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In the News: Turmoil in Kenya Spreads to Tea; Gluten-Free Communion Wafers; Web Tools for Eating Green

Posted by Gordon Mark, January 7, 2008 at 7:00 PM

• Violence in Kenya spreads to tea plantations: Arson and attacks at tea plantations are latest incidents in the post-election violence. Kenya is the world's third-largest exporter of tea. [The Telegraph]
• New communion wafers! Gluten-free wafers so parishioners can take communion without having an allergic reaction (see: coeliac disease). [The Daily Mail]
• Useful sites to help you eat green: Find local farms, markets, and restaurants that use locally grown ingredients. [The Daily Green]
• Jellyfish a boon to shrimpers in Florida: Unique Asian tastes are helping Florida's shrimpers stay afloat in the off season. [The Sun-Sentinel]
• China's eating more as farms struggle: With the shrinking availability of land and migration to cities, the country's farms in having trouble meeting the demand of growing tastes. [BBC]
• The five best foods that will kill you: Delicious but hazardous to your heath. Eat at your own risk! [Double Viking]

Post a Comment | Tagged: gluten-free, In the News, Kenya, tea

Gourmet Without Gluten

Posted by Lia Bulaong, March 7, 2007 at 6:38 PM

The Denver Post recently posted an excellent primer on celiac disease and how to deal with it by Ellen Sweets:

For some, being unable to eat fried catfish, macaroni and cheese, pastrami on rye or chicken barley soup borders on truly bad news. For millions of Americans, however, eating those foods is actually dangerous. They are living with celiac (pronounced "SEAL-ee-ack") disease, which means that anything with gluten - wheat, barley, rye or oats - wreaks havoc with the body. Ingesting gluten jump-starts a reaction that causes certain immune system cells to attack the intestine, leaving the gluten-intolerant unable to properly absorb nutrients.

Celiac disease affects about one in every 133 people and has been described as "the most common genetic disease" in the US, so even if you've never heard of it until today chances are pretty good you know someone who suffers from it. If you'd like to find out more about celiac disease, two of the most informative sites on eating for celiac disease sufferers are blogs, CeliacChicks and Gluten-Free Girl.

Post a Comment | Tagged: celiac disease, disease, genetics, gluten-free, health