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.

Ten Videos On Each Of Ten+ Pages:
Once you open the Video News Page, look to the bottom and you will see a set of numbers 1,2,3,4,5… etc. Each number is “click-able” and each brings up a whole new set of ten videos.

If that’s not enough, consider that there are new videos being submitted everyday. Topics covered include everything from gluten free recipes and cooking demonstrations, through to discussions on celiac, diagnosis, gluten free diet, interviews, etc.

Keywords Feature:
Another feature that is helpful to know about is related to the list of “key” words in the top left hand corner of the video page. You’ll notice that each one of these words is “click-able”.

Once clicked, the videos are rearranged in order to make videos related to that word a priority. You will then see those particular “keyword”-related videos listed first.

Search Feature:
Similarly, you can enter your own gluten-free related “keyword” into the Search Box at top left of the Gluten Free Video News page. New Videos will then be streamed in related to that particular word.

To get back to this main blog page just click on the link at the top “BACK TO BLOG”

Have a play around with it till you feel comfortable, and then check back often. It’s a great resource. Write a comment about what you think of it.

To Your Health and Gluten Freedom,
Sven

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?

It’s wonderful !! I absolutely loved it!!
(Why don’t you give it a go?)

Just follow the recipe for the oats in that post, but use the 50-50 (whole oats to raw buckwheat) mix instead (or just try the same method using all raw buckwheat if oats don’t work for you). Remember, Buckwheat is gluten free.

Once it’s cooked, just add a nice “dobble” of good butter or coconut oil, a little honey  topped with a sprinkling of your personal “magic ingredient”.

You’ll be in HEAVEN!

But before you enjoy that delicious breakfast, check out the following and see some of the goodness you’ll be ingesting:

WHOLE BUCKWHEAT (Important Facts) - Even though Buckwheat has the word “wheat” in it, it has NO relationship to wheat what-so-ever. It is not even a grain. It is actually a broad-leaf plant related to the rhubarb and sorrel family. - Great alternative to rice and can be made into porridge. It is much higher in protein quality and availability than regular grains. - It is ideal for those struggling with wheat allergies, celiac or gluten intolerance, - Diets containing buckwheat have been linked to a lower risk of developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The high presence of magnesium in buckwheat is thought to contribute positively to a healthy cardio-vascular system, relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow and delivery of nutrients. - Magnesium is also a co-factor in over 300 enzymes, many of these linked to glucose and insulin secretion. - Buckwheat contains rutin, a medicinal chemical that strengthens capillary walls. - Buckwheat consumption is associated with lower total serum cholesterol, lower LDL (linked to cardio-vascular disease) and higher (health promoting) HDL . - Has a low glycemic index, therefore less likely to create spikes in blood sugar levels. - Buckwheat contains d-chiro-inositol, the cofactor missing in Type II diabetes. - Buckwheat is a good source of insoluble fiber which studies have shown can help women avoid gallstones. - Cleans and strengthens the intestines and improves appetite. - Buckwheat is noted as a possible pre-biotic, which is a carbohydrate promoting the growth of friendly bacteria in the digestive tract. - Buckwheat also has been found to contain a high content of cancer-preventing nitrilosides.

If you haven’t seen or used raw buckwheat before, my next post will give you a few tips on sourcing it and what to look out for.

Till then,

To Your Health and Gluten freedom,
Sven

Additional Interest and Information Resource Links:
1. Annual Buckwheat Festival in West Virginia.
2. Wikipedia Buckwheat Information
3. Detailed Nutritional information for Buckwheat.

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 !!  )

What, does my failure at writing an interesting article on oats have to do with celiac disease, gluten intolerance or consuming oats,  ?  …… and why should you be interested ?

Well, broadly speaking, BOTH have to do with the transfer and assimilation of “information”. 

Just as my complex, multi-page article caused Karen’s eyes to glaze over when it was “served up” to her, in the same way do oats and other grains cause our system to “glaze over” in various ways when NOT served up in a form that the body can deal with effectively (and this ability varies with each individual)

What the body wants and needs, are food materials presented in a form that it can easily recognize, break down and redistribute to where the various components are most needed. 

Just like with the subject matter of this very post.

You want useful information (or a good laugh) that you can use or enjoy. You want to feel good, UP and ALIVE. Not get put to sleep. Right ?  That’s exactly what your body wants as well.

It’s designed and built to THRIVE, and to thrive well. When the amount and quality of nourishment available to it is less than what is required, then it soon reverts to a protective, survival orientation such that the various systems then operate in a compromised manner designed to ensure that the vital “basics” continue to operate as long as possible, hopefully, till circumstances change for the better.

So, expanding on our “blog post” analogy, celiacs, or those with digestive or immune issues who have difficulty with oats or other grains, to varying degrees, have had long, boring, hard to understand “blog posts” served up to them, somewhere along the line.

This has continued for so long, in fact, that those systems in the body, given the job of collecting nutrient “information” from certain foods, has effectively thrown up it’s hands and just said, “Nope !! This is too complex, too “boring”, I do not want to deal with this any more ….. get out of here !!” 

And everyone knows what “NOT fun” of an experience that is !

