Celiac Disease Blog

Check out the wonderful list of gluten-free dessert recipes posted by Darlene Schmidt, About.com's Guide to Thai Food, in her blog this week.

If you're familiar with Thai flavors, these recipes will have your mouth watering. If you've never tried Thai food, try it now! You'll see what you've been missing.

Here's just a small sample of the gluten-free recipes available here on About.com. I've posted these today so that if you're in the mood to try any of them, there's time for you to add the ingredients to your weekend shopping list.

Be sure to let me know if there's any type of recipe you'd like to see in a future list. (If our Guides don't already have one that can be adapted, I'm sure they'll be glad to invent something for you!)

From our Guide to Gourmet Food: Avocado-Tomatillo Dip

From our Guide to Eastern European Food: Salmon-Asparagus Rolls

From our Guide to Southeast Asian Food: Indonesian Steamed Shrimps

From our Guide to Thai Food: Thai Lettuce Wraps

From our Guide to Busy Cooks: Fish Filet and Bean Bake and Stir-Fry Chicken with Peppers

From our Guide to Greek Food: Spanaki me Sparaggia Ograten: Spinach & Asparagus Bake

From our Guide to Vegetarian Food: Gluten-Free Carrot Cornbread Recipe and Gluten-Free Fried Onion Rings

From our Guide to Low-Carb Diets: Old-World Cabbage and Pepper Saute and Sugar-Free Candied Peanuts

From our Guide to Herbs & Spices: Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding with Mango

In some parts of the world, May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, and this week in particular is Celiac Disease Awareness Week. Here, from around the Web, are some highlights:

• In Paris, France, the French Celiac Association is holding a musical meeting in front of the Basin of Agam, on the Esplanade d’ Defence at the foot of the Ark (Paris), on Sunday, May 18th. A 40-member orchestra will play jazz and classic pieces from 11:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., followed until 5 p.m. by groups of young artists (including Spleen, Urban Addict, Nima and Jonathan Sellem).


• This week, Coeliac U.K. is holding its Food Without Fear Recipe Competition.


• Coeliac U.K. is also sponsoring the Food Without Fear Eat Out Gluten Free Challenge. As part of the challenge, Coeliac UK will host a lunch with parliamentarians and key stakeholders on Thursday of this week, in both Edinburgh and Westminster, so they can take the Eat Out Gluten-free Challenge to policy makers.


• The U.K. food site Eating Britain is featuring celiac disease this week.


• Coeliac U.K. has launched a Food Without Fear group on Facebook, to engage with young people on the internet.


• Phil Vickery, the chef on ITV's This Morning, made gluten-free shortbread for the Prime Minister when he was on the show recently. The recipe for the shortbread is available on ITV’s website.


• The Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS) celebrates International Coeliac Day on 17 - 18 May, 2008.

This week I've been reading The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide, 3rd Edition, published by Triumph Dining. I’ve written a review of it, and I can tell you here that I was impressed with it.

Speaking of restaurants, AllergyFree Passport has recently published the results of a global market research survey of nearly 2,000 gluten-free consumers, more than 500 allergen-free consumers, and nearly 200 representatives of the hospitality industry in 35 countries.

According to the online executive summary of the report:

• Ninety percent of gluten-free and allergen-free consumers ranked taste as their first priority, before nutrition, convenience, and cost
• When gluten-free and allergen-free consumers are happy with their eating experience, they’ll go back to the same establishment more than 80% of the time
• Eighty percent of gluten-free and allergen-free respondents are eating out less often now than they were a year ago. They're also traveling less than a year ago, for reasons that include concerns about eating in restaurants and the availability of special meals or snacks.
• There’s a wide gap between consumers’ opinions of how well the hospitality industry comprehends gluten-free and allergen-free diets, and the hospitality industry’s opinion of how well it understands these diets.

Encouragingly, most of the industry respondents to the survey consider those of us on gluten-free or allergen-free diets to be "a new and profitable consumer segment."

Eastern Mountain Sports, a company that leads trekking adventures in Africa, Asia, South America, and the U.S., has announced a gluten-free adventure weekend in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, June 27th-29th.

A press release from the company makes me want to pack my bags and go: “Each day participants will enjoy prepared breakfasts featuring wheat-free pancakes, eggs, and other foods. Saturday and Sunday participants will hike up scenic ridge lines or skirt around thunderous waterfalls, enjoying the outdoors. Participants will maintain their energy with various snacks from companies such as Larabar and enjoy a gluten-free lunch at the summit as they gaze down on the Mt. Washington Valley from the top of a mountain. At night the hikers will be treated to a full gluten free dinner at Rafferty's Pub or pizza from the Flatbread Co.”

In addition to the New Hampshire trip in June, the company is also planning a gluten-free multi-sport trip to Costa Rica in the fall.

Both trips are being planned with the help of registered dietician and celiac disease specialist Melinda Dennis. She'll be giving lectures during the trips on how to take charge of your diet, no matter where you are.

Here’s another encouraging sign that gluten-free products are becoming part of the manufacturing mainstream. News organizations in Europe are reporting that a company called The Village Bakery will be opening the continent’s largest gluten-free bread bakery, in Wales. The 24,000 square foot bakery will be able to produce 2,500 loaves an hour.

The Village Bakery expects to manufacture approximately four million loaves per year, to be sold across Europe. The range of products will include high-fiber loaves, breads made from linseed and oats, and ciabattas and other Italian breads.

The new plant is expected to begin operation in June and reach full capacity by August.

Nancy Schimelpfening, About.com's Guide to Depression, points out in her blog that May 5th is Childhood Depression Awareness Day.

As someone who suffered from depression in childhood, I cannot emphasize enough how crucial it is for parents to recognize depression in their children and to make sure the children get the appropriate care. Depression in your child does not mean you are a bad parent. It means your child needs treatment and support from a professional.

There is a high rate of depression in patients with celiac disease. Was my childhood depression linked to my undiagnosed celiac disease? I don't know, but it doesn't matter now. What does matter is that depressed individuals, whether children or adults, be treated for the condition and not be left to struggle alone.

Cinco de Mayo –- the fifth of May -– is a holiday that celebrates the culture of Mexico and commemorates the 1862 triumph of Mexican troops over the French army in Puebla. (Some people mistake Cinco de Mayo for Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated in September.)

In the United States, many people take Cinco de Mayo as an opportunity to enjoy the rich culinary heritage of our southern neighbors and to honor the Mexican Americans among us.

To help you celebrate Cinco de Mayo this weekend, I've compiled a round-up of mouthwatering gluten-free Mexican recipes from About.com's guides. Viva Mexico!

According to Publishers Weekly, The View cohost Elisabeth Hasselbeck – who in 2001 was one of the final four contestants on Survivor: The Australian Outback – is going to be writing a survival guide for a different kind of personal experience: living with celiac disease. Her book, The G-Free Diet, is scheduled for publication in May 2009.

Hasselbeck and her physician, Dr. Peter Green of Columbia University, discussed celiac disease on The View a while back, in a segment that's now available on YouTube.

Can you name a disorder other than celiac disease that causes abdominal pain, gassiness, bloating, and diarrhea or constipation? If you said "irritable bowel syndrome" (IBS), you'd be right. In fact, some features of IBS and celiac disease are so similar that the two disorders can be difficult to tell apart just on the basis of symptoms. In fact, sometimes people with irritable bowel syndrome also have celiac disease, without realizing it.

A few weeks ago, Dr. Barbara Bradley Bolen, About.com’s guide to IBS, pointed out that April is IBS Awareness Month. Before the month ends, take a moment to learn a bit more about celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome.