Stuffed bell peppers have regained their place at the table in our home. Southwest flavors of cumin, chiles and Monterey Jack cheese add zesty flavor. In place of brown rice, I used riced cauliflower (I didn’t tell the family there was cauliflower in the dish and no one knew!). It’s a dinner that can be prepared ahead of time, stored in the fridge and popped in the oven on a busy evening. With two portions per person, it’s hefty enough to stand on it’s own. It’s a simple, nourishing and vibrant one-dish meal.

Read the full post & get the recipe

Russ Crandall

While the purpose of this post is to share a recipe for gluten-free southern fried chicken, it’s also about an amazing success story. I’ve shared quite a few success stories in the past, but this one is really impressive. It’s about Russ Crandall, who at the age of 25, suffered a stroke and had to relearn how to do many of the things we all take for granted on a daily basis. His story is not only about regaining his health, but about regaining his health through smart food choices that seem to go against the grain of so much of the medical establishment. While my story is not anywhere near as traumatic as what Russ’ was, I can relate in many ways to where he’s been and more importantly where he has ended up. He has appreciation for food, an appreciation for its effects on human health, and most importantly, an appreciation for life. I can with 100% certainty, guarantee you’ll see more of his recipes here in the future.

On to the gluten-free southern fried chicken… Fried chicken isn’t something I would normally post — most of the gluten-free recipes I’ve seen rely on things like cornmeal, corn flakes, rice flour, and even Rice Krispies. None of those are items that I’d ever suggest people eat by themselves or as part of a recipe (yeah, I’m a bit of a snob that way). This recipe from Russ takes the fried chicken one step further and uses a simple mixture of buttermilk and potato starch to achieve the crispy batter and from the looks of it — it works. Potato starch isn’t normally a favorite of mine either, but on rare occasion when you’re craving a comfort food like this, it’ll work fine.

Also, don’t be shocked when you see that it calls for lard — read this and you might rethink your theory that lard is bad. Personally, I’ll take lard over most store-bought oils any day — both in terms of health and taste.

We don’t eat fried foods that often, but every once in a while I get a craving for something crispy and crunchy. So I set out to make a gluten-free, Paleo-friendly southern fried chicken. Bear in mind that this isn’t a smart choice for your everyday meals, but it’s a great way to change things up every once in a while.

The creation of southern fried chicken is the result of several different influences: fried chicken was a West African delicacy brought over to the US by slaves, the mass-production of pork in the South made lard readily available, and the popularity of cast iron cookware in the 19th century created the fried chicken we now associate with the South. I kept my recipe true to those historical precedents, including the use of buttermilk as a marinade…

Read the full post & get the recipe

Emily Deans, M.D.: I’m a psychiatrist in Massachusetts searching for evolutionary solutions to the general and mental health problems of the 21st century. Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to be personal medical advice. Please ask your physician about any health guidelines seen in this blog, as everyone is different in his or her medical needs.

In the midst of all the chaos this week came a very interesting diet/mental illness risk paper. Particularly good because it comes from the premier psychiatry journal (that we in the biz call the “Green Journal” because the cover is… well…anyway): The American Journal of Psychiatry (and looks like the full text is available for free) — Maternal antibodies to dietary antigens and risk of nonaffective psychosis in offspring.

“Nonaffective psychosis” are psychotic disorders not related to major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder (both of which can cause psychotic symptoms during severe episodes). The most common primary nonaffective psychosis will be schizophrenia, though there are a few other rarer disorders, such as delusional disorder.

Lest we forget who the enemy is, it is inflammation. Yes, our immune system, in the context of our modern lifestyle is often like an group of soldiers armed to the teeth with too much to do on one hand (all these modern epidemics of infections) and too little on the other (wherefore art thou, old friends?). Lest we forget, without inflammation, we will die. Our immune system is necessary, just like an army from time to time.

To put the screws on schizophrenia risk, let’s say now, with relative surety, that there is no single cause. Schizophrenia isn’t even a single disorder, but rather a variety of disorders with similar enough symptoms to be lumped together by that most imperfect of documents, the DSMIV. But, a few things come up over and over when we look at the suspicious characters, and these things all go back to the immune system (inflammation), genetic risk, and those contributions to the pathology of schizophrenia (ultimately brain damage of a particular kind, a neurodegenerative disease).

