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Aug/Sep 2011
Features
Bone Up: Osteoporosis and Celiac Disease
Subscribers OnlyEleven years ago, Keith McCormick, a chiropractor from Amherst, Massachusetts, noticed his hip hurt after a difficult track workout. The former Olympian—he competed in the pentathlon in the 1976 Munich games—was used to pushing through pain. He’d trained hard all his life, regularly running or biking up to six hours a day. At 45, his passion was Ironman triathlons, an extreme endurance sport involving swimming, biking and running.
Celiac Disease
Subscribers OnlyNew research supports the existence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Symptoms can be similar to celiac disease and include gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and bloating, as well as fatigue, brain fog and ADHD or autistic behaviors.
Steps to a Safer School
Because my child has multiple food allergies, including one that can cause anaphylaxis, I had many issues to address with the school to ensure that he had a safe year. What kind of food would be in the classroom? Where would they seat him during snack to make sure he was safe yet not isolated? How would field trips operate? And a hundred other details. Sometimes I had to be pushy. Sometimes the school’s strategies were already in place. In all these instances, I was engaging in advocacy. Anyone who has a child with celiac disease, food allergies or other special needs learns these skills out of necessity.
Gluten-Free Celebration Cakes
These four easy gluten-free cakes are my favorites for this time of year. They’re particularly delicious showcasing fresh, local produce but they’re worth making in any season. Gluten free and dairy free, they’re guaranteed to turn any moment into a reason to celebrate.
Allergy-Friendly Hawaiian-Style Barbeque
Can’t get to Hawaii this summer? Bring the best of the islands to your own backyard with these easy-to-make, gluten-free, dairy-free Hawaiian-style recipes. Transforming an ordinary barbeque into mouthwatering tropical cuisine is easier than you think. Start with a combination of fresh spices and simple marinades, add a few minutes of preparation and fire up the grill. You won’t miss the burgers.
Departments
Life Story
Maria Menounos
Subscribers OnlyAt 33, Menounos says she feels truly blessed as she is now learning to find balance in her hectic life. But it hasn’t always been this way. Last summer, serious skin rashes forced her to the hospital. Ultimately, her treatment included dietary changes. Here she talks to Living Without about getting her health back on track.
So Good
Budget Gluten-Free Breakfast Bars
Subscribers OnlyFree of gluten, dairy and eggs, these homemade squares Gluten-Free Breakfast Bars are sweetened naturally with honey and dried fruit and they’re simple to make. Prepare them in advance for a super-convenient breakfast-on-the-go that will satisfy morning hunger and not bust your budget. A nice way to start the day when there’s no time to sit and savor a bowl of oatmeal.
Cocoa
Cocoa is the main component of chocolate, the all-time popular flavoring and candy enjoyed around the world. As wonderful as a chocolate bar tastes, it also contains, among other things, cocoa butter and sugar—excess fat and empty calories that can contribute to risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. (Cocoa butter does offer theobromine, which has antioxidant value.) A typical candy bar has 8 to 10 grams of fat per bar so one must exercise restraint.
Gluten-Free Breakfast Breads
When was the last time you woke up to the smell of glazed sweet rolls or doughnuts—or savored a plateful of warm blintzes, hot from the oven? Commercially prepared special breads that are gluten-free and allergy-friendly, like sweet rolls, popovers and blintzes, are super-difficult to find, even online. And if you do find them, they’re so expensive, you may be more inclined to bronze them for posterity rather than eat them. With prices like that, who wants to share?
House Call
Research Roundup: Gluten Ataxia, Why We Cheat, ADHD & More!
Studies have shown that children living on farms are less likely to develop asthma. Why does farm life reduce the risk? Its thought that exposure to a greater diversity of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) may play a protective role. To examine this theory, researchers from the University Children’s Hospital Munich looked at data on asthma rates among children with and without farm exposure and analyzed the DNA of microorganisms in dust samples taken from the children’s bedrooms and mattresses. In total, 933 dust samples were studied.
Q & A with Alessio Fasano, MD
A groundbreaking study recently released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Celiac Research demonstrates that gluten sensitivity is a distinct medical condition that differs from celiac disease. Living Without’s editor Alicia Woodward spoke with Alessio Fasano, MD, the study’s lead investigator. A world-renown expert on celiac disease, Fasano is professor of pediatrics, medicine and physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director of the Center for Celiac Research.
