out of 13 drinking fountains, none of the 36 eating or food preparation areas, and none of the 22 desks sampled. Note that the schools had either peanut-free tables or food prep areas, or were entirely peanut-free.
• Hands: All cleaning methods except plain water and antibacterial hand sanitizer removed the peanut allergen. Water left residual peanut allergen in high concentrations on 3 of 12 hands. Antibacterial hand sanitizer left residual peanut allergen in high concentrations on 6 of 12 hands.
• Air: There was no detectable peanut allergen in any of the airborne simulations, leading the researchers to question whether there is a different peanut protein that becomes airborne, not the one that they tested for.

The researchers concluded overall that “there is a relatively low risk of exposure to significant concentrations of [peanut allergen] when table surfaces and hands are cleaned with common household cleaning agents and that school cafeteria tables and desks are not likely to be a source of significant exposure for most peanut allergic patients.”

Does that make parents feel better about the possibility of exposure to peanut allergen while at school? I’m not sure. On one hand, it’s great to know that normal cleaning of tables and hands pretty much takes care of things. On the other hand, parents of allergic children can’t be sure that other parents and school staff are cleaning tables properly and wiping kids’ hands after they eat.

Still, I think I feel better overall, knowing that peanut allergen, or any other allergen, isn’t some super-entity that can only be removed with special powers — thank goodness for wipes! (But stay away from the drinking fountain?)

Filed under: News & Research, Peanuts/Nuts Allergy, Food Allergies | No Comments »

These Easter ideas were sent in by Gina Clowes of the Allergy Moms website and newsletter. Thank you Gina!

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Bird Nests

• 8 NoNuttin Bars*
• 1/2 bag of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• Candy decorations

Crumble bars in bowl.Melt chips in microwave and combine with bars. Spoon onto waxed paper and form into 8 nests. Fill with candy decorations. We used gum balls for birdies with safe taffy cut outs for beaks.

* You can substitute Rice Krispie Treat mix for the NoNuttin bars.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

• Your favorite cupcakes
• Safe frosting
• Coconut or pearl sugar colored as desired
• Pipe cleaners
• Marshmallow or chocolate bunnies
• Jelly beans

Frost safe cupcakes and dip them in colored coconut or pearl sugar. Add jelly beans or bunnies. Top with a pipe cleaner for the basket handle.

We used orange Mike and Ikes topped with green coconut for carrots and Marshmallow peep bunnies!

Chocolate Dipped Eggs!

• Rice Krispie Treats
• Egg Molds*
• Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Prepare your favorite Rice Krispie Treat mix. Allow to cool for a few minutes; then spoon mix into egg molds of any size and place in freezer to set.

Melt one bag of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips with one Tablespoon of vegetable oil. Release the “eggs” from their molds. Some will prefer the Rice Krispie eggs just like this. For the chocolate lovers, dip the “eggs” into the melted chocolate mix. Place on wire rack to set.

When completely cooled, wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon! (See photo at the top of the newsletter.)

* You can use fancy Wilton molds but we used regular plastic eggs of all sizes for our molds!

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Do you have a gluten-free recipe to share? Email it to alison@surefoodsliving.com along with (if you wish) your name and a picture of either the food you created or of you or your family.Read more about Recipe Share.

Filed under: Recipes and Cooking Tips, Holidays/Special Events | No Comments »

According to a recent news article, research out of Illinois and Madrid shows that fermenting soybeans reduces the allergenicity of the beans by breaking down the proteins into small pieces so that they don’t provoke an allergic reaction. This research suggests that soy products in the future could be made to be hypoallergenic, allowing allergic individuals to eat them.

What is not clear from the article is if the fermentation process has to be done with specific bacteria (the bacteria that was used in the study) in order to break down the proteins, or any bacteria. There are already soy products that are fermented — soy sauce, miso, tempeh — but to my knowledge soy allergic or intolerant people cannot eat these things.

So, while this study seems promising, the reality is that food producers would have to change their manufacturing processes to include a fermentation step, and perhaps a very specific one. This of course means more time and more money on the part of the manufacturers… and therefore, we probably will not see this change come about anytime soon, if ever.

Sorry to be seeing half-empty, but I would rather (in the long meantime) see manufacturers take the soy out of their products. It is unbelievable to me how many products contain soy! My daughter has, and I believe I do also, an intolerance to soy, and while it is avoidable, it is just plain annoying how many foods contain soy for no reason (except that it’s cheap). I think it’s time that food manufacturers take responsibility for their ingredients and stop feeding people crap. Seriously. It’s disgusting. Am I right people?

Related reading: Soy Allergy Basics

Filed under: News & Research, Soy Allergy, Emotions | 5 Comments »

Just in time for Easter! Sent in by Melisa K. Priem, author of the cookbook 8 Degrees of Ingredients in which all recipes are free of the top 8 allergens and are also gluten-free.

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, nut-free, fish-free (unless fish-derived gelatin is used) and no corn syrup!

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Marshmallow Eggs

These are an easy and fun way to personalize marshmallows or add a unique touch to any holiday.

Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
2/3 cup cold water
1 tablespoon gelatin, plus 2 teaspoons
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup colored sprinkling sugar (or choice of store-bought sprinkles)

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly sprinkle powdered sugar over pan.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add 2/3 cup cold water. Lightly sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Allow the gelatin to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the 1/2 cup water with 2 cups of sugar over medium heat. Continue to stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Allow the sugar mixture to boil and reach a temperature of 238 degrees F. Remove from heat and add to the gelatin. Using the mixer’s whisk attachment, whip the mixture on a medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 10 minutes.
5. Immediately transfer whipped marshmallow into a piping bag or prepared large plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Gently squeeze the bag and pipe out an oval egg (or other desired shape) onto the prepared pan. Immediately sprinkle with colored sanding sugar before piping the next egg. Allow the eggs to set before moving, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Recipe Notes

• Marshmallows: Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by lining with parchment paper. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Instead of piping, pour entire batch of whipped marshmallow into the dish and spread. Sprinkle additional powdered sugar on top and allow marshmallow to set. Cut into squares.
• Pipe the whipped marshmallow directly onto a cupcake in lieu of frosting. Sprinkle with colored sugar or stick under the broiler of your oven for 2 minutes for a toasty marshmallow treat.
• Pipe the whipped marshmallow directly onto a birthday cake to spell out recipient’s name or best wishes!

Serves: 12. Preparation Time is 10 minutes. Inactive Preparation Time is 30 minutes. Cooking Time is 10 minutes.

Melisa’s daughter

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Do you have a gluten-free recipe to share? Email it to alison@surefoodsliving.com along with (if you wish) your name and a picture of either the food you created or of you or your family.

Filed under: Recipes and Cooking Tips, Holidays/Special Events | 1 Comment »