Risk factors for developing schizophrenia that I’ve heard over the years:

• Family history
• Urban
• Advanced paternal age (and to a lesser extent, advanced maternal age)
• Infections (particularly toxo and herpes)
• Birth in the winter months (could be associated with infections or…)
• …Low vitamin D at birth
• Complications during pregnancy or birth
• Cannabis use, particularly at a young age

(before I forget, it’s a beautiful day… Punching in a dream by Naked and Famous)

So we get the usual hodgepodge of genetic risk (family history) plus environmental stress (particularly severe stressors that occur when the brain is forming) = increased risk of developing the disease(es). Ultimately at a certain stage of development (typically late adolescence for men and about 10 years later for women), brain cells begin to die, signals misfire, and we end up with the typical symptoms.

It makes perfect sense that if we have a sensitivity to something in our diet, inflammation will increase, and that risk for all sorts of autoimmune conditions and other chronic diseases will increase. And, as we already know, there is an association between schizophrenia and celiac disease, and schizophrenia and weird wheat antibodies.

So now, the new paper in the Green Journal. It’s one of those cool studies that are only possible in Scandanavian countries where you pay 70% of your income in taxes and the government keeps tab on all your health information from birth to death. In this case, the neonatal blood samples of a whole population of folks were collected (everyone in born Sweden since 1975) and a sample of folks later diagnosed with schizophrenia and matched healthy controls were analyzed. IgG antibodies (immune response) to gliadin (from wheat) and casein (from milk) were measured. Newborns have immature immune systems and do not make IgG antibodies. These antibodies must have been made by the mother and passed through the placenta in the late stages of pregnancy to the baby.

Don’t all run out and get expensive IgG tests to see if you are “sensitive” to foods. I’ve never seen anything compelling to show me these tests were a reliable indicator of allergies. Wheat is so commonly eaten that almost anyone with an inflamed or “leaky” gut will have IgG antibodies floating around… however, in this study, it was the 10% of folks who had the highest IgG signal to gliadin whose offspring had increased risk of schizophrenia. IgG antibodies to casein were not linked to any increased risk. If only the 5% of babies with the very highest levels of IgG antibodies to gliadin were consider, the odds ratio of developing schizophrenia later in life jumps to 2.5. Don’t get me wrong, the absolute risk will still be pretty low, but any time an odds ratio jumps to >2 one should prick up one’s ears as it is an interesting finding. These findings were not attenuated by adjusting for confounders.

In general, a highly positive IgG test to gliadin means you have a risk of having celiac disease (though it is not one of the standard tests, which are typically measures of types of HLA genes, anti tissue transglutaminiase, and IgA to gliadin). Did the moms with the highest IgG in this study have untreated celiac disease, and thus a fully flowered autoimmune disease with all the inflammation on board, affecting mom as well as fetus? Sure, except full blown untreated maternal celiac disease is typically associated with malnutrition and small birth weight, whereas in this study there was no correlation between high anti-gliadin IgG and low birth weight. In addition, while 90% of folks with celiac will have the HLA-DQA*0501 and DQB*0201 alleles, these alelles are not increased among folks with schziphrenia.

All told, once again we have a link between wheat and schizophrenia, one not explained by celiac disease alone. More unveiling of the connection needs to be done.

More articles like this on at Evolutionary Psychiatry

She’s also the author of ‘Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat‘ which from the looks of it is right up my alley. I love the fact that it’s full of recipes made with zero grains, legumes, soy, sugar, or dairy — not only is it great for those following a paleo diet, but equally as great for a celiac following a gluten-free diet and looking to improve their overall health in the process. Speaking from my own personal experience and observing many others at the same time, most people that are diagnosed with celiac disease and then embark on a gluten-free diet end up in pretty bad shape in just a couple of years. The over processed and sugar-filled food that makes up the commercial gluten-free market is a recipe for disaster. People with celiac disease (or anyone for that matter) do far better following a paleo/primal diet than what is often available at the supermarket. It’s so nice to see more and more people getting this and it’s even more exciting to see the paleo/primal movement growing at such a rapid pace. How can you go wrong when one of the main focuses of your diet is food quality?

Anyhow, that’s enough ranting for today, enjoy Melissa’s recipe.