Reality Check Time If you’ve made it to this point then I must be doing better (because I think Karen began to fade at about the 300 word mark of my discarded multi-page version). Perhaps I have succeeded then, to some degree, in making things more “digestible” for you.

But how does this analogy translate back to the subject of oats and other grains ? How are these food sources best presented to the body in a form that it welcomes, or at least, begins to show more interest in ?

 The answer lies in how these foods are prepared. How they are served up. And the greatest lead we have been given on this is by the thousands of years of experience and trial and error that has been gathered and handed down through our ancestors.

How did they consume their grains ?  What processes did they use to prepare these foods ? Virtually universally, these foods were subjected to either soaking, sprouting, fermentation, or cooking. Often it was a combination of at least two of these.

Here is a summary of this traditional wisdom as applied to oat consumption in a gluten free diet. This method maximizes nutrient availability and absorption and helps minimize any anti-nutrients present. There are many variations of this idea but we’ll just share what we do.

 Preparing Oat Porridge

Quantities:   ¼ cup oat groats = ½ cup flakes = 1 serving.

1. Find a way to crack, cut or roll your oat groats fresh. This also offers you the opportunity to physically pick through each portion of grain to ensure no gluten grains are present.
2. For each serve, add ½ cup of warm water “spiked” with 1Tbls fresh whey (this is what we use). Alternatively you could use, whole yoghurt, kefir, lemon juice or cider vinegar.
3. Stir the soaking mix thoroughly and set in a warm place overnight for 7 – 8 hours. You could go much longer if you like (up to 24 hours or so).  We set ours on the hot water heater during the winter months wrapped up in a woolen sweater.
4. Next morning, or when you are ready, mix up ½ cup water + ¼ tsp Celtic Sea salt and bring this to a boil.
5. Add the soaked oats to the boiling water and turn the heat down to a simmer.
6. Let simmer for about 3 minutes (yes, it cooks very fast) then turn off the heat and set aside for 2 – 5 minutes. Then it is ready to serve..
7. We usually stir in a good chunk of quality butter, a portion of raw honey or rice syrup, a touch of cinnamon and sprinkle of freshly ground flaxseed meal. Sometimes even a dash of cayenne.

There you have it.  A tasty, nourishing, “optimized” oat porridge to start the day.

Just as this article may have become more palatable than the former, so too have the oats, prepared this way, not only become more palatable but more useful to the body as well.

Shortly I’ll write out a little summary of each of the steps used in this preparation and why it helps to “optimize” the benefits and minimize the negatives of this wonderful grain. This is ALL positive news for those with gluten free concerns.

Maybe I’ll even do a little demo of the oat flaker that we use to make the flakes.

                   You just can NOT beat fresh-rolled oats for great porridge !!

Till then, remember the “glaze over” effect and try not to write long, boring articles.

Warmly, Sven

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.

On this subject of contamination, there is a company out of Wyoming www.GlutenFreeOats.com that grow oats exclusively for the celiac community. Their oats are considered SAFE for those who are gluten intolerant because they are tested to be below 10 ppm by the University of Nebraska FARRP Laboratory. As a reference (although still argued by some as too liberal), the Codex Alimentarius gluten-free standards considers 20 ppm as a safe threshold for those with celiac disease.

More recently the results of a 5 year study was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, Volume 42, Issue 1 2007 , pages 54 – 59. This study showed that the patients with celiac disease who participated in the study, consumed oats over a long period of time without adverse immunological effects.

Biopsies and the accompanying counting of Intraepithelial CD3, TCR (IEL) and TCR (IEL) T cells showed no difference in densities between the control group and those who consumed the oats.

Does this mean that oats can be consumed by ALL celiacs without fear of repercussion ? The aforementioned study is too limited in scope to come to such a conclusion. It is certainly encouraging to most, who may have feared including oats in their diet, but it is also suggested that there may be a small subset of celiacs who are also sensitive to avenin, the protein component of oats. The general advice of the day is still to tread cautiously when considering the inclusion of oats in the gluten free regime, especially when symptoms of a reaction are severe.

I would personally be interested in seeing some scientific studies done on the effect of varied processing techniques as they are related to gluten sensitivities. Food preparation methods which include soaking, sprouting or fermenting in particular are known to initiate profound changes in the foods themselves. Could these changes be significant enough to render potentially reactive foods benign or even beneficial ? What a thought !

Many of these techniques, common place in years gone by, have largely been replaced by modern, pseudo-substitutes that often leave the food more denatured than enhanced. Could we be overlooking life-enhancing, traditional food preparation methods to our detriment ?

We’ll look more into this interesting subject as we expand into the upcoming Part II of this topic.
Till next time,Stay open, question and keep learning.
Warmly, Sven

Now that we have the basic tools to create educational videos like the one here, the door is open for unlimited possibilities. We are so excited about tapping into our “thirty something” years of whole foods cooking experience and building a practical and helpful range of ”How to” cooking video modules.

How all this is to be structured is in the final stages of planning. Exciting BIG plans ahead, so, we recommend your including yourself on our mailing list for timely updates, or just make sure you pop in to this website frequently.

Enjoy, the video.

To your Health and Gluten Freedom.
Warmly, Sven and Karen