Food Sensitivity Journal

It can take people a long time to get diagnosed with celiac disease because they do not present with the classical symptoms doctors are trained to look for.  Dr. Peter Green, Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, and Rory Jones discuss silent celiac disease in the book, Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic. When the disease is "silent",  a patient has no gastrointestinal symptoms.  Some patients might recognize symptoms retrospectively (after diagnosis), such as fatigue that never disappears after pregnancy or illness, dental enamel defects, or childhood irritability and illness.  Undiagnosed, the book states that patients can develop other complications later in life, such as cancer of the small intestine, diabetes, anemia, dermatitis herpetiformis, depression, infertility, and peripheral neuropathies.  The longer celiac disease goes untreated, the more likely a person is to develop other autoimmune diseases and malnutrition.

To further complicate matters, getting the correct diagnosis is difficult.  If you can get a doctor to order a test,  the book explains that the most sensitive blood tests measure IgA antibodies, which will not be accurate if the patient has selective IgA deficiency.  In addition, some patients have less flattening of the villi in their small intestine, or are just not eating enough gluten, and the test may be negative even though there is active celiac disease.  The book discusses all the pros and cons of various testing methods and the state of current research.  Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic, includes information about symptoms, diagnosis, associated conditions, treatment and living gluten free.  You can also find information at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.

Although I'm not a doctor and can't comment on the scientific validity of any testing method, I have some personal experience with negative blood tests.  After testing negative for celiac disease, my son's pediatrician ordered genetic and stool testing for gluten sensitivity through Enterolab.  After going on a gluten free diet, many physical and behavioral problems he was having cleared up.  Read more of my story.

My son loves these.  I can eat them plain - he prefers dipping them in the homemade marionberry syrup from my last blog post. 

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 banana, sliced
1 1/8 cup nondairy vanilla milk
2 tsp coconut or vegetable oil
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Place wet ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until mixed.  Add dry ingredients and blend until smooth.  Heat nonstick frying pan over medium/high heat.  Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter onto hot greased pan (the pan must be hot enough for the batter to spread properly).  Tilt the pan so the batter spreads out.  Cook until lightly browned on bottom and flip.  Makes 6 to 9 crepes.  Source:  www.foodsensitivityjournal.com

Slappy Cakes in Portland, Oregon serves up family fun with gluten and vegan pancake options you cook at your table.

Everyone Eats bakes pizza, pasta, bread and desserts in a dedicated gluten and nut free facility located in New York.  Their products are available for purchase at their store, through grocery stores on the East Coast, and online.

Camp Emerson, a 170 acre location in the Berkshire Mountains, Massachusetts, can accommodate the following food sensitivities and allergies:  dairy, nut, wheat, gluten, soy, egg and fish.  They have every activity you can imagine, including acquatics, studio and performing arts, athletics, robotics and video production, just to name a few!  They are listed on the camps page.

Most dairy free cheeses and ice creams taste a lot different than the real thing.  I tried several different ice cream brands before finally finding a sugar, dairy and soy free version that is rich, creamy and has a taste and consistency that rivals dairy ice cream.  Coconut Bliss is made from coconut milk, sweetened with agave nectar, and comes in a variety of flavors, including pineapple coconut, cappuccino, vanilla island, and chocolate peanut butter, to name a few.  Some of the flavors contain nuts, and mint galactica contains sugar.  Coconut Bliss uses organic, fair trade ingredients, and is now available in stores throughout the United States.

If chocolate is on your permitted foods list, I highly recommend Holy Kakow Rapture Organic Chocolate Syrup as a topping for your ice cream.   It is an organic product, with ingredients sourced from farms that employ sustainable farming methods.  The ingredients are minimally processed and free of gluten, dairy, soy, sugar and nuts.  It can be purchased in stores in Oregon and Washington, or online at Vegan Essentials or Food Fight Grocery.

For those of you avoiding chocolate, try marionberry syrup on ice cream, pancakes, waffles and even on hot cereal.  This recipe works with other berries as well, but you may need to add a little extra apple juice concentrate for sweetness.

Ingredients:

1 10 ounce bag frozen marionberries
1/4 cup water, divided
1/3 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1 tbsp arrowroot powder

Directions:

Wash berries.  Place berries along with 1/8 cup water and 1/3 cup apple juice concentrate in food processor with sharp blade.  Blend until smooth.  Place in saucepan over medium high heat until simmering.  Turn down heat so the mixture is at a gentle simmer.  Meanwhile, blend 1/8 cup water with arrowroot powder.  Add arrowroot mixture to marionberry mixture and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.  Cool and store in glass jar in refrigerator or freezer.  Source:  www.foodsensitivityjournal.com

For information on attending summer camp with food sensitivities and allergies, visit my new summer camp page.

The Two Bars Seven Ranch, consisting of 3,000 acres on the Colorado, Wyoming border, welcomes visitors with gluten sensitivity, and can accommodate diets free of gluten, dairy, soy, sugar and corn. 

