Welcome friends

Welcome to all new and old friends!

The blog formerly known as Sprinkles & Allergies is now the brand spanking new Gluten-free Home. I'm excited to make the debut on blogspot and ready for a fresh start! For those who are new readers, it's nice to meet you! This site is all about everyday living free of gluten and multiple food allergies such as soy, peanuts, and some legumes. I'm a severely food allergic and gluten intolerant girl you see. I'm a freelance magazine writer, student of nutrition, obsessive foodie, (very) amateur wine and zombie enthusiast, and self-proclaimed science nerd. And for old and good friends, I hope you enjoy the new look and feel of the site. 

There's a new URL which is www.gfreehome.blogspot.com, be sure to bookmark it or use the subscribe button on the right panel. The old site at www.sprinklesandallergies.com will be expiring in two short weeks. My new email contact is glutenfreehome1@gmail.com and please feel free to use that liberally! I love hearing from each and every reader or person that has randomly stumbled on me here. So without further ado, goodbye old, hello new.

Special Guest Post: Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Happy official fall! I'm stoked for sweater weather, apple cider, warm bonfires, and of course college football (go blue!). Nowadays, this time of year reminds me of hanging out with my sister and my brother-in-law on the weekends while they lived ten minutes away during grad and law school. Now that they live a little further away, I miss them like crazy! But the times we do share now are always just as special. I'm lucky to have an older sister who is my best friend and is so very inspiring. I'm excited to share her first guest blog post with all of you. So without further ado, here she is!

LNG:

Hello--this is Lindsey, Bethany's favorite (and only, haha) older sister!  I hope you enjoy my first guest post on her blog--I have been waiting for the perfect first recipe to share with all of you.

A bit about myself: I am a lawyer living and working in Michigan with my husband/best friend Joe.  Like Beth, I am on a strict gluten free diet, which I started in August 2009.  I feel very fortunate to have Beth as a resource through all of the challenges of living gluten free.  Really, our mutual need to be gluten free has been a blessing in disguise, because we are closer to each other than ever!

On to the food....

It's starting to feel like FALL in Michigan!  So of course, I have been craving all things pumpkin.  Pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread...they are all on my list.  Last Saturday morning, I woke up with the pumpkin craving and Joe wanted chocolate chip pancakes.  So, we combined our cravings for an awesome batch of pumpkin pancakes!  These pancakes are very moist--almost a cake-like texture.  Please forgive the slightly overcooked pancakes mixed in with the properly cooked pancakes--I got distracted during 1 batch!

 

This recipe uses pumpkin butter instead of pumpkin puree.  Pumpkin butter isn't really "butter"-- it is basically a concentrated form of pumpkin puree, cooked down slowly with spices and sugars until it reaches a spreadable consistency, like butter.  As a result, it is quite rich and contains a ton of pumpkin flavor for the amount you need to use in a recipe.

I got brave and made my own pumpkin butter at home using pumpkin puree, apple cider, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice.  Here's the finished product!:

However, the recipe I used was very time consuming and I would not recommend it unless you want to stand stirring your bubbling, splattering pot of pumpkin puree for over an hour.  Instead, I would recommend picking up pumpkin butter at a specialty food store like Trader Joe's--I believe theirs is under $3.00 per jar.

You could probably substitute pumpkin puree for the pumpkin butter in this recipe--but I would guess you would need to add more of the Pancake Mix because the puree will be much more watery than the pumpkin butter and more pumpkin pie spice.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Yield: about 15 pancakes.

• 1-1/2 cups Pamela's Pancake Mix
• 1/4 cup pumpkin butter
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/4 cups water (add slowly)
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or up to 1/2 cup for more chocolate-y goodness!)
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• Maple syrup for serving

1. Whisk eggs in a large bowl.
2. Add pumpkin butter and oil and whisk together until smooth.
3. Add pancake mix and stir together lightly, then slowly add water until you reach your desired pancake consistency.  I like mine to be a bit thick so the pancakes don't run all over the pan when I measure them out--if you like thinner pancakes, you can add more water.  Then, stir in the pumpkin pie spice and chocolate chips.
4. Heat your non-stick frying pan over medium.  Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray (I usually don't need to do this with my non-stick + Pamela's, but I noticed this batch sticking a bit--probably due to the pumpkin).
5. Measure 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and pour into pan.  Cook on side one until lightly browned, then flip and do the same for the reverse side.  Serve with warm (100% PURE) maple syrup.

 

Gluten-free sisters, and best friends!

Quote of the Day

Everyone I've met that has Celiac disease or severe food allergies of any kind, I feel an automatic unspoken sort of connection to. It's a mutual feeling of understanding, of having "been there". While I've never met Zooey Deschanel, I think she's the epitome of making the most of her situation with multiple difficult food allergies. I learned Zooey is allergic to gluten, soy, dairy, and eggs from her appearance on Top Chef where she was a guest judge who challenged the contestants to create an allergy friendly vegan lunch for her and her family. It was fantastic to see her embracing herself and her health, while bringing allergy awareness to the mainstream food shows.

