The CeliAct Blog

If you have been diagnosed with celiac disease, or discover you are healthier when following a gluten-free diet, you might start to feel better without gluten, but you may also feel a bit fatigued. Why? You may have a hard time identifying healthy gluten-free carbs that can give you bursts of energy or support recovery after rigorous exercise. This doesn’t mean you have to remain tired while eating only foods without gluten. It’s just a matter of identifying some healthy gluten-free foods to incorporate into your daily diet. Transitioning to a gluten-free diet filled with energy-rich foods will help you in many ways… – First, once you eliminate gluten from your diet, your intestine will […]

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Every day gluten-free makes more progress… in Boston I can now name several dedicated gluten-free bakeries, and when I travel – I recently took trips to San Francisco and Los Angeles – I always happen to stumble across something unexpected (or should I now say, expected). Gluten-free baked goods and other traditionally gluten-heavy foods are becoming more available. They’re not just available – you’re starting to see options. Now that’s real progress. But gluten-free cinnamon buns are one thing that remains elusive. They exist, yes, but you won’t find them easily. With their doughy and sticky texture, they are certainly hard to replace. Unfortunately, sometimes the things that are the toughest to find are the […]

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Summer is a great time of the year. You wait all year for it (especially if you live in a place like Boston where the winter is so tough!)… Everyone gets excited. There’s no doubt that eating gluten-free in the summer can be more challenging; that’s why we recently put together a list of ten tips to keep you happy and healthy during the summer. If you follow these tips, and plan ahead for what the open-ended summer days may bring, you’ll be perfectly fine. So, let’s get back to that excitement… To go along with the outdoorsy activities and excitement of the summer, let’s take a look at some nutritious ways to spice up […]

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According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, the sales of gluten free foods hit $2.6 billion in 2010. This means that millions of people are sticking with a gluten free diet. Even as the gluten-free diet has become so popular, the threat of gluten slipping its way into your food is still enormous. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration does not currently require food makers to clearly identify the use of gluten in their food products. If the manufacturer wants to print “Gluten-Free” on the label, they must not use any source of gluten, but if they are using gluten, there are no laws indicating that this must be clarified in […]

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Ask almost anyone who has transitioned from eating gluten to a gluten-free diet what they miss most, and it is likely that they’ll say it was hard to get rid of bread. Dig a bit deeper and you will often hear that bagels were the biggest challenge. This is because bagels have really become part of the everyday breakfast options. They are a food that kids love and something that adults can easily eat on their way to work or as they sit at their desks. They make perfect mini-pizzas, afternoon snacks, and ideal vehicles for any sort of sandwich filling. They are a true gluten-free bummer! The problem is that they are a very […]

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The summer months are just around the corner, and considering the healthy anxiety around gluten cross-contamination at restaurants and in your own kitchen, things step up to a whole new level. This is because summertime is a far more social time, and that means a lot of dining and snacking in unfamiliar locations. Barbecues and social gatherings where you’re trying to eat gluten-free can be difficult. During the summer, you need to be even more vigilant. Whether you are on a spur of the moment road trip or headed to a friend’s backyard BBQ, you don’t have to stress about your gluten-free needs when you follow our ten tips for a happy and healthy gluten-free […]

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If you’ve been following the gluten-free diet for a while (let’s say 10 years or more), you know your options have come a long way. This is especially the case with gluten-free specialty foods – foods that are widely available and not naturally gluten-free but their recipes are adjusted to be gluten-free. Pasta is a good example. A decade ago and prior, gluten-free pasta wasn’t readily available in grocery stores, there weren’t multiple options, and even when you did find it, it may have been borderline inedible. Luckily for you, there are now all types of gluten-free pasta out there – many of which are quite tasty and some of which are pretty healthy (three […]

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In 2010 the estimated market for gluten-free foods in the United States topped $2.6 billion. This shows that there is more than just a small demand for gluten-free food. The big question then arises, “What is the definition of gluten-free?” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration can’t seem to answer that question yet. While many are pushing for a definition accepted (and enforced) by the FDA, several private organizations have stepped in to offer their own gluten-free certifications. If you are on a gluten-free diet for medical reasons, you want to be absolutely certain that the foods are completely gluten-free too. Below we will discuss the three different organizations that certify foods as gluten-free and […]

