Your Interview

Does a glutein -free diet help in diseases such as crohn's disease or colitis?

The reason I am interested is I have icthyosis[fish skin]and we all are having digestive problems from nausea/vomiting to gastro-intestinal problems and bleeding.

We are missing enzemyes but what ones we have no idea yet as our dad's side of the family are all dead.

My sister for instance was being treated for cileac disease but it is hit and miss as we have so many allergies and intolerances for so many things especially man made substances.

Any advice greatly appreciated,thanks.

Jenny Lass: First of all, I just want to make sure that if your family is having these kinds of digestive symptoms you’re all seeing a physician. These kinds of symptoms can be indicative of many different conditions and you need to have a diagnosis before thinking about treatment. It does sound like at least some of you have a definitive diagnosis, so that’s a great start! Also keep in mind that any diet therapy should never replace medication your doctor gives you unless you are directed to do so by your physician.

That being said, the gluten-free diet is only used to treat celiac disease and doesn’t help other conditions. The recipes in the Grain-Free Gourmet cookbooks that I wrote with Jodi Bager are based on a different diet, which happens to be gluten-free, but is also low in lactose, and grain, starch, and refined-sugar-free — it’s called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and was originally developed in the 1920s (30 years before the gluten-free diet) to treat children with celiac disease. Although the SCD was developed long before we knew that gluten was the trigger for celiac symptoms, it is still useful today because of its focus on eating whole foods and its strategy for healing an intestine that is damaged as a result of gluten or other digestive disorders, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome. The SCD basically eliminates foods that can be harder to digest if you have suffered from a digestive disease. For example, people with celiac disease are very often also unable to digest lactose, the sugar in milk. While the gluten-free diet allows all forms of dairy, including those high in lactose, the SCD only allows low-lactose or no-lactose dairy, such as homemade probiotic yogurt and old-aged cheeses.

Finally, in response to your troubles with multiple allergies, I have many intolerances beyond just gluten (citrus fruit, lactose, tomatoes, coconut) so I know that it can be frustrating to sort them all out and avoid eating your trigger foods all of the time. One strategy that I use is to stick to eating whole foods, which helps me avoid processed foods that might contain trace amounts of substances that make me sick. I recommend consulting a registered dietitian who can help you develop a healthy eating plan that excludes the foods that make you sick. You should also consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.

Hi - I've found that cooking gluten-free isn't as difficult as I initially thought, and it's definitely not as limiting as people would imagine! I was wondering, though, if there's a way to substitute gluten-free flours in, for example, my grandma's tried-and-true cookie recipe - or do I have to leave these classics behind?
Thanks for your time!

Jenny Lass: It’s great to hear you affirm that going gluten-free doesn’t have to be limiting! There are lots of ways to enjoy your old favourites by making them in new ways. One great baking technique used in the Grain-Free Gourmet books, which you might find helpful, is almond flour baking. We use ground, blanched almonds instead of mixing multiple alternative flours together, which is not only easier, but is also extremely delicious and healthy. You can find almond flour in the bulk section of your grocery store, in some health food stores, in bulk food stores or you can order it cheaper online in bulk through www.jkgourmet.com. Almond flour stores well in the fridge or freezer for months at a time. When you’re baking with it, keep in mind that if you’re trying to replicate a crispy, rather than soft, cookie recipe, I recommend double baking them. In other words, bake the cookies as you would normally and then re-bake them for a couple of hours on 150F to 200F to crisp them up.

Have tried a few gluten free foods such as pizza crusts, Yuck! Are there any you would recommend for taste?

Jenny Lass: It’s true that some pre-made gluten-free foods are hit and miss in terms of taste. If you’re looking for something pre-packaged, Grain-Free JK Gourmet products are a great option. JK Gourmet is my co-author Jodi’s baked good manufacturing company (www.jkgourmet.com), which makes delicious, healthy gluten-free baked goods. They sell almond flour muffin loaves and biscotti, and grain-free granola. All the ingredients are whole, natural foods. If you’re looking for great pizza specifically, both our books show you how to make a simple almond flour pizza crust that is out of this world and takes literally seconds to put together. It’s just almond flour, egg, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and Italian seasonings. There’s no resting or rising – you can even make several uncooked crusts and freeze them between pieces of parchment paper so when a “pizza attack” hits, you just pop one out of the freezer (no need to thaw,) top it and bake it.

