The CeliAct Blog

Thanksgiving just ended, and for many of you, that means one thing: It’s time to start thinking about Christmas. Of all the temptations for gluten-free folks around the holidays, the ubiquitous Christmas cookie is one of the hardest to resist. In the breakroom, at holiday parties, in bakeries, in mom’s kitchen… A beautiful array of gluten-laden cookies glistens with colored sugar and lends a buttery, sugary smell to the air! Everyone seems to have memories of favorite cookies baked by their families around Christmas-time, or of decorating cookies with icing and other decorations. For those of us who can no longer partake, it can be hard to miss out on all these delicious (and now […]

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Although celiac disease is best known for its gastrointestinal symptoms, there is a lot more to the disease than just diarrhea or bloating. In a subset of celiacs, the disease manifests in an extremely itchy autoimmune skin disease called dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), also called Duhring’s disease and referred to by some as a “gluten rash”. It is important that every celiac know what the signs and symptoms of DH are, so that you can be sure to identify it and get the proper treatment. –   What Does Dermatitis Herpetiformis Look Like?   Uncomfortable, or even painful, bumps and blisters filled with liquid form on the skin all over the body in affected individuals. These […]

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Thanksgiving is all about family, food and gratitude. But it sure can be hard to feel grateful when you’re a guest at someone else’s house who may not fully understand your diet. This can lead to difficulty finding things to eat at the table, and concern about cross-contamination. For these reasons, Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays for celiacs to plan for. It revolves around one big meal, and there are a number of things you can do to make sure your Thanksgiving is everything you hoped for. Here are a few tips to help make Thanksgiving celiac-friendly so you can focus on enjoying your friends and family and delicious gluten-free food… – […]

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The terms “gluten intolerance” and “gluten sensitivity” are often used interchangeably, and sometimes they are even used interchangeably with “celiac disease.” So what’s the deal with these different terms that are used for people who are unable to digest gluten? Does it matter which term you use? And, most importantly, do the nutritional concerns of a person with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease vary from the nutritional concerns of someone with serious non-celiac gluten sensitivity? Let’s take a look at what these terms mean, and why using the right one can improve your health. –   Know the Difference Between Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance   Celiac disease: An autoimmune disease also known as celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive […]

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I live in an area hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Before the storm, we got more serious about disaster preparedness than we had been in the past since it looked like it could be a massive storm. We stocked up on batteries, flashlights and bottled water like everyone else did… But I also had something else to consider: How would I feed myself if we were stuck in our house with no electricity for days on end? I could think of lots of easy food for the rest of my family, but for my gluten-free self, it was a little more challenging. I’m glad that I gave this some serious consideration, because we did lose […]

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Tortillas are one of the most versatile tools in our gluten-free tool box. They make fantastic substitutes for almost any gluten-free baked product. You can wrap them around a hot dog instead of using a bun, or you can use them instead of gluten-free bread to make a deli sandwich or a quick PB&J. And for those of you who enjoy Mexican cuisine, tortillas are an absolute necessity. Well, since being able to find good gluten-free tortillas is such an important aspect of the gluten-free diet, we did some research for you. Here are some gluten-free tortillas available on the market today… – You may find these at your local health food store, Whole Foods, […]

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Last week we discussed eating gluten-free while in China, India and Japan. Well, as tasty as gluten-free Asian food can be, not all of us can fly off to Asia on a whim. Many of you wrote in and asked for tips on preparing these dishes yourselves rather than ordering them in foreign countries. We’re happy to oblige! While there are many naturally gluten-free foods in Asian cuisines, a lot of Asian cooking relies upon ingredients that are likely to contain wheat or barley. For the home cook who has been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, cooking Chinese or Japanese dishes may feel daunting since so many familiar brands of condiments are off […]

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If you have celiac disease, eliminating gluten from your diet is the single most important thing you can do for your health. However, when you eliminate gluten from your diet, you inadvertently eliminate beneficial elements of your diet as well. When you adopt a gluten-free diet, it is also important to identify the key nutritional factors that existed in your gluten-containing diet. Ignoring key nutritional factors missing from your diet can be dangerous. Supplements to help curtail nutrient deficiencies are important, and fiber should be the next priority. In past posts we’ve discussed some good sources of gluten-free fiber and the importance of fiber in preventing or remedying constipation. But what happens when you find […]

