The CeliAct Blog

Over the past few years, what we know about gluten and our awareness concerning celiac and gluten-free eating has skyrocketed. According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, as many as 1 in 133 Americans have celiac, while upwards of 18 million have some non-celiac sensitivity to gluten. Research, awareness, products and resources are making leaps and bounds before our very eyes concerning celiac, gluten sensitivity and gluten-free dieting. Before you begin a gluten-free diet, you should know what you’re getting into. We’ve compiled a list of six important rules of thumb for anyone about to embark on a gluten-free lifestyle:   #1: Get Tested For Celiac First Talk to a doctor and undergo testing […]

Read more

Breakfast options just got a whole lot more exciting! General Mills announced yesterday that beginning this July, five Cheerios products will be going gluten-free: Original Cheerios, Honey Nut, Multi-Grain, Apple Cinnamon and Frosted. This decision is said by General Mills to be years in the making and a reaction to as much as 30% of Americans avoiding gluten in their diets. What grains are Cheerios made from, anyway? How will they be made now? And why did it take General Mills three years to make this change? We’ve got the scoop for you as well as an awesome video from General Mills, announcing the news!   So What Grain are Cheerios Made from, Anyway? Cheerios […]

Read more

It’s February, folks! And you know what that means, chocolate! Whether you’re surprising a crush, spoiling your significant other, treating your co-workers or picking up candy for your kids to hand out at school, you’re probably wondering just which brands of chocolate and candy are gluten-free. This can be tricky, as so much of the candy catered towards Valentine’s Day is seasonal and some of your most reliable gluten-free candy brands can make Valentine-specific treats that contain gluten or are prepared in shared facilities. While we have done some general candy guides in the past, this Valentine’s Day we’ve decided to highlight the specialty Valentine’s Day candy to make sure that you and your families have a […]

Read more

It’s certainly common to worry during pregnancy. Things like what vitamins to take, what to eat, how much to eat and what to pay attention to when getting blood work done are just some of the common worries that women have. These questions carry even more weight for those of us who have celiac or gluten-intolerance. A few months ago, I shared my personal journey regarding celiac, fertility, and successfully getting pregnant once starting a gluten-free diet. Because I was diagnosed with celiac just a couple of months before I became pregnant, I had lots of questions. Were there extra steps I needed to be taking to keep me and my growing baby healthy? Were […]

Read more

Since going gluten-free I’ve spent a lot of time searching for a great gluten-free muffin recipe. I wanted one that was versitile – sometimes I want banana muffins, sometimes I want to add chocolate chips, sometimes I want to make them savory. I mixed, I baked, I broke dozens upon dozens of eggs and I used my gluten devouring husband as a guinea pig for every single batch. Well folks, I did it. I have finally found the ultimate recipe. It’s delicious, it’s easy, and it’s super adaptable, which is exactly what I was looking for. I originally intended for these to be our breakfast muffins, but they are so good that they have become […]

Read more

As someone who used to bake all the time before being diagnosed with celiac, I can attest to how daunting it is to attempt gluten-free baking. I was confused about which flours to use for what foods, how much to add, and when to add xanthan gum, let alone figure out what it was! Gluten-free baking is tricky, and just a couple of failed attempts can be enough to scare you away for good. But relax… we have compiled a list of handy tips and tricks and a recipe for you to make your own gluten-free baking flour! When it comes to baking gluten-free, a simple 1 to 1 flour substitution will not yield the […]

Read more

I can’t say enough about how much I love Indian food! That perfect combination of spices, flavors, and just a hint of sour calls my name again and again. This cuisine, heavy on lentils, rice and vegetables and frequently using lentil flour, is versatile, easy to make, and quite often gluten-free friendly! My love affair with Indian cuisine began far before I was diagnosed with celiac, and it was such an exciting surprise to discover that Indian food is actually super friendly to gluten-free diets. I have always had very pleasant experiences at Indian food restaurants and find it a refreshing change to have so many menu options to choose from. That said, there is […]