These guys are awesome summer food: cool, crisp, flavorful, light, and easy to make. You could make them half the size and serve them at a party, even! The jicamada bed is a sweet, crunchy balance to the peppery bite of the relish, and the little bit of mayo adds a creamy kiss that gets close to recreating the magic of a bahn mi sandwich. You can play around with the ingredients: cucumbers would be a good addition or substitution in the relish, and you can swap in cilantro for the basil…

Read the full post & get the recipe

This week, I’ve got a delicious recipe for those of you that are starting to get sick of your go-to safe starch – sweet potatoes. If you’re looking to try some different starches, give these yucca fries a shot! Pair them with a nice burger or steak and you’ve got a quick and easy meal ready to go. We’ll be exploring other safe starches in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Read the full post & get the recipe

Carrie of Deliciously Organic has come up with three different variations on the cauliflower pizza crust and all of them hold up to my test of being able to pick it up and eat it with my hands. I don’t personally eat any sort of legumes, so her versions with almond flour or seeds (as opposed to the garbanzo bean flour) worked perfectly. Eating like this really makes me think about what I say to people all the time — even if I could go back to eating on a “regular diet” again, I don’t think I would. Celiac disease or not, there is no comparison in the quality and nutritional value of food like this.

Some like it crunchy, others doughy. I waffle back and forth, but lately I wanted a grain-free pizza crust I could pick up, eat cold, and send with the kids to school without worrying it will fall apart. I love my recent grain-free pizza made of seeds, roasted bell peppers, and cheese, but it’s fun to change things up.

I’ve grown a certain appreciation (borderline obsession) for cauliflower recently. I tested this recipe dozens of times to come up with different variations for you to use depending on your dietary restrictions right now. Our favorite was the crust made with garbanzo bean flour, but if you can’t eat beans right now, the next best substitute is almond flour or finely ground seeds. The other night, I made pizzas and included milkshakes using the homemade chocolate and peanut butter ice cream. The kids squealed. A diner-like dinner, grain free, and full of nourishing ingredients.

Read the full post & get the recipe

First, a simple roasted chicken is one of the great pleasures in life and this version with it’s 40 (count them), 40 cloves of garlic sounds ridiculously good. Other than the fact that you’ll spend some time peeling the garlic, this is incredibly easy and even better, it’s incredibly healthy. If you want a great tip for peeling garlic fast, watch this video from Saveur Magazine.

…This recipe is something I used to make for my father on occasion when he would visit. He loved roast chicken. Some days I’d do it plain, others I would combine it with homemade barbecue sauce. I’ve even done this recipe on a grill. So it’s very versatile. Most people do this in clay pots. I am sadly lacking a clay pot, so I improvised. This time I used my dutch oven. It turned out remarkably well. I hope you get a chance to try it out. To me there is something about a roast chicken that brings on such strong memories of my father. The sense of smell evokes such powerful memories. When I smell French Fries cooking, or spaghetti sauce I inevitably think of my Mom. When I smell Roast Chicken my mind immediately goes to my Dad. The amazing power of food is not lost on me. I am sure it plays a huge role in why I cook so many of my parent’s faves.

Read the full post & get the recipe

Jordan Reasoner is a health engineer and author. He was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2007 and almost gave up hope when a gluten-free diet didn’t work. Since then, he transformed his health using the SCD Diet and started SCDLifestyle.com with Steve Wright, a blog on digestive disease and stress reduction where you can learn simple, but effective techniques to naturally heal your stomach problems.

On June 10^th 2005 my mom died from Cancer at the age of 52… and I miss her every single day.

I was devastated.

It tore me apart.

It didn’t make sense.

It wasn’t fair.

How could this happen?

But looking back, the signs leading up to her cancer revealed a pattern:

• Lifelong “nervous stomach” (diarrhea, gas, and bloating)
• Fertility problems
• Graves’ disease
• Endometriosis
• Migraines
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Frequent illness
• Gallbladder cancer
• Bile duct cancer
• Liver cancer

And my own Celiac Disease diagnosis in 2007 affirmed my suspicions.

Lifelong untreated Celiac Disease killed my mom…

Celiac Disease is an exploding epidemic

The latest research estimates 1% of the western population has Celiac Disease (1 in every 133 people)^[1] with nearly 3 million people suffering in the United States. That’s A LOT of people… but what’s worse is the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center estimates 97% of those with Celiac Disease remain undiagnosed.

So why are so many people unaware they have Celiac Disease?

The diagnosis itself can be expensive, time-consuming, and misunderstood. The “gold standard” Celiac diagnosis looks for a positive antibody blood test confirmed by an intestinal biopsy. The biopsy is typically ordered by a Gastroenterologist and gathered in a hospital setting during a procedure called an Endoscopy, costing anywhere from $2,000 – $5,000. For some people, that’s just not an option.

