Monthly Archives: November 2006

Do not buy this book …

Trading Standards have alerted Coeliac UK to the fact that a book called ‘Healthy Eating Gluten Free’ actually contains recipes with gluten-containing ingredients, such as couscous, without alerting the reader to the fact that these items are NOT gluten free.

This could easily be confusing, especially for people newly diagnosed. If it is true, then perhaps this book should be withdrawn …

The news item is on the Coeliac UK site. The author of the book is Paul Morgan, and it is published by Silverdale books.

For those not based in the UK, Trading Standards is the UK Government department in charge of consumer protection. Trading Standards maintain a list of products recalled by the manufacturer for a variety of reasons, including mislabelling.

By |November 8th, 2006|Living Gluten Free|0 Comments
Read More

More good news on US gluten free cookies

Linda’s Gourmet Cookies have announced gluten free, wheat free versions of their cookies. These include Pecan Crisps, Chocolate Chip Pecan Meringues, and Butter Squares, and are made with no added preservatives and contain ‘real’ ingredients (that is, ingredients I recognise the names of, and which don’t include numbers!).

These sound fantastic, and can be supplied in gift boxes – what a thoughtful gift that would make …

Sadly, available in the US only , but something to look out for on future visits, perhaps.

By |November 7th, 2006|Living Gluten Free|0 Comments
Read More

Celiac/Coeliac disease and diabetes

We’ve been aware that there is a link – or at least an association – between coeliac disease and diabetes, and a study in Denmark recommends that all children with type 1 diabetes should be screened for coeliac disease. (see Diabetes Care, November 2006, reported by Reuters).

The doctors conducting the research in Denmark identified 269 patients under 16 with type 1 diabetes, and screened them for coeliac disease – finding that over 12% had both coeliac disease and diabetes. This is significantly more than the 1% we are usually quoted by Coeliac UK.

Happily, the identified children were put onto a gluten free diet, and after two years their symptoms resolved, their weight rose and height increased (though only in those under 14 – which goes to show that early diagnosis is important).

By |November 6th, 2006|Living Gluten Free, Staying Healthy|0 Comments
Read More

Celiac Symposium – 3 days to go

No, of course I’m not going – its happening on the wrong side of the Atlantic. But it should be really interesting, and I’d love to hear from anyone who is going.

I’m especially pleased to see that they are running a series of events connecting teens with celiac – including pizza and packed lunches!

There’s a great deal of stuff happening:

The symposium is expected to attract healthcare industry leaders, clinicians, nutritionists, diagnostic and pharmaceutical executives, scientists, policy makers, patients and journalists and will touch on every aspect of adult and pediatric celiac disease – diagnosis, treatment, science and public policy. This symposium emerged as the single most important forum for bringing together the world leaders who will determine the nature of celiac disease and its impact on patients around the globe.

It isn’t too late to sign up, though it will be more expensive now.

Here’s hoping that they post transcripts of some of the speeches …

By |November 6th, 2006|Events, Living Gluten Free|0 Comments
Read More

More on Northamptonshire prescription cutbacks

I’ve posted before about this – Northamptonshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) has stopped doctors from prescribing most gluten-free products, including pasta.

Now the Daventry Express has picked up on the case of Kelly Muckelberg, who has coeliac disease, and used to be prescribed bread, pasta, flour, pizza bases and crackers. Now she can only get bread and flour.

So what, you might think, why should she get free food? (Because Kelly is a single mum on income support, she doesn’t have to pay for prescriptions – like my daughter, though hers are free because she is a child).

But consider this – a bag of gluten free pasta at a shop near where Kelly lives costs £3.20, according to the Daventry Express, but a bag of normal pasta costs 31p.

Does that seem fair? Kelly used to make a spag Bol once a week, but now can’t afford to. Pasta isn’t one of the UK’s traditional staples, but has become one over the last few decades.

If Kelly eats gluten, she will get stomach pain, and possibly vomiting and diarrhoea as well (I don’t know how she reacts to gluten, so this may vary), general ‘unwellness’ and brain fog (inability to concentrate). Long term, eating gluten could lead to cancer, infertility and osteoporosis, as well as other diseases due to malnourishment.

Not fun.

By |November 6th, 2006|Living Gluten Free, Prescriptions|1 Comment
Read More