Canadian Celiac Association

Celiac News Updates
*Position Statement on Oats
*Does Breast Feeding Protect Against Celiac Disease?
*Good News About Enriching Gluten-Free Foods in Canada
*Celiac Disease and Osteoporosis
*Celiac News is the newsletter published by the Canadian Celiac Association and received by every member of the association. Currently we issue three issues per year.
*Selected articles from past issues of Celiac News:
*Celiac Disease and Vaccination - Vancouver/Richmond Health Board
Screening for Celiac Disease in a Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic - A-W Chan, MJ Fritzler, JD Butzner
*Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein - Quintin Wight, Ottawa Chapter
*Celiac Disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis, Looking Back over 25 Years of Nutrition - Mavis Molloy, RDN
Coming Events
This section provides links to information about coming events for the various chapters in the Canadian Celiac Association. Most events are gleaned from the chapters' newsletters, but events are also posted if the chapters send a notice to the webmaster at info@celiac.ca

From West to East -
British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
Ontario
Quebec
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland

Read more...

Shopping List Revised

I started out with simple things like G-Free breads and noodles, organic peanut butter, Suckers jams, assorted tea’s,condiments… well you get the picture. These items were to help make the foods I was preparing at home from natural food products taste better and help me feel satisfied which is hard for G-Free individuals.
BUT, I finally pushed myself to splurge and buy raw flours and other baking supplies so that I could save money in the end by making my own baked goods. The total cost of my shopping experience was $42.18 which, will last me longer than a month. The way I see it, is that, this is well worth the cost for my health and I will actually save money by baking breads/buns, muffins, cookies, pizza and sweet desserts. When I compare the cost of purchasing the ready made items from grocery stores.
The essential raw ingredients for baking and cooking are listed below.
Everything is Gluten-Free
~Organic Powdered Icing Sugar
~Brown Rice Flour
~Bean Flour
~Sorghum Flour
~Rice Bran
~Arrowroot Flour
~White Rice Flour
~Tapioca Flour
~Xanthan Gum
~Corn Starch
~Potato Starch (Note: Potato Flour is different-it is heavier)
~Carob Chips
Well, I am off the bake the buns and cookies...also to freeze the pizza crust and muffins so that I have them ready for when I need them!
NOTE: I shopped at my local Natural Foods Store who are intune with food sensitivites and were ready to answer any questions I had. They were very helpful. They told me that most flours, baking powder, xanthan gum and starches will only last up to 6months before they may get moist, mould, or loose their quality.

The ultimate G-Free Pizza Crust…is it out there?

IMPORTANT NOTE: Always follow the recipe to the "T" if you don't you will be sorry you wasted the time and money on these delicious meals.

I found a really great recipe for G-Free pizza crust. It is the book by Donna Washburn & Heather Butt. I'm finding that The 125 Best Gluten-Free Recipes Cookbook has becoming my new best friend!

I have finally shopped for the ingredients I need to make about 10 different recipes in this cookbook.

I started out making the Cranberry Muffins...very tasty and filling. I add p-nut butter or butter to them after heating them in the microwave. YUMMY! With my daily cup of tea makes it a perfect breakfast for me.

The next thing I made was the Pizza Crust...Okay, I have to tell you that it is the best darn pizza I've ever eaten! The crust is easy to work with and the taste is superb! I know that I will make it again and I think it will be somewhat versatile in added different flavours to the dough...for example chives, flax, garlic or other herbs fresh or powder. As for toppings...the list is endless!

Canadian Living on G-Free Living

Gluten-free holiday entertaining. How to host celiac and gluten-sensitive friends and family, plus Canadian Living's gluten-free recipes for easy entertaining.
By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

G-Free and Sugar-Free

Sugar-free gluten-free baking and desserts: recipes for healthy and delicious cookies, cakes, muffins, scones, pies, puddings, breads and pizzas
By Kelly E. Keough

I found it hard to find the ingredients to make the recipes in this book but I choose wisely so that different recipes had the same ingredients in them. I made them with surprised ooh's and ah's! You can imagine the way my teenagers looked at me with complete confusion when I told them there was NO SUGAR in the cookies.

I live on a very tight budget and it made it a challenge to explore food markets to find the different types of ingredients so that I could make and eat the G-Free and Sugar-Free foods from this book.

As time goes on I will venture out and buy other items needed to make more of Kelly's recipes.

A Random List of Gluten Free Foods

Rice Works are like a chip and are G-Free. They come in many flavours. I use them as croutons in salad and with any Mexican dish.

The best pasta can be found here: http://www.tinkyada.com/
I love this pasta; I use it in lasagna, casseroles and other pasta dishes.

Barkat Digestive Biscuits are really good crumbled on top of natural pure yoghurt and fruit.

If you use G-Free products efficiently they last longer.

Eat Natural Foods ~ Save Money

Lets face it we all know the best and healthiest way to eat is a variety of natural fruits, vegetables and meat. Buy locally if possible; buy the foods that are in season

We don't need desserts, sweets, or carbohydrates. These are just fillers and make us gain weight. Of course we have cravings but if you were to take a drink of water when you feel like you are hungry if it's after you have eaten of course it will surprise you how it will fill you up and that fact is you were dehydrated that's why you felt hungry.

