Hassett Hassles Hasselbeck?

Lawsuit Breaks Out Over Books

When GFNYC last checked in on Elisabeth Hasselbeck's recently published book The G-Free Diet, it was topping sales charts. Now the book's in the news for another reason: Sue Hassett, author of a book called Living with Celiac Disease, is suing Hasselbeck for copyright infringement and plagiarism, according to TMZ.com.

I'm still making my way through The G-Free Diet, and I haven't read or even obtained Living with Celiac Disease (which Hassett claims was copyrighted in 2008), so perhaps I'm not in a position to offer much insight at the moment. And you know what? I think a lot of the media isn't either. It seems that, at the moment, reporters are basically making hay that anti-Hasselbeck allegations have been made in this letter, even though the allegations as stated don't strike me as very persuasive.

Many of the allegations simply seem to note that both books invoke vaguely similar phraseology without recognizing that the phraseology is common (or at least not surprising) in writings about celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformus (DH). For example, both books use the phrase "Rome wasn't built in a day." But so does this 2005 message board thread about dealing with DH: "The DH will eventually clear up (especially with the assistance of Dapsone), but it takes time -- his body will take a while to clear up the 'histamine' reaction it has had for the past several years -- Rome wasn't built in a day."

Both books warn about possible cross-contamination from meat slicers. So does a 2005 message board thread: "I would say the thing for you to watch is contamination from the meat slicer in the deli. Even if the meat was gluten-free, you wouldn't be able to account for what was on the slicer, unless they totally cleaned it for you...[.]"

Both books offer lists of symptoms. Why shouldn't they?

Get the picture? Both books almost inevitably seem to repackage advice that was already "in the air" before their dates of publication.

Another example: The letter notes that Hassett's book observes that "Wheat-free is not necessarily gluten-free" while Hasselbeck's book observes "'Wheat-free' does not mean the same thing as 'gluten-free.'" But this truism precedes both books by many years: Jax Peters Lowell's 1995 book Against the Grain advises "wheat-free and all natural do not necessarily mean gluten-free." I am pretty sure that this citation is not the earliest that could be found. At any rate, it's another case of both books parroting typical and sensible information.

But the parroted information isn't always sensible: The Hassett letter also draws attention to the books' similar but unfounded warnings about anti-clumping agents in spices. According to the Hassett letter, her book says that "Some spices have a starch put in so it does not stick together you must find out where the starch is derived. Is the starch from a corn or wheat?" [sic], while Hasselbeck's book (misquoted in the letter) says "Spices: Beware the anticlumping agents added to many commercial herbs and seasonings (including those used at restaurants)—they almost always contain gluten." The problem with this can be found courtesy of the reliable resource Gluten-Free Living.

In comments expressing concern about Hasselbeck's book, Gluten-Free Living's Amy Ratner dismisses the spice advice by rhetorically questioning, "Is it a big deal to incorrectly tell someone struggling to figure out the gluten-free diet for the first time that the declumping agents in spices almost always contain wheat...?" Of course, Hassett and Hasselbeck's "declumping agent" warning (succinctly addressed here) also predates both books, as evidenced by this listserv summary post from 2000, which includes the advice that "one must be careful with spices and seasonings because often wheat-flour and other grains are used in them as fillers, to prevent clumping or as a flow agent, and aren't listed on the ingredients." So this instance strikes me as both books parroting typical misguided information.

Considering the weakness of the Hassett allegations, it's a shame that it has taken the mere launching of this lawsuit to return media attention to Hasselbeck and The G-Free Diet. For the moment at least, a far more important and sober (but less sensational) question would have to do with how reliable the information is in both books, how any errors and inconsistencies might have gotten into them, and how much either author might do to address and correct those problems. These are health-related books, after all!

An even more important question for the media to explore (completely in line with the current interest in health care reform) would be how to correctly diagnose the millions of people who unknowingly have celiac disease. But at present, much of the mainstream media merely seems to be sniffing around for the scent of celebrity scandal while giving relatively short shrift to a persistent and serious health concern that's virtually crying out to be addressed in such a way that positive and significant change will follow.

Thanks to Gawker for the lead.

UPDATE On today's The View, Elisabeth Hasselbeck made a brief statement that the allegations were without merit and that they were being handled appropriately.

Makeover for Gluten-Free Living

Magazine Famous for Debunking Myths about Vinegar, Other Foods

Congrats to Ann Whelan, Amy Ratner, Kendall Egan, and the rest of the Gluten-Free Living team on revamping their Westchester-based magazine's website. It's now got a more professional look (and an affiliated blog) while still offering reliable, well-researched information about gluten-free basics.