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You’ve probably heard some of the buzz about ancient grains. If you haven’t, that’s because they’re fairly new on the scene. Isn’t that something? You see, ancient grains are those that have been used by human beings for many centuries, even more than such modern and familiar grains as wheat or barley. What is interesting about them is that they are coming more and more into the forefront due to increasing diagnoses of gluten intolerance and celiac disease, others eliminating or reducing gluten in their diets by choice, and the people looking for more nutritious alternatives for rice and pasta (gluten-free or not). So, what will gluten-free ancient grains do for you, and how can […]

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In January of 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ruled in a case in Massachusetts that effectively identified celiac disease and gluten intolerance as legal disabilities. The story is fairly simple – students at Lesley University, in Cambridge, objected to the available meal plan. Those who had gluten-related health concerns were being offered a regular diet of gluten-containing foods, so they had to either go hungry or find another option. Because they had purchased a meal plan with their tuition, however, they insisted that the school find a better solution. In the legal case, the school agreed to recognize the gluten issues as disabilities and to accommodate this by providing gluten-free meals, dealing with […]

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“I hate this gluten-free stuff…it has no taste to me!” thus spoke the teenager in the backseat of the car. It is not uncommon for young people who must abruptly adopt the gluten-free diet to notice the distinct absence of artificial flavors and sweeteners that tend to make up the most popular and common (gluten-filled) snacks. Because this same teen has celiac disease, his ongoing diet of gluten-dense foods was causing him many problems, and the diagnosis was like a ray of light in terms of his chronic fatigue, malnutrition, and bouts of anemia. The problem, as he so clearly stated, was that he “hated” the gluten-free foods. Naturally, they did have plenty of taste; […]

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It can be pretty tough to learn that you can’t eat gluten, and even more of a challenge if you have other dietary restrictions as well. But as a part of CeliAct Blog’s beyond gluten-free mentality, a low-glycemic diet is also essential. Low-glycemic? What’s that? It’s a way of eating that ensures glucose is released into your bloodstream slowly, preventing peaks and valleys with blood sugar. It reduces your chances for many different health issues down the line and can help you feel much better on a regular basis. Read a more detailed description of why you should eat a low-glycemic gluten-free diet here. While there are further restrictions when you add low-glycemic as a […]

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To begin, I figure I ought identify my greatest culinary influence to date – this being a common request in job interviews, interactions with parents, and the like. It’s an easy one. As the only human I know more enamored with food than I, my mother is a shoe-in for the position. There is an infamous Rice Family story which recounts the time my food-obsessed mother dragged me, an ornery and very hungry fifteen-year-old, through the streets of Paris for two hours determined to find the perfect restaurant for our first dinner in the city. Mom, resolute and hardly starving, walked into cafe after cafe, speaking with waiters in faltering French, sitting down at tables, […]

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As with many nutrients, people with celiac disease often have difficulty absorbing protein. Protein is really important to maintain energy and keep your body firing on all cylinders, so protein powders and shakes can be very useful, especially if you’re busy. Whether it’s a for a snack or meal replacement, protein shakes are a great way to fill in the gaps. Now you may be thinking, “Aren’t protein shakes just for weightlifters and bodybuilders?” The answer is no. Eating gluten-free on the go is a difficult enough task, and further, it’s almost impossible to eat nutritiously on-the-go and also feel fulfilled. Especially if you’re a busy person juggling a number of work and family responsibilities, […]

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This is the last installment of our gluten-free fast food series. Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared the gluten-free “scoop” on the top 50 fast food chains in the United States. We hope you’ve enjoyed it, and that this will serve as a good resource if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to find something safe to eat on the road. You’ll notice that we saved Domino’s for last. Well, that’s because we have a very, very good story to tell about Domino’s gluten-free pizzas that were stirring up so much controversy last year… – Domino’s Gluten-Free Menu   Domino’s has edged out Pizza Hut as the first large-scale pizza […]

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