Newly diagnosed as celiac? Gluten Intolerant?
There’s no need to panic. Just because a lot of your favorite foods might now be on the “hit list” doesn’t mean you have to starve. …. quite the opposite, in fact.
Planning to venture out into the big, wide world of restaurants and eateries?
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, effectively communicating your gluten free requirements is key. This post outlines THREE ways you can equip yourself with powerful tools to do just that.
Have you ever had the experience of forgetting a crucial piece of information during an important phone call, only to realize the omission when it was too late?
This is definitely NOT something you want to do when communicating your dietary needs and restrictions to those who will be preparing your food. You do not want to leave anything to chance.
The best option is to have everything
written down before hand.
This applies both in preparation for your first phone call (See Part 1) and/or when you sit down for the first time in the restaurant. Detail your condition and list ALL the ingredients that you absolutely MUST avoid. …… To read the rest of this entry CLICK HERE »
Do you ever feel nervous about eating out because of your gluten free restrictions?
Dining out can feel like playing
Russian Roulette at times,
unless you go about things
the right way.
Fortunately there are steps you can take to greatly minimize any risk.
You have to be diligent, though, in following the steps that lay the foundation for a trouble free dining experience
Effective Communication is the Key
It all comes down to effective communication and building a trusting relationship between yourself and the owner/manager of the restaurant or eating establishment.
Having been a store owner, as well as one who has prepared gluten free foods for the public, I can highlight a few points from that perspective that will greatly increase your chances of success in the shortest possible time. …… To read the rest of this entry CLICK HERE »
There is so much helpful video information being uploaded to the Internet all the time. It’s easy to miss if you’re not specifically looking for it every day. Keeping up with it all would easily be a full-time job and I don’t think that many of us can afford to spend that much time searching for all this information.
Fortunately, I found a way to pull all the gluten free related videos from YouTube.com into one location and incorporate it into a new feature we have just added to this site called the “Gluten Free Video News” page.
It is all set up and can be accessed by clicking the new video graphic in the Right Hand Column of this page. (I’ve included a “click-able” copy of that graphic above, so you know what you are looking for.) Check it out. …… To read the rest of this entry CLICK HERE »
Continuing on from the last post, here are a few pointers to help you find the kind of raw materials you need to make the delicious porridge mentioned earlier.
Of the buckwheat that is produced for human consumption, most of it is milled into flour. The whole buckwheat kernels themselves, unfortunately are not commonly available in regular stores or supermarkets. More often they are quite easily found in most Health Food or Natural Foods Stores.
What you will be looking for is the RAW, HULLED seeds of the BUCKWHEAT plant. Depending on where you live it may be referred to as: …… To read the rest of this entry CLICK HERE »
Guess what!
I’m tired Of Eating Oats.
Yep, I’ve gotten tired of eating the plain oat breakfast I wrote about in one of my August’07 posts. (CLICK HERE to refer to it)
Actually, I DO really still love it,
it’s just that you want a CHANGE every now and then. You know what I mean?
We’ve been doing some exciting things with buckwheat lately. (NOT the buckwheat flour, but WHOLE RAW BUCKWHEAT), so this gave me a bit of an idea.
Why not use the same procedure used in that whole Oat Recipe but instead ….. make a ….
MIX of 50% whole oat groats + 50% whole raw buckwheat?
YES!! That sounds great. I’ve never made that mix before. So I got excited, immediately raced to the kitchen, and got the ingredients together to start the process. …….. And you know what?
I’m sure you’ve picked up already (if you’ve read any of our previous posts), that we believe wholeheartedly in the value of getting to know a bit about the foods that you work with. When I say “foods” I mean individual, whole food ingredients.
This approach is especially valuable for those who are working with food ingredients from a gluten free and allergy perspective. It’s a wholistic approach that has many levels to it, and, if followed with interest and enthusiasm, has only positive benefits to offer.
As you learn the nature and characteristics of whole food ingredients, a greater freedom of creativity and confidence in the kitchen develops. This is a totally different experience than when relying on prepackaged mixes and boxed refined foods.
As we progress along through these blog articles I will continue to emphasize this point and also take the opportunity to highlight points of interest from the rich and diverse backgrounds of our foods. In this way, you will gain a greater appreciation for the wonderful gluten free foods we have available to us. …… To read the rest of this entry CLICK HERE »
When I first encountered customers with gluten intolerance or celiac, I had no problem (I thought) in understanding the issues that they had to deal with. The solution, it seemed to me, was simple enough. Just avoid the gluten containing foods.
Since those early days, I have found out, that for many sufferers, this directive is a lot more involved than it first appears.
So, if you are one who is dealing with a very, gluten sensitive condition, or if you are caring for, shopping for, or preparing food for such a person, then these notes are for you. …… To read the rest of this entry CLICK HERE »
On a couple of occasions we’ve been asked about how to make gluten free baked products lighter (we understand that “door-stop bread loaves” are just not the fashion any more); and how to make your own self-rising flour for use in gluten free cooking.
As is the case with all kinds of flours, the only difference between the “plain” and the “self-raising” flour, is that the self-raising has had chemical leavening agents (baking powder) added to it that causes it to rise (this process was first invented back in the mid-1800’s B.T.W.).
What You Need To Know About Baking Powder:
Typical quantities of baking powder used in a recipe would be as follows:
100grams of flour,
3 grams of baking powder
and just a pinch of salt (up to 1 gram).
The basic formulation for baking powder itself, varies, but it commonly contains sodium bicarbonate (an alkali) combined with a starch (to keep it dry) and some form of acid salts such as cream of tartar or certain aluminum salts. (Here is a LINK to ingredients used in common baking powders plus more fascinating info)
It’s the body’s excessive exposure to aluminum salts that are of BIG concern. These are usually found in what are called “double-acting” baking powders and should be avoided. Studies have presented compelling evidence of aluminum being directly linked with senility and Alzheimer’s, just to name a few. (Other aluminum-containing formulations are found quite commonly in underarm deodorants as well). …… To read the rest of this entry CLICK HERE »
This is not an article about gluten free cooking, about celiac, or even how to live a gluten free life. It’s more about facing the challenges that come with the condition.
Someone once told me that “The challenges that we face, day to day, are just opportunities to overcome”. The magnitude and circumstance may vary, but the challenge remains the same.
We all have our victories, as we also have our setbacks.
How we handle either is an indication of how
much we have developed inside.
If the severity of your gluten intolerance is extreme and your ability to deal with the emotional and physical issues at hand are pushed to their limits, then it’s the “inner game” that becomes your most potent field of play.
