Today is once again the first Wednesday of of the month aka Dr. Wangen Wednesday! This means that our friend and advisor Dr. Stephen Wangen answers any question you might have about celiac disease, gluten intolerance and living gluten-free!

Suffering from celiac disease himself, Stephen understands the challenges of a gluten-free diet from both a personal and professional experience. Most importantly, he is very passionate about helping others like you. This passion was a call that he answered by co-founding The IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, WA, blogging as The Gluten Free Doctor, and serving on the Board of Trustees for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. We invite you to read more about Stephen and his books in our introduction to our advisors.

Dr. Wangen is going out of his way to provide this wonderful service, and we appreciate your understanding that out of respect for Dr. Wangen and his time we have to limit each session to 5 questions on a first-come, first-served basis. Please join us at Custom Choice Cereal in thanking Stephen for taking the time off his busy schedule to address your questions.

Asking what YOU want to know is easy and can be done in just 4 simple steps:

1. Post your question as a comment to this blog entry
2. We send all questions to Dr. Wangen
3. Dr. Wangen answers and we publish what he says in reply to your comments
4. Check back for the answer to your question a few days later or simply subscribe to our blog

Don’t be shy – there are no “dumb questions” except for those you don’t ask Besides, we learn a whole lot from what you want to know every month and are curious to see your questions!

In this spirit – “Hot and flavorful, that’s how I like my matzo balls…” We hope you’ll enjoy this passover video as much as we did!

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/5qSXrnkSeKs?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

Suffering from celiac disease himself, Stephen understands the challenges of a gluten-free diet from both a personal and professional experience. Most importantly, he is very passionate about helping others like you. This passion was a call that he answered by co-founding The IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, WA, blogging as The Gluten Free Doctor, and serving on the Board of Trustees for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. We invite you to read more about Stephen and his books in our introduction to our advisors.

Dr. Wangen is going out of his way to provide this wonderful service, and we appreciate your understanding that out of respect for Dr. Wangen and his time we have to limit each session to 5 questions on a first-come, first-served basis. Please join us at Custom Choice Cereal in thanking Stephen for taking the time off his busy schedule to address your questions.

Asking what YOU want to know is easy and can be done in just 4 simple steps:

1. Post your question as a comment to this blog entry
2. We send all questions to Dr. Wangen
3. Dr. Wangen answers and we publish what he says in reply to your comments
4. Check back for the answer to your question a few days later or simply subscribe to our blog

Don’t be shy – there are no “dumb questions” except for those you don’t ask Besides, we learn a whole lot from what you want to know every month and are curious to see your questions!

Back to business… I came across this video from THV in Arkansas. As you know, it’s our mission at Custom Choice Cereal to share information and educate about celiac disease and gluten intolerance, and I thought this video fit our mission. WIth a little caveat: while the commentator says that “gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and some oats” the truth is that most oats are cross-contaminated during harvesting and processing.

After a brief introduction that more and more people realize that they have gluten intolerance or celiac disease, a celiac who works at Whole Foods talks about how going helped her gradually transition to “less bloating and less tiredness and less achy joints and less headaches”. Does that sound familiar?? They also point out that “eliminating gluten is the only cure” – though I would have preferred the word “treatment”… It is indeed true that those of us on a gluten-free diet are much more aware of the food we put into our bodies – and the long-term consequences this has for our health and well-being!

Anne Luther, branch manager of the GIG of Central Arkansas, gives a vivid account on how far we’ve come since 2003 when she walked out of the grocery in tears and stresses the importance of avoiding cross-contamination. She also stresses that “Going partially gluten-free isn’t going to help you! You have to get it totally out.”

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1

We at Custom Choice Cereal are really curious to watch and hear what Dr. Oz and his experts will have to say and to what extend they will talk about gluten, gluten sensitivity and celiac disease. Medical researchers now differentiate between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, and we are especially curious if Dr. Oz will make the same distinction.

Most of all, it sounds as if Dr. Oz actually will bust the “fad” that a gluten-free diet is a weight-loss diet. We hope however that over all this myth-busting he and his experts won’t forget to stress that there are a lot of people who absolutely need to follow a gluten-free diet! And by far not all gluten-free products available are junk food! Besides, there are plenty of other things that are “making us fat” – we quite honestly think it’s pretty ridiculous to blame the gluten-free diet….

We at Custom Choice Cereal will definitely tune into the Dr. Oz Show tonight, especially after this quick preview on what to expect:

UPDATE/RECAP
After initial skepticism we thought that yesterday’s Dr. Oz Show on “The Gluten Myth” was actually pretty good. While the title wasn’t very well-chosen, the show stressed that a gluten-free diet is not – we repeat: NOT – a weight-loss or low-carb diet! Dr. Oz stressed that many gluten-free substitute goods are high in fat and sugar. He also said that avoiding gluten may not help you lose weight UNLESS you are actually sensitive or intolerant to gluten.

That’s a statement that we at Custom Choice Cereal do not agree with! Dr. Oz unfortunately uses the term “gluten-free food” synonymously with gluten-free substitute foods. That is an important distinction that we sincerely wish he had made because it is more accurate! You can absolutely be healthy on a naturally gluten-free diet (and by the way also lose weight on it though that’s more of a placebo effect).

The main point Dr. Oz wanted to make is that there is NO reason to follow a gluten-free diet (again, we disagree and would have preferred the term “gluten-free substitute goods”) unless you have celiac disease or are intolerant to gluten. Well, at least he got that part right though it seems that many more people than initially thought have some form of gluten sensitivity – and thus benefit from going gluten-free.

