Denver Post Article

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No wheat? NO WAY!

GOURMET WITHOUT GLUTEN | New awareness of celiac disease is putting pleasure back on the menu

By Ellen Sweets

Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 03/06/2007 08:57:16 PM MST

Parents find gluten a common culprit in childhood disordersArea caters to gluten-free palatesFor 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, particularly prevalent among people of European descent, has been described as the most common genetic disease in the country, affecting one in every 133 people.

Suzanne Bowland, founder and president of gluten-free (gluten-free) Culinary Productions, learned six years ago that she had celiac disease.

"For 31 years I never felt good," she says. "I just felt a kind of lethargy, bloating and brain fog, just not feeling my best."

Bowland thought dietary changes might help, but the bloating wouldn't go away. She didn't know what triggered her problems.

With a bit of online research, she learned her symptoms were most likely related to a reaction to wheat. Investigating wheat allergies led her to the protein gluten. After checking off the symptoms she recognized, she researched products that had gluten, eventually creating her own diagnosis.

"The cloud lifted as I began to eliminate certain things from my diet," she says. "I became happier. The bloating disappeared. I told my mom I'd discovered what was wrong.

"No one ever suggested that I look at my diet and eliminate gluten. I didn't even know what it was."

She felt so good, she decided to revisit her old ways of eating, starting with a bowl of her favorite cereal. Almost immediately, her symptoms returned with a vengeance.

To share her experience and newly found information, Bowland launched a special-events production company focusing on a gluten-free lifestyle.

Good news for gourmets

One component is "The Art and Science of Gluten-Free Gastronomy," which focuses on gluten-free living from an epicurean perspective. The series, which runs through November, is held at Denver's Phipps Mansion. It pairs an authority on celiac disease with a chef who demonstrates a gluten-free recipe.

One of them is Panzano chef Elise Wiggins. Wiggins' brother was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. It was an eye-opener.

"People make special requests all the time when they come to the restaurant, and we try to accommodate them as best we can," she says. "But requests from celiacs make up the largest number by far. I've given it a lot of thought since my brother's diagnosis."

At the series opener, Wiggins prepared a feta, tarragon and truffle-filled tortellini in an orange-hazelnut butter, using amaranth and tapioca flours. It definitely appealed to Merrill Linton, who has had to learn to eat in a whole new way.

"A lot of people think this (dietary practice) is a new fad, but celiac is a problem for a lot of people. I love good food, but eliminating bad foods from my diet made a big change," she says. "People don't think they can go without wheat, but they can. They have to. It's a constant learning process."

Breweries have also taken note. Wisconsin-based New Grist claims to have sold the first beer brewed without malted barley or any gluten-containing products to be recognized by the U.S. government.

Each batch brewed at the company's Milwaukee headquarters is tested for gluten before fermentation and before being bottled and shipped.

"One day my old college roommate and I were talking on the phone, and he asked me why I didn't make a gluten-free beer," Russ Klisch, president of Lakefront microbrewery, which brews New Grist, says by telephone from Wisconsin. "The demand was bigger than I thought. My brewmaster's father has it. Now he can have a beer with his dad."

Beer giant Anheuser-Busch entered the gluten-free beer market late last year, after 13 years of research, and even pairs its gluten-free beer with foods and cheeses.

"Redbridge can stand up to such hearty meats as duck, lamb and veal medallions," says brewmaster Kristi Zantop. "And it pairs well with spicy foods. The touch of sweetness on the finish of the beer will cut through spices."

Recently, New Jersey-based Thumann's introduced a nitrate-, nitrite-, preservative- and gluten-free hot dog. Heartland's Finest markets a complete line of gluten-free pasta. There are even gluten-free Snickerdoodles. The nation is paying attention.

Physicians take a new look

Physicians are paying increasing attention to the symptoms of celiac disease. (The formal name is celiac sprue, a nontropical, nonallergic gluten intolerance, also called "gluten-sensitive enteropathy.")

Dr. Neil Toribara, head of gastroenterology at Denver Health, says diagnosing the disorder has changed.

"Once thought to be a pretty unusual disease diagnosed by clinical suspicion, there are now several specific blood tests that are gluten-sensitive. We used to think (celiacs were) 1 in 5,000; now we think it's about 1 to 300," Toribara says. "This tells us it's been around for a while."

Dr. Andrzej T. Triebling, a physician with Arapahoe Gastroenterology in Littleton, says doctors overlooked celiac disease. "Now, not only gastrointestinal specialists but primary care physicians are much more attuned to looking for celiac disease instead of making a so-called classic diagnosis," he says.

Triebling says it is especially important for celiacs to conform to rigid dietary restrictions.

