My "G-Free" report

Hey! Can you believe it's already July? Where is the summer going?


Well, the other day I took the kids to the library and was browsing the cookbook/diet book section, and I ran across the book "The G Free Diet" by Elisabeth Hasselbeck. I'm not sure why I picked it up, except that I have a few friends who are gluten-intolerant, and I was curious about it. It was a really easy read, and I posted on Facebook that I had read it. Well, my sweet friend Sarah A. made a flippant remark that I should report back to her on the highlights - here you go Sarah!!!! :)


The book was written by Elisabeth so that others wouldn't have to suffer like she has. For years she had suffered severe gastrointestinal problems, sometimes sending her to bed for a week at a time. Nobody had answers for her. She applied to be a contestant on Survivor: Australia and was accepted. Odd as it may seem, she says she felt WELL while scrounging for food in the outback, and when she returned to the States, she tried to introduce foods back one at a time to find the culprit. She researched and looked and determined that wheat seemed to be the problem, and she took it out of her diet, or so she thought. Some foods still made her sick, and after even more research, she found information on celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Doctors still didn't go along with her self-diagnosis, but once she moved to New York, she found an Australian doctor who finally ran the necessary tests and confirmed celiac's.


So, what is celiac disease? It's a "digestive disorder characterized by a toxic reaction to gluten, the protein found in certain grains." (G Free Diet). It's hereditary, chronic, and autoimmune. It destroys the tiny villi lining in your small intestines thereby preventing your body from absorbing nutrients, which can lead to a wide range of serious health problems. Researchers estimate it affects 1 in every 133 Americans, and many more are suspected of having a milder gluten sensitivity. However, less than 5% of people who have celiac disease actually know it. According to the book, it takes an average of 9-11 years to diagnose after the first onset of symptoms which is in stark contrast to Europeans who most often diagnose in the first year. Elisabeth and her doctor feel like part of the reason is because here in the States, we have big pharma who can offer up drugs to treat a lot of the symptoms, and doctors prescribe away. But for true celiac patients, there is NO CURE! You have to avoid gluten the rest of your life, a dietary solution.


Dr. Green says that doctors often confuse celiac disease with other conditions like IBS, acid reflux, Crohn's, intestinal infections and chronic fatigue syndrome.


Okay, so what are the symptoms? They vary and the list is long, but include: abdominal pain, anemia, constipation, delayed puberty, discolored teeth, excessive weight loss or gain, gas, headaches, joint or bone pain, reproductive problems, skin rashes, stunted growth in children, tingling or numbness in legs, Vitamin K deficiency. Patients might also have other sensitivities as well, including a lactose or peanut allergy or similar.


Next, what are some of the conditions that you can have that come from not treating celiac disease? Intestinal cancers, anemia, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's, osteoporosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia, Type 1 diabetes, and even some behavior disorders might be influenced like ADHD, depression and bipolar disorder. There are about 256 symptoms and health conditions associated with celiac disease!!


It can affect people of all ages and backgrounds, but especially those of Northern European decent. If one person in your family has it, your chances are as high as 1 in 22 that you do, too, but you must carry the gene for it. The odd thing is that you might not have any symptoms for a good portion of your life - Elisabeth didn't. But for some people, experiencing some sort of physical or emotional trauma can activate the condition. Hers was contracting a bacterial intestinal infection and she was never the same again!


If you think you might have celiac disease you need to go see a doctor for proper diagnosis. They can run a celiac panel which will either rule it out, or see where you are on the risk spectrum. Next they can do a small tissue biopsy, and then there is a genetic test if the first two point to celiac.


There is all the medical information she gives, well, at least a shortened version of it. The rest of the book is dedicated to helping you cook, shop, live and enjoy being gluten free!!


How does this all apply to me? Well, I've known for years that my body does better without wheat. I became a "low-carber" right before my son was born, and when I stick to it I feel better, have no spots of eczema on my arms, no indigestion. Now that I've read the book, I don't think I have celiac, but I do think it's possible I am one of those with a gluten sensitivity (I know, there goes my orthorexia nervosa kicking in!!! LOL) and so I am willing to take certain steps to reduce the gluten in my diet and see how I feel. I'm just weird like that, I'd rather eat the food my body likes and works best with. The book is great because she gives lists of naturally gluten-free foods, and also lists of things that are off-limits or suspect. I'm already an avid label-reader in the grocery store, so watching for a few more things is okay by me.


I've already started buying some GFree "substituted" foods, and so far so good! I will say that the EnerG brown rice bread was TERRIBLE! However, we've made Hodgson Mill pancakes which were good. Gorrilla Munch cereal and Van's GF waffles are good. For snacks we've tried Envirokids Chocolate Crispy Rice bars, Pop Chips (made from popped potatoes), and Glutino pretzel twists (can't tell the difference). I have some apple muffin mix to try as well as a French Bread mix that I'll make today. And I bought some rice based penne to make a baked casserole for Sunday.


So, there you have it, my "G-Free Diet" book report. If you have ANY intestinal issues that you are being treated for, I'd highly recommend this book!! I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV, but I just think if you can change your food instead of taking a drug for a condition, it's worth at least trying. Here's a convenient link to the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/G-Free-Diet-Gluten-Free-Survival-Guide/dp/1599951886.


Have a great Independence Day weekend!!!!