Food Safety App

Holiday time is a busy time for everyone.

It is easy to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season that one can lose track of time and/or could easily forget some critical aspects of proper food handling.

Staying on top of food safety awareness can mean the difference between a Happy Holiday or running the risk of needless food poisoning that could have been avoided.

(Photo of fresh, whole, skin-on, bone-in, unbrined, plain, raw 6.63 pound turkey breast ready for oven roasting shown prior to adding any herbs and/or spices, basting, etc. ©2012 courtesy of GH in conjunction with Sensory Nutrition.com)

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in collaboration with Con Agra Foods earlier this year launched a food safety app via the Home Food Safety program named “Is My Food Safe?”

The app has details such as proper temperatures for cooking food items, as well as details such as shelf life of leftovers and additional food items, a kitchen food safety quiz, etc.

To see what can go wrong with food when leftovers get forgotten or food is past its use expiration date, you can also check out an online interactive quiz  “What Was It?”

 CeliacNow Site Launched

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA launched a new site, www.CeliacNow.org, this past November 14, 2012.

Registered Dietitian (RD), Melinda Dennis, MS, RD, LDN noted in an email announcing it to fellow RDs that the primary mission of the site is to “help those who do not have access to celiac centers or experienced clinicians. It is written by celiac experts in nutrition and edited by celiac gastroenterologists and expert celiac dietitians.”

The site offers an email signup option if anyone is interested in “article updates, research opportunities, and new resources” noted Melinda.

As of the date of this blog post, the main content populated thus far deals with nutritional management of celiac disease, however, Melinda anticipates that a section with medical content will be forthcoming in early 2013.

FODMAPs Update

Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), as well as other Gastrointestinal (GI) Disorders can be very frustrating for both consumers and their health care providers alike. So much of our body’s immune system is inextricably linked to the proper functioning of our GI tract that gut health is of paramount importance for all of us.

At the cutting edge of research into this arena is the Eastern Health Clinical School (EHCS), Monash University, Australia, which has been looking into the dietary approach of focusing on the role of FODMAPs for quite some time now.

FODMAP stands for: Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides And Polyols.

A FODMAPs dietary approach protocol might be initiated if it is suspected that any of certain specific forms of carbohydrates (lactose, fructose, fructans, sugar alcohols, and galactans) might be implicated in what are often considered IBS related symptoms.

If after eliminating the sources of those carbohydrates (thus the FODMAP elimination dietary approach) for 1 – 2 weeks symptoms resolve, then one-by-one the carbohydrates are added back into the dietary intake as challenge foods and  follow- up symptoms are then tracked.

The focus at the EHCS is on bowel physiology, Crohn’s disease, chronic gastrointestinal diseases, dietary intake, gastroenterology, and IBD research.

In September 2012, EHCS released the latest hard copy 3rd edition (as of the date of this blog post) of The Low FODMAP Diet which can be ordered online (phone inquiries contact: Brianna McFarlane 03 9903 0526).

Note that Monash University has advised that the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet app for iPhone is coming soon. See Monash Magazine for details.

Other previously available resources from Monash University can also be ordered using a downloadable order form.

Sue Shepherd, PhD pioneered the FODMAPs dietary approach and is affiliated with Monash University where she completed her doctoral work. Dr. Shepherd has published a number of cookbooks and runs a bustling nutrition practice called Shepherd Works in Australia employing a staff of dietitians there.

In the USA, related to FODMAP principles, Kate Scarlata, RD has a FODMAPs Diet Grocery List description (also available as a downloadable pdf) and recently (October 2012) updated her FODMAPs Diet Checklist description (also available as a downloadable pdf). Kate is the author of the book:  The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Well with IBS (Jul 6, 2010).

As Kate always says, be sure to re-check ingredient labels, since manufacturers indeed keep changing what they are putting into various products they sell.

Patsy Catsos, MS, RD also covers the subject of FODMAPs at her site http://www.ibsfree.net/.  She also has a book:  IBS-Free at Last! Change Your Carbs, Change Your Life with the FODMAP Elimination Diet (2nd edition)  (Apr 11, 2012)

On Patsy’s website are details concerning FODMAP content when it comes to herbs and spices which might be of interest to consumers during the holidays and more.

Other dietitians are also putting up blog posts on the subject of FODMAPs as more clinicians become aware of the approach.

Of course, as always, we urge you to contact your own health care provider(s) when it comes to issues of your own personal health or the health care management of any of your family members.

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Many people are considering the merits of a Whole Food focus basis for planning their upcoming Thanksgiving meal.

Of course, the most important aspect of Thanksgiving is truly the opportunity give thanks for the blessings in our lives and to share that sentiment while being able to spend time with family and friends, so any food choices should enhance that overall experience.