"I tell patients they cannot cheat their immune system ... sometimes minute amounts of gluten can bring on an immune response," he says. "And it's difficult because these (gluten-free) products are expensive. In Italy there are government subsidies so patients can afford these foods. At the same time, it is not harmful for non-gluten-intolerant family members to be the on same diet."

Saying the dreaded "D" word

Colleen Clarke, a personal chef in Erie, specializes in gluten-free cooking for families. She was diagnosed with celiac disease in early June. She believes the one in 133 figure is more accurate.

"My son, who is also celiac, loved chicken tenders and chocolate chip cookies," she says. "It was real hard for him to give them up."

He didn't have to for long. Clarke developed gluten-free recipes for both items.

"It's all about finding alternative solutions," she says.

Clarke's friend and fellow celiac, Melissa Degen, used her corporate buyout money to attend culinary school and install a new kitchen, the better to prepare meals in an uncontaminated environment. Now known as the The Gluten-Free Pastry Chef, she makes specialty desserts for her family, which includes two celiac children.

"They say the average onset of symptoms is 28, but I was 31 when I was diagnosed. We had difficulty having children and lost three to miscarriages. When I went back to the doctor and ticked off my symptoms, he said it sounded like celiac."

Within months of going on a gluten-free diet, Degen says, her bloating and knee pain stopped. To her joy, she became pregnant again. She now has a son with celiac disease. The entire family is gluten-free.

"I refused to give up chocolates, so I found a way to bake desserts," she says. "I could just live off of chocolate cake."

Meanwhile, Bowland, gluten-free for six years, says she's a different person since modifying her diet.

"When you're miserable your whole life, you can't imagine what it means to be able to feel good and eat good food," she says. "By eliminating the culprit, I was able to heal and restore my health.

"You miss gluten initially, but you don't want to go back because you know what will happen. I'm waiting for the day I can have a beef Wellington that is gluten-free. I'll definitely know we've arrived the day I walk into Starbucks and see a gluten-free muffin."

Learn more about about celiac disease from the Celiac Sprue Association/Denver Metro Chapter web site.

[confused]

Open Original Shared Link

Here's the article. The link has some recipes, too.

No wheat? NO WAY!

GOURMET WITHOUT GLUTEN | New awareness of celiac disease is putting pleasure back on the menu

By Ellen Sweets

Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 03/06/2007 08:57:16 PM MST

Parents find gluten a common culprit in childhood disordersArea caters to gluten-free palatesFor 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, particularly prevalent among people of European descent, has been described as the most common genetic disease in the country, affecting one in every 133 people.

Suzanne Bowland, founder and president of gluten-free (gluten-free) Culinary Productions, learned six years ago that she had celiac disease.

"For 31 years I never felt good," she says. "I just felt a kind of lethargy, bloating and brain fog, just not feeling my best."

Bowland thought dietary changes might help, but the bloating wouldn't go away. She didn't know what triggered her problems.

With a bit of online research, she learned her symptoms were most likely related to a reaction to wheat. Investigating wheat allergies led her to the protein gluten. After checking off the symptoms she recognized, she researched products that had gluten, eventually creating her own diagnosis.

"The cloud lifted as I began to eliminate certain things from my diet," she says. "I became happier. The bloating disappeared. I told my mom I'd discovered what was wrong.

"No one ever suggested that I look at my diet and eliminate gluten. I didn't even know what it was."

She felt so good, she decided to revisit her old ways of eating, starting with a bowl of her favorite cereal. Almost immediately, her symptoms returned with a vengeance.

To share her experience and newly found information, Bowland launched a special-events production company focusing on a gluten-free lifestyle.

Good news for gourmets

One component is "The Art and Science of Gluten-Free Gastronomy," which focuses on gluten-free living from an epicurean perspective. The series, which runs through November, is held at Denver's Phipps Mansion. It pairs an authority on celiac disease with a chef who demonstrates a gluten-free recipe.

One of them is Panzano chef Elise Wiggins. Wiggins' brother was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. It was an eye-opener.

"People make special requests all the time when they come to the restaurant, and we try to accommodate them as best we can," she says. "But requests from celiacs make up the largest number by far. I've given it a lot of thought since my brother's diagnosis."

At the series opener, Wiggins prepared a feta, tarragon and truffle-filled tortellini in an orange-hazelnut butter, using amaranth and tapioca flours. It definitely appealed to Merrill Linton, who has had to learn to eat in a whole new way.

"A lot of people think this (dietary practice) is a new fad, but celiac is a problem for a lot of people. I love good food, but eliminating bad foods from my diet made a big change," she says. "People don't think they can go without wheat, but they can. They have to. It's a constant learning process."

