My Summer Project

May 1st, 2011 | Posted by amy.camenisch in Blog - (0 Comments)

I will be completing my Honors Individual Project this summer! I will be researching Consumer Issues Related to Alternative Diets. I chose four diets to study: gluten-free, lactose-free, diabetic, and vegan. In June, I will be trying each diet for one week in order to experience firsthand the challenges that consumers face when they must eat a specific way.

I am interviewing people who are on these diets to learn some of their struggles and also get some tips for my attempt to eat like them! Of course, I won’t have any consequences for not following the diets, such as low or high blood sugar, high cholesterol, diarrhea, or nausea. But I will be very strict with myself and pretend as if I really do have celiac disease, diabetes, and such.

So, this month I am researching the diets, conducting interviews, and formatting easy cheat sheets for me to use when I’m following the diets so I can know at a glance what I can or can’t eat. I am super excited to find some recipes to try next month. I figured that if I want to be a successful counselor when I am a dietitian, I personally must have an idea of what it is like to be on a special diet.

So, stay tuned! On Sunday, May 29th, I will begin my Lactose-Free Week.

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Gluten Free Diets 101!

March 30th, 2011 | Posted by Trey Sanders in Blog - (2 Comments)

Have you heard about gluten free diets or know someone who has Celiac Disease? Below are the basics of how to live a gluten free lifestyle!

First thing’s first… what is Gluten? Gluten represents a generic word for storage proteins commonly found in grains. The type of gluten found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats (to a lesser extent) contain sequences of amino acids that are difficult for some people to break down (particularly those with Celiac Disease).

So, what does Gluten have to do with health? Gluten is most commonly associated with Celiac Disease, an inherited disease characterized by damage to the small intestine. When people with Celiac disease consume gluten, the protein sets off an autoimmune reaction in their small intestines. This causes the small intestine to lose its ability to absorb nutrients from food leading to malnutrition and other adverse effects. Eating a gluten free diet helps people with Celiac disease control their signs and symptoms as well as preventing complications!

How common is Celiac Disease? Approximately 1 in 133 people have Celiac Disease, but about 3% are actually diagnosed. The classic symptoms of Celiac disease include weight loss, diarrhea and nutritional deficiencies, common symptoms of malabsorption. These symptoms are commonly mistaken for other diseases, and the symptoms vary so widely that many Celiac patients do not present symptoms at all. This disease has a genetic predisposition and can present at any age.

So I’m at the grocery store… now what?!

Red Light: These grains contain gluten! Avoid any products containing these foods (see yellow light) unless stated as “Gluten-Free” Barley, Bulgur, Durham, Farina, Graham flour, Kamut, Matzo meal, Rye, Semolina, Spelt (a form of wheat), Triticale, Wheat.

Yellow Light: You must read the ingredient label to ensure gluten free status; otherwise avoid! Gluten Free Beers, Breads, Candies, Cakes, Pies, Cereals, Cookies, Crackers, Croutons, Gravies, Imitation meats or seafood, Oats (see note below), Pastas, Processed luncheon meats, Salad dressings, Sauces (including soy sauce), Self-basting poultry, Soups, Cottage cheese, Cream cheese, All pasteurized processed cheeses.

Green Light: These foods are naturally gluten-free! Amaranth, Arrowroot, Buckwheat, Corn, Cornmeal, Gluten-free flours (rice, soy, corn, potato, bean), Hominy grits, Polenta,Popcorn, Pure corn tortillas, Quinoa, Rice, Risotto, Tapioca, Artichoke, Beans, Potatoes, Chickpeas, Chestnuts, Acorns, Peas, Peanuts, Soy, Sweet Potato, Coffee, Tea, Carbonated Drinks, Fruit Juices, All hard cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, Parmesan, etc.), All Fruits, Vegetables, Meats, Poultry, and Fish prepared without the red light grains.

The thing about Oats: There are conflicting studies as to whether oats set off autoimmune reactions in Celiac patients. The amount of gluten found in oats are much less than those found in wheat, barley, and rye. This means that there is a possibility of a reaction when consuming oats, and that it will not cause effects in every Celiac patient. Limit your intake if you decide to consume oats!

For more information on Celiac Disease and Gluten Free diets, check out:

American Dietetic Association and locate an RD in your area with expertise in gluten-free

Celiac Disease Foundation

Celiac Spruce Association

As always, read the nutrition facts panel and watch your portion sizes! If following a Gluten Free diet, make sure your processed food has the trademark…

 

Eat Well & Eat Happy!

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Asthma linked to Celiac Disease

March 3rd, 2011 | Posted by Melissa Nodvin in Blog - (1 Comments)

Digestive disorders are becoming more well-known and more clients are coming into the office seeking gluten-free dietary help. Now with this new study linking Asthma with Celiac Disease, we will understand more about this disease and how dietary intervention helps with improving ones lifestyle. Here is the study summary reported by Reuters Health
People with the digestive disorder known as celiac disease are more likely to develop another disorder involving the immune system: asthma, according to a new study.

Specifically, a group of European researchers found that people with celiac disease were 60 percent more likely to develop asthma, relative to those without celiac.

Indeed, for every 100,000 people with celiac disease, 147 will have asthma that would not have occurred in the absence of the digestive disorder.

Those diagnosed with asthma were also more likely to eventually develop celiac disease, the authors report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Celiac disease is caused by an abnormal immune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and other foods. The reaction keeps sufferers from eating foods like cereal, pasta, cookies and beer.

It occurs in about 1 percent of the population, and can lead to severe health problems including low blood count, poor bone health, fatigue, and weight loss.

To investigate whether celiac had any association with asthma, Dr. Jonas Ludvigsson of Orebro University Hospital and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and colleagues compared more than 28,000 Swedes diagnosed with celiac to more than 140,000 similar people without the disease.

Ludvigsson cautioned that the study simply shows an association between the two diseases, not that one causes the other.

It’s also unclear, he added, what might explain the association. “Personally, I think the role of vitamin D deficiency should be stressed,” he told Reuters Health by email.

People with celiac are more likely to develop osteoporosis and tuberculosis, both diseases in which vitamin D plays a role. If a person with celiac also has low levels of vitamin D, this could in turn affect the immune system, which could increase the risk of developing asthma, Ludvigsson noted.

“Another potential mechanism could be that asthma and celiac disease share some immunological feature,” he added. “If you have it, you are at increased risk of both diseases.”

People diagnosed with celiac are advised to follow a gluten-free diet, and it’s not known whether the 28,000 people included in the study stuck to the diet or not, Ludvigsson added.

“Generally dietary compliance is high in Sweden, so I actually believe that also patients with good adherence are at increased risk of asthma,” he said.

SOURCE: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2011.
By Alison McCook

NEW YORK | Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:41am EST

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