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. (more…)

Freshly back from our overseas travel adventures we have gained a new perspective on challenges faced by those on gluten free diets. The fact that October was also declared Celiac Awareness Month in the USA and Canada, prompted me to write some thoughts down that could save you a lot of hassle.

Firstly, yes, it is great to be back home. We had an exciting time in the United States visiting family and friends (some we hadn’t seen in 25 years !! ). Most of the time was spent in Tennessee near the small town of Tracy City, up on the Cumberland Plateau. That’s roughly midway and close to the southern border of this beautiful state.

As exciting as travel is, it also presents significant challenges, especially for those who are on restricted diets. Most readers of this blog are challenged by the logistics involved in adhering to restrictive diets of one form or another, so it is likely that you .can relate to how these are exacerbated while en-route to another country. Our recent travels have brought to light some valuable points that could make a big difference for you the next time you prepare for that gluten free adventure.

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Are you ready for your THIRD serving of oats in this blog ! ?

I want to start by saying that we have some potentially shocking scientific references in this article that may open up a whole new world for you.

The “Cereous” Business Behind Preparing Oats Properly.
In PART 2, I was “monkey-ing” around a bit, attempting to get the point across, that traditional wisdom has a lot to offer us in terms of how we can prepare our day-to-day foods. That this age-old approach may hold valuable keys to have contemporary consumers THRIVING instead of just surviving.

Using our oats theme as an example, today’s article weaves in some of the many scientific studies which confirm the transformative processes of soaking, fermentation and cooking.

For the celiac, or those concerned with the contamination of their oats with other gluten-containing grains, it has been suggested that “rolling your own” oat grain is the ideal solution. This way you can not only sort through and pick out any offending, alien grain, but you also gain the added benefit of freshly rolled oats.

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Have you been wondering where I’ve been all week ?
(And NO, I didn’t go on a hiatus.)

Believe it or not, a large portion of the time, since my last entry into this blog has been spent on writing this one (!!!!)  Well, where is it then ?

Do you REALLY want to know what happened ? 
Well, I got SO excited and enthused with this topic that I ended up writing pages and pages ! Way too much to post here.

Then, finally, as I was proof-reading it to Karen I got a big hint that there was something very wrong, ……. when I could see her eyes start to glaze over……….  Does that tell you something ? I had lost her already and I had barely started.

Oh boy !! I’ve got SO much to learn about blogging and being able to condense my thoughts, facts and data down into a usable form (it’s very frustrating sometimes.) …..

 BUT WAIT A MINUTE !! 

Come to think of it, the culmination of this past week’s oat writing experience DOES, in a strange kind of way, come together as an excellent analogy to the subject matter at hand. (I suddenly see the gestalt of it all !! Yes !!  ) (more…)

Up until recently the oat grain has been excluded from the clinical gluten free diet mainly because of its amino acid sequence and reports from some patients of problems when incorporating oats on their gluten free program.

The other potential problem is that because the oat grain’s size, shape and general appearance is so similar to that of wheat, barley and rye, the chances of cross contamination during harvesting, transportation, milling or processing is a factor not to be dismissed lightly. (more…)

We thought this short video would be helpful for those who are still struggling with coming to terms with the Celiac condition and trying to explain it to others. It also provides another resource easily passed on to friends or family for better understanding. Just refer them to this post.

This interview with Dr. Peter Green M.D.*, author of Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic, although brief, covers a lot of ground and raises awareness of this condition to the general public. As was pointed out during the interview, because the treatment of this condition does not involve drugs (and the related large advertising budget allotted to such drugs), this condition therefore gets very little public exposure.

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