Elana’s Pantry

The Joy of Food

Up until now, I have kept my posts short and (mostly) impersonal. Today I want to do something different. I am going to explain a few main components of my diet.

Yes, I do have celiac disease. And yes, I am gluten-free. However, I consider my diet to be far beyond gluten-free. I do not eat grains or sugar. I do not eat potatoes, corn or soy. I gave up dairy a few months ago, though you will find recipes with it on this site as I do use dairy in dishes I make for my family.

As I usually say when asked about my diet, “let me tell you what I DO eat, this will far simpler.” I eat combinations of fresh, organic fruit and vegetables, nuts, fish, chicken, buckets of olives and of course a bit of agave. While many people think this is a restrictive diet, I have found it to be one upon which I thrive. I feel good when I eat these foods, beside which, not only are these ones my body can absorb and digest, I can make so many fun combinations from them –think sorbet.

People often ask, how do I know if there is gluten in this food or that? These questions always, without exception, regard processed foods. My answer –I don’t use a lot of processed items as there is no way to be certain that they are free of gluten and other hidden ingredients that my body rebels against.

Many of the foods that are commonly allergenic did not exist in their current, peculiar, omnipresent forms a century ago –think peanut oil, high fructose corn syrup and soy –cheap, subsidized products pervasive in today’s processed foods.

Flavoring? Lemon juice and garlic make great marinades. Once in a while you will find a processed condiment on this site such as sesame oil, gourmet mustard or umeboshi vinegar –I have found these to be pure, with few ingredients, all of which I can pronounce. However, I do steer clear of tamari sauce (even the wheat free type), Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and all those other of flavor makers. I like to make my own combinations and find that mother nature provides amazing ingredients.

I love preparing my own food. First, I know what’s in it, which eliminates the fear factor and increases the pleasure of eating. Next, I like to flavor things exactly to my mood, the time of day or the season. Most of all, I believe that digestion starts in the eyes and hands, not just the mouth. Touching my food lets my body take it in on many sensory levels before it even hits my tongue.

Simplify. Satisfy. Eating the old fashioned way, shopping for good organic food, in season, touching and preparing my food is a passion of mine, not a restriction. Although many items are not on my meal plan, I am overwhelmed at times, such as when I walk through our farmer’s market, at the cornucopia of things that I can eat!

Celiac in People Magazine

As a Waldorf mother, I never thought I would confess to reading People magazine. Recently though, I decided to come clean; I am addicted to, and read this weekly rag voraciously, and not just in the dentist’s office.

In my struggle to come out of the closet – mostly to myself, my husband and children are fully aware of the addiction – I pretend that this purchase is in the name of sociological research. I tell myself that as an entrepreneur, I really need to stay on top of happenings in mainstream America.

This week, as I was conducting my “research,” I found an article on celiac disease. The most under diagnosed disease in America can now claim its fame as a fully recognized malady, given that it was featured in People (circulation 3.8 million).

Last weekend, I timidly confessed my People habit to another Waldorf mom, thinking I would be branded with a scarlet “P.” To my surprise she actually asked me to save my old copies and pass them on to her. I guess she has some “research” to do as well.

Fed Fights Mad Cow Testing

Creekstone Farms wants to protect your health. The USDA, however, is against this.

This premium producer of high quality beef sued the USDA for denying it permission to test their cattle for mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (bse). Creekstone Farms has their own slaughterhouse and processing facility. They do not use hormones or antibiotics and feed their herds pesticide free grains. They want to take their high standards one step further and test their herds for bse.

An additional driver of their decision to (try to) begin testing for mad cow disease: the company wishes to begin exporting their product to the lucrative Japanese market. To export to Japan Creekstone must test for bse. Japan does not allow meat into the country that has not been tested.

Ok, let me see if I have this right. In Japan you can’t eat a steak that hasn’t been tested for mad cow disease. However, in the United States, a government agency that allegedly protects consumers, has denied you the right to know if it is safe to eat the steak on the plate in front of you.

In March 2007 a federal judge ruled in favor of Creekstone, giving them the right to test their cattle, effective June of the same year. In a stonewalling maneuver directed by the Bush administration, the USDA has appealed the ruling, effectively delaying implementation of testing until the court challenge has played out. Thus another chance for us to see the true colors of Bush II –wealth over health.

A Pill for Celiac?

No. There is no pill for celiac disease. Could this be what makes it one of the most misdiagnosed diseases in our country?

If doctors and drug companies made money from gluten-free cookies, perhaps we’d have more thorough screening. However, since there is no profit-making pharmaceutical remedy for this disease, it seems that much of the medical establishment has been remiss in treating people suffering from this fairly common malady –some studies show that 1% of the US population has celiac disease.

In today’s Los Angeles Times, Heather Abel discusses the angst-filled journey to discovering she had celiac. She also touches upon the romance between docs and big pharma and how this unholy alliance makes celiac such a “challenging” disease to diagnose.

FDA: Spelt is Wheat

It seems like just about every week someone offers me bread or crackers and says, “don’t worry it’s spelt.”

These well meaning friends of mine know that I’m gluten intolerant and don’t eat wheat, yet have been lead to believe that spelt is ok for people with celiac disease and gluten allergies.

Each time this occurs, I explain to my friends that spelt contains gluten and that this grain is a very close cousin of wheat.

In fact, the two grains share such a similar genetic structure that the FDA recently declared that all spelt products must now be labeled as “wheat.” Hopefully, this will clear up some of the confusion for people that are newly diagnosed celiacs on information overload.

The new labeling regulation results from the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), passed in 2004, enacted into law last year (2006).

Dirty Dozen

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a list of the one dozen fruits and vegetables highest in pesticides. These are best avoided unless purchased organic. Their dirty dozen includes, in alphabetical order:

• apples
• bell peppers (sweet)
• celery
• cherries
• grapes
• lettuce
• nectarines
• peaches
• pears
• potatoes
• spinach
• strawberries

With fruit season almost upon us, I hope this list is useful.

Diagnosing Celiac Disease

“Celiac disease is a an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the small intestine, which can lead to malabsorption of nutrients. A genetic intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, triggers this destructive reaction of the immune system”, according to Dr. Peter Green of Columbia University Medical Center, and one of the premier celiac specialists in the world. Like diabetes, it is an autoimmune disorder, not a food allergy that people grow out of.

Celiac disease is considered a multi-organ system disease, with a variety of symptoms and is particularly challenging to diagnose. According to Dr. Green, the following blood tests aid in the diagnosis of of celiac disease:

• Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG
• Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA
• Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA
• Total IgA level.

For test results to be accurate, a person must be consuming gluten, as these tests determine if you are a having an immune response to it. The simple blood tests above can be ordered by any internist. If your doctor won’t order the test, find one that will.

Celiac is currently one of the most under-diagnosed diseases in the country, according to the National Instititues of Health (NIH). Some docs estimate that 1% of the US population has this disease. There is currently no cure for celiac disease; a gluten-free diet is the treatment.

NIH Says Celiac “Greatly Underdiagnosed”

Celiac is “greatly under-diagnosed” according to an independent consensus panel convened by the National Institute of Health (NIH). This NIH panel estimates that 1 percent of Americans (3 million) suffer from the disease, and “that it is much more common than physicians appreciate.” The panel goes on to say that many of those with the disease never received a diagnosis and are not being treated.

Symptoms include “diarrhea, abdominal cramping, bloating, fatigue, weight loss, nutrient deficiencies, and, if things get bad enough, osteoporosis. Often enough, however, people do not present classic gastrointestinal symptoms and the diagnosis is not made,” according to the Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter.