If you are one of those persons trying to purchase our Gluten-Free and Wheat-Free Gourmet Desserts books, we must apologize for being out of stock temporarily. This is a situation that will be rectified soon, and once we are able to start fulfilling orders again, we will run a nice sale to show our appreciation for patient buyers.

I posted a brief article back in March of 2009 here on the Gluten-Free Blog about the impending release of the General Mills reformulated Chex cereals that were publicized and labeled (quite clearly) as Gluten-Free, with same great taste as before GF. Since then, those products (which include Gluten-Free Corn Chex and Rice Chex, Gluten-Free Cinnamon Chex, Gluten-Free Strawberry Chex, and Gluten-Free Honey Nut Chex and even Chocolate Chex) have been released and are available in store.

But, there has been quite a controversy about whether these Chex products are truly "gluten-free" as advertised -- at least, there sure has been a lot of discussion alleging the presence of gluten in these new "gluten-free Chex" per the comments people have posted on my original blog entry over the past year; and, I have even received Emails detailing similar concerns and allegations that people have felt compelled to send out in wide-dispersal to myself and anyone else in the gluten-free community (in hopes we would post their GF disbelief on our sites apparently).

So, what to make of all this?

IS THERE Gluten still in Chex Cereals?
It is quite apparent that more than a few people think Chex cereals, regardless of their "gluten-free" emblazoned box-covers, are somehow "poisoned" with gluten -- perhaps there is something gluten-related going on here, or perhaps it is something else.

Why do I say this?

Well, my wife can eat all the gluten she wants (i.e., she does NOT have Celiac disease or anything), but yet she can not eat the Chex products because they have repeatedly caused her to experience all sorts of stomach / GI discomfort. I also found that, although I can tolerate some of the Chex cereals, if I eat them for any length of time, they cause me GI issues too.

Well, MY issues can be explained by potential gluten, but my WIFE's issues cannot. We started experimenting... and, given how simplistic the Rice Chex ingredients are (rice, sugar, salt, molasses, and Vitamin-E and BHT for preservatives, there was only one potential culprit besides (alleged) gluten contamination to investigate: BHT (the artificial preservative).

A Simple Experiment:
We tried a few other food items that are otherwise gluten-free but contain the preservative BHT, and have had the same issues with those other products as well.

So, this is ONLY a wild guess, but is it possible that what people, or at lease *some* people, are taking to be a "gluten reaction" is perhaps a reaction to the darn BHT companies use "to preserve freshness" in their products? I have found that MY body despises the stuff, and that my wife's body definitely disagrees with BHT as well (and she is NOT sensitive to gluten - she can eat as much normal wheat-based pasta and bread as she desires without any issue). This may or may not be what is to blame for what some are assuming to be a "gluten reaction", but no matter what, the chemical causes issues for my wife and I.

Bottom line:
I tend to try to deal with things in, as best as possible, a more scientific approach and not just draw conclusions, regardless of the fact that the obvious conclusion we Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free types would draw if we present with a reaction to a particular food: that there is potential gluten-contamination in that food (be it Chex or any other products that lead to a "reaction"). But, when a product is supposed to be gluten-free, I can not help wondering what exactly is going on. Without the rigor of scientifically valid double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, it really is hard to pinpoint, with exactitude, the true cause of some things.

Note: given the comments left on my prior blog about Gluten-Free Chex products, before arguing how you just "know" there is gluten in a product based on your body's reactions, I am not saying that you are wrong... I am just saying that true "proof" must be demonstrable in a more rigorous setting if that proof is to be taken as fact by everyone else. I have, on many occasions, suspected a particular item I consumed contained gluten, just based on symptoms I had following ingestion -- but, I have also, on multiple occasions, done my best to perform a "double-blind", or even triple-blind, on the same item (ESPECIALLY if it *should* be completely gluten-free), separating such experimentation by substantial periods of time, and even with the exact same box/can/jar/etc, with outcomes that have proven some things to be completely safe that I previously suspected as "contaminated". Sure, my sensitivity to gluten may vary over time, or vary when consumed items are combined differently with other dietary intake, or be explained by a multitude of other things, but my approach has worked rather well for me. I also will not put myself at risk of substantial harm doing such experiments either: if I have a really bad reaction to something and I know with reasonable certainty what the culprit is, it is gone for good.

