Directions:

Turn on the oven. Slice the potatoes very thinly – all the same thickness, so they will cook evenly. Arrange them one layer deep on a greased baking tray. (A light olive oil spray works well.) Sprinkle lightly with the other ingredients. Bake at 400° F until nice and brown, about 30 minutes, depending on how thinly the potatoes are sliced.

Variation: Sweet potatoes make an interesting change. They work best if sliced extremely thinly, but watch them carefully because the sugar in them makes them burn easily.

•   Brown Rice Flour: The texture is grainy and nutty in taste. Works well with baked goods. Is also high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
• Buckwheat Flour: Earthy and nutty in flavor. Works well for pancakes, waffles and other baked goods. High in fiber, carbohydrates and minerals.
• Amaranth Flour: Light brown with a nutty and peppery flavor. Good when used as a thickener for soups and gravies.
• Arrowroot Starch: Tasteless flour that can be used as a substitute for cornstarch when cooking or baking.
• Corn Flour: A finer blend than that of cornmeal. Most popular types are: Masa Harina…ground from white or yellow corn that is used to make hominy, and Harinilla, which is made from blue corn and used primarily in Mexican dishes.
• Coconut Flour: Should be blended with other flours to add texture and consistency to baked goods. Has a naturally subtle sweetness when made from 100% organic coconut. High in fiber and protein.
• Fava Bean Flour: Slightly bitter taste and should be blended in small amounts with other gluten-free flours. Use in baked goods such as quick breads.
• Black Bean Flour: Has a grainy texture and a strong flavor that can overpower milder flours. Can be used in Mexican dips, veggie burgers, soups, stews and tortillas.
• Quinoa Flour: Has a slightly nutty flavor. Use in baked goods such as cookies and cakes to help retain moisture.
• Soy Flour: Has a nutty flavor and a grainy texture. Combine with other flours for baking or coating. Contains all the amino acids necessary to make a complete protein.
• Oat Flour: Oats cause a problem due to cross-contamination. There are a few companies that are dedicated to growing, producing and packaging uncontaminated oats. Oat flour adds flavor and texture to baked goods, and can be used to bind meatloaf.
• White Rice Flour: Powdery and tasteless. Usually mixed with other gluten-free flours when baking muffins, breads and other baked goods.
• Tapioca Flour: Very light and powdery. Tapioca flour has no taste and can be used as a thickening agent, or combined with other gluten-free flours to make baked goods.
• Sorghum Flour: Heavy flour that is much like wheat flour. Works well in baked goods such as muffins and breads.

Storage of gluten-free flours will depend on the type. Most will need to be stored in an air-tight container, and can be refrigerated or frozen. Please read the label for exact directions. The best way to learn what gluten-free flour works best for your recipe is to experiment and become familiar with their specific taste and texture.

Fiction: Celiac disease is simply a gastrointestinal disease that causes chronic diarrhea
Fact: Gastrointestinal symptoms may be totally lacking in a patient with celiac disease. Some of the common symptoms can include: bloating, headaches, poor weight gain, constipation, fatigue, diarrhea, discolored teeth, skin rash, infertility, delayed growth and depression.

Fiction: Celiac Disease is a childhood disease
Fact: Celiac disease is an inherited condition. Symptoms may develop at any age. A recent study in Finland found that celiac disease was actually more common    among  the elderly.

Fiction: You can outgrow Celiac disease
Fact: Celiac Disease is a life-long disease. The only known treatment is a gluten-free diet for life.

Fiction: It is wise to try a gluten-free diet to see if you may have Celiac Disease.
Fact: You should not attempt a gluten-free diet until the diagnosis has been made. A trial GF diet may interfere with the interpretation of the tests and render them inconclusive and cause a delay in diagnosis

Fiction: It is ok for a person who has been diagnosed with Celiac disease to ingest a small amount of gluten once in a while.
Fact: Treatment for Celiac disease is a strict gluten-free diet. While it may appear that small amounts of gluten is tolerated, damage is still being done to the intestinal lining. Zero tolerance is the only acceptable approach.

