A list of gluten-free foods I found in a Trader Joe’s last week has shown up on the company’s web site as part of an overall labeling initiative. As a private label store, selling more than 80% of its products under the store brand, Trader Joe’s is in a unique position to help its customers find appropriate items for special diets, including vegan, kosher, low-sodium, even 15min quick meals.
According to the grocer:
Our dedication to you as a valued Trader Joe’s customer is to provide you with helpful information to make informed buying decisions because we know that you have specific dietary concerns.
While not what I would call reader-friendly, the list is a long one, which should be exciting for anyone tired of the treasure hunt.
Gluten-free foods at Trader Joe’s Trader Joe’s labeling system
A Swedish study in February 2008 has established a link between the newly-diagnosed celiac and an increased risk of bacterial blood infections, or sepsis. The increased risk didn’t appear to apply to adolescents:
…individuals with CD were indeed at ncreased risk of bacterial blood infections. The highest risk estimates ere seen for pneumococcal infections (Pneumococcus is a specific microorganism responsible also for pneumonia and meningitis). Interestingly, the CD patients diagnosed in childhood were not at iincreased risk of subsequent sepsis compared with the controls.
Researchers listed three possible causes for the link, which applies to the newly-diagnosed only:
- Hyposplenism (a reduction of the spleen size and function often
found in CD at the time of diagnosis, that may induce a temporary
impairment of immunity
- Increased mucosal permeability (a condition that is commonly
present in CD at diagnosis and may lead to translocation of bacteria
from the gut into the bloodstream)
- An altered composition of the intestinal glycocalyx (a film of mucus
that is present on the gut and impedes bacterial translocation)
This reinforces the need for earlier diagnosis, as the increased risk only applies to celiac disease before beginning a gluten-free diet.
Read the full study.
The University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center is holding its annual benefit on April 16th, 2008. The benefit includes gourmet gluten-free foods, silent and live auctions, and will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about celiac disease and talk to fellow celiacs.
The UC Celiac Disease Center was a big help to me when I was first diagnosed, sending one of their celiac care packages, complete with information about the disease, food lists, and restaurant recommendations when I didn’t know my up from down. I plan on becoming more involved with the Center as I learn how I can best be of service.
I will be attending and talking to UC’s celiac experts in hopes of learning about the most-recent advances in research conducted at the University of Chicago. I’ll be sure to pass on everything I learn!
Learn more, or buy your ticket now!
Important recall news out of California for celiacs. Karyn Zoldan at Circle of Food writes about a recall by Food For Life Baking Company, a Corona, CA-based company, that claimed their bread was GF when in fact it contains spelt grain, a hybrid of wheat.
Read the full story, including product listings, on her blog.
Spelt Bread Recall: Not Gluten Free, Celiac Disease Danger [Circle of Food]
Back when I lived in the San Juan mountains of Colorado, I was an avid hiker. At any given point you could find bags of trail mix in my backpack, some store-bought, most home made. I haven’t been hiking since I was diagnosed with Celiac last year, but Elizabeth over at Wildflower Morning has a recipe for gluten-free granola that I am bookmarking immediately.
Celiacs are used to bringing their own snacks on trips both near and far, but it’s especially important anytime you’re going to be out in the wilderness. In my pre-celiac life, I could ask a fellow weekend warrior for a Power Bar if I ran out, but celiacs run the risk of having nothing to eat no matter who you run into on the trail. If you find yourself two miles into a 12-mile hike with no fuel left, you run the risk of bonking in the middle of nowhere. That’s a dangerous scenario.
Even more reason to take a look at her recipe! I’m not supposed to eat oats for a good year while my system heals, but for those of you that can eat oats, this looks like a great mix.
Gluten-Free Granola [Wildflower Morning]
The Celiac Disease Blog, a great resource on About.com, is reporting that Celestial Seasons has started labeling their gluten-free options.
Like the blog’s author, Nancy Lapid, I was surprised to find barley as an ingredient in some of the teas I used to enjoy. At least this makes finding an inexpensive (non-Whole Foods) tea a little easier.