A little warning before the video (because we know our own reaction and the sensitivity about this topic) – Josh describes celiac disease as a “disease but it’s like an allergy” and continues to say that “people who are allergic to gluten, which is mainly in wheat”, need to follow a gluten-free diet. Don’t forget that the protein gluten is also in rye and barley! In addition, most oats a cross-contaminated during harvesting and processing so you have to avoid them as well.

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1

We are sure that Canyon Bakehouse’s products will also be carried in the new gluten-free heaven – with 6,000 square feet of floor space, the nation’s largest entirely gluten-free store is set to open in Burbank, CA. As Debora Ceizler, marketing director for the Celiac Disease Foundation, rightly points out and we at Custom Choice Cereal have tackled (2.5 billion combinations of gluten-free cereal, anyone?): “Variety is difficult to find and variety is key”.

Have you tried the Canyon Bakehouse products?  Which one is your favorite?

Since gluten-containing grains such as wheat, rye and barley have been a staple of our diet for 10,000 years, it is not clear why both gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are on such a sharp rise. I have shared Joseph A. Murray’s research before, and he says about celiac disease that “people aren’t born with this. Something triggers it and with this dramatic rise in all ages, it must be something pervasive in the environment”. One of the possible answers: agricultural changes to wheat and other gluten containing grains that have boosted their protein content.

Gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity, however is much less researched and thus much more vague. As our friend Cynthia Kupper, Executive Director at Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, rightly points out: “There’s a lot more that needs to be done for people with gluten sensitivity. But at least we now recognize that it’s real and that these people aren’t crazy.” As of now, a gluten-free diet is the only treatment recommended for both gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.

Have you or your child tested negative for celiac disease but seen significant improvements on a gluten-free diet? What tests did your doctor run on you to determine a gluten sensitivity?

What I find most encouraging is the support she gets from the team. Interim head coach Anthony Levrets said that “On the road, we’ve figured out the restaurants that cater to gluten-free … that she’s comfortable with. And all of the hotels we stay in, we make sure they’re able to prepare gluten-free meals to go along with our pregame meals.” That’s pretty awesome! But Diana has also developed a few tricks that I think are worth sharing:

• set up specific living arrangements in order to prevent cross-contamination and living by herself
• preparing all of her meals and learning to cook
• having two bowls of cereal, two yogurts, eggs and a homemade sandwich for breakfast

I have a great suggestion how Diana can add unrivaled variety to her daily gluten-free cereal bowl But besides this, I was wondering if you know someone in college who has celiac disease or lives gluten-free? How do they manage? And do you have any advice to share from their experience?

Stephen has celiac disease and has the exact same concerns that you might have. From both his personal and professional experience, he understands the challenges of a gluten-free diet, and is very passionate about helping you. Similar to us, his passion was a call that he answered by co-founding The IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, WA, blogging as The Gluten Free Doctor, and serving on the Board of Trustees for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. We invite you to read more about Stephen and his books in our introduction to our advisors.

Dr. Wangen is going out of his way to provide this wonderful service, and we appreciate your understanding that out of respect for Dr. Wangen and his time we have to limit each session to 5 questions on a first-come, first-served basis. Please join us at Custom Choice Cereal in thanking Stephen for taking the time off his busy schedule to address your concerns.

Asking your question is easy and can be done in just 4 simple steps:

1. Post your question as a comment to this blog entry
2. We send all questions to Dr. Wangen
3. Dr. Wangen’s answers will be published in reply to your comments
4. To check for the answer to your question you can either subscribe to our blog or simply check back in a few days

Wondering what tests you should have taken? What areas do you have difficulties with? What kind of (unusual) symptoms do you have? Any concerns about the constant “are oats gluten-free” debate? He can help so don’t be shy and ask away!

In my humble opinion, it all boils down to how well the manager and staff of the respective restaurant are educated about what celiac disease and gluten intolerance are. While P.F. Chang’s does an outstanding job teaching all its kitchen employees and waiters about their allergy-friendly menu and even goes so far to use separate color codes and plate shapes to distinguish gluten-free from conventional dishes, this is by far not the norm. Our latest poll (see on the right and please take it if you haven’t already) reflects this challenge of going out gluten-free style.

Getting mad at servers and managers or raving on blogs after a bad gluten-free dining experience does not help anyone. Instead, I pledge to educate the waiters and managers when corporate pushes down an allergy-friendly menu on them without telling them what it means or who needs it. And it certainly can get maddening when neither of these show the slightest interest. However, we’re on a mission here… So when I saw Amy Leger aka The Savvy Celiac blog about questions to ask when ordering a gluten-free pizza I thought I extrapolate this to gluten-free dining in general. Hopefully this will help you next time you dine out with friends or family!

• Ask first. You’ll quickly find out if the staff truly understands their gluten-free menu!
• Understand the “behind the scenes”. Are they using separate utensils, pots & pans for their gluten-free menu items?
• Double-check. Sounds paranoid but see if special meals come on differently shaped or colored plates/trays!
• Don’t be afraid to ask for replacements. If there is an obvious mess-up (e.g. breadcrumbs on your salad) ask to have it replaced and do one of two things: (A) take Tiffany’s advice and hold on to your plate until the replacements arrives from the kitchen or (B) be evil, hide a toothpick or piece of your napkin under your salad and double-check when it comes back…
• Be polite. Let’s be honest. You probably cause the waiter quite some extra work. Showing your appreciation makes it easier for everyone!

These and other tips are also available in Custom Choice Cereal’s section on gluten-free advice, tips & tricks.

Remember, a gluten-free dinner is also safe for people who have to eat wheat-free while wheat-free foods are not necessarily safe for people with celiac disease. Since I heard enough “horror stories” I’d be great to learn where you have made exceptionally good gluten-free dining experiences? Do you have any any advice to share? Do you ask the waiters or go straight to the manager?