It isn’t necessarily a lack of tests that’s the problem… it’s the lack of doing tests in the first place.

But I’ll get to that in a moment…

I used to think the Celiac Disease epidemic was there all along… that this meteoric rise in the disease was the result of new medical technology and the growing awareness in mainstream media.

But I was wrong… well sort of.

We are getting better at finding it… but recent studies provide solid evidence that a Celiac Disease “explosion” is happening because more people are developing the disease, not just because of better testing. In fact, one study performed at the Mayo Clinic suggests the incidence of Celiac Disease in men has increased 4X since 1948^[2]!

If that’s not enough to convince you that there’s a tidal wave of Celiac Disease headed for us, let’s follow the money. Private Industry has taken notice of the rising population of gluten-free dieters (not all of which have Celiac Disease). Look at this data:

Gluten-free foods and beverages, once considered specialty items, had a compound annual growth rate of 30% in the U.S. between 2006 and 2010… $2.64 billion in total sales in 2010^[3].

New reports estimate it will be a $5.5 Billion market by 2012^[4]!

Corporations wouldn’t be pumping millions of dollars into a market if they thought it could shrink or slow down anytime soon. Not only have that, but pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop several drug treatments for Celiac Disease.

The worst part of this story isn’t just the growing epidemic…

You Could Have Celiac Disease and Not Even Know It

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition of the gastrointestinal system triggered by gluten, the protein found in wheat. When people with Celiac Disease are exposed to Gluten it stimulates the immune system to attack and damage the intestinal lining, waging war against its own intestinal tissue (villi). The challenge with Gluten is that it’s virtually ubiquitous in today’s world, found in just about everything… from cereal to lipstick.

And because Gluten is in just about everything we eat, drink, and bathe with – it can be tough to avoid. We could conceivably consume Gluten in every aspect of our daily lives.

Lately, public awareness has been growing for the digestive symptoms related to Celiac Disease like diarrhea, gas, cramping, and bloating. It’s a good sign, but one problem lies in the fact that only ½ the people with Celiac Disease actually have significant diarrhea as the primary symptom^[5].

Additionally, the disease has been linked to over 300 different symptoms, many of them subtle and seemingly unrelated to digestive problems. Other symptoms include fatigue, unexplained weight loss, depression, anxiety, joint pain, seizures, muscle cramps and many more.

That’s the problem with undiagnosed Celiac Disease…

It’s not a lack of available testing … but a lack of recognizing the need to test for it in the first place. The disease is like a chameleon, sometimes manifesting into symptoms that don’t exactly scream out, “Hey Doc, I’m Celiac Disease.” Couple that with an average family physician 10-20 years out of medical school that’s not current on the latest Celiac Disease research and it’s a losing equation for everyone involved.

That’s what my story was like. After losing my mom in 2005 I started having diarrhea more and more every day… sometimes 10 or more gut-wrenching sessions. I was losing weight and malnourished. And even though I had some “classic” Celiac Disease symptoms, I also had a history of depression, anxiety, “nervous stomach”, chronic fatigue, and low iron.

Over the next year, I continued to go to the doctor with worsening diarrhea and received a different diagnosis each visit. First I got sent home with Fiber, then drugs for IBS, and then a colonoscopy looking for Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s Disease. It was only because of my emotional pleas the gastroenterologist agreed to take a small intestinal biopsy for Celiac Disease.

The bottom line is this: you could have Celiac Disease and not even know it… and your Doctor might not realize it either.

What Happens in Untreated Celiac Disease?

If Celiac Disease goes untreated… it’s not good. Here’s just a few of the increased risk factors from various studies:

• 30% increased risk for GI cancer^[6]
• 40X increased risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the small intestine^[7]
• 77X increased risk for lymphoma^[8]

Then there’s the percentage of people with Celiac Disease that have the following associated conditions that aren’t going to go away if the Celiac Disease isn’t treated^[9]…

• Anemia (3-6%)
• Arthritis (20%)
• Ataxia (40%)
• Cows Milk Intolerance (24%)
• Dermatitis (5%)
• Diabetes-Type 1 (12%)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (20%)
• Liver Disease (42%)
• Migraine Headaches (4%)
• Nerve Disease and/or Peripheral Neuropathy (51%)
• Obesity (30-40%)
• Osteoporosis (4.5%)
• Low Bone Density (70%)
• Pancreatic & Thyroid Disorders (5-14%)

The important message here is this: it’s a good idea to rule out Celiac Disease if you have any of these problems… and it’s a REALLY good idea to treat Celiac Disease if you do get diagnosed.