Try it
Living Without's Favorites: Joyful, Joyful
Just in time for summer weather, Joy Cone Company, the largest producer of ice cream cones in the world, introduces the newest entry in their product line—gluten-free cones. Available in cake cups and sugar cones, these toasted treats are crispy and delicately flavored. So yummy, we confess that we ate them like cookies. They taste just like the cones you remember, a happy throwback to childhood—without the gluten. No tree nuts or peanuts either. Certified kosher, they’re available in 12-count packages and affordably priced.
Living Without's Favorites: Bragg About It
If you’re wondering what’s in Braggberry Dressing and Marinade, check out the acronym that makes up its name—Blueberries, Raspberries, Acai berries, Goji berries and Grapes. This organic mixture of superfruits from health-pioneering Bragg Live Foods douses any dish with powerful antioxidants and intense flavor. Made without gluten, fat and salt, it’s lightly sweetened with organic stevia. Splash it over summer-fresh salad greens, brush it on baked chicken and drizzle it over poached fruit to make meals more tantalizing.
Living Without's Favorites: So Spreadable, So Edible
Subscribers OnlyDo you miss the smooth, creamy taste of real cream cheese? Galaxy Nutritional Foods to the rescue. The company that specializes in vegetarian and vegan dairy-free products now offers a plant-based cream cheese (made with soy) that tastes and spreads like the real McCoy and there’s no aftertaste.
Living Without's Favorites: Say Cheese
If you can eat dairy and you love cheese, you’re certain to savor Kitchen Table Bakers’ new line of gluten-free snacks—The Crisp Made Entirely of Cheese. Yes, it’s true. These chips and crackers are made with 100 percent Parmesan cheese. That means no wheat, gluten, sugar, trans fat or GMO ingredients. Rich in calcium and packed with intense cheesy flavor, these snacks are ideal for dip or canapé. They make a crunchy, satisfying side for salads or soups and they accompany a glass of wine with sophistication.
Read it
Living Without's Favorite Books: Never Alone
Feeling isolated? Weary of explaining your food issues to others? Make Sloane Miller your new BFF. Creator of the popular website allergicgirl.com, Miller is a food-allergy advocate, food coach and now author of Allergic Girl, Adventures in Living with Food Allergies (Wiley). This highly readable book is wisdom you can keep on your bookshelf, full of sage lifestyle advice for people with food allergies.
Living Without's Favorite Books: Talk about ‘Tude!
Meet the No Biggie Bunch, a gang of six fun-loving kids who remind us that, yes, food allergies are a big deal—but living with them doesn’t have to be. No Biggie Bunch adventures are captured in a series of five children’s books edited and published by mothers Heather Mehra and Kerry McManama. These stories of everyday events (i.e., birthday party, Halloween, etc.) highlight specific allergies in colorful pages designed to empower kids to creatively cope with food allergies.
Living Without's Favorite Books: Out and About
Subscribers OnlyIt’s time to get out of the house and here’s help with that. Enhanced and revised, Let’s Eat Out with Celiac & Food Allergies, a Timeless Reference for Special Diets (Allergy Free Passport/R&R Publishing) by Kim Koeller and Robert La France is a toolkit for making dining out and travel easier. This award-winning guide looks at a number of cuisines—American, Chinese, Italian, Indian, French, Mexican, Thai—focusing on traditional ingredients, preparation and presentation.
Living Without's Favorite Books: Ladies Who Cook
Dynamic duo Donna Washburn and Heather Butt have done it again. The Canadian team of home economists-turned-authors brought us Best American Bread Machine Baking Recipes, Best Canadian Bread Machine Baking Recipes, 125 Best Quick Bread Recipes, Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook, 250 Gluten-Free Favorites and others—and now they introduce their newest gem: Complete Gluten-Free Cookbook, 150 Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free Recipes, Many with Egg-Free Variations (Robert Rose).
Food for Thought
The Trip of a Lifetime
Subscribers OnlyNot long ago, “Welcome to Holland” popped up on my computer while I was doing an Internet search. I had to remind myself to breathe. Seeing that story title instantly transported me back to 1992, the day my husband and I finally faced the fact that something was seriously wrong with our son Sam, 3½. The pediatrician had been discounting our fears for months as “first-time parent jitters.”