A Gluten-Free Mea Culpa
Until I read the article in today's New York Times, I had no idea how many people are limited to gluten-free diets.
"Celiac disease (is) an autoimmune disorder affecting about 1 in 100 Americans that can cause serious problems if even a bit of gluten is ingested."
One in a hundred!? Yikes! That means that, at any given moment, three million Americans are looking for a tasty gluten-free bite. So today's article on restaurants that have worked hard to make good-tasting gluten-free food offers hope to those people suffering with celiac disease.
And a mea culpa here: I am one of those ignorant food writers who have been known to ridicule gluten-free cakes, breads, and pastas when I taste them. Never again.
I also liked the concise definition of gluten offered in the piece: "...gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, and rye, gives baked goods elasticity. Without it, cakes, breads, and pastries can be leaden, dry and crumbly."
Resources for those seeking gluten-free food include Gluten-Free Girl, Gluten-Free Restaurants, Gluten-Free NYC, Gluten Guide, and Please Don't Pass the Nuts.
Are there other gluten-free resources out there that you use or recommend?
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5 Comments:
If you're in the ATL area, "Home Free Foods" delivers. Check out their website for details at www.homefreefoods.com.
sawyerriley at 4:54PM on 07/25/07
I didn't know about Celiac Disease until a couple years ago when a family from Amsterdam came to visit and I was asked to help get things together for their teenage son. Items from Whole Foods Gluten-Free Bakehouse cost quite a bit, but he really liked how they tasted.
The Gluten-Free Mall is something we might order from if our young man visits later this year as-planned.
LunaPierCook at 7:43PM on 07/25/07
Thank you, Ed. Thank you.
This level of awareness is such a gift to those of us who have to deal with this. Before I was diagnosed with celiac, I made fun of gluten-free food as well. No more. It's actually an opening to discovering the world of great food.
Most people with celiac still aren't diagnosed. Pieces like the ones in the NY Times, and now this comment from you, will help people to find out how to eat well.
glutenfreegirl at 7:45PM on 07/25/07
Alton Browns "Good Eats" just aired an episode on substitutions in cooking, where he gave a recipe for gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, along with the reasoning behind the substitutions, and in the show, he claimed that the resulting treats were better than the original cookie. recipe
DaveFaris at 11:36PM on 07/25/07
Hi my name is Letizia from Italy. I'm very happy to present you my blog "Notonlyglutenfree" (http://www.nogf.san-lorenzo.com) the italian blog about coeliac desease. At the moment the wedlog it is in Italian but I would like to traslate some posts. Thank's
Letizia Saturni at 11:01AM on 07/26/07