GLUTEN-FREE TV: WHAT ARE THE ODDS???

When the Tuesday, May 9, 2006 episode of the US medical drama House featured a person with celiac disease, the patient was an infanticidal madwoman. When the Thursday, February 7, 2008 episode of the UK medical drama The Royal Today featured a person with coeliac disease, the patient was a stripper in a rubber nurse's outfit. What are the odds, I ask you?

Here's the pertinent info about the Royal Today story (Season 1, Episode 24), from a synopsis:

Vijay is stumped when he presents the staff with a photo of Gemma pole dancing and she declares that she loves the picture and unashamedly admits that she did it to make money at college.

On the female ward, an exotic dancer called Alison (Hayley Tamaddon) has arrived dressed in a sexy rubber nurses outfit. Her stomach has swollen up mid act so she’s stuck in her costume and when Sarah (Kirsty Mitchell) confirms that she has Coeliac Disease and needs to have a bowel biopsy, Alison’s adamant that the nurses don’t cut the expensive costume off her. However, when Matron reveals that Alison’s husband is on his way she’s desperate to get out of the PVC suit as he doesn’t know how she’s been earning her money.

When John (Samuel James Hudson) arrives he’s stunned to find Alison fully clad as a stripper and tries to control his temper as he tells the embarrassed nurses to throw the costume in the bin. She’d told him she was temping but seeing as he’s a stripper too, she claims she’s done nothing wrong. Later, when John overhears Vijay commenting on Gemma’s stripper past, he assumes he’s talking about Alison and attacks him. He eventually calms down enough to speak to his wife and is pleased to learn that she can’t stand the idea of women gawping at him. It’s a happy ending as the couple agree that they’ll both stop stripping but don’t need to throw away their costumes.

I'd like to share video of that, but so far I've only found these files, which aren't supposed to be viewable in the United States. In the meantime, here's an article with a photo.

The unlikelihood of these TV medical situations reminds me of a certain Seinfeld episode. (Warning: This video may contain wheat pasta.)



Source (1:57)

FREE MAGAZINE SAMPLES!

Curious about the magazine Gluten-Free Living? Editor/Publisher Ann Whelan is offering free sample issues while supplies last. Here's the offer as posted at the international celiac disease mailing list:

The messages about Martha Stewart Living expanding into a specialized area, including food allergies, have been interesting. I've been in the magazine business for much of my career and have the greatest respect for Martha Stewart as a magazine editor and publisher.

I did want to make sure people know that my publication, Gluten-Free Living, is out there and has been for quite some time. We are the only publication that concentrates specifically on, as our name says, Gluten-Free Living. We have built our reputation covering every aspect of the gluten-free life, and we plan to continue doing just that.

Those of you who have subscribed for a while know we started many years ago as an eight-page black and white newsletter and now publish a four-color, national magazine. You also know we have been instrumental in correcting a lot of the misinformation that surrounds the gluten-free diet.

We have done this by seeking information the way a journalist would. We take nothing for granted. There is a saying in the journalism world that goes like this: "If your mother tells you, check it out!" And that's what we have been doing, checking things out relentlessly until we get to the bottom of the issues. Then we explain them to the best of our ability so readers, who still have to make their own decisions, make them with reliable information.

It has been an interesting journey and my primarily gluten-free staff and I have learned a lot along the way. We plan to continue on this specialized road and we are in the process of growing and expanding.

It sounds as if some of you are not familiar with Gluten-Free Living. To correct that, we'd like to offer a free sample issue to those who do not currently subscribe -- as long as supplies last. Send your mailing address to [gfliving2003 at yahoo dot com] and please indicate that you are responding to this message. We will get your sample copy into the mail as quickly as possible.

Best wishes,

Ann Whelan
Editor/Publisher
Gluten-Free Living

SPRUETUBE: PARENTS TV ON DEMAND

This Parents TV segment includes an interview with Dr. Peter Green and a look at a Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University (CDCCU) cooking event at Cooking by the Book. Dr. Green says that it's important for newly diagnosed children to have an accurate idea of what a gluten-free diet is, and he also notes that children who are diagnosed early tend to be the best when it comes to staying on the diet. The video also includes comments from CDCCU nutritionist Anne Roland Lee.



Source (6:21)

LILLI AND LOO: A META-REVIEW!