In the end, the only thing that truly matters is making sure that what you choose to eat does not cause you harm. I personally want to know exactly what is to blame for any such harm, whenever it is possible.

Just my thoughts. m.

PS: sorry about the infrequency of my gluten-free blogs of recent. Things have become incredibly busy in my life, but that is yet another blog to come (hopefully soon - when I have time!)

We tend to keep a few gallons of distilled water on hand for things like the coffee-maker and similar uses, but I think we may just have given up on buying the gallon jugs of distilled water for good: the price is ridiculous!

Thankfully I do not "need" distilled water for my gluten-free recipes or drinking water, as we have seen the price rise from a low of two gallons for 99-cents just 2 or 3 years back, to 68-cents/gallon last year, and now to a new unbelievable high of 88-cents per gallon (and, this is all comparisons of WalMart prices). OUCH!

This last move from 68-to-88 cents/gallon represents an annual inflation rate of 30-percent! Or, the move from 50-cents to 88-cents, though over a few years, represents compound annual inflation of 20-percent (for 3 years). And yet, the government publishes CPI (Consumer Price Index) information claiming there is zero inflation (actually, they claimed it was negative inflation the past year). Part of that "zero inflation" bunk is due to how they keep excluding the "volatile food and energy" category, which affects a lot of us substantially, from the CPI, so that we (i.e., the government) can paint a rosy picture of negligible inflation to match the negligible (or negative) wage growth.

Perhaps I should have posted this gluten-free blog entry over on my other Financial and Technology Blog instead, but I find that this food and energy inflation directly affects my gluten-free life as I watch prices soar on most everything in my diet, while the government proclaims flat-line inflation. This is exactly why we tend to bake and cook nearly all our own foods -- we do not often purchase pre-made gluten-free items, aside from gluten-free snack foods and gluten-free beer that I should perhaps cut back on anyhow; lol. And, we also grow a lot of our own vegetables already; something that we need to ramp up even further in the coming years to keep costs down.

All of this would be less upsetting if there was some way to earn a return (on investments) that could equal the inflation in daily products. But, the same government CPI number that says we have essentially-zero inflation is also used to ensure the government pays you zero on investments in their own debt-instruments too: e.g., "I-Bonds" (i.e., inflation protected bonds), which are now quite literally paying ZERO because the supposed inflation rate the last 6-12 months was negative. Good luck making up for that distilled-water price-increase with I-Bond "earnings"! And, we all know what savings-rates and CD-rates in the bank are like... surely nothing near 20% annual to match my distilled-water price increase! Arghghgh!

The bottom line: there must be some significant supply/demand imbalance going on somewhere in the "food chain" (or water chain) to justify these prices. I realize energy prices directly affect the manufacture (i.e., distillation) of water, but 20% increase every year?? I want to source as much of my own gluten-free diet products as possible, but just in case I decide I want some affordable distilled water to go with what we grow, cook, and bake, I need to find a good affordable solar-powered water-distillation unit or some such thing. :)

Are Vitamins the Cure for Celiac Disease? Well, perhaps not a cure, but they sure may help avoid some of the problems that may otherwise arise from Celiac Disease, according to the results of a 2009 research team in the Netherlands that investigated the effect of vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 daily supplements on homocysteine levels in patients with coeliac disease. The results were VERY encouraging (in my opinion, at least), and suggestive of some protective and/or healing-helping functions directly enabled or extended by these B-Vitamins.

The study did a side-by-side comparison of those with coeliac disease to "healthy control individuals" (i.e., those without Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance), and the findings were quite clearly in favor of encouraging B-Vitamin use among Celiac patients - especially B6 and Folate (oddly enough, this study did not result in a correlation between B12 consumption and a reduction in homocysteine levels that other studies have):

They found that patients with celiac disease and using vitamin supplements had higher serum vitamin B6 (P = 0.003), folate (P < p =" 0.012)" p =" 0.035," p =" 0.007," style="font-weight: bold;">Lower plasma homocysteine levels were found in patients using vitamin supplements than in patients who did not (P = 0.001) or healthy controls (P = 0.003). However, vitamin B6 and folate, not vitamin B12, were significantly and independently associated with homo-cysteine levels.