Memories of Thanksgivings past are connected to our emotional perceptions of those times, so there are sounds, sights, smells/aromas, tastes, textures that all contributed to the sensory perceptions we have locked in our memory banks of those special times. When we again hear similar sounds, perceive similar smells, etc., it brings back a rush of emotion that makes us feel connected to that past and to hopefully many cherished memories that we can enjoy re-experiencing in the present.

Adults often want to recreate and evoke those sensory memories for themselves, while at the same time helping younger members to create similar sorts of hopefully happy memories for children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, cousins, etc.

For many families, Thanksgiving conjures up memories of home and home is a safe haven most of us yearn for at holiday time.

To help insure those memories are as happy as they can be this year, it is important to take into account any particular dietary needs of family and/or other guests.

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•New or updated apps:

• The Gluten Detective (less than $3USD) version 1.0 by Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The app description states that it is designed as follows: “Gluten Detector tool helps you read labels and identify gluten-containing ingredients,
FAQs on food labeling, gluten, celiac disease, and more.
Create your own shopping list and e-mail it to friends or family. Tips on gluten-free grains, avoiding cross-contamination, and more.
Link to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Find a Registered Dietitian.”
• Gluten Free Registry: version 2.0 under $2 USD by Gluten Free Registry LLC compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Claims to list over 26,000 business locations in North America (with over 24,000 of those in the USA) including restaurants, bakeries, coffee houses, grocers, caterers and more. There is also an Android version 1.2 available at the same price point.

Read on for rest of update…

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We’re in the process of updating the blog site a bit and wanted to share some details quickly this Spring:

1. A Gluten-Free Play Dough (aka play doh) recipe is available at the Celiac Kids Recipes website (courtesy of the Celiac Sprue Association) as of the date of this blog post. Please consider that if a child (or an adult who plays with a child!) in your circle either is sensitive to gluten or has gluten enteropathy, or plays with another child (or adult!) who might need to remain gluten-free, this could be a worthwhile consideration.

(Graphic courtesy of  Alexbruda over at rgbstock.com)

2. A   Celiac Disease Screening Tool is being offered by the joint efforts of The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, along with The General Mills “Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition” and General Mills brand of Chex cereals (gluten free), that is available to the public through the Gluten Freely site. Diagnosis of any medical condition goes beyond initial screening, of course, but awareness can sometimes be the first step to obtaining a full screening and eventually an applicable diagnosis. It can be beneficial to focus on known factual information, not rumor or pop culture fiction.

There is also a review piece published in 2012: Advances in Coeliac Disease by Matthew J, Armstrong; Vinod S. Hegade; and Gerry Robins in Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2012;28(2):104-112. © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, available for those who can access Medscape. The authors note that the review “critically summarizes the key clinical and scientific advances in coeliac disease between July 2010 and 2011.”

3. A listing of potentially Gluten-Free candies for Easter time from 2009 (with some updates in 2010), including chocolate products, is listed at Heather’s “Celiac Family” site.  Although we don’t promote willy nilly candy consumption, the reality of life is that children of all ages may be drawn to Easter candy and it is better to be as informed as possible about options. As always, PLEASE check labels carefully, since manufacturers can change formulations and processing without prior notice in many instances, as that way you can avoid anything that might potentially contain gluten in it or have been potentially subject to cross-contamination with gluten.

4. After Passover, sometimes there are sales on “Kosher for Passover” items which might happen to be gluten-free. NOTE: “Kosher for Passover” is different than standard Kosher designation so do NOT confuse the two designations! Purim cleansing of any residence of anything Chavetz means all leavened products are removed from the residence for that time. “Kosher for Passover” items are unleavened and thus typically Gluten-Free, however, again, PLEASE check labels carefully, as always, so that you avoid anything that might potentially contain gluten in it or have been potentially subject to cross-contamination with gluten. Our thanks to Cheryl Harris for mentioning this.

5. An informal gluten-free menu swap is hosted on the www and over time has moved around a bit in terms of where you can find the archived information through the most current listings. Years back it started with Natalie’s Gluten Free Mommy site; and then moved over to Cheryl’s site of Gluten Free Goodness; and since Oct 17, 2011 is now housed at Heather’s Celiac Family site with some previous weekly schedules also available there.

Enjoy Spring!

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(November 8, 2013 NOTE:  This blog post has been significantly updated since originally posted.

You might want to also see these related blog posts:

Holiday Baking- Does Your Choice of Flour Really Matter?

Gluten-Free Update January 2012 Including Apps

Gluten-Free Update Potpourri 

Gluten Free Update June 2012

November 2012 Potpourri: Gluten; Diabetes; 2013 Women’s Heart Health )

The holidays are exciting and everyone looks forward to them, although if you need to follow a special diet, it may be a bit disconcerting to think about how to handle a wide range of holiday situations.

How do you deal with invitations to holiday get togethers at friend’s homes, office parties, dining out at restaurants and buffets and even catered affairs, or just grabbing a quick bite to eat when tired from holiday shopping and trying to find something fast while still on the run?

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