Read more

While our blog usually features gluten-free recipes, tips, and current events, we’re going in a different direction this week (in light of the holiday spirit) to talk about giving back. While there are so many great places to give back, in the last few years especially, gluten-free food banks and charities have gotten a lot more funding and attention. How great it is to see more folks raising more awareness to this worthwhile cause! However, while you and I know how expensive and challenging it is to maintain a strict gluten-free diet, there are certainly still others that see our diet as a fad, or in more cases, just have lots of other causes competing […]

Read more

  I vividly remember the first grocery shop I did after being diagnosed with celiac disease. I was in utter amazement at my options and at the fact that there seemed to be replacements for everything that I thought I would really miss. But, on the other hand, I was stunned as I saw the prices and approached the check-out. How are we supposed to grocery shop when everything is so expensive? A 2008 study on gluten-free products showed that they cost on average a whopping 242% more than their gluten-containing counterparts. Now before we start a revolution, there are reasons for the price increase. Higher production costs, lower quantities produced, expensive alternative grains, additional […]

Read more

If you’re anything like me, the cold months bring out intense cravings for comfort food. This past week we’ve started to feel some of that winter chill, so comfort food is now on my mind! Comfort food gives me that nostalgic, relaxing feeling of being at home and being cared for (not to mention the yummy, filling feeling of eating high carb delicious food). What could be better? My comfort foods are creamy twice baked potatoes, fried chicken, meatloaf, cornbread, and tuna helper. When I had to go gluten-free a few years back, some of these became pretty tricky to prepare. Twice baked potatoes didn’t present a problem, and neither did meatloaf. Tuna helper was […]

Read more

We all dream of our babies inheriting what we consider our best qualities: patience, spontaneity, cleverness, or ocean blue eyes. What we don’t want is to pass celiac on to our little ones. Many parents have this concern, and there is a lot of new research and information available that better clarifies what we need to know about babies and celiac. What are the symptoms? When should my baby be tested? Should I give my baby gluten, or avoid it entirely? Is there anything I can do to help prevent celiac from developing? There may just be. Celiac, which results in inflammation in the lining of the small intestine and therefore malabsorption of nutrients, can […]

Read more

Happy Halloween from the CeliAct Blog! In the past I’ve written about how careful you need to be on behalf of your little ones to make sure their trick-or-treating ends safely. For example, double check at home to make sure everything is sealed and gluten-free. While you could argue it is safer with better gluten-free labeling in 2014, never rest on your laurels and assume what has always been gluten-free still is: check all labels for any potential changes! But instead of talking about safe trick-or-treating, this year we wanted to celebrate Halloween with a more positive approach and talk about 3 awesome gluten-free pumpkin recipes that the whole family will love – on Halloween and […]

Read more

If you’re anything like me, finding the perfect gluten-free pie crust recipe has not been an easy task. Gluten-free baking and pies, as I’ve written before, require a lot of experimentation! It’s not just about replacing gluten-free for regular flour. We all know that great pie crust requires that perfect combination of flaky and moist, but I personally have baked many a pie where the crust is either too hard or crumbles instantly! And it just leaves you so unsatisfied. Well, after lots of searching, buying, trying, tweaking, and fixing, here is my 7 step process for coming up with the perfect gluten-free pie crust… Before we get started, a quick note: after getting comfortable […]

Read more

Sorghum, xanthan and amaranth, oh my! Without a doubt there is a surge of gluten-free baked goods that are now available. It’s no longer such a headache to grab a frozen pizza or a birthday cake. But making your own baked goods is not only a lot healthier, it’s also cheaper and allows you to customize your dish. With that said, learning how to bake gluten-free can be overwhelming even to the most experienced chef. Things like amounts, desired consistency, and time in the oven all change. We’ll be tackling some of these other challenges in future posts, but for now we are going to focus on the first and most important new gluten-free baking […]

Read more

I think this is the most excited I’ve ever been for the development of a product to help us folks who eat a gluten-free diet. Do I have you on the edge of your seat now? A company called 6SensorLabs is currently building a device which will allow you to check your food for gluten and see the results in real-time on your mobile phone. This is huge news, because I (and many of you) get sick and worry about getting sick far too often. Even the most well-intentioned wait staff and chefs are sometimes unaware of gluten hiding in things like spices, mixes, and sauces. I’ve had way too many experiences with waiters telling […]

Read more