Well, we need to keep in mind here that the study was about homocysteine levels in patients with Celiac, and the effect of vitamin-dosing on those levels. And I forgot to mention that the reason that lower homocysteine levels are important (in general): above-normal homocysteine levels are correlated as strong risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Thus, in theory, lowering your homocysteine levels is a good thing if you want to avoid cardiovascular problems.

The study's findings about a lesser correlation between Vitamin B-12 and homocysteine levels goes against some other studies I have read about B-12 being effective for homocysteine lowering (in the normal population), but perhaps it is less of the direct-cause for high-homocysteine levels in Celiac patients particularly? I do not know, but I will still take my large doses of Vitamin-B12 regardless, as they make me feel better. (See my prior Gluten-Free Blog post on getting B12 to absorb well, without B12 shots, by taking sublingual B12 - i.e., under-the-tongue B12)

Now, for a final bit of science / techie conclusion quoted from the study-excerpt I read, here is the summary statement of why B-Vitamins / Folate is a good thing for us Gluten-Free folks:

The study demonstrates in agreement with earlier findings, that both the presence and the severity of coeliac disease were determinants of homocysteine levels. The regular use of B vitamin supplements was associated with higher serum vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 and lower plasma homocysteine levels in patients with coeliac disease. Furthermore, B vitamin supplements seem to have a protective role against the effect of villous atrophy on homocysteine levels, irrespective to the genetic susceptibility status as manifested by carrying the C677T polymorphism of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase.

I want my villi protected! :)

OK, so it is perhaps time to make sure you take some B-vitamins as part of your daily routine. As always though, consult with a doctor about large doses of vitamins, folate, etc... there really CAN be side-effects with some. Vitamin B-6 for example, in large doses, can lead to some types of neuropathy (i.e., numbness in hands/feet) and other nerve problems that you likely do not want. The only vitamin in this study that is nearly completely safe at extremely high doses (as a multiple of "RDA") is Vitamin B-12, but I will leave the dosing up to you and your doctor regardless.

Note: the excerpt I was reading was from here.

[by Mike] There is nothing quite like experiencing the warmth and hospitality of kind neighbors. In this case, our new neighbors (the local Mennonite family that owns Trickling Springs Country Store on a farm down the street), made an early morning delivery that was most wonderful -- they surprised us with a treat of Fresh Sweet Corn on our doorstep, completely unexpected.

I woke up early, opened the front door, and there on the steps was a bag of 14 ears of corn. The only reason I knew it was from the family about 1/4 mile down the road is that, when my wife and I stopped by their little country store to shop for fruits, veggies, cheese, and a few other items the day prior, we asked about the availability of sweet corn in the area and were told that this year they had not planted any for resale at their store, but had planted only what they wanted for their own consumption. I asked if they knew anyone else within a mile or two that was selling any sweet corn to the public this year, and they did not know of anyone that close.

So, it seems our inquiries about Sweet Corn gave the neighbors all of the clues needed to know that we really, really enjoy fresh sweet corn. And, in an act of complete selfless kindness, they decided to surprise us by reallocating some of their own supply to us. Thank you neighbors! And, this corn was absolutely awesome - fresh, delicious, sweet, and satisfying! (I hope we can grow some of our own next year too!)

Now, I feel the desire to bake them something from our Gluten-Free Desserts cookbook in return, as soon as we do some "research" to probe for what type of desserts they may like -- perhaps a nice Carrot Cake, Chocolate Cake, or even a Cheesecake? Well, we will have our work cut out for us... and, there are a few children at their farm location to gather dessert feedback from too. Speaking of farms...

