Author: Cheryl Harris

It’s been a busy month for me, between an intensive mindfulness practicum, teaching Mindful eating & Nourishment to grad students at Maryland University of Integrative Health,  and ongoing work on a training program through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to educate nutritional professions across the US on Celiac disease & gluten-related disorders. I’m excited to have the honor to teach, and it will hopefully roll out in late 2016 or early 2017.

So this newsletter is short, but on a topic near and dear to my heart—Celiac disease and depression. At Digestive Disorders Week 2016 held at the end of May 2016, researchers presented new evidence that the majority teens with Celiac met criteria for major depressive disorder. Again, not just that some teens with Celiac have depression, but MOST. And major depressive disorder isn’t just your garden-variety of typical teen moodiness. Generally, it’s defined by symptoms that have a big impact on quality of life.

This certainly isn’t the first study that links mood issues with Celiac, but the first to show that they’re extremely common. That’s shocking, and should be a real call to action on screening for depression…especially for teens with Celiac.

Although this research is specific to Celiac and not gluten sensitivity more broadly, both Celiac and gluten sensitivity have been linked to both depression and range of other mood disorders in other studies, and this is a good overview.

DC Gluten-Free Expo

Coincidentally, it’s also that time of year for the annual DC Gluten-Free expo, which is June 12^th, 2016. There are tons of gluten-free vendors, food, and a range of activities, Best of all, the funds support the Children’s National Celiac Center in DC. It usually sells out, so if you’re thinking of going, you might want to hop over and look for tickets ASAP. One of the unique aspects of the Celiac Disease Center at Children’s is their emphasis on the psychological needs of children and teens with Celiac, and they do have trained professionals on staff to provide this support. My understanding is that they are the first program in the country to have a pediatric Celiac center with a specific focus on mental and emotional health, which is pretty awesome.

I have no involvement in the programs at Children’s, but I’m a huge fan of their mission, and I believe we’re lucky to have a Celiac center in the DC metro area.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax & Alexandria, VA.  She helps people with a range of dietary issues, including Celiac Disease, GI issues, food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

Locally grown resources, Farmers’ Markets, Farms & CSAs and note to BCBS clients

I’m a huge fan of growing some of my own veggies and herbs when possible, because it’s so much fun to see them grow. We’ve lived in several different spots in Virginia, and my gardens have ranged from small gardens in containers to much larger spaces.  Of course, the deer have sometimes used the garden as a buffet, and space can be an issue in this area, too. I’m lucky enough to have a garden bed this year, but also have a few things in Earth boxes, which are wonderful in places with more limited space. The picture above is kale and broccoli starts I planted a few weeks ago, and they’re huge already. There are also local community garden plots, and this link has listings in the DC Metro area.

Gardens are a great way to get sunshine, exercise, and some yummy food, if you’re lucky. It’s also great for kids to get them interested in fresh foods.

If growing simply isn’t possible, or if you’re looking to supplement your garden, May is when most of the Farmers’ Markets start to open. While most of the fruits and veggies won’t be around until June or July, we got to enjoy the 1st asparagus of the season.

Farmers’ Markets

• City of Alexandria Farmer’s Markets
• Fairfax county Farmer’s Markets
• Arlington Farmer’s Market
• Listing of NoVA Markets from Northern Virginia Magazine
• Nationwide listing of USDA Farmer’s Markets

Whether you have a nice big garden or even just an available window, it’s a great time to get growing. Even a sunny window should work for herbs like basil.

Organic Grocery Delivery Services

Both offer boxes of local, seasonal veggies and fruit

• Washington’s Green Grocer—http://www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com/Delivers organic fruits, veggies and herbs to DC, VA and MD
• Hungry Harvest http://www.hungryharvest.net/ local produce boxes delivered to the DC area. Bonus–helps feed the hungry! Down side–not yet available in all of N. VA (thanks, Jonathan!)

Did I miss any of your favorites? Leave me a comment!

Note to BCBS clients:
As of June 2016, I’m formally ending my contract for BCBS. While I’ll still be seeing clients, including BCBS clients, I’ll be  an out-of-network provider. It’s been a difficult decision for me. In brief, after many months and many requests, BCBS claims from December and January (6 months ago) are still unpaid. I love my job; I also expect to be compensated for work without ongoing battles. Longer version here, and if you have questions, do feel free to contact me directly.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax & Alexandria, VA.  She helps people with a range of dietary issues, including Celiac Disease, GI issues, food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

There has been so much research and new articles related to living gluten-free lately. Here’s an overview of some of the highlights!

Gut bugs & Celiac/autoimmune disease
Dr. Fasano and Dr. Leonard have a fascinating article on the potential for using the microbiome (our gut bacteria) to possibly prevent Celiac disease. No shockers here—as of yet, there are no answers, but a lot of great questions.
A bit more user friendly: There’s also a podcast with Dr. Fasano that covers using nutrition to shape the gut microbiome and how that (possibly) impacts autoimmunity

Sourdough bread—still a “no”
There’s been a recent burst of interest in using sourdough bread on a gluten-free diet because of widely-circulated comments from author Michael Pollan. Unfortunately, it’s not based in science. I did a review of the studies a few years back, and the same conclusions hold. There’s promise in theory, but in practice, it’s not safe. Testing from Gluten Free Watchdog on “Sourdough for Celiacs” shows that one kind of “safe” bread tested at 104,000 ppm of gluten. (gluten-free is under 20ppm, so it’s not even in the ballpark)
Moral of the story—if you need or love your sourdough, make it or buy it with gluten-free grains and you’re good to go.