I fell in love with this so true quote from Zooey Deschanel, which can apply to everyone regardless of their walk in life:

"Being tender and open is beautiful. As a woman, I feel continually shhh’ed. Too sensitive. Too mushy. Too wishy washy. Blah blah. Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a rain drop, a tea kettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep, feel it all – look around you. All of this is for you. Take it and have gratitude. Give it and feel love."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celiac Disease Awareness Day

When I was diagnosed nearly four years ago, I remember explaining Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance to everyone I knew. Most of those people had no idea what I was talking about at the time, but were almost gluten-free experts by the time I had stopped talking their ears off. Mentioning or explaining Celiac to someone may seem trivial at the time, but in the long run, it sure has gotten us far along the road to widespread awareness. Talk to someone about Celiac Disease today and help spread the awareness even more! Happy National Celiac Awareness Day!

Check out my other post on Celiac Awareness here.

Check out my past posts on the symptoms of Celiac, basics of diagnosis, and the importance of getting a diagnosis.

Who will you tell today?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dow Goes Gluten-Free!

Pop the bubbly, and get ready to celebrate! (Most likely!)

I'm excited to share some great news for the gluten-free world! Dow has gone gluten-free and has come out with a new vegetable cellulose based food product that closely mimics the texture of gluten in baked goods. It's plant based and could really bring some new fresh tastes to our plates! Who needs gluten anyway?

I say way to go Dow, and way to go Dad for giving me the heads up awhile back. Since he works for Dow, he navigated me towards the website about the beta product a few months ago. I'm so glad it's finally hitting the gluten-free community soon! Check out the gluten-free goodness! (I did notice they got some of the gluten intolerance vs. celiac disease facts a little wrong as far as numbers and explanations between the two different reactions go. Celiac is about 1 in 110 these days and gluten intolerance is about 1 in 10 last I read).

What do you think? Will you be trying products containing the new "gluten" replacement? Let me know!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From a Gluten-Free Nutritional Standpoint...

 

 Snapshot of Snacks at Starbucks (contains gluten and other allergens).

Not all Gluten-free or Allergy friendly processed foods are created equal. I've found that some prepackaged gluten-free products are just as devoid of nutrition and quality ingredients as the traditional and glutenous processed junk that lines grocery store aisles in excess.

I've been meaning to sound off on this for awhile. Now I'm not saying that that all prepackaged gluten-free (or top 8 allergen free) cookies, cakes, breads, or snacks are bad. There are certainly some amazing brands out there that cater to our health and taste buds. And even the so-so brands are great in moderation. Let's face it, it's nice to indulge. But what I see so often in the gluten-free community is the feeling of wanting to replace what's been lost--sugar laden, bad fat filled, white-floury, processed crap! And filling the void until the main source of food consumed is processed, high in sugar, low in nutrients, and unnatural.

Too many food companies are now catering to this dopamine addiction in my opinion. My personal experience with being diagnosed and needing to go gluten free was a journey of needing to heal myself. What my malnourished body was crying out for after all the damage to my stomach and intestines was real solid nutrition--something that isn't always found in processed foods. When you have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, the last thing that is going to heal your villi is this kind of food.

And so you've become an expert at reading ingredient labels. Now it's time for the easy part; reading nutrition labels in combination with ingredients. Look for processed foods that include wholesome grains instead of more "white flour" like plain rice flour or potato flour. Check out whole grains, natural ingredients, and organic products now and then. Here's a few more detailed things to look for when navigating healthier (but just as tasty!) GF processed foods:

DO: (in moderation)

• Real Food Colorants (one example: beet juice colorings instead of "Red40" or other synthetic colorants)


• Healthy Gluten-free Whole grains (whole grain brown rice, wild rice, brown rice flour, almond flour (if you can tolerate nuts), coconut flour, amaranth, sorghum, quinoa, or buckwheat flour).


• Alternative Sweeteners to White Processed Sugar (some examples: Small amounts of stevia, agave, or raw local honey).


• "Good" fat content--monounsatured fats found often in olive oil, avocado, almonds, etc.


• A SHORT INGREDIENT LIST! -- A good rule to follow here is if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it. Or if it's over 5 or 6 non-organic ingredients, don't eat it.


• Organic, Whole Ingredients (I love some of the Organicville Products. The Pasta sauce is soy free, dairy free, gluten free, nut free, egg free).

[
A Hearty Wild Rice dish is a great alternative to White Rice.

DON'T: (or limit to rarely)

• Baking mixes or processed breads, snacks, etc. that mainly use "white" flour such as white rice flour or potato flour. These really don't do much for you in the nutrition department. Stick to the healthier choices listed above. In my opinion, the healthy ones taste better in baking anyway.