Our New "Garden" (aka: Farm)

Here are a couple pictures of our new yard / garden / farm looking off our deck. There is a bit of overgrowth to say the least -- we did not have time to give the new "garden" the weeding it deserved as we were busy moving and all. And, much of the area is planted in soybeans currently (another gluten-free wonder-crop used in so many products these days), though we hope to slowly change that over to a wider variety of more specialized gluten-free grains, vegetables, and fruits over the coming years. (even some of that sweet-corn mentioned earlier)

Iin case you are wondering, no *we* did not plant the soybeans -- some local Mennonite farmer rented the "extra" space from us this year to raise soybeans on until we can get going with our ultimate wheat-free and gluten-free plans. We talked to him about potentially planting things like Teff, Millet, Sorghum, and so on for us in upcoming planting seasons, and it sounds like he may be able to help... sure beats trying to plant by hand -- his tractor and equipment will come in handy, though it sounds like we may need to acquire some seeders suitable to different grain sizes (I really have no idea what is involved yet; this is going to be a big, ongoing, learning process!)


As you can see, we will have our work cut our for us in the years to come. But, along with the work comes all sorts of benefits like: peace and quiet here (it is so totally quiet at night that it is hard to believe there is anyone within a mile or two), a nice view (right now, that view is green, green, green, all around as far as you can see), and room to just walk around and enjoy the great outdoors too. I guess we could also host a party for hundreds out on the lawn if we had to. lol.

Time to get back to some kitchen remodeling now, as we are transforming the baking area into something more conducive to creating more gluten-free desserts and other gluten-free foods. I hope to get this done soon, as we feel a bit out of place without the kitchen from our old house, and need a preparation area that fits our cooking and baking style. And, I also need to get Nick to write some more reviews, but he seems to have gotten busy with taking some College courses now too.

The Quest for a Guest-Author...
[Mike] I have been facing a rather substantial (and growing) backlog of gluten-free blog topics including gluten-free and wheat-free product-reviews, recipes, baking discussions, news, etc. My "to-do" list really started expanding, coincidentally, with the purchase of the new property (that includes ample farmland for our gluten-free produce and grains), and I have been overwhelmed with the work surrounding getting our prior home sold, changing address, moving, and so on.

To alleviate the backlog and start getting the Gluten-Free blogging back on track quicker, I have been searching for some assistance with all those product reviews and the like. I decided it would also be helpful if I could find someone that could offer a fair comparison between "real" (gluten / wheat containing) foods and the gluten-free counterparts.

Introducing our Guest Author: Nick Pacione
As fate would have it, my quest was fulfilled when I recently encountered a perfect guest-author candidate for the Gluten-Free Blog while attending a party at a relative's house. It turns out that, although Nick still consumes that (evil) Gluten substance all too regularly, he highly suspects that it may be causing him some issues. He also realizes that, if he has confirmed Celiac Disease, he needs to fully eliminate gluten from his diet quite soon.

So Nick and I got to talking more about the subject of food allergies and diets, and his desire to learn more about Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, and gluten-free / wheat-free diets in particular,... I could not help but notice that he showed promise as a blogging protege (not to mention a prospective software developer — which is another story altogether, but may ultimately be connected to this story as he can perhaps take on some web-site development for our cookbook business, the gluten-free news aggregator site, and more).

One "qualification" Nick Pacione brings to the table (quite literally) is his recent consumption of both "normal" and gluten-free foods. Ultimately he may well migrate to a totally gluten-free diet if it turns out that he has Celiac Disease or substantial gluten-intolerance, but in the mean time, he is able (and/or willing) to ingest enough of what would be toxic to us GF folks in order to make direct side-by-side comparisons of "real" foods to the gluten-free counterparts. I personally do not have this option, and have not for quite a few years thanks to Celiac Disease, and at times I wonder if my memories of "real" versions of breads, pizza, beer, cookies, cakes, and so on are still accurate; and, Nick will be able to lend validity here with up-to-date comparative experience.

So, without further delay, I will let Nick take over and give a brief autobiographical introduction before he writes his first gluten-free product review series. We will see how this goes, and what kind of reception his blogging gets, and with luck, this will produce a nice addition to The Gluten-Free Blog for a while!

Nick's Self-Intro...