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Asia is the biggest continent on Earth and home to at least 60% of the world’s population. Asia’s cultural diversity has given rise to a truly incredible variety of cuisines, and within those cuisines a tremendous number of naturally gluten-free delicacies. It is important to remember that while wheat has never played as critical a role in Asian cuisines as it does in the Western diet, and many Asian dishes have been traditionally gluten-free, cheap wheat flour has become increasingly available, and it is being used more and more, so it’s always a good idea to ask your server about ingredients. Here, we will focus on eating gluten-free in three countries: China, India, and Japan. […]

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Fall means pumpkin. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin pies. Pumpkin picking and carving. Pumpkin décor on every front stoop and in every store. This seasonal favorite is naturally gluten-free and truly is a secret celiac superfood. It is packed with beta carotene (245% of the recommended daily allowance per cup of mashed pumpkin) and fiber (11% of the RDA). Pumpkin flesh is a good source of potassium and Vitamin C. It even contains a surprising 2 grams of protein per cup! The seeds of the pumpkin are truly superfoods, too. They are rich in manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, protein, zinc and iron. The seeds contain a wide range of forms of antioxidant Vitamin E, […]

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For some time now, manufacturers, such as CeliAct, have been able to send their products to laboratories to be tested for gluten and other allergens. However, if someone wanted to take things into their own hands and test food, supplements or health and beauty products on their own, it simply cost too much and was too much trouble to deal with a lab. Well, things have changed drastically in recent years. Now testing for the presence of gluten is something that can be done at home or at a restaurant while on the go! In this blog post, we’ll fill you in on all of your options… – The EZ Gluten® Test Kit was developed […]

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Nearly every parent worries a little at Halloween – whether it’s about high fructose corn syrup in their kids’ candy, stranger danger, or food coloring. But parents of kids with celiac disease have a whole lot of extra worry this time of year. Their child’s pail of seemingly innocuous candy corn and chocolate bars is a minefield of hidden and not-so-hidden gluten, the ingestion of which is dangerous for a gluten-sensitive gut. Even older gluten-savvy teens may not know which popular candies are safe and which aren’t. In this post, we’ll try to take some of the worry out of Halloween by identifying safe gluten-free candy options for kids and adults alike. – Keep in […]

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I think we can all agree on one thing. The gluten-free diet sure does take a toll on your selection of alcoholic drinks. Being able to order and enjoy a beer is one of the simple pleasures of life (or so I’m told), and having that taken away from you can be the toughest part about this diet we’re all forced to follow. We all cope with it differently. Some stop drinking. Some take up an interest in wine. Some take their chances with hard liquor. For me, it’s hard cider, and brands like Strongbow, Woodchuck and Angry Orchard are some of my favorites. After all, cider looks like beer, it has roughly the same […]

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Celiac disease can be one of the toughest things to diagnose. So many times I hear about people going to several doctors and being diagnosed with all kinds of ailments before they are finally diagnosed with celiac disease. My story was a little different. Within minutes of telling my doctor the symptoms I was experiencing, she accurately guessed that it was celiac disease. Sure enough, blood work and an endoscopy proved her right. Why was it so easy in my case? I was, and am, a type 1 diabetic. Astoundingly, celiac disease affects as much as 10% of type 1 diabetics. What exactly is the connection between these two diseases? Let’s take a look at […]

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Coconut flour is one of the least known gluten-free flours out there. It is made of desiccated coconut after the oil has been removed. Then, the nearly oil-free coconut meat is finely ground into a powder that can be used for baking. Not only is coconut flour gluten-free, but it is extremely high in fiber and low in carbohydrates. 100 grams of coconut flour contains 154% of the RDA for fiber! It also contains a whopping 19g of protein. As a food that is low in digestible carbohydrates and low-glycemic, it is also appropriate for people who are monitoring their blood glucose or following a restricted carbohydrate or glycemic index diet for weight loss. Well, […]

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