10 New Year's Resolutions to Improve Your Gluten Free Lifestyle

1.EAT BREAKFAST: It's still considered the most important meal of the day. There are plenty of gluten free options for breakfast including: eggs, gluten free oats, gluten free cereal,Greek yogurt and fruit, or gluten free meal replacement bars. You can even try a peanut butter and jelly on gluten free waffles.
2.CHOOSE AT LEAST 5 SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES A DAY: These are naturally gluten free and provide,fiber,vitamins and minerals to your diet.
3 EVALUATE THE FIBER CONTENT OF YOUR DIET: The goal for most adults is 25g/day. Make sure to increase your fluids as you increase your fiber!
4.CHOOSE WHOLE GRAINS: At least half of your grain sources should be whole grains. Gluten Free Whole Grains include: popcorn, quinoa, buckwheat,amaranth, millet, montina, brown rice, wild rice, sorghum, and teff.
5.EVALUATE THE FAT CONTENT OF YOUR DIET: Current recommendations suggests avoiding Trans Fats, and limiting total fat intake to 25-30% of your total caloric intake. Saturated fats should be limited to 7-10% of total calories. Translated for someone who consumes around 2000 calories per day that would give them a total fat goal of 56-67 g total fat per day and 16 to 22 g of saturated fat per day.
6.EVALUATE DIET FOR ADEQUATE CALCIUM AND VITAMIN D: The RDI for most adults is 1000mg of Calcium per day. 8 0z. of low fat milk provides 290mg of Calcium. If you follow a dairy free diet, include the following to boost your calcium intake: sesame seeds, spinach, broccoli,kale, collard greens and sardines. You may also like to include calcium fortified orange juice. If your diet is lacking, it is important to consider supplementation.
7.MANAGE YOUR WEIGHT, KNOW YOUR BMI (body mass index)Normal Weight Range is 18.5-24.9. Go to the NIH BMI Calculator to figure your BMI.
8.LIMIT EXCESS REFINED SUGARS: The American Heart Association issued a statement in August 2009 recommending women limit their extra sugars to 6 teaspoons/per day and men to 9 teaspoons/per day. Note a regular 12 oz soda contains about 10 teaspoons!
9. CHOOSE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DAILY: Invest in a pedometer which will track your steps, aim for 10,000 steps per day which is 5 miles.
10.SMILE: A positive attitude and outlook contributes to a healthy lifestyle!

Rosie's Plate Holiday Tasting and January Classes

If you are out looking at Christmas lights or holiday shopping tomorrow night you may want to stop by Rosie's Plate in Raleigh for their free Holiday Tasting Party:

Rosie's December
Holiday Tasting !
Tomorrow, December 18th
5~7 p.m.
Serving Lots Of Sensational Seasonal Samples...
Hope you can make it!

Rosie's is also offering several January classes that sound helpful and interesting to those following a gluten free diet:

Rosie's Classes...
Begin The New Year With
Health and Wellness!
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Rosie's GF, Egg and Dairy Free Baking Class
Presented by Emily Ellis, Rosie's Executive Chef
A 2-Part Series $70
Part I: Informational Class
Meet in our studio to learn the basics
of baking gluten, egg and dairy free.
Sat., Jan. 9th 2~3:30 p.m.

Part II: In The Kitchen
Join Emily in our kitchen
to get the hands-on experience you've been waiting for!
Sat., Jan. 23rd 2 ~ 3:30 p.m.
We'll start by discussing how alternative flours work and how to make substitutions. You'll also learn about important stabilizers and natural sugars used in GF baking. Get an up-close demonstration of how to make
your own tasty GF, egg and dairy free baked goods.
And, of course there will be lots of samples to take home!
Only 6 people per class so everyone gets a front row seat!
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"Healthy Eating and Supplementation For The New Year" Workshop
Presented by Dr. Jennifer Kaumeyer, Naturopathic Physician
Saturday, Jan. 16th 10~12:30 p.m. $35
You don't have to settle for a decreased quality of life. Come learn how to change your habits so that you feel great in the new year!
You'll come away with helpful dietary advice, the low down on food additives,
the ins and outs of supplementation.
Plus... an introduction to Dr. Kaumeyer's
individualized 12 week weight loss program.

And...learn how Rosie's can help!
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Gluten Free 101 Class
Presented by Zach Becker
Saturday, January 23rd 1~3:30 pm, $35
Learn how to easily segue into a GF lifestyle from someone who's been there. Zach Becker of the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog will cover a myriad of topics from how to transition your kitchen and pantry to what resources are out there. This is a wonderful introduction to living successfully, and happily, without gluten!

Sign Up Today! ...Limited seating.
919.833.0505
Rosie's Plate
701 N Person Street
Raleigh, N C 27604
919.833.0505
www.RosiesPlate.com

Does Blue Cheese Have a Place in The Gluten Free Diet. .