• High Fructose Corn Syrup, Raw Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice and any other form of highly processed/unnatural sugar in high quantities.


• Artificial ingredients or products that use GMOs. When you're healing and living with a disease or allergies, you really want to limit your intake of these.


• Any Trans fats.

These are just some of the Dos and Don'ts that have helped me heal along the way. Try not to get into the habit of treating your disease or allergies emotionally or mentally with unhealthy foods. Instead, heal your body which will help heal your attitude and emotional damage much more easily. Of course though, the best source of food you can eat will never be processed--it will be straight from the garden or the tree! Food (fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds) in it's natural state can never be fully replaced. You're really not giving up anything when you show your body some much needed love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Series: Going Gluten-free Part 1: Symptoms

[caption id="attachment_545" align="aligncenter" width="200"] The first step in diagnosis is listening to your body.[/caption]

About three years ago, I was in rough shape. I had an avalanche of symptoms, but no doctor was able to pinpoint the source of my suffering for quite some time. After getting down to about 94 pounds, my diagnosis finally came after I did an elimination diet and brought the findings to my doctor (who was little to no help after giving my official diagnosis). Having gone through this journey of healing, I can tell you firsthand how important getting a diagnosis is. If it feels like World War 3 just broke out in your stomach and you're dealing with slews of other seemingly unexplainable symptoms, you might be Gluten Intolerant or have Celiac Disease.

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and usually oats due to cross contamination in the farming fields. When someone who has Celiac Disease ingests even the smallest amount of gluten, mayhem occurs and the body responds by attacking itself with an auto-immune response. Gluten wipes out the villi in the small intestine creating lots of problems for adequate digestion, absorption, and balance of flora in the gut. Gluten has even been shown to affect the skin, brain, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. Below are the most common symptoms I have seen regarding gluten intolerance and CD.

I’m sad to say that I’ve correctly told  6 acquaintances I was sure they had Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance before a medical professional did. Though it is getting better, the average amount of time it takes for a correct diagnosis is about 10 years. Mine was 20 years. If you think you have Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance, don’t be discouraged if a doctor is unwilling to test you for it. Keep looking until you find a doctor with knowledge on the subject and start keeping a food diary. As much as I don’t like the idea of self diagnosis having had to do it twice for myself (life threatening soy allergy and celiac disease/gluten intolerance) sometimes it is a necessary measure as the medical community is falling short in these areas. For a list of diseases and conditions associated with Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance, click here. A;so see my Resources page for more links and information.

When dealing with symptoms, attitude is key. Remember that the pain is temporary and you will get better. There are tons of great gluten-free foods out there for the picking and eating. The hardest part is behind you. I'll be shouting out my favorite gluten-free products in the next post along with how to get through the diagnosis.

What do you think? Have you experienced any of the above symptoms? Do you have a diagnosis story? Share it below! I'd love to hear from you. Also feel free to send me an email at sprinklesandallergies@gmail.com

(I am not a medical professional and this is not medical advice. Please consult with your health care professional to determine what is the best course of action for you. And of course, listen to your body!)

Other Allergies & Intolerance

Does anyone else seem to suffer from other allergies besides soy or gluten? I've noticed I'm also sensitive to almost all of the legume family (beans, peas, lentils, etc), yeast, apples, and pomegranates. Pomegranates seemed quite random to me, but the first time I had one, I broke out in hives and sweats.

Do you have any other allergies or intolerance?

 

(Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com Free)

Natural Beauty: SF,GF Cosmetics

 

(Photo credit: Dreamstime.com Free)

If you are soy free, you know how much of a challenge it is to find cosmetics sans soy.  Even though the FDA has declared that soybean oil and soy lecithin are non allergens, I and many many others still have an issue with these additives.  I can't tell you how many organic, mineral, and/or natural cosmetics companies are using soy as a filler in their products. With many large companies depending on cheap fillers such as these soy additives, I've often wondered if lobbyists from these companies got into the pockets of doctors and legislators in order to protect their money making, filler laden products.  But that's a whole different post to get into... ;)

Luckily, I have found a few fantastic beauty buys that I love and use daily.  After going fresh faced for almost 2 months, (without even my formally beloved Chapstick!) I was ecstatic to smooth on some creamy, hydrating lip-color. So here are my favorites of the moment.  All of these products have been personally verified by emails, phone calls, and personal use.  (Please note:  This is not medical advice.  If you have concerns about different cosmetics to use, please consult with your health care professional to determine what is the best course of action for you).  I hope you enjoy these products as much as I have so far.

