Media Round-Up

Or, A News Flurry in Early Summer

Mark Sanford? Michael Jackson?? Sarah Palin???

We know what's really important here.

Newsday's website recently posted the Harvard Health Letters article "Getting out the gluten" (June 30, 2009) —an excellent overview of celiac disease. My only quibble would be with the very end, which implies that some restaurant foods are inherently gluten-free; it's still better to check ingredients rather than assume that you know the recipes and cooking methods a chef uses.

CBS's Jonathan LaPook's "Breaking It Off With Your Doc" (July 2, 2009) lists reasons to switch to a new physician. Number 8 ("Your doctor gets annoyed by questions.") uses celiac disease in its case study:

Not only are patients entitled to careful consideration of questions, those questions may provide doctors with important clues. "Why do I get a stomach ache every time I eat a slice of toast?" may lead to the diagnosis of celiac disease, a condition in which gluten - a component of wheat, rye, and barley - is toxic to the body. If a doctor doesn't immediately know the answer, a perfectly good response is, "I don't know but I'll research it and get back to you."

At The New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope picked up on the recent Mayo Clinic prevalence and mortality study and also fielded some of the comments.

Last but not least, Ilan Brat's The Wall Street Journal article "For General Mills, Wheat-Free Items Are Tricky to Make, Cheap to Market" (July 2, 2009) discusses how GM apparently limited its advertising budget for its new gluten-free Chex and Betty Crocker products by counting on gluten-free community buzz to spread the word. (Note to General Mills: It looks like the strategy worked with Chex, but the Betty Crocker products don't seem to be finding their way onto many supermarket shelves in NYC.)

Incidentally, "Atlanta Gluten-Free Food Examiner" Tiffany Janes was totally on top of the General Mills marketing angle in her post "General Mills calling all bloggers" (July 1, 2009). Nice going, TJ! And NY1 morning anchor Pat Kiernan showed impeccable good judgment in taking note of the Wall Street Journal article on the July 2, 2009 of "In the Papers." Pat, if you're reading this—and I know it's possible—please remember:

Celiac disease affects an estimated 1% of the United States population—that's about 3 million people—but an estimated 2.9 million of those people remain misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. Furthermore, the average time it takes for a diagnosis is estimated to be about 10 years. That means that millions of people may be suffering the symptoms of celiac disease and searching for answers but not getting proper testing, diagnoses, and treatment, which would mainly consist of going on a strict gluten-free diet.

ARTICLE: NEW YORK TIMES

Today's New York Times includes substantial coverage of gluten-free dining in New York City—but if you're reading this, there's a good chance you already know that, because the main article mentions this very blog (among other blogs for the gluten-free in NYC).

The blog nods from the Times can be found in "For the Gluten-Averse, a Menu That Works" by Jennifer Romolini. Her article focuses largely on the Greenwich Village restaurant Risotteria but also offers an unusually nuanced overview of what it's like to dine gluten-free in the city: potential relationship issues, the communal feeling among patrons at Risotteria, the recent addition of Everybody Eats bread at Bistango, Catherine's "crouton surprise" found at the bottom of a salad, and the growing number of sympathetic restaurants in the Big Apple (although, as Dr. Peter Green notes, "In a city as big as New York, for there to be so few safe restaurants, that’s just really bad").

The coverage [noted this morning on NY1's "In the Papers" media roundup] extends to the gluten-free cooking experimentation of Risotteria's Joseph Pace, then takes a big, important step in sharing a version of Risotteria's breadstick recipe—that's what I call generous!

The Times package also includes "Especially for the Sensitive Diner", a list of city restaurants with gluten-free dishes; most of the eateries participate in the invaluable Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP) and appear on the Gluten-Free NYC Dining Map.

After my first reading of the coverage, I do have one quibble: The main article states that gluten "lurks in soy sauce, brewer’s yeast, bourbon, vegetable starch, vinegars, salad dressings, processed cheeses and some spices." Bourbon and vinegars should not have been included on the list. [Clarification: Malt vinegar is widely recognized as being forbidden on a gluten-free diet. However, research so far (including reports from myth debunker Ann Whelan of Gluten-Free Living, which has advisory boards including Dr. Joseph Murray of the Mayo Clinic and Dr. Peter Green as well as dietitians Cynthia Kupper of the Gluten Intolerance Group and Anne Lee) supports the position that vinegars are basically suitable for people on gluten-free diets. I am not aware of any research findings that support the idea that bourbon is unsuitable for a gluten-free diet. There are certainly instances of individuals claiming to have "a reaction" to bourbon and non-malt vinegars as well as other foods...and I do think that individual reports should be taken seriously...but I also think that research findings must be recognized, especially when sharing information through mass media, including newspapers and the Internet. Considering individual reports and years of my own experiences with my understanding of the research, I don't think there is evidence of any gluten in bourbon or, say, white or rice or balsamic vinegar or even spices (as opposed to spice mixes), but I would certainly welcome more research on the subject.]

[And now, after reading the message board of the New York City Celiac Disease Meetup Group, I realize that the article doesn't clearly communicate that there is indeed an active Meetup group in the city. No biggee—I just thought I'd offer the link in case anyone might have an interest.]

DID YOU KNOW? I ate an entire Risotteria cupcake while writing this post!

MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH?

Maybe I'm wrong about this...but is the Dietz and Watson spot that's been running on NY1 the very first NYC/NY/USA commercial to tout gluten-free goodies?

If you get NY1, watch for a while and check it out. (Personally, I'm a fan of In the Papers and On Stage, even though neither has been good about covering celiac disease.)

You may ask, "Who's Dietz? Who's Watson? Who's Dietz and Watson?" Well, they're purveyors of "World’s Best Meat Delicacies and Artisan Cheeses." And scrapple--but that's off-limits, as you shall see.

According to the Dietz and Watson FAQ, "Nearly all Dietz & Watson Meats are gluten free except: Rotisserie Style Chicken, Scrapple, Bockwurst, Fat Free Beef Franks, Gourmet Lite Franks, Gourmet Lite Beef Franks, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chicken Florentine and Chicken Portabella. All the rest of our meats are free of wheat, rye, barley and oat proteins."

The following is not the ad. But it's got some potential....



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