The website covers ingredients from amaranth ("Amaranth comes from an herb. Gluten free and high in nutritional value, it is puffed for cereal or ground into flour") to xanthan gum ("An ingredient used to give stretch to gluten-free baked goods in place of gluten. It is made by fermentation of glucose by xanthomonas campestris bacterium, from which it gets its name").

The magazine has a reputation for researching and debunking unsupported claims related to the gluten-free diet. So the ingredients page says this about vinegar: "Distilled vinegar is gluten free and has always been gluten free. There is no evidence that suggests vinegar might be dangerous for those who follow the gluten-free diet. The only vinegar to avoid is malt vinegar, which is made from barley and is not distilled."

Now, you might be among those who have a problem with distilled vinegar. No one is saying that you don't have a problem with it. However, the conventional, researched wisdom is that the problem isn't caused by gluten.

So if you feel that you have a problem with distilled vinegar that, unlike malt vinegar, is gluten-free, it is impossible (extraordinarily unlikely) that the problem is gluten, something that could accurately be called a "gluten reaction." Many people with celiac disease enjoy distilled vinegar without testing positive or feeling ill, so it might be that your particular system simply has trouble with distilled vinegar as well as gluten. You can still bring the problem to the attention of your doctor and feel free to keep vinegar out of your diet. There's no shame in that.

Vinegar is, after all, widely acknowledged as a strong, acidic substance. I myself have been known to clean drains with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda—an explosive combination!



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GLUTEN-FREE LIVING LICKS STICKY SUBJECTS

I'm still making my way through the latest issue of Gluten-Free Living (Fall 2007), but it already strikes me as a keeper. I'm going to try to go over some of the highlights while not stepping on too many toes, and also take note of an opportunity to save on future issues of the magazine.

As you might recall, Gluten-Free Living has been in the forefront of using research to debunk myths about eating gluten-free, such as the unsupported fear of distilled liquor and most vinegars. In this issue of Gluten-Free Living, associate editor Amy Ratner investigates the issue of gluten in envelope and stamp glue. After contacting envelope glue manufacturers as well as the United States Postal Service, Ratner finds that both types of glue are gluten-free. So, if you're still using snailmail, worry no more about winding up like George's fiancée Susan on Seinfeld!

Elsewhere in the magazine, Ratner also covers opinions about the continuing issue of "gluten free" labeling. (I tend to concur with Bruce Ritter of Elisa Technologies, who favors identifying specific test results, such as "Contains less than 5 ppms of gluten," rather than simply using blanket statements such as "gluten free" or "low gluten," which are recommended by food industry interests including General Mills, as Ratner reports.)

The new issue also includes a remembrance of the late Bette Hagman, a mention of the New York City Celiac Disease Meetup Group (NYCCDMG), advice on fat in gluten-free diets from Tricia Thompson, cold weather recipes from Jacqueline Mallorca, and articles on "tricky" ingredients and healthy pregnancies by magazine founder Ann Whelan. Plus, there's a $1.50 coupon for Erewhon cereals!

Which brings me to the money-saving opportunity. The cost of the magazine is due to go up to $34/one year or $56/two years starting on January 1, 2008, so there's still time to subscribe at the current rate of $29/year or $49/two years. Supporting Gluten-Free Living supports its journalistic research, which plays an important role in addressing the day-to-day needs of gluten-free people. You might even want to bring the publication to the attention of area libraries that could add it to their holdings.

BACK ISSUE BARGAIN FROM GLUTEN-FREE LIVING

If you're familiar with Gluten-Free Living, you know how important it has been in shining a clarifying light on such concerns as vinegar. (To learn more about that, see Gluten-Free Living's Ingredients list.)

A one-year (four issue) subscription to Gluten-Free Living costs $29 and a two-year (eight issue) subscription costs $49, and now you can sample three recent back issues (Fall 2006, Spring 2007, and Summer 2007) for $20 by ordering the magazine's special "Catch-Me-Up Package." The letters column of the Spring 2007 issue fields the question "Is there gluten in either scotch or bourbon?" while both that issue and the Summer 2007 include Amy Ratner's research into labels, which explains what that "gluten free" on a package currently means (and doesn't mean), and what it could mean in the future. You might be surprised by what you learn.

There are two ways to take advantage of the Catch-Me-Up Package while supplies last. You can call 914-231-6361 to order by credit card or mail a $20 check to

Ann Whelan
Editor/Publisher
Gluten-Free Living
560 Warburton Avenue, 2nd Floor
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706

Contact the magazine for more information.