It seems that a gluten-free diet is by definition high in carbs. What are the best ingredients to use that limit carb intake?

Jenny Lass: Actually, a gluten-free diet isn’t necessarily high in carbs. There’s lots of variety in what you can eat in terms of carbs, proteins and fats. Remember — you can still have meat, dairy, eggs and nuts on a gluten-free diet, none of which are high in carbs. You need a balance of carbs, protein and fat to stay healthy.

Actually, I have an answer for Katy (question #2). You certainly can adapt those classic cookie recipes. I've been on a gluten-free diet for a few years now and have found that by substituting one of a number of homemade gluten-free 'flour' mixes, I can make great tasting cookies and my family usually doesn't know whether they are gluten-free or not.

As someone who is not allergic to gluten would there be any health advantages to going gluten free? I ask because I'm an organic hobby farmer who already makes home made spelt pasta and pizza dough and will be growing and milling my own grain in the near future.

Jenny Lass: An interesting question, Heidi. There is no evidence to show that going gluten-free if you don’t need to would make you healthier. There are certain elements of the gluten-free diet that my books are based on (the Specific Carbohydrate Diet) that contribute to a healthy eating plan, such as its focus on whole, natural foods and avoiding processed or refined foods. But you wouldn’t gain any health benefits just by eliminating gluten. However, by all means have fun experimenting with grains other than wheat if you don’t have any allergies or digestive disorders!

The issues of IBS with our daughter happened after she took a high level antibiotic for strep throat. Could this have been the event that killed all of her good and bad bacteria in her stomach leading to her difficulties with eating-constant stomach cramps, weight loss, and irritability to mention a few. She has been tested for celiac, lactose intolerance and a host of other tests (all negative) leading to the broad diagnosis of IBS.

I thank you in advance for your exploration of the answer.

Jenny Lass: There is scientific evidence emerging that shows that people with irritable bowel syndrome can have a bacterial imbalance in their intestines. In fact, a 2006 American Journal of Gastroenterology study showed that people with IBS were helped by probiotic (“good” bacteria) supplements. I can’t comment on whether or not your daughter’s condition was triggered by her antibiotic treatment or whether she actually has an overgrowth of bad bacteria, but you should talk to a physician about whether probiotic therapy is an option for your daughter.

What is your take on oats? From what I understand there is some controversy... Is it best to avoid them all together? Thanks!

Jenny Lass: I know that at one point there was a company making totally gluten-free oats, but I’m not sure about their current status. The best thing to do is read up about oats on the Canadian Celiac Association site — http://www.celiac.ca/EnglishCCA/egfdietoats.html — I would follow their lead on this issue.

I am a full-time student at a northern university, as well as having a part-time job. I find that I don't have any time to devote to making GF food, and that depending on grocery store brands severely limit me, so any advice for people strapped for time?

Jenny Lass: I hear you, Heather. It can be tough to fit in cooking time when you’ve got so many other things on the go.

What I do is set aside time once or twice every other week to cook large batches of meals and snacks I love and freeze them. That way, when I’m running out the door and I’m strapped for time, I can just re-heat my meal and eat it quickly.

Try simpler recipes, such as burgers (just 2 lb of meat gives me 10 to 15 burgers in less than 40 minutes from start to finish), roasted chicken with herbs (it takes minutes to prepare and while I’m doing laundry, answering emails and meeting deadlines, it cooks), or make-ahead almond flour pizza crusts (the recipe is in the Grain-Free Gourmet cookbooks). If you’re really stuck, grab an apple, some old-aged cheese, some baby carrots and a couple of handfuls of nuts (remember — whole foods are your friend) and you’ve got a portable snack or meal that requires no cooking at all.

