SUPPORT GROUP: NEW YORK CITY
The death of group leader Dunnie Chenal last September "has left a wide gap in our organization" that "must be filled right away," says the latest newsletter of the CSA Greater New York City Celiac Support Group. Attendees at the group's next meeting are asked to be "prepared to suggest, nominate, vote, or stand for a new Chairperson."
The meeting, which will include a tip exchange, is scheduled for Monday, April 24, 2006 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Seafarers & International House (123 East 15th Street).
Two dinner gatherings are also planned. The first is scheduled for Monday, March 27, 2006 at 6 pm at a GFRAP restaurant: Bistango (415 Third Avenue at East 29th Street). The second is scheduled for Wednesday, May 10, 2006 at 6 pm at Mumbles (179 Third Avenue at East 17th Street).
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Friday, March 17, 2006
SUPPORT GROUP: WESTCHESTER
The Westchester Celiac Sprue Support Group will meet Sunday, March 26, 2006 from 2 to 4 pm at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
The "main event" will be a discussion on "La Dolce Vita Gluten Free" featuring celiac chick Kelly Courson, Silly Yak entrepreneur Peter Marino, and Risotteria owner-chef Joseph Pace.
The Westchester Celiac Sprue Support Group will meet Sunday, March 26, 2006 from 2 to 4 pm at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
The "main event" will be a discussion on "La Dolce Vita Gluten Free" featuring celiac chick Kelly Courson, Silly Yak entrepreneur Peter Marino, and Risotteria owner-chef Joseph Pace.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
SPELT SPELLS TROUBLE
Don't get too excited about the fact that New York describes its favorite cupcake as being free of "eggs, dairy, sugar, and wheat." The magazine goes on to say that the Babycakes cupcake is made with spelt.
Some spelt marketers claim that the grain is not part of the wheat family, but you'd be hard pressed to find an authority who agrees. Spelt continues to be forbidden to people on medical gluten-free diets.
Here's how the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network puts it:
By changing its labeling, Babycakes would be acting responsibly and also protecting itself from problems such as those faced by the French Meadow Bakery, which had more than 50,000 bread loaves confiscated by the FDA because it was slow to remove the wheat-free label from its spelt breads.
Don't get too excited about the fact that New York describes its favorite cupcake as being free of "eggs, dairy, sugar, and wheat." The magazine goes on to say that the Babycakes cupcake is made with spelt.
Some spelt marketers claim that the grain is not part of the wheat family, but you'd be hard pressed to find an authority who agrees. Spelt continues to be forbidden to people on medical gluten-free diets.
Here's how the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network puts it:
Spelt is an ancient wheat that has recently been marketed as safe for wheat-allergic individuals. This claim is untrue, however. Wheat-allergic patients can react as readily to spelt as they do to common wheat.Yesterday I confirmed that Babycakes currently markets its spelt cupcakes as being wheat-free. I hope that the bakery will take remedial measures and team up with the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program to ensure that it can serve wheat-free and gluten-free people safely.
By changing its labeling, Babycakes would be acting responsibly and also protecting itself from problems such as those faced by the French Meadow Bakery, which had more than 50,000 bread loaves confiscated by the FDA because it was slow to remove the wheat-free label from its spelt breads.
Monday, March 06, 2006
IBD, ALLERGIES, AND FOOD INTOLERANCE
"In your clinical experience, what is the role of food allergy and/or intolerance in the genesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?" asked Medscape Gastroenterology (February 7, 2006) of Dr. Sunanda V. Kane of Chicago.
"Patients with IBD are more likely to suffer from food allergies or intolerances than the normal population," was part of Dr. Kane's response.
Also: "Certainly those patients who have undiagnosed food intolerances are less likely to respond to standard IBD therapies."
Dr. Kane advises doctors to counsel patients "regarding their dietary habits to monitor which specific foods or food groups may trigger worse gastrointestinal or systemic symptoms" and notes that elimination diets are rarely needed for IBD patients.
"In your clinical experience, what is the role of food allergy and/or intolerance in the genesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?" asked Medscape Gastroenterology (February 7, 2006) of Dr. Sunanda V. Kane of Chicago.
"Patients with IBD are more likely to suffer from food allergies or intolerances than the normal population," was part of Dr. Kane's response.
