May 23, 2011

Book Review: What’s Eating Your Child?

If you are searching for the cause of your child’s health or behavioral problems, the answer may be a food intolerance or dietary supplement. In the new book, What’s Eating Your Child? The Hidden Connections Between Food and Childhood Ailments, Kelly Dorfman, a leading children’s nutritionist, shares practical solutions based on fascinating stories from her clients. Common food intolerances are discussed, including gluten, dairy, and sugar, as well as dietary supplements, such as zinc, probiotics, and fish oil. 

Dorfman explains the difference between celiac disease and gluten intolerance, however, some of the information needs clarification, especially about celiac testing and oats. She recommends two gluten-free breads, Deland’s millet bread and Udi’s. Since I never heard of Deland’s, I called the bakery to inquire about the bread, and discovered that it is not gluten-free because of significant cross-contamination.  

Dorfman offers a surprisingly simple plan for picky eaters. She also includes a chapter on Sensory Processing Disorder. Nutritional disorders may be the cause of a variety of ailments, from anxiety and ADHD to ear infections. In some cases, her clients were able to stop taking prescription medications after following her recommendations.  After reading the book, you will learn how to be a nutrition detective.  

I received a complimentary copy of the book to review. Although it turns out that we live less than 10 minutes from Kelly Dorfman’s office, we have never spoken to her. I certainly learned some things that we may try, and I do recommend this interesting book. Purchase it on Amazon or look for it at your local book store. If you are interested in learning more, attend one of her upcoming book signings throughout the country and read her blog. Should my daughter need a nutritionist, we would definitely go to Kelly Dorfman.

May 13, 2011

Gluten-Free News: Hamburger Helper, Frito Lay, California Pizza Kitchen, Celiac Vaccine, Petitions, and a Twitter Party

If you like gluten-free Hamburger Helper, stock up before it is gone. In an email posted on Celiac-Disease.com, General Mills states that it will no longer be gluten-free.

"Essentially, our three Helpers items, Hamburger Helper Cheesy Hashbrown, Asian Helper Chicken Fried Rice and Asian Helper Beef Fried Rice will soon no longer be gluten free. This is due to a change in manufacturing facilities, and although gluten will not be used as an ingredient in any of the three products, we will no longer be able to guarantee that they will be free from cross-contamination."

Also on Celiac-Disease.com, you can find the new Frito Lay gluten-free list. It appears that they now have a larger list of products that they test for gluten.

At the end of June, California Pizza Kitchen will be adding a gluten-free pizza crust. For more information, read this Gluten-Free Philly blog post.

There are promising results for a celiac vaccine as explained in ScienceDaily this week. The Phase I trial of Nexvax2 was conducted in Australia. The Phase II trial is expected to begin in 10 months.

Please take a few minutes to sign these two important gluten-free petitions.

Encourage the Girl Scouts to sell an allergen-free cookie

Encourage the FDA to finalize gluten-free labeling rules
For a detailed recap of the 1in133 event and how they built the world's largest gluten-free cake, read Jules Shepard's new blog post.

On Wednesday, May 25 at 8 pm ET, the US Potato Board will host a gluten-free twitter party and will offer five prizes. The US Potato Board created a new gluten-free recipe collection, which includes 80 recipes, such as gluten-free potato lasagna.

May 5, 2011

Celebrate Celiac Awareness Month with NFCA

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) is celebrating Celiac Awareness Month with several social media activities. In April, they collected approximately 500 photos of people with celiac disease and compiled them in this amazing mosaic. If you are in the Facebook photo, make sure you tag yourself. Also on Facebook, answer the weekly question. "What's one thing you can do now that you couldn't do before going gluten-free?"

On Twitter, NFCA is sharing signs of celiac disease in their #youmighthaveceliac tweets. Join the #gfchats about gluten-free nutrition every Tuesday night in May at 8 pm ET, beginning on May 10. The chats will be led by the Ask the Dietitian Experts.

Each day in May, NFCA will profile a blogger in “A Blogger a Day, the Gluten-Free Way”. I will be profiled on May 6. For a great list of gluten-free blogs, visit NFCA’s celiac bloggers list. Many of these bloggers will be profiled during May. Happy Celiac Awareness Month!

For more NFCA news, visit these links:

NFCA’s Kids Central

What We’ve Been Up To

Where We’re Headed