A diagnosis isn’t the end of the world… as you can see, it could save your life.

The Gluten-Free Diet will save your life (maybe)…

It’s widely accepted that the first step in treating Celiac Disease is removing gluten from the diet with 100% strictness. In fact, this is the treatment plan copied right from the National Library of Medicine and typical of most doctor-patient conversations after a diagnosis^[10]:

Celiac disease cannot be cured. However, your symptoms will go away and the villi in the lining of the intestines will heal if you follow a lifelong gluten-free diet. Do not eat foods, beverages, and medications that contain wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats.

You must read food and medication labels carefully to look for hidden sources of these grains and ingredients related to them. Because wheat and barley grains are common in the American diet, sticking with this diet is challenging. With education and planning, you will heal.

While removing gluten exposure is critical to the treatment of the disease… it isn’t THE only treatment. It’s just part of it. The danger lies in the promise that people with Celiac Disease who follow a strict Gluten-Free diet for life will fully heal.

I followed a strict Gluten-Free diet for two years with only minor symptom-relief. And it turns out I’m not alone….

The Gluten Free Diet Isn’t Enough…

New research suggests that the small intestines of up to 60% of adults never completely heal from Celiac Disease despite following a gluten free diet^[11].

In one study of 241 Celiac Patients – small intestine mucosal recovery 2 years after following a Gluten-Free diet was 34% and 5 years later was only 66%^[12].

The authors stated :

“Mucosal recovery was absent in a substantial portion of adults with CD after treatment with a GFD.”

Another study of 465 Celiac patients after 16-months on a Gluten-Free Diet found that:

“Complete normalization of duodenal lesions is exceptionally rare in adult coeliac patients despite adherence to GFD”^[13]

So in other words, many of these people followed a gluten free diet for years without completely healing the intestinal damage caused by the disease. If the intestinal damage never heals it is no wonder Celiac Disease patients are more likely to experience cancer or some other debilitating disease.

That’s incredibly depressing for people with Celiac Disease… especially if their Celiac Disease diagnosis went anything like mine:

I’d finally convinced my Gastroenterologist to order an endoscopy after years of horrible diarrhea, fatigue, and depression. A few weeks after the procedure I got a pamphlet in the mail from her called “Living Gluten Free” with a hand-written note that said:

“Jordan – tests showed you have Celiac Disease. Follow a Gluten-Free Diet and you’ll be just fine.”

Ummm, what? What’s Celiac Disease and what’s gluten?!? How could gluten be causing all these problems in my life? I’ll really be just fine if I change my diet?

I can’t help but wonder how many people around the world get the same prescription I did and feel desperate when the Gluten-Free Diet doesn’t work.

But here’s what I do know: when I followed a strict Gluten-Free diet for 2 years believing I would be “just fine” and STILL had diarrhea 5-10 times a day, I came face-to-face with insanity.

In fact, things got a little scary when I was absolutely convinced I was getting “gluten contamination” from everything (like the dishwasher, cooking pans, silverware, water, air, kissing, breathing, whatever). It reached the lowest point when I thought I couldn’t eat anywhere but my own kitchen without getting “glutened.” But the reality is: it wasn’t gluten contamination at all.

The gluten free diet wasn’t working for me…

How to Tell if The Gluten Free Diet Isn’t working for You

If you have Celiac Disease and you’re following a Gluten-Free diet… but still experiencing any of these symptoms, the Gluten-Free Diet isn’t working for you either.

(Remember: Celiac Disease symptoms may or may not occur in the digestive system).

• Recurring bloating and cramping
• Chronic or recurrent diarrhea
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Liver and biliary tract disorders
• Weight loss
• Pale, foul-smelling stool
• Iron-deficiency anemia unresponsive to iron therapy
• Fatigue
• Arthralgia
• Tingling numbness in the legs
• Sores inside the mouth
• Skin rashes/acne
• Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
• Unexplained infertility or recurrent miscarriage
• Osteopenia or osteoporosis
• Anxiety or Depression

Each of these symptoms can present themselves as part of Celiac Disease and simply removing gluten can help. Many people even see a disappearance of random symptoms after they go gluten free.

