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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Springtime marks a time of renewal on so many levels for individuals throughout the world.

People look forward to celebrating it in many ways. In Part 1 of 2 we mentioned a bit about Celebrating Easter in Springtime. In this Part 2 of 2 we will focus on those who choose to commemorate Purim through Passover.

(Passover lens graphic courtesy of  Resabi over at Squidoo.com)

Disclaimer: Please consult your local Rabbinical Authority to determine whether any items you chose qualify as being specifically certified “Kosher for Passover” (Kosher L’Pesach certification) vs. use at other times as being certified “Kosher” (aka Kashrut, Kashrus or Kashruth) per se. Your local Rabbinical Authority is the best source of information on Pesach and can suggest version choices of the Haggadah which in turn will influence your Passover Seder celebration and following meal planning accordingly.

There are a wide variety of tips that can enable almost anyone to enjoy healthier version options of favorite food items prepared and served as part of any Passover Commemoration should you decide you want to explore updating them.

Some of these tips might be applicable and appeal, depending upon whether or not you need to consider any other special diet restrictions for medical or other reasons.

As always, please check with your medical professional when it comes to matters pertaining to your individual health or that of your family members.

Besides the tips below and elsewhere on the www, there are also various cookbook options with recipes by others, etc., for purchase, should you wish to pursue adding any new paper cookbooks to your physical book library. (One such physical paper book option would be EnLITEned Kosher Cooking from the Jewish Diabetes Association available through their website with more than 140 recipes for Pesach along with what they consider to be easily adaptable year-round recipe choices emphasizing vegetables and vegetable combinations per their website). You can see a full list of their recipes on their website.

That site has a good approach for anyone living with a condition such as diabetes to keep in mind when dealing with any holiday “Remember that failing to prepare is preparing to fail!”

When it comes to food choices, any decision is always yours to make.

Some individuals without a specific medical condition may be able to and choose to allow themselves a little indulgence one day and make up for it on some other days.

We fully respect your right to follow the approach that works for you!

Read the rest of this entry >

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