I have been on a strict gluten free diet for several months, but continue to have difficulties getting enough fibre in my diet and creating simple meals. Sadly, I'm not much of a salad person, and gluten free processed foods, like bread, are just so expensive and calorie dense. Breakfast is a particular challenge. Any suggestions?

Jenny Lass: First of all, a registered dietitian is a great resource for food trouble shooting, so I recommend consulting one to learn all the different (and tasty ways) to get fibre into your diet. One way that I keep my fibre intake high is by eating almond flour baked goods, which you can learn more about in the Grain-Free Gourmet books or you can order some directly through Grain-Free JK Gourmet (www.jkgourmet.com).

Nuts are a great source of fibre and almonds have many health benefits. They may be a bit caloric, but they’re full of the “good” fat, which keeps you full longer and prevents you from snacking on unhealthy foods. One almond flour muffin for breakfast helps me start my day with energy, fibre and lots of nutrtion. In terms of creating simple meals high in fibre other than breakfast, I use lots of whole foods. I make a stew full of lots of colourful veggies. I also make a high-fibre, cholesterol-lowering almond flour pizza crust piled high with veggies. I even sneak almond flour in my burgers for extra fibre.

For more simple meal ideas, I recommend talking to a dietitian and checking out the Grain-Free Gourmet books, specifically our new book Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, which talks a lot about meal planning ideas and has an entire chapter on how to eat sinful-tasting, healthy desserts for breakfast (my favourite is Peanut Butter Ice Box Truffles made with peanut butter, high-fibre dates, honey and high-fibre nuts).

Keep in mind that you should also consult your doctor before making any dietary changes.

Isn't almond flour really fatty? Is this diet healthy for those people who don't have IBS/Celiac?

Jenny Lass: I think it’s important to address the fat issue surrounding nuts.

First of all, fat is an essential part of a healthy diet, something that Canada’s Food Guide is finally acknowledging by stating that we need two to three tablespoons of fat a day (preferably the “good” fat or unsaturated fats). For example, we need fat to absorb fat soluable vitamins, regulate body temperature, make hormones and help with the formation of your brain and nervous system.

So the fat in almonds is good for you, especially because 85% of it is unsaturated and eating almonds has even been associated with weight loss. A 2003 article in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders states that an almond-enriched, low-calorie diet high in monounsaturated fats can help overweight people lose more weight than a low-calorie diet high in complex carbohydrates. After six months, those on the almond diet had a 62% greater reduction in their weight and body mass index, a 50% greater reduction in waist circumference, and a 56% greater reduction in body fat than those on the low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diet.

This phenomenon occurs because the fat and protein in almonds help keep you full longer, making you less likely to snack on unhealthy processed foods that are even more caloric and contain large amounts of saturated and trans fats (the “bad” fats). If you’re concerned about eating too much fat or if you think you are genuinely eating too many calories in a day, consult your doctor before making any dietary changes and then talk to a registered dietitian who can help you create an eating plan containing enough fat to keep you healthy, but not so much that you’re overdoing it.

I have been gluten free for just about 2 years now, and find that it has eliminated many symptoms that I struggled with for a long time. Now my husband and I are trying to get pregnant. Should I have any concerns with following a gluten-free diet through a pregnancy?

Jenny Lass: This is a great question to ask your GI specialist and an OBGYN. I encourage you to talk to them. You should also consider consulting a registered dietitian who specializes in pre-natal nutrition.

I have yet to be able to make decent homemade gluten-free baked goods. They all seem to come out rubbery. It seems that it takes some knowledge to know which flours for which type og baked good you are trying to make. Do you have any tips?

Jenny Lass: Almond flour baked goods are easy to make and taste wonderful (aside from being healthy). I highly encourage you to visit the Grain-Free Gourmet website at www.grainfreegourmet.com to try some sample recipes.

