Exciting news for folks who cannot tolerate GLUTEN

Many people cannot tolerate wheat or wheat gluten, however, still many other people actually suffer from Celiac disease which is a lifelong disease of gluten intolerance once one has it. Celiac disease makes it impossible to tolerate wheat gluten and the gluten (a protein) found in rye and barley. Apparently, an immune response that should not happen causes damage to the lining of the small intestine, which in turn causes malabsorption of nutrients. This disease can occur at any age, however, diagnosis is often only made after many years when symptoms have become progressively worse. Untreated Celiac disease can lead to osteoporosis or autoimmune diseases.

The treament for Celiac Disease is a gluten-free diet. As reported by the Globe and Mail, by reporter Leslie Beck, oats have just been approved by the Canadian Celiac Association for people with Celiac disease. Adults can have ¾ cup dry oats per day and children can have ¼ cup. This makes life a little easier when it comes to low-carbing. Oat flour is almost as low in carbs as soy flour, the flour of choice in the recipes of the late Dr. Atkins. Keep an eye open on this blog for a gluten-free bake mix coming soon, which can be used to replace bake mixes in my cookbooks for those who cannot tolerate gluten. I already have a nut-free bake mix for those who are allergic to nuts, so it is high time to produce a gluten-free bake mix.

Note: To make your own oat flour: Place rolled oats (not minute) in a blender and blend until a powder forms.

Here are some other flours that were quoted by Leslie as okay for folks with Celiac disease:

Gluten-free grains and flours:
Amaranth
Arrowroot flour
Buckwheat
Chickpea flour
Cornmeal
Flaxseed
Green pea flour
Millet
Oats, pure uncontaminated
Quinoa
Popcorn
Potato flour
Rice
Rice flour
Soy flour

Here are very informative sites about many of the options: The Gluten Free Lifestyle and Gluten Free Options