Also: "Certainly those patients who have undiagnosed food intolerances are less likely to respond to standard IBD therapies."
Dr. Kane advises doctors to counsel patients "regarding their dietary habits to monitor which specific foods or food groups may trigger worse gastrointestinal or systemic symptoms" and notes that elimination diets are rarely needed for IBD patients.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
MCDONALD'S FRIES
McDonald's USA now states that its fries are made with "wheat and milk ingredients." Yet it's possible that the fries may still be "safe" for celiacs to eat.
According to this MSNBC article, the McDonald's disclosure does not reflect any change in the recipe. It's just an acknowledgement of sources of already existing ingredients.
"We knew there were always wheat and dairy derivatives in there, but they were not the protein component," says Cathy Kapica, McDonald's director of global nutrition, in the article. "Technically there are no allergens in there."
Celiacs and people with allergies react to proteins, so fries made without proteins from wheat should be safe for celiacs to eat. That explains Kapica's position that, as the article put it, "those who have eaten the product without problem should be able to continue to do so without incident."
Yet the McDonald's website contradicts Kapica. On this list, the French fries are marked as containing gluten. French fries are also absent from the chain's list of gluten-free foods. (At the time of this post, both lists were dated February 8, 2006.)
The contradiction between what McDonald's nutrition expert says and what the company's website says makes me glad that I've avoided McDonald's fries ever since I've been on the gluten-free diet. My reasoning had nothing to do with whether their ingredients contained gluten; I just didn't think they were worth the risk because of a chance of cross-contamination at the restaurant. I still don't think they're worth taking a risk, especially on a regular basis.
Here is a press statement on the issue from The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.
McDonald's USA now states that its fries are made with "wheat and milk ingredients." Yet it's possible that the fries may still be "safe" for celiacs to eat.
According to this MSNBC article, the McDonald's disclosure does not reflect any change in the recipe. It's just an acknowledgement of sources of already existing ingredients.
"We knew there were always wheat and dairy derivatives in there, but they were not the protein component," says Cathy Kapica, McDonald's director of global nutrition, in the article. "Technically there are no allergens in there."
Celiacs and people with allergies react to proteins, so fries made without proteins from wheat should be safe for celiacs to eat. That explains Kapica's position that, as the article put it, "those who have eaten the product without problem should be able to continue to do so without incident."
Yet the McDonald's website contradicts Kapica. On this list, the French fries are marked as containing gluten. French fries are also absent from the chain's list of gluten-free foods. (At the time of this post, both lists were dated February 8, 2006.)
The contradiction between what McDonald's nutrition expert says and what the company's website says makes me glad that I've avoided McDonald's fries ever since I've been on the gluten-free diet. My reasoning had nothing to do with whether their ingredients contained gluten; I just didn't think they were worth the risk because of a chance of cross-contamination at the restaurant. I still don't think they're worth taking a risk, especially on a regular basis.
Here is a press statement on the issue from The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
ARTICLE: DAILY NEWS
The Celiac Chicks are featured in "Wheat Watchers," a February 8, 2006 Daily News article by Heather Fletcher about dining out gluten-free in New York City. The article states, "As many as 3 million people in the U.S. have celiac disease, but only 95,000 are currently diagnosed." The Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program gets a mention, as do eleven area eateries (most of which are affiliated with GFRAP).
The Celiac Chicks are featured in "Wheat Watchers," a February 8, 2006 Daily News article by Heather Fletcher about dining out gluten-free in New York City. The article states, "As many as 3 million people in the U.S. have celiac disease, but only 95,000 are currently diagnosed." The Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program gets a mention, as do eleven area eateries (most of which are affiliated with GFRAP).
Thursday, February 09, 2006
YAZOO CITY GOES GFRAP! [UPDATE: Yazoo City closed its doors in late January 2007.] Yesterday GFRAP announced the addition of the Suffolk County restaurant Yazoo City to its roster. That makes Lindenhurst's Yazoo City the third Long Island restaurant on the GFRAP restaurant menu; the other two are Caffe Baldo in Wantagh (Nassau County) and Momma's Italian Restaurant in Oakdale (Suffolk). Also on Long Island: Outback, Legal Seafoods, and P.F. Chang's.
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