"One out of 133 people in the United States is affected with celiac disease"

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, Celiac Disease is defined as "a lifelong, digestive disorder affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed"(Celiac Disease Foundation, 2008).

Celiac Disease is not an allergy. It is an auto-immune disorder that requires life-long elimination of foods containing the protein gluten. This includes products containing substances like wheat, malt, barley, oats, and rye. Without proper diet management, celiac disease can lead to anemia, weight loss, GI disturbances, vitamin mineral deficiencies, nervous system disorders, infertility, cancer, lymphoma, and many other health complications. Diagnosis usually involves a blood test for the specific IgA and IgG antibodies present in the auto-immune reaction related to gluten. Diagnosis is often confirmed with an endoscopy and biopsy of digestive tissue. Once diagnosed, there is no cure for Celiac Disease. The only treatment is diet modification.

If you or someone in your family has celiac disease, you know that a gluten-free diet requires patience, experimentation, creativity, and time. Those diagnosed with celiac disease face a daily challenge of finding products that are safe to prepare meals with. Staying gluten-free requires scrutinizing nutrition labels in the super market because even the less likely grocery items, like soups, salad dressings, and even seasonings, contain fillers that are rich in gluten. They may tire of eliminating the starchy products that used to be a part of their diet. Bagels, toast, even crackers can seem like a distant memory, but many of these items can now be purchased in specialty stores in the form of a g-free substitutions. However, if the buyer is fortunate enough to find a collection of g-free products they tend to fairly expensive and often lack quality texture and flavor.

That is why I created this blog. There have been many times I have been frustrated spending my time and money trying gluten-free creations that have been disappointing. Over the past year I have learned of more and more people being diagnosed with this disorder and I have been emailed by friends asking for gluten-free books, recipes, or product suggestions for a friend or neighbor.

This blog is not to be used as a source of medical advice in any way. If you have questions about your diagnosis or management of your disease you must speak to your doctor. I am not a chef or professional cook and I receive no compensation for endorsement of any products. This is my personal blog with the simple purpose to journal about and rate gluten-free products on the market, convert everyday recipes into gluten-free versions, and raise awareness about celiac disease. If you or someone you know is struggling with a gluten-free diet, I hope this blog can be of some help!

I also welcome any suggestions or recipe ideas you may have. If you just tried a great new product please let me know! If you have any feedback, a special request, or if you have something to contribute you can email your ideas to: gluten-free@live.com

Thank you and happy cooking!