<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
..........................................
: :
: Excerpts from _Gluten-Free Friends_ :
: ----------------------------------- :
: Fall 1998 R. Jean Powell, editor :
: Winter 1998 Montana Celiac Society :
: 1019 So. Bozeman Ave. #3 :
: Bozeman, MT 59715 :
:........................................:
Quinoa, Amaranth, and Buckwheat
-------------------------------
These notes came from a talk by Cynthia Kupper, CRD, CDE, CEO of GIG
of North America, on June 6, 1998, at the Montana Celiac Society
Convention. They were transcribed by R. Jean Powell.
Quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat are pseudo-cereals. There are two
branches in the family tree of grasses: monocots and dicots. Wheat,
rye, oats, and barley are monocots [as is rice]. Quinoa [pigweed],
amaranth [an herb], and buckwheat [an herb] are dicots.
Quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat produce round seeds similar to mustard
seeds. Quinoa is, in fact, a member of the mustard family while
amaranth is a member of the rhubarb family. So if you can't eat
quinoa, then you also can't eat mustard; and if you can't eat amaranth
then you also can't eat rhubarb. [Why WOULD anyone eat rhubarb,
anyway? I consider it to be a noxious weed--ed.] They belong to the
same genetic families. These plants are very different from the
grains that celiacs must avoid.
I did a lot of research on pseudo-cereals which indicates that these
three grains are gluten-free (GF). They have been tested for gluten
using protein assays. Studies on quinoa from California and Australia
all come back the same: These grains do not contain gluten. That
should be scientific proof that they are GF. The challenge is finding
a source that is not contaminated.
As an example, quinoa from Great Harvest in California is grown in
Bolivia in an area where nothing else is grown: the altitude is too
high and it is too arid. But quinoa does great there. The only crop
grown for hundreds of miles is quinoa. The seed is shipped to
California and it is the only thing the Great Harvest plant processes.
That should be a safe source.
However, the quinoa grown in Colorado is grown in a rotation crop.
One year they plant potatoes, the next year plant legumes, the
following year wheat, and then the following year quinoa. So there is
plenty of potential for contamination.
Q: Is it less of a risk dealing with whole grains than dealing with
flours? Whole grains look very different from each other.
A: Absolutely. If you look at stalks of millet and sorghum, they
look like yellow mustard seed. If you grow your own seeds, sort
them, and then grind your own flour, there is a definite decrease
in the risk of cross-contamination.
Q: What about canola oil and guar gum? Some food lists recommend
that these be avoided.
A: Canola oil comes from the germ of the seed and has no protein in
it. It's highly unlikely that you would get any protein in the
oil. Canola oil comes from rapeseed, which is a dicot and should
be GF.
Some people with CD are mistaking their reaction to canola oil or
guar gum as being from gluten contamination. Some people tend to
be very sensitive to these foods. I think these are the reasons
why they have been put on several "foods to avoid" lists. If you
use canola oil and have no problems with it, there is no reason
not to go on using it.
Guar gum has a natural laxative effect just like sorbitol and
manitol, which are sugar alcohols. If you eat enough sugar-free
candy, you're going to have diarrhea, but not because it's got
gluten. It is important to realize that not only can we have
gluten contamination in our diet which might cause
gastrointestinal symptoms; we may also just be sensitive to
certain foods. Because one person doesn't tolerate a food very
well does NOT mean that it should be avoided by everyone else.
-=-=- -=-=-
NutThins are a new gluten-free cracker from the Blue Diamond Company
which everyone agreed were scrumptious. Ask your health food or
grocery store to stock them; the number to call is 800-842-3645. You
can order them yourself by the case: $24 for 12 4.5-oz. boxes. [I
don't know about shipping; call them first.-ed.] They come in three
flavors: pecan, hazelnut, and almond. The ingredients are: rice
flour, pecan/hazelnut/almond meal, safflower oil, salt, natural
pecan/hazelnut/almond flavor, and natural butter flavor. Write to:
Golden Walnut Specialty Foods, 3200 16th Street, Zion, IL 60099-1416.
-=-=- -=-=-
Gifts of Nature is a new specialty food store which mills its own
gluten-free (GF) flours, then blends them for mixes: breads, muffins,
pancakes, cakes, cookies, pizza crusts, even crepes. Their products
are produced in a GF environment. All of the mixes are simple to
make, requiring only eggs, oil, and water. (The brownies, cakes, and
cookies require shortening.) They also sell a variety of bulk GF
flours, xanthan gum, vanilla and almond flavors, cereals, pasta,
Pamela's cookies, and other products. The three sisters who own and
operate Gifts of Nature share an intolerance to gluten, so they are
committed to improve the GF lifestyle.
For a brochure and mail-order catalogue, write to: Gifts of Nature,
Inc., Box 309, Corvallis, MT 59828; or call: 406-375-9429.
-=-=- -=-=-
Is Celiac Disease a Partner? by Dr. Lloyd Rosenvold, 1992
Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic birth abnormality which occurs in
about 1:700 live births. The genetic defect is situated on chromosome
#21 and at birth these children usually have 47 chromosomes instead of
the normal 46.
DS infants suffer from weakness, misshapen small heads, and mental
deficiencies. Most do well to have an IQ as high as 50. Many die at
a young age but some live on into their 30's or 40's. General
development is much slower than that of normal children. The facial
appearance is Mongoloid and for that reason DS is often referred to as
mongolism. Other congenital defects and skeletal deformities are not
unusual. There has been no treatment of value for DS patients except
to provide good custodial and nutritive care in order to make the best
of a disappointing situation.
It has been found that patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD),
sometimes called senile dementia, often have genetic abnormalities,
also on chromosome 21. Naturally this has raised the question: Are
AD and DS in any way related? It has been found that of those DS
individuals who live until in their 30s or 40s, the incidence of AD is
greater than it is in the general population.
An Australian physician, Chris Reading, together with his associates,
evaluated the family histories of more than 2000 patients over a
number of years. Among his many discoveries he found that 17 of 18
children with DS were also gluten intolerant (and in the 18th case he
suspected it was also true).
Dr. Reading found that by placing the DS children on a gluten-free
(GF) diet fortified with various vitamins (including B1, niacin, and
B12) and minerals (particularly zinc), he found that the DS children
had made "...rapid and measurable improvement in height, head
circumference, weight, mental and motor development, and general
health."
I recently saw a DS infant whose father has gluten intolerance and
whose mother had a close direct ancestor with AD. This suggests that
Dr. Reading's findings may have some validity.
I recommend that all DS children be tested for gluten intolerance, and
placed on a GF diet if any is found.--Dr. Lloyd Rosenvold, Hope,
Idaho
|