There is no reason not to eat that piece of chocolate cake but limit yourself and you will feel satisfied.

Eating natural foods is the best thing for G-Free individuals because there will be no reactions to an ingredient that is hidden in the food and the healthiest by far.

You can always find natural foods on sale in the Saturday flyers. Shopping locally is great too but can be expensive. I look around and find the items that are not more expensive and buy the items that are somewhere else. It takes time and energy but it can be done. If you obsess about something like food why not change the obsession to finding the best deal and saving money.

It is harder to do this in the winter but if you plan ahead you can buy the foods that are in season in the summer and preserve them for the winter months.

Quick Fact: Pesticides Top offenders include: peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

The Search for G-free CHOCOLATE...

CHOCOLATE which one’s are G-Free and which ones are not?

Carob and carob chips are in their natural form so they are g-free
Any chocolate chip that have vanilla in it is NOT gluten free

What about liquor as an ingredient? I react to it, if it is in a chocolate chip!

What is the best G-Free Vanilla to use in recipes?

What do G-Free people do about vanilla in their recipes?

Vanilla beans are the answer for me.

The flavour of vanilla beans compared to extract is far superior! Vanilla beans are the best to use in substituting vanilla extract which is gluten. 1 tsp of vanilla extract can be substituted with 1 tsp from the vanilla bean in any recipe. Just make sure you buy from a company that sells organic beans and displays their organic certificate prominently on their listing -- if you buy non-organic vanilla beans they are full of chemicals. Some are actually illegal to purchase in certain countries because of the chemicals. If you keep the beans very well wrapped in plastic and moist they will last for quite some time.

What do you think? Please feel free to post your opinion and share your experiences. I would love to hear them!

Gluten Free Cakes & Sweets

Gluten Free Cakes & Sweets

The Sweet Tooth Cakery is owned by a women who is Celiac and understands the need for specialty desserts for others who are G-Free.

She makes all sorts of cakes for any occasion but, my delight was to see she make G-Free wedding cakes. Check out her web site. She is located in Vancouver, B.C

Cranberry Preserve

Yummy! I love this on turkey, G-Free toast, G-Free graham wafers, G-Free waffles or pancakes, and other desserts. It is so easy to make and is on hand. This recipe makes almost three small glass jars of Cranberry Preserve.

Any kind of FRESH cranberries (Compliments, Ocean Spray...) open bag, poor cranberries into strainer and rinse. Pour clean berries into pot with one cup water and 3/4 cup sugar cane. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer (bubbling slightly) for about 10 minutes. Stir a few times and cover. Let cool and poor or spoon into glass jars. Put caps and lid on place in fridge.

I use these up within 2 weeks. After opening I use up within the week.

From Canadian Cranberry Site (click on title of this post to go directly to their site for excellent information)

Cranberries were once an important medicine for native Americans. They treated a variety of illnesses, including bladder infections, with cranberry preparations.

Today cranberries, the most American of all fruits, continue to be a superior source of nutrition and vitamins. North American women have been drinking cranberry juice cocktail for years as a traditional remedy for bladder infections and to maintain urinary tract health. Recent research has also indicated that cranberries are an excellent source of "antioxidants" -- natural plant products that may protect against cancer, heart disease and other diseases.

Nutritionists and many in the medical community believe there is a clear association between a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low risk of chronic disease. As a fruit, cranberries are a good choice for the health-conscious consumer. As a functional food powerhouse, packed full of antioxidants and other natural compounds, they promote health and wellness.

Recently, attention has turned to the relationship between cranberry consumption and cardiovascular health. Preliminary results show that drinking cranberry juice is a heart-healthy activity that's delicious too!

Researchers believe that polyphenol compounds called flavonoids, associated with foods such as red wine, are responsible for reduction in cardiovascular disease. Flavonoids act by inhibiting blood clotting, promoting vasodilation (increased interior blood vessel diameter, which improves blood flow and reduces blood pressure), and protecting oxidation of cholesterol in the bloodstream (thus, reducing atherosclerosis, or clogging of the arteries).

According to some in the medical community, cranberries contain high levels of flavonoids and research on the effect of cranberry juice consumption on cardiovascular health continues.

Studies show that raw cranberry extract has potent antioxidant properties in lab tests with low density lipoproteins. Research demonstrates that over-the-counter bottled cranberry juices also contain potent antioxidants. Cranberry juice has also been shown to increase interior blood vessel diameter in animals, suggesting that cranberry juice may have a similar effect on blood flow in humans.

Overall, studies have demonstrated that cranberry juice is equivalent to red wine with respect to polyphenol content, antioxidant activity, and vasodilator activity. Although preliminary, the results show that cranberry juice should definitely be a part of a heart-healthy diet.

Cranberries also contains a number of plant chemicals that may play a role in preventing certain types of cancers. These plant chemicals are called flavonoids and include anthocyanins (which give cranberry its characteristically deep red color), proanthocyanidins and flavonols.