Breweries have also taken note. Wisconsin-based New Grist claims to have sold the first beer brewed without malted barley or any gluten-containing products to be recognized by the U.S. government.

Each batch brewed at the company's Milwaukee headquarters is tested for gluten before fermentation and before being bottled and shipped.

"One day my old college roommate and I were talking on the phone, and he asked me why I didn't make a gluten-free beer," Russ Klisch, president of Lakefront microbrewery, which brews New Grist, says by telephone from Wisconsin. "The demand was bigger than I thought. My brewmaster's father has it. Now he can have a beer with his dad."

Beer giant Anheuser-Busch entered the gluten-free beer market late last year, after 13 years of research, and even pairs its gluten-free beer with foods and cheeses.

"Redbridge can stand up to such hearty meats as duck, lamb and veal medallions," says brewmaster Kristi Zantop. "And it pairs well with spicy foods. The touch of sweetness on the finish of the beer will cut through spices."

Recently, New Jersey-based Thumann's introduced a nitrate-, nitrite-, preservative- and gluten-free hot dog. Heartland's Finest markets a complete line of gluten-free pasta. There are even gluten-free Snickerdoodles. The nation is paying attention.

Physicians take a new look

Physicians are paying increasing attention to the symptoms of celiac disease. (The formal name is celiac sprue, a nontropical, nonallergic gluten intolerance, also called "gluten-sensitive enteropathy.")

Dr. Neil Toribara, head of gastroenterology at Denver Health, says diagnosing the disorder has changed.

"Once thought to be a pretty unusual disease diagnosed by clinical suspicion, there are now several specific blood tests that are gluten-sensitive. We used to think (celiacs were) 1 in 5,000; now we think it's about 1 to 300," Toribara says. "This tells us it's been around for a while."

Dr. Andrzej T. Triebling, a physician with Arapahoe Gastroenterology in Littleton, says doctors overlooked celiac disease. "Now, not only gastrointestinal specialists but primary care physicians are much more attuned to looking for celiac disease instead of making a so-called classic diagnosis," he says.

Triebling says it is especially important for celiacs to conform to rigid dietary restrictions.

"I tell patients they cannot cheat their immune system ... sometimes minute amounts of gluten can bring on an immune response," he says. "And it's difficult because these (gluten-free) products are expensive. In Italy there are government subsidies so patients can afford these foods. At the same time, it is not harmful for non-gluten-intolerant family members to be the on same diet."

Saying the dreaded "D" word

Colleen Clarke, a personal chef in Erie, specializes in gluten-free cooking for families. She was diagnosed with celiac disease in early June. She believes the one in 133 figure is more accurate.

"My son, who is also celiac, loved chicken tenders and chocolate chip cookies," she says. "It was real hard for him to give them up."

He didn't have to for long. Clarke developed gluten-free recipes for both items.

"It's all about finding alternative solutions," she says.

Clarke's friend and fellow celiac, Melissa Degen, used her corporate buyout money to attend culinary school and install a new kitchen, the better to prepare meals in an uncontaminated environment. Now known as the The Gluten-Free Pastry Chef, she makes specialty desserts for her family, which includes two celiac children.

"They say the average onset of symptoms is 28, but I was 31 when I was diagnosed. We had difficulty having children and lost three to miscarriages. When I went back to the doctor and ticked off my symptoms, he said it sounded like celiac."

Within months of going on a gluten-free diet, Degen says, her bloating and knee pain stopped. To her joy, she became pregnant again. She now has a son with celiac disease. The entire family is gluten-free.

"I refused to give up chocolates, so I found a way to bake desserts," she says. "I could just live off of chocolate cake."

Meanwhile, Bowland, gluten-free for six years, says she's a different person since modifying her diet.

"When you're miserable your whole life, you can't imagine what it means to be able to feel good and eat good food," she says. "By eliminating the culprit, I was able to heal and restore my health.

"You miss gluten initially, but you don't want to go back because you know what will happen. I'm waiting for the day I can have a beef Wellington that is gluten-free. I'll definitely know we've arrived the day I walk into Starbucks and see a gluten-free muffin."

Learn more about about celiac disease from the Celiac Sprue Association/Denver Metro Chapter web site.

Thank you for sharing, i take it this was in yesterdays paper. I wish i would have known and i could have had my parents read it yesterday. I think i will print it off tho and send it to them. SOme of those recipes look good to.

It is nice to see articles. It seems i talk to so many people in colorado and they have no idea what im talking about. But many that i do talk to, say they are going to get on the internet and look it up. It will be nice when everyone knows what celiac is, i think things will be so much beter for everyone.

paula