Do you know what the risks are of eating a gluten-free diet? With the push on to eat whole grains I am worried that the diet may not be worth the risk. Wheat makes my allergies worse but doesn't threaten my life. My sister is celiac and has no choice. I can always take a decongestant.

Jenny Lass: Great question. Although whole grains are healthy and I advocate eating them if you can digest them, the bottom line is there’s nothing magic in wheat and other grains.

You can get the nutrients in grains from lots of other foods.

For example, grains have B vitamins in them, but a fabulous substitute for pasta is spaghetti squash, which has as much B6 as, and more folate than, regular pasta. Three ounces of almonds have 36% of your daily fibre intake and they have been proven to lower blood cholesterol levels better than whole wheat. Also, beef is the number one food source for vitamin B12, zinc and protein, and is an excellent source of dietary iron.

It is important, though, to make sure you’re eating a variety of whole foods. If you’re feeling nervous about eliminating wheat, I highly encourage you to consult a registered dietitian who can help you put together a wheat-free meal plan that will ensure that you’re getting all the vitamins, minerals and fibre you need to stay healthy.

I have just about given up on eating out due to my celiac. I get "the look" when I try to explain the importance of avoiding gluten. Even when my husband wants to cook for me I get very stressed because I believe he isn't careful enough about cross-contamination. Am I over reacting?

Jenny Lass: Anyone who has been sick like we have knows you’re not over reacting. It’s natural to feel fearful, especially right after diagnosis. One trick to minimizing cross-contamination is to have very clear gluten-free and gluten sections in your pantry so there’s no confusion.

You can even designate a shelf in the fridge just for gluten-free ingredients. That way, when your husband cooks for you, he knows that if he didn’t get the ingredient from the gluten-free section of the pantry or fridge, then he can’t use it. You also need to find recipes that you both love so that he’s not making something with gluten in it for himself at the same time that he’s making gluten-free food for you.

We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from couples and families about our Grain-Free Gourmet books and what they love most is that everyone in the family can enjoy our recipes so they’re not stuck making something different for each person at the table — everyone’s happy and the risk of cross-contamination is significantly reduced.

My final tip is to focus on eating whole, natural foods. The fewer pre-packaged food items you use, the lower your chance of ingesting gluten — plus eating more whole foods will benefit the entire family.

Do your suggestions also take into consideration whole foods and local/seasonal foods? I have tried to cut out wheat and corn by replacing them with other low-gluten or non-gluten grains, such as spelt and kamut, but find that a lot of the recipes call for very processed replacement flours. I prefer to keep my diet simple with a focus on whole foods; I notice the spelt bread I buy has very simple ingredients (only 3 to be precise: spelt, water, and yeast) and yet when I look at recipes for non-wheat bread they have extensive lists of ingredients including "xanthum gum" and multiple flours. Is this really necessary?

Jenny Lass: It’s definitely not necessary. Almond flour (if you’re not allergic to nuts) is the perfect solution for you. Ground, blanched almonds are not only a whole food, but also a super-food loaded with vitamin E, calcium, fibre and a host of other nutrients — and there’s only one ingredient in it: almonds. Almond flour baked goods are all easy-to-make quick breads and taste really authentic, plus all the ingredients for an almond flour muffin are right in your pantry: nuts, fruit, vanilla extract, honey, salt, baking soda, eggs.

I am a celiac and have been carefully following a NG diet for many years. Have you come across or devised a recipe for wraps? My kids love wraps in their lunch and so would I!

Thanks

Jenny Lass: Our latest book, Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, shows you a great way to make wraps. To find out more about our books, feel free to visit www.grainfreegourmet.com. Enjoy!

I've been on a gluten-free diet for many years. It's a simple diet that takes very little effort to maintain. I don't bother with gluten-free breads, though I find some nice mixes for baked goods.

My question:

I've heard a lot about the 100-mile diet. Do you have any experience with this in relation to celiac?

