<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Christine wrote:  Really simple, wonderful tasting, and you can use any
topping your little heart desires....  spices, fruits, meats, vegis, cheeses,
nuts

I scraped a little of the inside of the baked potato out, sauteed some green
pepper and onion, some ham or some chicken, threw on some steamed broccoli
and some diced tomato, and layered sliced cheese on top...threw it under the
broiler for a few minutes....  <snip>

Although as a fellow (sister) Celiac, I would be the last person to criticize
any tasty variation that will fit the bill for the Celaic diet......  I would
like to throw caution to the wind~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A regular baked potato is about 120 calories
When you add cheese & meat, you can be upwards in the 400+ calorie range
without even blinking!

I was surprised to learn that ONE SLICE  of my favorite commercial GF
bread- Food for Life's Rice Almond bread is 120 calories PER SLICE.(in
comparison, regular wheat bread is about 70 calories per slice)

If I'm making a sandwich, I've got 240 calories going before I have even
put anything on the sandwich! Cheddar cheese is 120 calories per 1 inch
cube.
One cheese sandwich could easily be over 480 calories.
Think now in terms of a recommended daily allowance of 2000 calories per
day & you get the picture.

Rice is a high carb food- I was (of course) relying on it heavily in the
Celiac diet. Only come to find out 1/2 cup portions are more
appropriate!

As is the explanation of Bette Hagman's new book "The GF Gourmet Cooks
fast & healthy", weight gain may be a desirable aspect when first being
diagnosed with Celiac Sprue, but at some point, the absorption kicks in,
and before you know it you have a cholesterol or weight problem.
The other aspect to be aware of, is the disadvantage of home cooking is
the lack of nutritional information. So many items are home cooked to be
safe & avoid gluten- so again be aware. I'm thrilled Hagman came up with
a  gluten free with less fat cookbook.
All of the older GF books I have seen (50's thru the 80's) are clearly
written with not much (if any) regard to fat content or calories.
Just something to be aware of to avoid other health complications down
the road.

Fran/ Oregon
 US of A