However, if you have Celiac Disease and any of the these symptoms are still present… even on a Gluten-Free Diet, it’s likely gluten free isn’t working for you. It might be providing some relief, but it’s not healing the underlying damage in your gut… which dramatically increases your risk for cancer and the other diseases I just mentioned.

That doesn’t mean all hope is lost either….

Why My Mom’s Story Matters to You

My mom is a prime example of what can happen when Celiac Disease goes undiagnosed and untreated. She suffered through stomach pain, an irradiated thyroid, rounds of chemotherapy, and an early medical retirement from her career. Above all – we lost her too early.

That’s part of the reason I fought for my diagnosis… why I pressed my doctors to get the tests I wanted. Why I followed my Gluten-Free prescription with the strictest adherence.

Yet I still suffered from life threatening symptoms. So much so that I wrote my first will at the age of 24 because I didn’t think I’d live much longer unless they miraculously figured out what else was wrong with me.

Then I got lucky and found a new doctor with new ideas about what it meant to treat Celiac Disease. A new doctor, that finally helped me stop my diarrhea for the first time in 6 years.

I’m one of the majority…

One of the 60% that didn’t get better from a Gluten-Free diet alone…. I needed to do more to treat my Celiac Disease.

And in this series, my goal has been to share why the Gluten Free Diet isn’t enough to stop the symptoms of Celiac Disease and propose a step-by-step process you can follow to reverse the damage. If you want to learn more, check out the other articles in this series:

http://celiachandbook.com/author/jordan/

- Jordan

Citations:

1. Dubé C, Rostom A, Sy R, Cranney A, Saloojee N, Garritty C, Sampson M, Zhang L, Yazdi F, Mamaladze V, Pan I, Macneil J, Mack D, Patel D, Moher D. The prevalence of celiac disease in average-risk and at-risk Western European populations: a systematic review. Gastroenterology. 2005 pr;128(4 Suppl 1):S57-67. Review.

2. Rubio-Tapia A, Kyle RA, Kaplan EL, Johnson DR, Page W, Erdtmann F, Brantner TL, Kim WR, Phelps TK, Lahr BD, Zinsmeister AR, Melton LJ 3rd, Murray JA. Increased prevalence and mortality in undiagnosed celiac disease. Gastroenterology. 2009 Jul;137(1):88-93. Epub 2009 Apr 10.

3. “Report: Gluten-free Momentum Accelerating” http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/146118/

4. “Gluten-Free Foods and Beverages in the U.S., 3rd Edition” http://www.packagedfacts.com/Gluten-Free-Foods-2710664/

5. Farrell RJ, Kelly CP. Celiac sprue. N Engl J Med. 2002 Jan 17;346(3):180-8.

6. Askling J, Linet M, Gridley G, Halstensen TS, Ekström K, Ekbom A. Cancer incidence in a population-based cohort of individuals hospitalized with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis. Gastroenterology. 2002 Nov;123(5):1428-35.

7. Ludvigsson JF, Montgomery SM, Ekbom A, Brandt L, Granath F. Small-intestinal histopathology and mortality risk in celiac disease. JAMA. 2009 Sep 16;302(11):1171-8.

8. Holmes GK, Prior P, Lane MR, Pope D, Allan RN. Malignancy in coeliac disease–effect of a gluten free diet. Gut. 1989 Mar;30(3):333-8.

9. “Celiac Disease Statistics” http://www.celiac.com/articles/1164/1/Celiac-Disease-Statistics/Page1.html

10. “Celiac disease – sprue” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001280/

11. http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/medical-professionals/guide/treatment

12. Rubio-Tapia A, Rahim MW, See JA, Lahr BD, Wu TT, Murray JA. Mucosal recovery and mortality in adults with celiac disease after treatment with a gluten-free diet. Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jun;105(6):1412-20. Epub 2010 Feb 9.

13. Lanzini A, Lanzarotto F, Villanacci V, Mora A, Bertolazzi S, Turini D, Carella G, Malagoli A, Ferrante G, Cesana BM, Ricci C. Complete recovery of intestinal mucosa occurs very rarely in adult coeliac patients despite adherence to gluten-free diet. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Jun 15;29(12):1299-308. Epub 2009 Mar 3.

This post for Grilled Pork Chops, Cauliflower Gratin from Christopher Cina is one such post. It doesn’t hurt that Christopher is an accomplished chef who has worked at some truly great restaurants and has showcased an amazing gluten-free recipe every now and again.