I fell in love with sauerkraut last summer when I was served a homemade version at the Bay House, in Lincoln City Oregon.  Sauerkraut is one of several fermented foods that contains natural probiotics - the good bacteria that lives in your intestines.  The chef informed me all you need is cabbage, salt and patience to make this probiotic culinary delight.   Nutrition expert Julie Matthews posted a video on her blog, Nourishing Hope, to demonstrate how to make your own. 

You can also find sauerkraut at your local natural foods store in the refrigerator section, but beware, some are pasteurized limiting their probiotic value.  I contacted Bubbies (my personal favorite) and was informed they flash heat it to 135-140 degrees before sealing it in jars to calm the culture because it was bubbling and causing too much leakage for their distributors.  A representative  informed me that although the product is not raw, it does contain some beneficial live bacteria.

I have tried eating sauerkraut in several recipes, and find that my favorite pairings are with pork and buffalo.   Buffalo can sometimes be tolerated by those sensitive to beef, and I think it tastes better.   You can find grass fed, hormone free meats through your local natural food store, local farm or farmers market.   Resources for finding these options are available on the side bar of my blog (Eat Wild, Green People, Local Harvest and Culinate).

Ingredients:

1 pound ground buffalo
1 head butter or red leaf lettuce
2 medium sliced tomatoes
1/2 medium sliced red onion
sauerkraut
sea salt

Directions:

Wash leaves of lettuce.  Heat up barbecue.  Form buffalo into patties and add sea salt.  Place on barbeque and cook to desired doneness.  When ready to serve, arrange patties on leaves of lettuce, and add tomato, onion and sauerkraut.  Serves three to four.  Source:  www.foodsensitivityjournal.com

Ginger, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, is especially soothing to the gut.  It also adds extra zing to this meal.

Ingredients:

1 pound pork sirloin tip cutlet
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
1 tsp coconut or other allowed oil for low salicylate diet
sea salt

Directions:

Heat oil in heavy frying pan over medium heat.  Saute ginger for a couple of minutes until aromatic.  Add pork and sprinkle with salt.  Cook for a few minutes until the bottom of the meat has changed color.  Flip and cook to desired doneness.  Serve with sauerkraut, greens and/or sesame green beans.  Serves two.  Source:  www.foodsensitivityjournal.com

Inn Seekers allows you to search for an inn or bed and breakfast that serves gluten free meals in locations around the world.  Find it on the restaurants page.

Go Healthy Cafe in Eugene Oregon offers gluten free and allergy friendly dining.

Naturopathic Physician Stephen Wangen of Seattle, Washington has been added to the provider list.  He specializes in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and food allergy issues.

Steve Ells, CEO and founder of the chain restaurant Chipotle, was featured as one of three guests on Oprah's "Food 101 with Michael Pollan" show last week. Chipotle is not your typical fast food restaurant - everything they sell is fresh, with the exception of corn, which they buy frozen.  Chipotle also stands out in its effort to buy local, organic, sustainably grown produce and meats, as much as possible, a campaign they call "Food with Integrity".  In fact, they are the largest restaurant buyer of naturally raised meats in the country.  Their food contains no artificial colors or flavorings and their dairy is rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) free.  

Chipotle's menu consists of tacos, burritos and salads that you can build according to your preferences.  It's set up a lot like Subway, where you go through a line and the server prepares your order as you like it.   Servers are more than willing to take precautions, such as changing their gloves, to minimize the risk of cross contamination.  Tell your server which foods you have to avoid when you place your order.  Chipotle uses no eggs, fish, shellfish or nuts.  The only item containing gluten is the flour tortilla, which you can easily avoid by ordering a taco or salad.  Skip the cheese and sour cream if dairy is a problem.  For a complete allergen statement, visit Chipotle's website. 

Food expert Michael Pollan was also on the show discussing how food choices we make as consumers impacts our physical health and the health of the planet.  Food subsidies have encouraged large scale agriculture focused on wheat, corn and soy, fueling a western diet focused on mass produced "edible, food like substances" that are cheaper to buy than fresh food.  Americans eat a lot less whole grains, natural meats, fruits and vegetables than they used to, a change that coincides with the rising rate of obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.  Pollan's new book, Food Rules, offers the following advice:

     *Don't eat anything your great grandmother would not recognize as food.
     *Avoid foods containing ingredients that a third grader cannot pronounce.
     *Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
     *Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.

Oprah's last guest, Alicia Silverstone, told about how giving up dairy, meat and refined sugar cured her of severe asthma, insomnia, acne and constipation.  She noticed a significant change just within two weeks of starting the new diet, with more energy, mental clarity and gorgeous skin.  Four recipes from her new book, The Kind Diet, can be found at Oprah's website.  For more on her journey, read an excerpt from her new book.

When you are cooking for special diets, it's nice to have a short cut every once in awhile.  We discovered Bone Suckin' Sauce at Whole Foods, right after our son's diagnosis of gluten sensitivity.  It has no: refined sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, or soy, and it tastes great.  We use it frequently as a marinade for grilled chicken.  To make your own chicken wings this Sunday, find a store near you that sells Bone Suckin' Sauce, and follow these steps:

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Wash and pat dry chicken wings.  Place in a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet.
3.  Brush sauce over chicken wings.
4.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.