The Celiac Disease Blog [About.com]
Ben Pao, an upscale Chinese restaurant located a few short blocks from the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, has a reputation within the celiac community as a safe harbor for delicious asian cuisine. With a dedicated gluten-free menu, knowledgeable staff, and and rigid food preparation standards, Ben Pao calms the fears most celiac’s have while eating out.
View our map
Ben Pao’s gluten-free menu [PDF] is more extensive than its GF counterpart Big Bowl, and runs the gamut from appetizer to desert. My basil chicken was delicious if not a little bland; ask for extra spicy. The lettuce wrap appetizers were crisp and presented with GF soy sauce. The only slip-up was a minor one; the server dropped off the traditional pair of fortune cookies when the bill came, out of habit I’m sure. The only reason I even noticed was because they had been so careful during the entire meal.
But just as important as the taste was the assurance that my meal was indeed gluten-free. With the exception of the fortune cookies, the server clearly stated, “gluten-free” every time a dish was presented to me, a nice touch for the those concerned about mix-ups in the kitchen.
After my recent meal I had a chance to speak with manager Emily Collins, who was eager to explain the steps they take to ensure a gluten-free dining experience. Much like process we wrote about in our review of Webber Grill, Ben Pao tracks your food from table to kitchen and back, with the manager signing off on the order. This ticket follows your order throughout the kitchen. Collins said the possibility of cross contamination is reduced by boiling cooking utensils before each order and using dedicated woks.
Unlike Webber, their kitchen and processes are not approved by the Celiac Disease Center, but by the time my interview was over Collins was pledging to look into it.
All in all, Ben Pao’s is an excellent go-to spot for celiacs and their GF brethren. The dining experience is almost as effortless as my pre-celiac days, a rare and welcome change.
This in from the hypochondriac haven known as WebMD.
Previous studies identified a genetic region on chromosome four associated with celiac disease. In this study, the same research group identified seven new genetic regions associated with an increased risk of celiac disease.
…
The results, published in Nature Genetics, identified seven new genetic risk regions associated with celiac disease. Of those seven mutations, six involve genes that control immune responses.
What does this mean for us? Well, my genetics knowledge is a bit rusty. I just like to see progress being made, however big or small.
New Celiac Disease Clues [WebMD]
Sweet home Chicago. Julie Deardorff at the Chicago Tribune wrote this helpful article, one of many similar articles popping up more and more in our nation’s newspapers, big and small.
During my short time with this disease, I’ve asked many fellow celiacs about awareness and education on the subject, and every one of them has mentioned how much easier it is these days to find products, knowledgeable people, and restaurants. They are also quick to point out that everyone and their brother are getting diagnosed.
This makes me wonder when the tipping point will occur. When will a celiac’s dietary constraints become as well-known as, say, a vegetarian diet? When will CD awareness reach the same level of exposure as other autoimmune disorders? With 97% of the estimated 2 million with celiac disease unaware of their condition, and diagnosis rates increasing seemingly exponentially, it stands to reason that tipping point is closer than we might think.
Gluten- and dairy-free fare [ChicagoTribune.com]
This recent post by The Daily Aztec, San Diego State’s student newspaper, elequently states a common misconception of celiac disease.
People allergic to gluten have celiac disease. They have an “immune reaction to gluten in their GI track,” according to Dr. Susan Algert, a nutritional counselor at the Wm K. Warren Medical Research Center for Celiac Disease at UCSD. After consuming gluten, the body creates antibodies that can make a person sick.
One in 100 people probably have celiac disease according to Algert. She said that some people have it for years before it is officially diagnosed and that new symptoms are emerging.
People with celiac, as well as those who choose to live gluten-free, will of course see the error in the author’s logic.
But this got me thinking. In the interest of simplifying things, whether it be during a party when I pass on an appetizer, or when ordering dinner at an unfamiliar restaurant, I tend to say something to the effect of, “I have a wheat allergy.” I’ll dive into the details if someone probes, but that generally does the trick.
But I wonder if I’m doing a disservice to the CD community and CD education in general. Perhaps it’s our job to give a little 15 second schpeal as to the definition of celiac disease. If nothing else, that’s one more person that understands. And maybe that person tells another, and so on.
So what say you, dear reader? Do you walk the path of least resistance like I do, or do you educate your audience whenever you can?