During a recent episode of Dr. Oz, Elisabeth Hasselbeck included blue cheese as a source of gluten containing foods. There is conflicting information circulating around on this subject and I wanted to gather the most up to date information I could find to help you decide if you should include blue cheese in your gluten free diet. A search on the web finds variable food lists where blue cheese is listed as safe on some lists and prohibited on others. I contacted Tricia Thompson, MS,RD author of three gluten free books: The Gluten Free Nutrition Guide, Celiac Disease Nutrition Guide and The Complete Idiot's Guide Gluten Free Eating, for her recommendations. Tricia replied:

Hi Debbie,

This is the statement on blue cheese that Melinda Dennis (Nutrition Coordinator of the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess) and I contributed to and reviewed for Zeer.com (Read my earlier post on Zeer.com here):

Description: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) defines blue cheese as, "characterized by the presence of bluish-green mold, penicillium roquefortii, throughout the cheese." The requirements of the CFR also describe the process by which blue cheese is made. This process begins by placing curds into forms and adding the mold spores of penicillium roquefortii. As the cheese ages the forms are turned and drained. When the draining is complete, the shaped curd is removed and treated with either a dry salt or brine. At this point holes are made in the surface of the curds, and it is kept at a damp and cool temperature until the characteristic blue-green mold has developed. Blue cheese must be aged for at least 60 days.

Blue cheeses include Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, and Danish Blue and are made from cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that have been injected with mold. The resulting blue veining gives them their distinct flavor. At one time, most blue cheeses were made in caves by injecting the curds with bread mold. Some European blue cheese still may be injected with mold spores grown on bread made with rye flour or a wheat/rye flour mix. Blue cheeses are typically aged in a temperature-controlled environment including most blue cheeses produced in the U.S. today. Most blue cheeses in the U.S. are not started with a bread mold because it is not efficient or economical.

Gluten-Free Information: If blue cheese is produced through mold grown on bread it is still highly unlikely that it would contain significant amounts of gluten (20 ppm or more gluten). Penicillium roqueforti spores should be purified before being injected into cheese. Furthermore, blue cheese is an FDA-regulated food, and under the agency's Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) if a food includes an ingredient (in this case, penicillium roqueforti) that contains wheat protein, wheat must be declared on the label, either in the ingredients list or in the "Contains" statement. If the spores contained protein from rye this would not have to be declared.


Info Last Confirmed: May 8, 2009

Canadian dietitian, Shelley Case, RD, author of Gluten-Free Diet a Comprehensive Resource Guide. Includes a very detailed article on Blue Cheese with current research on her website. This article was written by Alex Anca, MHSc, RD and published in the March, 2009 issue of the Candian Celiac Association Celiac New. As with all information on the gluten free diet I encourage everyone to make sure you are making your decisions on up to date scientific evidence not out dated information.

Dr. Oz and Oprah Giving Gluten Free Living Some Press

In case you have not read some of the GF news this week on other blogs. I wanted to mention what I read on Nancy Lapid's About.com. The Dr Oz show this week, December 10th, Thursday will be discussing Celiac Disease. Expected guests include Dr. Green and Elisabeth Hasslebeck. In our area this can be seen on Fox 50 WRAZ at 5:00pm Thurs. The Fox 50 description of the program reads:

The Dr. Oz Show Hidden Epidemic: When Bloating Is a Sign of Something Toxic (New, TVPG) Scheduled: Dr. Oz is joined by Elisabeth Hasselbeck in a discussion about bloating; a mother of three tells how she lost 80 pounds; ulcers and stress.

. The Dr. Oz site describes the show this way:

Bloating? Fatigue? Joint pain? Learn what serious disease presents these common symptoms.

Oprah.com is featuring the Gluten Free Girl and her husband with favorite gluten free holiday recipes.

Shauna James Ahern and Danny Ahern make up the husband-and-wife team of "Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef." Named of the best food blogs in the world by Gourmet.com and BonAppetit.com, Shauna and Danny create an amazing array of dinners, drinks, desserts and more, all without a hint of gluten!

Both sound interesting. I hope to check them out and to try the 36 hour chocolate chip cookies mentioned on Oprah's site!

Mediterra Grill, Restaurant Review

I recently had lunch at Mediterra Grill, which offers authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Located in the Pavilion East, off Erwin Road, it is convenient for those who work at or around Duke University. There is casual sit down dining and take out is also available. The menu offers daily specials and a nice explanation of what ingredients are used to make an item. Example: Humus: chick pea, tahini, lemon juice or Chicken Hashwi: rice, ground beef topped with shredded chicken and nuts. The prices are reasonable ranging from $2.99 to $9.95. Take a detailed look at the menu here. The staff was very helpful in answering my questions and because you order at the counter you have a good look at the deli case and the items being prepared. As with all gluten free dining experience ask questions and make your requests known. I found this to be a good gluten free dining option. Note: They offer several gluten free dips, but bring your own crackers as pita bread is not gluten free!

Mediterra Grill‎
Pavilion East

2608 Erwin rd, Suite 136
Durham, NC, 27705
Phone:919-383-0066
Fax: 919-383-0061