Topic: celiac disease

Gluten-Free for Dummies: Nutritionist Lauren Slayton Schools Us on the Latest Health-Food Craze

Gluten-Free for Dummies: Nutritionist Lauren Slayton Schools Us on the Latest Health-Food Craze

First, I’m not saying you’re a dummy. I’m just saying you might be a gluten dummy, and you might not even know it. (Plus, I’m a dummy when it comes to economics and transferring playlists to my iPod, so it’s okay. No judgment.) Even if you are a gluten dummy, you’ve probably noticed the invasion of gluten-free everything. Gluten-free selections are popping up everywhere from Starbucks to Stouffer’s, celebrities are crediting gluten-free regimens for their improved energy or weight loss (that and some occasional pill-popping), and as a sure sign of a nutrition trend, products that never contained the newly demonized ingredient are plastered in newly designed labels that proclaim “gluten-free.” The gluten-free trend is huge (1.5 billion dollars huge) and on the rise, but like too many trendy nutrition keywords, most people don’t really know what gluten is. They may think of it as bread or wheat, but that’s not the accurate answer. More »

5 Foods You Didn’t Know Contained Gluten (Update!)

5 Foods You Didn't Know Contained Gluten (Update!)

October isn’t just a time for slutty Halloween costumes and sugar rushes — it’s also Celiac Awareness Month. People with celiac disease suffer an adverse reaction to foods containing gluten, which can damage the small intestine. The best treatment is prevention, which means a gluten-free diet. And plenty of people who don’t have celiac disease adopt a gluten-free diet because of a wheat allergy or for other health reasons.

But avoiding foods with gluten can be tough — crackers and breads spring to mind, but lots of other processed products contain gluten. That’s why we created this handy list of five food products to avoid if you’re following a gluten-free eating plan. Stick it on your fridge and cross these products off your shopping list to keep your diet free of gooey gluten. (Blisstree’s bad: Turns out, Jameson Irish Whiskey is actually gluten-free. Hey, when we’re wrong, we say we’re wrong! From Jameson’s website: “Yes, Jameson is gluten-free. This is because the distillation removes any residual cereal protein. In any event we do not use any gluten containing cereal (e.g. wheat) in our mash.”) More »

Diet Craze: Would You Go Vegan For Love?

Diet Craze: Would You Go Vegan For Love?

We got this post from Sarah Jane Shagraw for YourTango, and thought you might like it. Let us know in the comments section if you’d radically change your diet to start or save a relationship.

Candlelight, red wine, freshly made pasta. Flirting at a small table in a corner infrequently visited by the waiter. Such are the makings of a great date.

But not if you can’t eat what they’re serving. What if you must start with a ten-minute interrogation: Can the scallopine be prepared without a dusting of flour? Can I forgo the bed of pasta and just have the red pepper salmon? Does the chef use anything to thicken the risotto? Embarrassing. Your waiter takes a few trips to the kitchen to speak with the chef, and your date progresses in fits in starts. And — let’s be honest — you might seem a little high-maintenance (think Sally Albright, the picky heroine who ordered everything on the side in the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally). More »