I’m especially looking forward to trying the cauliflower gratin as I’ve been in love with just about anything cauliflower lately. I might try it with coconut milk in place of the heavy cream, but either way, it’s going to be tasty.

Grilling meat, man has been doing it since the discovery and replication of fire. Before that it was raw meat baby. The practice of cooking meat, some say, has resulted in rendering the appendix useless, just a spare part. Theories regarding the appendix believe that it produced an enzyme to help digest and protect the body from raw meat, fat and sinew. As such, it has now been reduced to a ticking time bomb.

Grilling, by definition, is a dry heat method of cooking with heat applied to either the top or bottom of the food, for me, it is preferably over an open flame or charcoal. Having been the chef of a charcoal steakhouse, I do appreciate the flavor imparted to meat cooked over lumpwood charcoal (which is 1000 times better than the briquettes which are more filler than actual charcoal) as opposed to gas grills. But there is also something to be said for the ease and convenience of firing up the propane grill and having it ready in 5 minutes, especially when my girls get hungry.

Both methods impart a unique flavor to meat, poultry seafood, vegetables and even breads. But whichever you choose, make sure your meat is ‘on the bone’. Grilling bone in meat, such as these pork loin chops, imparts better flavor and helps keep the meat from drying out. The only drawback is that it increases the cooking time slightly as the bone itself is not a great conductor of heat. For larger cuts such as a thick porterhouse or cowboy steak, my advice to cooking meat on the bone is to find a ‘cooler’ spot on the grill to allow the meat to come to temperature without too much charring of the flesh. The other option you have is to ask your butcher for thinner cuts. These 6 ounce pork chops are thick enough to be prepared medium rare to medium on your grill ‘hot spots’ without worrying too much about the extra time the bone adds. As a last option, a common restaurant practice is to start the meat on the grill and finish in the oven, sometimes referred to as grill-roasting. While I’m not a fan, it is an option…

Read the full post & get the recipe

Michael went on to talk about a wedding where a mother was helping plan a wedding for her daughter and didn’t want to have to accommodate everyone’s special food requests — then not get it right and in turn, people not eat their food and then her have to pay for uneaten and wasted meals. While most of his post talks about people who are simply following the latest diet, he does respectfully call out those with celiac disease or shellfish allergies as someone to be considered when planning a menu.

My personal belief is that if you are on a special diet (celiac disease or not), it’s not up to everyone else to make sure you get the food you want or need. It’s up to you and only you. If you’re going to someone else’s wedding, be prepared and bring your own food and deal with it. But don’t ruin the day for the folks that are getting married — this is their day and not yours and more likely than not, they don’t share the same needs or beliefs as you with their food. Considering you would be the minority and they are paying a significant sum of money for the catering, they shouldn’t be expected to plan the menu around you.

If you’re going to a restaurant, don’t preach, don’t demand, just ask politely if they can accommodate your request and then use your best judgement in assessing the risk — eating out is always a risk when you have celiac disease — even if they have a gluten-free menu.

If you’re going to a restaurant with a gluten-free menu, you have the right to ask questions and expect answers, but by all means, be polite and don’t expect the waiter to get back to you with detailed answers you’d expect from a gastroenterologist or a dietitian. Most restaurants with gluten-free menus are simply following advice from a marketing stand point and don’t really understand the importance of a gluten-free diet for people with celiac disease. They’re simply treating it as a way to attract more customers. If they knew the implications, they probably wouldn’t be offering the GF menu. There are a handful of great restaurants out there that do understand and really do go out of their way to accommodate us — seek those restaurants out, then visit and revisit often so they know how much you appreciate them.

The bottom line is that it’s never OK to rant and rave and make a scene about your food. Whether you’re at a party or a wedding, just remember that the event is not about you (unless of course it’s your own event). Even if you’re at a restaurant, the other diners don’t need to be subjected to your special dietary concerns. If you have a problem, quietly ask for a manager and pull them to the side to discuss it. Even better, write a letter to the management and don’t go back to the restaurant — both you and the restaurant will be better off. I’ve always appreciated a restaurant that will tell me up front that they can’t accommodate me as it means that nobody is wasting their time and even better, I’ve just increased my chances of not getting sick.

Don’t be what Michael Ruhlman refers to as a “Food Fascist”, you will neither be liked by others and you’ll be giving a bad name to the rest of us who have to follow a restricted diet.