Top Chefs Support Gluten-Free Living
The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Sponsors a Gluten-Free Cooking Spree
REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK By LINDSEY ELLERSON
May 9, 2007 —
Picture chefs in crisp whites, competing en masse in a dizzying display
of glimmering cutlery, simmering sauces, with the aroma of baked goods
permeating the air.
Now, imagine this culinary ballet without wheat flour.
Although the majority of us may scoff at the idea of tapioca
starch pie crust and potato flour cakes, for those with celiac disease
at the recent Gluten Free Cooking Spree in Washington, D.C., it was was
truly a movable feast.
Gluten Free Living
My personal experience with celiac disease involved only unprovoked
fainting spells that occurred periodically during my third year of
college while studying abroad in London.
After numerous unexplained episodes of passing out on the Tube,
at the Tower of London and while touring Trafalgar Square, I flew home
for some medical tests.
I soon learned I was so severely anemic that I would require a
blood transfusion if I wanted to return to England to complete the
semester. I remained in the United States and after three months of
dizziness, lack of energy and nausea, doctors were able to make the
diagnosis of celiac disease.
But for many, the illness lasts years, perhaps decades, before
a diagnosis can be reached, and often the consequences can be far more
serious.
If the disorder is not recognized, celiac disease can lead to
infertility, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, neurological disorders and several
additional autoimmune disorders, including diabetes, psoriasis and
liver disease.
Undoubtedly, the primary difficulty in treatment is the lack of awareness of celiac disease.
Gluten Free Cooking
At the event Friday, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
set out to maximize exposure of the disorder in all communities.
Doctors, members of the media and health care professionals
were challenged to engage in a fun-natured cooking competition using
all gluten free ingredients.
The highlight of the evening: devouring an exquisite feast made
without wheat, and therefore without the added worry of hidden gluten.
Awareness of food allergies has significantly increased in the
public arena. In fact, several chain restaurants will cater to the
special dietary needs of celiac patients.
At any Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill or P.F.
Chang's location, the staff not only knows what "gluten free" means,
but they offer a comprehensive menu closely labeled with options for
celiacs.
Similar strides have been made by food retailers. Since January
2006, the Food and Drug Administration has required that if food
products contain any ingredient derived from any of the eight major
allergens -- wheat, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts or
soy -- it must be labeled explicitly.
Although great progress has been made in research and
treatment, it's hoped the Gluten Free Cooking Spree will provide an
impetus for additional and continued advancement in food-producing
practices and restaurant service, as well as inspire medical
professionals to become more educated about celiac disease.
Celiac Awareness Month
May has been named Celiac Awareness Month by the National Foundation
for Celiac Awareness, and the Gluten Free Cooking Spree Friday served
as a grand initiation.
Doctors, reporters and top Washington chefs flocked to the
event to learn more about celiac disease and create a night to remember
for those of us who are affected by the condition.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that impairs digestion and absorption in the small intestine.
According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, it is
"a disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with
absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease
cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, rye,
and barley."
If gluten exposure is prolonged, the small hairlike villi of
the small intestine are destroyed via an immune attack, preventing the
absorption of any nutrients or vitamins.
An estimated 3 million people in the United States have celiac
disease, however, 97 percent of those afflicted are not aware that
their symptoms are related to the disorder. This is because the disease
manifests itself in numerous ways, making it challenging to diagnose.
Symptoms, which vary from abdominal pain and bloating,
diarrhea, muscle cramps, reproductive problems, behavioral changes,
skin rashes, fatigue and anemia, often make it difficult to relate
directly to celiac disease.
For more information on celiac disease, or to attend a NCFA cooking spree in your area, log on to http://www.celiaccentral.org.
