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| May is celiac disease awareness month. |
Living Without Your Daily Bread
by Karina Allrich
Since the birth of agriculture, when our ancestors began to cultivate and harvest grains, human beings have cherished bread. It was a minor miracle, this almost magical transformation of grain into dough. Bread became the staff of life, a daily source of nourishment, symbolic of spiritual renewal.
But what if bread was suddenly poison? What if wheat was toxic, and every bite of a toasted bagel, slice of pizza or forkful of penne inflicted damage to your body?
This scenario is a daily reality for those carrying the gene of an autoimmune disorder known as celiac disease.
Little did I know as I wrote my second cookbook, happily creating recipes for lemon infused pasta primavera and olive-rosemary focaccia, that a hidden twist in my own eclectic heritage would soon disrupt my life. After years of subtle symptoms, an acute phase produced a twenty pound weight loss, joint pain, skin rash, and malabsorption. By December, 2001, I knew I had celiac disease.
According to the Mayo Clinic, celiac disease (also known as celiac sprue or gluten sensitive enteropathy) is on the rise, and more common than previously believed, affecting 1 in 100 Americans.
Triggered by the protein gliadin found in wheat, barley and rye, celiac disease causes the body to attack the villi, those hairy little nutrient grabbers that line the small intestine. Eventually, those intolerant to gluten become malnourished, unable to digest foods and absorb nourishment.
Once known as ‘wasting disease’ or ‘failure to thrive’ in infants and children, adult onset celiac is frequently misdiagnosed, most often mistaken for lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), anorexia, and colitis. Unexplained anemia, osteoporosis, neuropathy, or vitamin B deficiencies are often the tip-off to this disease known as The Great Masquerader. Left to its own destructive bent, undiagnosed celiac disease can lead to severe nutritional deficiencies, brain lesions, ataxia, and lymphoma. Prolonged exposure to gluten may also trigger additional autoimmune diseases (AI’s like company).
The cure? A gluten-free diet for life. That’s the good news. As soon as gluten is removed from the diet, the body begins to heal. In children, this healing process can be dramatic, often within six months. In adults, the healing takes time. According to the Celiac Sprue Association, celiacs may require up to a year to heal, sometimes two, depending on the severity of the damage.
BECOMING GLUTEN-FREE
After the initial shock and adjustment to the daily reality of gluten-free living, the celiac’s ongoing challenge lies in searching hidden gluten in ingredients and recognizing its myriad sources. English muffins and frosted donuts are obvious no-no’s. But gluten may hide in such unlikely places as soy sauce, veggie burgers and herbal tea. It is a common additive in broth, bouillon, spice blends and prepared soups. It may also lurk in vitamins, medications and lip balm.
Those of us with celiac disease must become vigilant, reading every label like a true detective. Kitchens must be scoured for sticky gluten residue lingering on cutting boards and non-stick cookware. Toasters full of crumbs and old wooden spoons can become a source of gluten contamination. Sharing butter with greasy crumbs from your teenager’s toasted bagel is suddenly scary (there are two jars of Vegenaise in our refrigerator now- one has Mom’s GF written in marker across the lid). When my sons still lived with us, and we sported a mixed kitchen, they had their own designated gluten cupboard for their favorite breakfast cereals, snacks and sandwich bread. The rest of the pantry was labeled The Gluten-Free Zone.
It took a good 12 weeks for me to truly eradicate every trace of gluten from my diet. Overcoming each setback from unintended exposure took all the determination I could muster. How much gluten is safe for a celiac? Zero was the answer given by the Celiac Sprue Association of America back when I was first diagnosed. I continue to agree. Even a speck of gluten the size of a crumb is enough to trigger the body’s immune system to attack itself. Which means eating out is very risky- a topic worthy of its own post.
WHEAT ALTERNATIVES
There is, indeed, life after rice cakes- the first food turned to by newly minted celiacs. Naturally gluten-free foods such as quinoa, polenta, rice, Thai rice noodles and Mexican white corn tortillas have become favorite staples in our pantry. Potatoes are thankfully gluten-free. Brown rice and quinoa pastas offer nutritious alternatives to standard semolina spaghetti, cous cous and macaroni.
Local markets now usually carry a variety of gluten-free flours, from classic alternatives such as rice flour and potato starch to almond flour, sorghum flour and tapioca starch.
Boxed GF mixes make gluten-free baking a breeze for the beginner, and are increasingly available in most grocery stores. Being the intuitive cook that I am, however, I ended up experimenting, sifting together my own mixtures of gluten-free flours (I prefer a more whole grain, flavorful blend than most commercial mixes offer).
Baking with gluten-free flours is an art that requires an open, beginner’s mind and a sense of humor. I’ve made many a brick door stop, and winged more than my share of inedible hockey pucks into the trash bin. Gluten-free flours do not behave in the same manner as wheat flour, and the old rules do not apply. For instance, gluten-free bread dough is never kneaded. It is simply beaten like muffin batter and scooped into a pan. I’m still not used to it.
As the champions say, however, practice, practice, practice.
I am happy to report that deliciousness does ensue. We celiacs do not suffer a bland life. Take a gander at my Dark Chocolate Brownies, Coconut Layer Cake, Gluten-Free Pizza Crust, Gluten-Free Whole Grain Olive Bread, and Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies, if you don’t believe me.
(This article by Karina originally appeared in the Cape Cod Times Food Section, June 12, 2002. Karina Allrich retains the rights to this article ©2012. All rights reserved in all media.)
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