Fiction: Once I start a gluten-free lifestyle I am cured of Celiac disease and need no further medical or dietary supervision.
Fact: Follow up and supervision is necessary to prevent possible complications such as anemia, osteoporosis and nutritional deficiencies.

According to A long-term study done at the University of Maryland, Celiac disease is on the rise. Researchers pointed out that while part of this increase may be due to more awareness of the disease, many cases still go undiagnosed. It is estimated that the prevalence of Celiac disease has increased by 5 times in the last 30 years among Americans. You can read more about this study here:  http://www.fyiliving.com/diet/special-diets/getting-older-increases-gluten-intolerance/

Take some time to study your new gluten-free diet. Until you feel comfortable, it may help to eat only fresh whole foods, such as vegetables, fruits, fresh meats, eggs, real butter etc. Play it safe until you are comfortable with your new food labeling terminology. Get in the habit of reading ingredient labels when shopping. If you have any questions about a product, don’t be afraid to contact the company. You can also check to see if the company has a website with a section that allows questions. Look for free food shopping guides online, but be sure that they are recent and up to date.

This would be a great time to reorganize your kitchen, and get a fresh start. Have one of your cupboards designated as Gluten-Free. You might want to invest in a some items that will only be used to prepare GF foods, such as a toaster or toaster oven, cutting board, flour sifter…any item that is hard to clean and could cause cross contamination.

Get your family involved. If you children are old enough, enlist their help. This would be a great time to start some GF cooking lessons and learn together. If they are young, put smiley face stickers on the gluten-free items in your pantry, refrigerator and GF cupboard. Teach your family about the importance of good GF habits such as no double dipping in the peanut butter, or wiping down the counters with a clean sponge after eating.

A new lifestyle can be very overwhelming, but now that you know what has been causing your problem you have the ability to take immediate measures to do something about it. Being successful just requires a large measure of self education, access to the right ingredients, mix in some self discipline, add a pinch of cooperation from others and you have a recipe for gluten-free success.

Ingredients

¾ cup butter
4 ounces unsweetened (baking) chocolate
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup Multiblend Gluten-Free Flour (I use Authentic Foods Brand)
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 8×11 inch baking pan

Directions

1. In a large microwavable blow, microwave butter and chocolate on high for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave for 1 more minute

2. Stir chocolate until completely melted and smooth.

3. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla

4. Gradually stir in flour until blended, then add walnuts

5. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly.

6. Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. Cut into squares

Not all dental enamel defects are caused by celiac disease, although the problem is fairly common among people with the condition, particularly children, Dental enamel defects might be the only presenting symptom of celiac disease.

Dental enamel problems that happen becauseof celiac disease involve permanent dentition and include tooth discoloration—white, yellow, or brown spots on the teeth—poor enamel formation, pitting or banding of teeth, and mottled or translucent-looking teeth. The imperfections are symmetrical and often appear on the incisors and molars.
Tooth defects resulting from celiac disease are permanent and do not improve after adopting a gluten-free diet—the primary treatment for celiac disease. But dentists may use bonding, veneers, and other cosmetic solutions to cover dental enamel defects in older children and adults.

Similar Symptoms, Different Problem

Tooth defects that result from celiac disease may resemble those caused by too much fluoride or a maternal or early childhood illness.
“Dentists mostly say it’s from fluoride, that the mother took tetracycline, or that there was an illness early on,”; said Peter H.R. Green, M.D., director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. “Celiac disease isn’t on the radar screen of dentists in this country. Dentists should be made aware of these manifestations to help them identify people and get them to see their doctors so they can exclude celiac disease.”
Green just completed a U.S. study with his dental colleague, Ted Malahias, D.D.S., that demonstrates celiac disease is highly associated with dental enamel defects in childhood—most likely due to the onset of celiac disease during enamel formation. The study, which did not identify a similar association in adults, concluded that all physician education about celiac disease should include information about the significance of dental enamel defects.

