Blog on Hold- New blog

Sorry I haven't posted in months and haven't explained myself. I kind of put this blog on hold for awhile to work on other projects. I'm spending most of my time on a new gluten free blog. It's called Gluten Free in Utah and though it will have a lot to do with living gluten free in Utah there will also be a lot of information besides that for anyone living elsewhere, so please check it. I may start this blog up again if there seems to be a need, but who knows.

http://glutenfreeinutah.blogspot.com/

Favorite GF Brands

I was in the gluten-free section at the grocery store with my Mom yesterday. She checks that section often to see if there is anything on sale to get my sister, so I thought I'd point out which products and brands I love and which ones she should stay away from. This isn't an all-inclusive list, but I've decided to post it here.

So far, I've liked everything I've tried from:

• Glutino
• Gluten-Free Pantry (in fact, I just found out Glutino and Gluten-Free Pantry are made by the same company)
• DeBoles
• Mrs. Leepers
• Kinnikinnick (They have awesome pre-made items such as pizza crust, chocolate chip cookies, and bread)

I now stay away from:

• Namaste Foods
• Cherrybrook Kitchen

There are other brands I've tried, but they haven't made too big of an impact on me one way or another yet (Envirokidz are good, but I have yet to be wowed. Possibly because their products don't seem to be things that normally have gluten anyway). I'll let you know what I decide on other brands.

GF Product Reviews

I've kind of put this blog on hold for awhile, but I've been saving the packaging from gluten free products I've been eating and I want to get rid of them, so here are my reviews of these products...

Namaste Chocolate Cake: I didn't like this. I won't buy it again unless I'm needing a gluten free, casein free cake. I've also had Namaste Foods brownies and I won't be buying those again (though I did find that I liked them better if I ate them frozen).

Glutino Vanilla Dreams: Delicious! These were so good!

Mrs. Leeper's Rice Spaghetii: Very good. I highly recommend this pasta. I don't have a picture, but I also recommend DeBoles rice pasta. Be sure to never get potato pasta. It's too mushy.

EnviroKidz Peanut Butter Panda Puffs: Yummy! These were quite tasty. They tasted like Peanut Butter Capn' Crunch.

EnviroKidz Crispy Rice Bars: Both the Chocolate and Berry bars were very good. They're not like granola bars, so don't expect that, but they're great for a quick snack and to take on the go.

Glutino Chocolate Cake: Delicious!!! So far, I've liked everything I've eaten from this brand. This cake was so good!!!

Cherrybrook Kitchen Chocolate Cake: I wish I liked this because the price is pretty good, but it was disgusting. I could hardly eat it.

Glutino Muffin Mix: These were pretty good. I added chocolate chips and Heath bar chips. I liked them better after they'd sat a few hours then I did fresh. I would definitely buy these again. I froze half of them for my sister and they were still delicious after being frozen. It was nice to have a muffiny texture. You can also add fruit, but I love chocolate.

Kinnikinnick Pizza Crusts: This is another brand I'm impressed with. There were only 4 little 7 inch crusts in the package, making it about $2 per pizza crust, but it was worth it. My husband loves pizza, so I would make him a batch of Jiffy pizza crust and I'd make my pizza on this. It's the perfect amount for one meal for me (sad no leftovers, but at least I get pizza). You keep it in the freezer and just pull out a crust when you're ready to make your pizza. It'll thaw as you cook the cheese.

Mrs. Leepers Beef Lasagna: So good! I was really worried about this because I'm picky about what kind of red sauces I like. I don't like Spaghetti O's or Chef Boyardee (back from when I ate gluten), so I thought this could taste the same. It didn't. It was so good! And so easy to make! It was nice to have on hand for when I needed a quick meal.

Facts and Statistics on Celiac Disease

Here are some Celiac Disease facts and statistics I find most interesting from the UChicago Celiac Disease Center:

• Undiagnosed and untreated, celiac disease can lead to the development of other autoimmune disorders, as well as osteoporosis, infertility, neurological conditions and in rare cases, cancer.
• The average length of time it takes for a symptomatic person to be diagnosed with celiac disease in the US is four years; this type of delay dramatically increases an individual’s risk of developing autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, osteoporosis and even cancer.

Prevalence of Celiac Disease in the United States:

• In average healthy people: 1 in 133
• In people with related symptoms: 1 in 56
• In people with first-degree relatives (parent, child, sibling) who are celiac: 1 in 22
• In people with second-degree relatives (aunt, uncle, cousin) who are celiac: 1 in 39
• In the landmark prevalence study on celiac disease, investigators determined that 60% of children and 41% of adults diagnosed during the study were asymptomatic (without any symptoms).
• Celiac disease affects 1% of healthy, average Americans. That means at least 3 million people in our country are living with celiac disease—97% of them are undiagnosed.

Can you believe that?! Most of the people with CD aren't even diagnosed! It's hard enough to get a diagnosis when you have the symptoms, but according to these statistics 41% of adults with CD didn't even have any symptoms when diagnosed. Crazy! There is definitely a need for more education and research about CD.
I suggest taking a look at the entire factsheet.

Also, keep in mind that these statistics are for people who have actual celiac disease. These numbers don't account for the many people with a gluten intolerance. I believe (my husband hates it when I say this) that the majority of the population would benefit from going on a gluten-free diet.

Great Celiac Disease Website

I just discovered my new favorite site for celiac disease statistics and research. It's The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. It has tons of great information on the current research being done on celiac disease. Click on the celiac disease 101 section of the webpage and you will find a simple overview of celiac disease, symptoms, testing, etc. My favorite part about the CD 101 section is the factsheets and more specifically the facts and figures of CD. Check it out!

Posts highlighting items from UChicago Celiac Disease Center website:
Facts and Statistics on Celiac Disease