As you might already know, the Asian restaurant Lilli and Loo recently joined the roster of the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP) on the advanced level, which means that the restaurant receives "intensive assistance in menu review by qualified nutrition experts" along with GFRAP's basic "complete packet of education and training materials, a review of the restaurant’s GF menus, and the assistance of a Resource Person to answer questions." So far Lilli and Loo is the only non-chain restaurant in Manhattan on that level, and I can say from my own experience that this eaterie is worth multiple visits.

When the restaurant first came up with its gluten-free menu, Maggie and her associates offered a banquet's share of diverse options, but since then the menu has expanded to include even more choices, including one of my favorite types of Asian cuisine.

Many items on the restaurant's evolving gluten-free menu have already been favorably received by A Gluten-Free Guide, CeliacChicks, Gluten-Free Fun, and Allergic Girl. Probably the stand-out item has been the cool and refreshing Saigon Spring Roll appetizer. A fun new addition is the Rock Shrimp Tempura. Not to be confused with classic tempura, which is known for the lightness of its batter, this appetizer is more like an outstanding version of popcorn shrimp, presenting the restaurant's whole tasty shrimp within a thick, crunchy coating enlivened by a drizzled mayonnaise sauce. Filling out the appetizer options are edamame (steamed salted soy beans) and Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps, which involve wrapping lettuce around a mix of chicken, pineapple, and vegetables.

In the early online coverage of Lilli and Loo, the glazed Borneo Orange Chicken came across as a favorite—and I like it too. But oh, how excited I was to find crispy Thai Fish added to the menu! As a longtime fan of various versions of Asian whole fish, I'm especially fond of the crispy variations. At Lilli and Loo, it's served in a two-way style, with numerous separated and boneless chunks atop the rest of the fish, which is still on the bone. So, if you're not used to eating this dish, you can enjoy the separated pieces and also learn to pull the rest of the tasty, moist meat away while leaving most or all of the bones behind. And don't be afraid to poke around the cheeks in the fish head for the tiny, subtly flavorful morsels you might find there. (Note that when ordering this type of dish, it can be helpful to talk with the waitperson about how many of you intend to share it, to make sure that you'll get the right size of fish.)

I'm still exploring the other items on the menu, looking for ways to mix-and-match cuisines or just commit to one type throughout. I've been pleased by the mild Asian Chicken Curry and Masaman Chicken Curry as well as the Pomegranate Teriyaki Grilled Chicken, although I was sorry to find that it wasn't glazed in the way I associate with teriyaki cooking. I also enjoyed the change-of-pace represented by the sweet Shrimp with Fresh Mango (again with tasty shrimp, right), which could function almost like a dessert in a meal shared by several people (an ideal way to enjoy the fare at Lilli and Loo).

And then there are the Happy Hours. It's been tough work, but for your sake, dear reader, I've been making my way through the Lilli and Loo cocktail menu. My favorite so far is the lychee martini.

As CeliacChick Kelly and Allergic Girl Sloane have noted, Maggie and the rest of the gang at Lilli and Loo are eager to please and willing to accommodate other dietary requests. Just try to give them a "heads up" to ease matters for everyone concerned. And, speaking of heads, I agree with Kelly that the loo at Lilli and Loo is worth a visit, too. (Thanks to Ben Cappel for coming up with the "loo" angle.)

Something else that's exciting about Lilli and Loo is that it is just one of the restaurants and food enterprises in which Vanessa Phillips and her family have a hand. From talking with Vanessa's father, I understand that the family hopes to serve gluten-free customers in various NYC locations, including the Upper West Side. Having GFRAP restaurants there would certainly help to complement the string along the Upper East Side. CeliacChick Kelly has been covering some of the most recent developments.

"THE CHALLENGE OF GIVING UP GLUTEN"

Many recent articles about being gluten-free revolve around the diet being a medical necessity; other recent articles treat the diet as a fad. Today's Newsday picked up a Chicago Tribune article by Janet Helm entitled "The challenge of giving up gluten."—a well-sourced item that addresses both the medical issues and the possible trendiness related to the diet.

Some highlights:

Most definitely, people with celiac disease need to avoid gluten. Otherwise, this autoimmune disorder can damage the small intestine and interfere with the absorption of nutrients. For celiac sufferers, a gluten-free diet is far from a fad - it is the only treatment.