Other Oral Symptoms

Looking at a patient’s mouth is something primary care physicians can do to help identify people who might have celiac disease. While dental enamel defects are the most noticeable, a number of other oral problems are related to celiac disease, according to Green. These include

• recurrent aphthous stomatitis, or canker sores or ulcers that recur inside the mouth
• atrophic glossitis, a condition characterized by a red, smooth, shiny tongue
• dry mouth syndrome
• squamous cell carcinoma—a type of cancer—of the pharynx and mouth

The goal of the vaccine is to induce autoimmune tolerance to gluten, so the celiac patient’s body would not react in the usual manner and no damage would be inflicted on the small intestine. Before the vaccine’s effectiveness can be confirmed, however, the researchers had to conduct what’s known as a “Phase I trial” to verify how the vaccine acts and affects the body, the side effects associated with increasing doses, and early evidence of effectiveness. The study that started in May of 2009 in Australia is a Phase I trial. Using forty volunteers with celiac disease, the researchers determined the appropriate vaccine dose and to identify any side effects.  Dr. Anderson said. “Our Phase I study showed that the vaccine was safe to use and well tolerated, and importantly, that it had the desired biological response in patients with celiac disease.”  They completed Phase I in May 2011 and with the positive results that they had, took no time in moving to Phase II.  In Phase II, they use a much larger number of participants to confirm that the vaccine actually works,

Dr. Anderson has been studying the role of gluten in celiac disease for many years. In a press release, he said, “As both a celiac disease researcher and treating gastroenterologist, I am in an interesting position. I have overseen my basic scientific discovery about the troublesome elements in gluten being translated into an experimental vaccine that may eventually help my patients.…The vaccine itself is intended to gradually desensitize the celiac sufferer, so that gluten is tolerated. Consequently, the villi in the small intestine should revive and absorb nutrients in the normal way. Ideally, that would mean the end of gluten-free diets for people with celiac disease.”

A web page devoted to Dr. Anderson and his work points out that while researchers around the world are working to develop drugs that might help patients with celiac disease, “Many of the drugs under development for celiac disease are likely to supplement the gluten free diet and simply provide a safeguard against inadvertent gluten exposure.” Vaccines such as the one his group is testing, on the other hand, “are likely to replace the gluten free diet if they prove efficacious.”

The treatment is similar to allergy shots for cats, ragweed, and other environmental allergens. Based on current data, Dr. Anderson states that the dosing will likely begin with an induction phase of three shots weekly for a month, followed by a maintenance phase of a single injection given once weekly or monthly. Future clinical trials will determine whether, in the long-term, full tolerance or a cure, which allows patients to eat a normal diet, will be achieved.

On the Hannaford website, you can download a brochure that lists the gluten-free items for sale in their stores.

Kroger

On the top of the home page of each of the Kroger supermarkets, follow the “Pharmacy and Health” link for a downloadable list of gluten-free products sold in their stores. The website cautions that this is only a partial list of all of their gluten-free products. Kroger’s registered dietitians can be reached at 866-632-6900.

Fred Meyer

Ralphs

King Soopers

Fry’s Food

Dillons

Smith’s Food and Drug

Quality Food Centers

Food 4 Less

City Market

Owen’s Market

Jay C Foods

Highlander

Gerbes

Publix
The Publix list of gluten-free items is available online.

Shoprite

Shoprite’s list of gluten-free items is available online.

Stop and Shop
Stop and Shop Supermarkets’ list of gluten-free products is available on their website.

Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s offers a downloadable product list of their gluten-free items.

Wegmans
The Wegmans list of gluten-free items is updated weekly and can be reached from the company’s “Gluten Sensitivity” page. Wegmans also offers a list of products that are free of both gluten and lactose.

Whole Foods
The Whole Foods website provides store-specific lists of gluten-free items.