Jenny Lass: The 100-mile diet is a great concept (see http://100milediet.org). For anyone who doesn’t know, the 100-mile diet asks us to eat food that has come from within a 100-mile radius of where we live. The purpose of the diet is to encourage us to use locally grown produce, fuel the local economy, help the environment, discover new flavours and get more in touch with the food we’re eating, the seasons and our neighbours. There is a great list of reasons to try the diet here http://100milediet.org/why-eat-local.

The 100-mile diet website recommends planning a 100-mile diet dinner with friends to get a taste for it (no pun intended) and to see where you want to go from there.
That being said, I think that celiacs can definitely have fun trying to follow a gluten-free 100-mile diet, but may not be able to stick to it 100% of the time. It depends on where you live and how sensitive your stomach is. For example, you may have trouble sourcing substitute or alternative grains, whether that’s nut flour or spelt flour. But because the focus of the 100-mile diet is on whole foods, it’s generally quite celiac-friendly.

However, my advice is to let your health be your first priority and let your stomach be your guide. Don’t follow a 100-mile diet if the local produce you’re finding isn’t giving you enough variety. Remember that as a celiac you weren’t absorbing nutrients properly for a while, so you need to make sure that the 100-mile diet you follow meets all of your nutritional requirements. You should consult a registered dietitian and your doctor before making any dietary changes just to make sure you’re getting all the nutrition you need.

I have been on a gluten-free diet for my Celiac for about 8 months now. During that time I've found that most of the GF foods I can buy/make tend to be very crumbly or go stale extremely fast. Do you have any advice as to which types of GF flour are less likely to yield baked goods with these problems? Is there anything I can add, like honey or milk that will help to act as a thickening or binding agent to prevent this?

Jenny Lass: When you bake with almond flour, or ground, blanched almonds, your baked goods won’t go stale quickly. They also freeze and re-heat or thaw really well, so you can make large batches of muffins, pizza crusts, cookies and cakes and freeze them until you want a snack! Plus, the natural (and healthy) fat in almonds keeps almond flour baked goods moist.

I've been diagnosed for over 5 years now and I've been experimenting with flours a lot! I've found that the more you mix the different types of flours the better the results. I rarely bake with rice, potato, tapioca or arrowroot flower because they are too fine... buckwheat, sorghum, hemp mixed in with quinoa and maybe a little brown rice flour works great!

My question lies with prepared products: I've heard that some vinegar, some form of malodextrose and other odd ingredients have gluten in them. Could you please direct me to a source that can tell me all the fine details of what ingredients are found in prepared foods like mayonnaise, mustard, salsa, pickles and olives... and if they filled with gluten?

To all the new celiacs: Don't worry, it is sad and discouraging at first, but you'll find that your friends and family will show a lot of support which will encourage you to be adventurous with your GF cooking... It does take a little while to stop cheating. But once you realize that you are doing yourself a great favour when you change your lifestyle to Gluten Free... There is so much out there now for us! EMBRACE IT!

Jessica

Jenny Lass: Great question. Unfortunately the answer isn’t simple. The only way to be sure that a prepared food is truly gluten-free is to call the manufacturer and get it in writing from them. You can also stay on top of food alerts through the Canadian Celiac Association’s site http://www.celiac.ca/EnglishCCA/ealerts.html.

Finally, avoiding processed and pre-packaged foods and eating mainly whole foods is a great way to limit your potential exposure to contaminated sources.

I've been gluten free for only six days now and was wondering how long it takes bowel function to normalize if gluten was the issue. As well, are there any known conections between gluten intolerance and candida imbalances or overuse of antibiotics.

Jenny Lass: This a great question to ask your doctor. But generally, if you are continuing to have diarrhea on a gluten-free diet, you could be eating something that your damaged intestines are having a hard time digesting, such as lactose. You could also be ingesting hidden sources of gluten. You need to trouble shoot with your physician and possibly a registered dietitian to figure out why you’re still feeling sick.

Can you make a turkey stuffing using rice bread? If not, with what could I substitute the regular bread?

Jenny Lass: There is a Decadent Onion Bread in our first book, Grain-Free Gourmet: Delicious Recipes for Healthy Living, that is fantastic for stuffing.