What appears less clear is whether gluten can be blamed for other problems such as autism. Carol Fenster has been gluten-free for 20 years even though she does not have celiac disease. She's part of a growing group who say they simply feel better avoiding gluten.


Experts say that the growing attention on gluten is a mixed blessing. On one hand, it may encourage more people to get tested for celiac - which still remains undiagnosed in about 97 percent of the people who have it in this country. A typical diagnosis often takes 10 years because the symptoms are mistaken for other conditions. But, ironically, the current fervor over gluten may be making a proper diagnosis even trickier.

Starting a gluten-free diet before being tested for celiac may cause the gut to heal temporarily and an accurate diagnosis will be missed, said Dr. Joseph A. Murray, a celiac disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

"If you're concerned about celiac, you should be tested before treating yourself," he said.

Self-diagnosis is rampant, probably due to the increased awareness of the disease. People are more likely to know someone with celiac now, and they relate to the diverse and often vague symptoms associated with the disease, Murray said.


If celiac is ruled out, Murray said there is little or no evidence to support a connection between gluten and other ailments, including autism. Even so, he said there is nothing wrong with cutting out gluten as long as your diet is nutritionally complete.

Lately I've been wondering about a possible contributor to the trendiness of gluten-free diets that Helm's article doesn't mention. With the food industry's bullishness about gluten-free products, it seems that more and more products show up with "gluten-free" labels but no explanation that the labels are pertinent for people on medical diets. Consumers who see the labels possibly associate the labels as something generally positive (like "vitamin packed") rather than of most relevance to people with celiac disease and/or wheat allergies. Perhaps increased awareness of celiac disease causes people to go on the diet, but perhaps increased awareness of the "gluten-free" label—without increased awareness of celiac disease—might come into play, too.

Just musing, is all. I'd be interested in seeing studies of the phenomena discussed in the article. And I'm looking forward to seeing studies about possible relations between gluten and symptoms associated with autism. I think there are some coming.

FOLLOW-UP: BULLSHIT HITS THE FAAN?

As WNYC promised, allergy specialist Dr. Hugh Sampson got a chance to talk on The Leonard Lopate Show on Thursday.

WNYC decided to give Sampson airtime following protests against the show for giving Meredith Broussard an uncritical platform for her weak allegations that food allergy support groups such as FAAN (where Sampson serves on the Medical Advisory Board) exaggerate the dangers of food allergies. (I've covered the background at great length here.)

Sampson came across as completely sober and sensible, which is consistent with FAAN's reputation as a responsible organization that helps families and communities cope with food allergy issues.

So I still see FAAN as a target of ungrounded criticism from Broussard that reached masses of people via Harper's as well as WNYC. There are indeed concerns about the general public's understanding of food allergies, but Broussard's type of coverage is part of the problem—because FAAN is actually part of the solution.

I remain curious as to whether Harper's and/or Broussard will offer any kind of retraction or correction.

MAGAZINE NEWS

As you might have learned from a comment in the previous post, Martha Stewart has invited the public to consider seven staff ideas on what new direction Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia might take—and one of those ideas, from her deputy editor Alexis, is a "Special publication catering to those with food allergies and sensitivities that would include recipes."

That's "catering" in the figurative sense. As Alexis puts it:

To publish a special magazine that offers delicious allergy-friendly recipes, making life for people with food allergies and sensitivities easier and more delicious. Millions of people, including myself, can't eat nuts, dairy, wheat or gluten, and I’d like to empower people to make great recipes even if they can't use all the standard ingredients.

Right now this idea is neck-and-neck with an idea about launching a publication or a line of products for pet lovers. You can vote for your preference once a day here through Thursday, February 7, 2008.

It's exciting to see such an idea being considered by such a big name. But while the world awaits the results of the vote, I figured I'd mention two existing publications of interest to people with food allergies and sensitivities.

Of particular interest in these parts is Gluten-Free Living, which is entirely devoted to, um, living gluten-free. Published by Ann Whelan, this magazine continues to make a very significant contribution in terms of researching and clarifying many issues including food labeling and ingredients. It has really helped me navigate the diet over the years.

The magazine Living Without, founded by Peggy Wagener, aims at a somewhat more general audience, like the one described in the Martha Stewart proposal. Publication was temporarily suspended in recent months, but the magazine is due to reappear come spring as part of the Connecticut-based Belvoir Media Group, with Wagener staying on as publisher.

Have you noticed how all of these ventures share the word living?