[Nick] Greetings everyone! My name is Nick Pacione and you’re probably wondering who I am and why – of all things – am I BLOGGING about gluten-free products and related topics, especially if I still consume foods containing gluten?

Well, for starters I am a 34 year old Midwestern guy that – although undiagnosed – may have an allergy to gluten. In fact, I’m quite sure I have Celiac Disease, but I have yet to go through the whole ‘white coat and a ton of guess-work’ routine with any physician. As you may have guessed, I’m still able to eat most non GF foods with varying degrees of discomfort.

As fate would have it, I was recently pursuing employment with a software development company (Intersoft Development, Inc. — Mike Eberhart's company) in the Cleveland, Ohio area; and, though I am still in "probation mode" as I prove that I have, or can develop, the skills needed to be an integral part of his software firm, it turns out my potential future boss just happens to have Celiac Disease.

Being a fellow blogger and someone who really enjoys writing, Mike told me to take a peek at his blog and see if I would like to research some GF products and author some brief product review(s) as I let my taste buds compare/contrast those GF items with your everyday, non-GF products.

Needless to say, I was hooked after trying – of all things – Gluten-free beer. So here I am, very enthusiastic about trying these Celiac-friendly products, and prepared to post my findings here on the Gluten-Free Blog for all to read.

Get ready for my first series of posts: a gluten-free beer roundup as judged by someone recently familiar with a variety of "real" specialty beers. I plan to soon thereafter move onto reviews of everyday gluten-free treats including pretzels, cookies, soups, and many more (Mike has a list a mile long that he wants me to review!)

So sit back, read on, and I hope you enjoy my subsequent and soon-to-follow blog posts.

--
Nick Pacione

We have been showing our house to prospective buyers recently, and quite often when we reach the basement portion of the house-tour, the stacks of Gluten-Free Dessert Recipe books on the large commercial-duty shelving gets attention. This leads to a quick discussion along the lines of "what gluten-free is" and so on.

One major misconception that people have about gluten-free / Celiac disease diets is that it is just "flour" (i.e., white wheat flour) that must be avoided. So, I quickly enumerate the wheat, barley, and rye, as well as any derivation thereof. Then comes a discussion along the lines of "what can you eat then?" and so on.

Yesterday, a couple of nice ladies that were really interested in the house for the kitchen (fellow cooking aficionados it seems!) commented something to the effect that I must be limited to just baking with rice flour due to the Celiac Disease, at which point I started listing a whole host of additional gluten-free grains/flours and the like that we bake with (both in our cookbook recipes, and in our day-to-day cooking and baking). After browsing through our Gluten-Free Desserts cookbook, I think they got the idea, and quickly noticed that we (gluten-free types) have all sorts of variety and can bake and consume everything from cookies to cakes to cheesecakes and pies, and so on.

After presenting a "gluten-free grains quick list" to a various people over the past couple weeks, it struck me how much more VARIETY we Celiac and gluten-free diet types have when it comes to our daily flours and grains as compared to the "normal" (i.e., wheat-eating) population. The typical American diet is rather narrowly focused around processed white flour (wheat-based), and some occasional whole-wheat flour, and some corn starch perhaps.

But, here is what we Celiac Disease and gluten-free consumers have at our disposal and use regularly (or, can use regularly if we choose) for our flours of choice:

• Rice
• Corn
• Potato
• Teff
• Sorghum
• Amaranth
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Chia Seed
  
• Various bean-flours
• Squash flours (e.g., pumpkin)
• Cinnamon, Cocoa, and other spices (that I use in large quantities like flour when desired)
  
• and many more...

In addition, it seems that we are more likely (as a group of bakers / dieters) to know about other alternatives like Agave Nectar for sweetener, and whey-protein for binders, and so on.

So, whenever I encounter the theme of "living without" (with regards to living without gluten), I can not help thinking that perhaps it is the rest of the population that is living without -- without the variety of grains, flours, and ingredients that one may otherwise never encounter or experience unless essentially "forced" (by Celiac Disease, gluten-intolerance, autism, what have you...) to try all these great alternatives to "normal" flour.

Happy variety-filled baking everyone! (and, Happy Fourth-of-July too!)