RMS Beauty

After reading about RMS Beauty on Kora Organics Blog by Miranda Kerr, I decided to send Rose Marie an email regarding the ingredients in her RMS products.  She quickly replied within 24 hours to let me know how opposed to soy she was, and that none of her products contain any soy or soy additives.  Her products are also all gluten free.  How awesome is that!?  I personally love the 'Un' cover-up in shade 22.  It's a lightweight creamy face shade that really lets your true glow shine through.  You really don't need a lot of it to help bring out the beauty of your own skin.  Full of fantastic nutrients and oils, it heals your skin.  Even though it contains a few different oils, my combination skin doesn't get oily from it--even the T zone!  In fact, my sometimes oil prone T zone looks more toned than ever before.  I am definitely hooked.  I also received a sample of the "Living Luminizer"--I really recommend it as a great highlighter and also a sheer glowing cream eye-shadow.  Visit RMS Beauty here:  http://www.rmsbeauty.com

Ultrapure Lush Lipstick is Soy free, Gluten free, Dye Free and Vegan!  It is featured in the above video about halfway through.  This lipstick is ultra smooth and is more like a double-duty hydrating balm and lip-color than just a color stick.  I bought Lush Lipstick in "Smooch" and am loving the glowing coral based shine.  Ultrapure cosmetics also sent me a sample of their mineral blush in "Buff" which only contains minerals; no additives!  I have yet to try their soy free, gluten free mascara, but I'm sure I'll be ordering it sometime soon.  Check out the lipstick here:  http://www.ultrapurecosmetics.com/products/Lush-Lipstick%3A--Vegan%2C-Gluten%252dFree%2C-Soy%252dFree%2C-Dye%252dFree!.html

Garnier Fructis Body Boost Shampoo and Conditioner

So far, I haven't found a great 'organic' non-soy and gluten shampoo and conditioner.  I have personally contacted Garnier Fructis and received a phone call back letting me know that their Body Boost Shampoo AND conditioner are Soy free!  I have been using them with no reactions for a few months now.  It is really great for normal or fine hair and delivers a nice lift that lasts all day.  These products seem to use more natural ingredients than most commercial shampoos I've seen, so it will work for until I find a nice organic alternative.  Another great perk is that you can find these in almost any pharmacy and grocery store that carries beauty products.  Hooray for no fuss beauty!  I'll also mention that it smells fabulous =)

Although these are all of my favorite products at the moment, I think no beauty routine is complete without covering the basics first.  The basics being:  Great nutrition, lots of water, healthy amounts of sleep, and working out your body at least a few times every week.  I really enjoy the Kora Organics Blog, which I mentioned earlier.  It's written by supermodel Miranda Kerr and other healthy living advocates.  I really admire Miranda Kerr for using her well-known name to inspire others to live peacefully and very healthily.  Check out the Kora Organics blog here: http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/  Please note that I haven't contacted Miranda to find out if any of her Kora Organics skincare products are soy or gluten free, but I'll be writing her this week to find out.

With that, I'll leave with a quote that I really enjoy:

"Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours."  --Swedish Proverb

Stay beautiful, positive, and let your light shine.

Until next time,

Bethany xoxo
 A little photo of Max and I--Max is my parents' maltapoo, and what a cute little soul he is.

Happy Celiac Disease Awareness Day!!

(Photo credit: Dreamstime free edition).

Happy Celiac Disease Awareness Day everyone!  Let's go out there and tell the world about one of the most under-diagnosed diseases in the U.S.  The average time for correct diagnosis of gluten intolerance/celiac disease is somewhere around 10 years.  10 YEARS!  I suppose I am one of the people that makes the average shoot up, since I had been eating gluten for 22 years longer than I was supposed to...unknowingly of course!  The doctors had misinformed us that I would "grow out of the problem" when I was 2 years old.  Studies now show that you do not grow out of gluten intolerance or celiac disease.  Sometimes I wonder if I had been diagnosed sooner, if I would have avoided developing an intense food allergy (soy) and other moderate intolerances (lactose).  BUT! Here's our chance to cut that diagnosis time down to size!  I know I'll be giving an ear load to everyone I encounter tody ;)

For those who are not entirely certain of what Celiac Disease is, or suspect they may have it, here's a great article on the subject.  It includes most symptoms, but is missing neurological problems such as ADHD (I had it quite bad before diagnosis), Autism, Anxiety, Depression, nervous system disorders and loss of feeling in random parts of the body.  There are many more symptoms that are less common, which makes Celiac hard to diagnose.  Happy reading, and please email me if you have any questions about the gluten free diet and/or celiac subjects that I have not yet discussed on the blog posts.  (Disclaimer:  I have been gluten free for 2 and a half years, but am not a medical professional.  This blog is not intended as medical advice.  Please talk with your healthcare professional or doctor to determine what is best for you before implementing any special diets or food eliminations). Read the article here:

http://gluten-intolerance-symptoms.com/celiac-disease-symptoms/  

Hoping this day finds you well, and sending positivity,

xoxo Bethany