In published studies, cranberries were shown to have the potential to inhibit the initiation and early stages of cancer as evaluated by laboratory screening tests. The researchers theorize that certain flavonoids identified in cranberry juice were responsible for the activity. These compounds inhibited epidermal tumor growth in mice in previous studies.

More recently, researchers have demonstrated that mice injected with human breast cancer cells showed significantly lower incidence of tumor development when fed cranberry components. The study also revealed that cranberry consumption delayed tumor development and reduced the spread of tumors to the lungs and lymph system.

Cranberry is also a rich source of the flavonoid quercetin. Quercetin has been shown to effectively inhibit the development of both breast and colon cancers.

Dr. Oz

Dr. Oz has taken Celiac Disease and explained it in his way on his site. Check it out. It's helpful!

Click on title above (Dr. Oz)

Restaurant Eating : The Celiac Scene™

Visiting a province, going out on a first date or want to experience something new…
This site is awesome for a quick guide to eating Gluten Free in Canada!
~Home Scene, Road Scene, Celiac Facts and product adds.

Of course it is your responsibility to make sure the foods you order, purchase and consume are in fact G-Free since companies, restuarants and the like change ingredients without notice.

Click on my blog title “Restaurant Eating” and it will take you to “The Celiac Scene” web site. Simply click on “Canadian Scene” in the left hand tool bar and enter the province, city you are interested in. Enjoy!

Budget : Factoring in the G-Free Expense

I am gluten sensitive! I have been I guess for my whole life now that I look back but I didn't know it until 2002. I find that I gain weight when I eat any kind of carb (gluten or no gluten) such as g-free cookies, g-free pasta and the sort. So, I think it is best to eat natural foods, which are the basics - fruits, vegetables and meat. I have to admit that I crave that chocolate cookie or chocolate bar but I eat carbs in moderation just like anything else.

I cook for a family so I want the food to last a few meals to save me from cooking a fresh meal every night. This is what I do...Last night I cooked Shepard’s Pie, enough for everyone to have a normal sized portion (seconds if they wished!) last night and tonight we had the leftovers but a added a salad. I alternate cooking one day and baking the next. I end up with the meal and the dessert lasting for two nights which zig zag eachother. It's a win win!

I think that buying pre-made foods is a waste of money although I make sure I have a few of my favourites on had for those cravings that creep up on me. Earlier this month I stated that my goal was to eat g-free on a budget, which means natural items that are made into products in my home. This year my goal is to get organized with my g-free situation and make it work for my family budget. Buy g-free flours, and other baking items and an assortment of fruits, veggies and meats

Recipes will be the key to my success especially if I make enough baked goods and meals to freeze. Ian's makes breaded chicken and fish I was so glad to see these items in my local grocery store that I bought both even though they were very expensive. I had to taste them! Oh, my they are so delicious! I made rice and two vegetables to go with it and I actually felt full and satisfied! I was so happy but then I remembered the price. So, I am going to get a recipe and make my own breaded chicken and fish and freeze them for a satisfying supper. I will test it out and I will post the recipe.

Petition for g free in Canada

Allergic Girl's blog has this posted:
http://allergicgirl.blogspot.com/2009/08/betty-crocker-gluten-free-chocolate.html

Click on the title "Petition for g free in Canada" and it will take you to the petition.

Betty Crocker is going G Free?

Betty Crocker foods are made in Canada but shipped to the US and the g free products are only being sold in the US. There are no plans to sell these products in Canada.

From the site:
http://www.allergysense.com/blog/2009/03/18/betty-crocker-is-going-gluten-free/
Betty Crocker is going Gluten Free
Written by: AllergyMom

March 18, 2009 · Posted in Food, Gluten free
Exciting news for cereal lovers – Beginning June 1, 2009, Betty Crocker will have 5 gluten-free cereals widely available across the United States. The choices will include: corn chex, honey nut chex, strawberry chex, chocolate chex and cinnamon chex.
In addition, the company will be offering 3 new gluten free baking products – cake mix, brownie mix and a chocolate chip cookie. Shipping for these products will begin on June 1, 2009. Retail prices are yet to be confirmed. Check your local retailer to ask if they will be carrying these products or call Betty Crocker in the U.S. at 1-800-446-1898.

When we contacted Betty Crocker today to confirm the information we were told that there are no plans for the gluten free products in Canada. To contact customer service in Canada, call 1-800-767-5350.

To visit the Betty Crocker website click here: http://www.bettycrocker.com/

Kinnikinnick Foods

I enjoy the breads, chocolate cake mix, animal cookies, maple glazed donuts, english muffins, hamburg buns, pizza crust, and S'moreables cookies. YUMMY!!!!!!
This is the full list of the items that I have tried. I like them all.

maple glazed donuts
They have a blog check it out...You can get to it by going to the right hand tool bar and clicking on the link.

I do try to make my desserts but sometimes it is easier to purchase them. Although most of the items I have listed range in price from 4-6 dollars. This does get expensive if you want to have a variety in your home for those cravings.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone. Here's to a gluten free 2010. My goal (new years resolution) is to find ways to save money and still eat healthy gluten free foods!

I will be sure to post what I have found, cooked, baked and bought on a budget right here on my "Living Gluten Free in Canada" Blogspot!