Gluten-free oats
Those of you who have been gluten-free for a long time remember that way back in the day, oats were not allowed on a gluten-free diet. Then ~7-8 years ago, special gluten-free oats came on the scene. They were grown on special fields, with special equipment, they were specially tested…you get the idea. In the last year or so, however, more and more oats are grown on regular fields, and then a new technique called optical sorting is used to remove the gluten. That’s the process used for Cheerios, and as I’ve mentioned before, the concern is that “your mileage may vary” as to the accuracy.
Earlier this year, a purity protocol farmer announced that they were delaying their planting. There’s a real logic there. If the market for purity protocol, certified GF oats disappears, and there’s additional cost involved, why should they bother? So if you value having gluten-free oats that you can be sure are 100% gluten-free, buy from companies that are taking extra steps to ensure safety.
GFE has a nice summary of the oats situation.

Passover
And as some of you know, Passover is just around the corner, starting on April 22nd. Obviously there are some people who celebrate the holiday, while others celebrate the larger range of gluten-free foods available. I’ve got details on Passover here.

Paleo benefits?
Many in the gluten-free community follow a Paleo diet. There’s much speculation, lots of strong feelings on the topic, but few studies available. However,  new data was just presented showing that after 2 years, people on a Paleo diet lost the same amount of weight as people on a low fat diet, but insulin (blood sugar) levels were better for the Paleo group. Interesting, for sure, and to be continued…

Note to BCBS clients:
As of June 2016, I’ll be an out-of-network provider for BCBS. In brief, after many months and many requests, BCBS claims from months ago are still unpaid. It’s been a difficult decision for me. I love my job, but I cannot afford the time, energy and money for an ongoing battle with BCBS. Longer version here.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax & Alexandria, VA.  She helps people with a range of dietary issues, including Celiac Disease, GI issues, food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

Over the past few years, the low FODMAP diet is getting some good press. There’s a growing amount of research supporting it for people with tummy troubles of all sorts, especially IBS or IBD (Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis) and SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). Reducing these FODMAPs help about 75% of people with IBS problems. Obviously, this is a major help for many people who experience ongoing gastrointestinal distress.

But what’s a FODMAP, anyhow? FODMAP is acronym abbreviation for Fermentable Oligosaccarides, Disaccarides, Monosaccarides and Polyols. Unless you’re a food scientist, that likely means very little. In a nutshell, FODMAPs are carbs that certain people have trouble digesting, so they ferment in the gut and can cause all sorts of obnoxious symptoms, like gas, bloating, diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and even constipation. Many different kinds of foods are high in FODMAPs, such as wheat, beans, garlic and onions, and many kinds of fruits and veggies.

Wait, wait, what? So now fruit, garlic and beans are bad for you? Thankfully, no. Foods with FODMAPs are not “bad” or unhealthy foods, just foods that can provoke symptoms in some people. For people without digestive distress, FODMAPs may feed good bacteria and support overall health. A low FODMAP diet is an elimination diet designed for GI symptom management, rather than something that’s globally healthier for everyone. Once people start feeling better, it’s all about adding foods back and making the diet as wide and varied as possible.

When I first started teaching the low FODMAP diet years ago, I was dubious, because it is a lot of work. The good news is I’ve been amazed and delighted at how much a low FODMAP diet helps reduce symptoms in clients I’ve worked with. Interestingly, studies have suggested that some people with stomach issues that have learned over time that they are gluten sensitive actually respond more fully to a low FODMAP diet than just a gluten-free diet. There’s speculation that for some, the key problematic component in wheat isn’t really gluten, but a fermentable carb called fructans. And of course, the research is still underway.

How it works: we do an elimination diet where the main sources of FODMAPs are eliminated, and that means eating “allowed” foods in allowed amounts for a few weeks. Most people notice significant improvement, even in the first week or two. Then we begin a structured reintroduction to see which classes or kinds of FODMAPs are actually triggering a reaction. The goal at the end of the day, of course, is to minimize symptoms while keeping as many foods on the table as possible.

One word of caution–between the complexity foods allowed and disallowed, the quantity and spacing and the many incomplete lists on the Internet, I often find people have spent a lot of time and energy trying to follow the diet and either miss something important or overly restrict. I’d definitely recommend getting support from someone who works extensively with the low FODMAP diet.

There are a couple of great books & resources to get you started:

• IBS Free at Last (2^nd edition) by Patsy Catsos, MS, RD
• The Complete Low-FODMAP Diet: A Revolutionary Plan for Managing IBS and Other Digestive Disorders by Sue Shepherd, PhD, RD and Peter Gibson, MD
• Flavor without FODMAPs: Love the foods that love you back, by Patsy Catsos, MS, RD
• Kate Scarlata’s blog is fantastic, and has many great resources

• Got a smart phone? Look for the Monash University “Stop light” app
• Simply Gluten Free Mag printed an article I wrote on Low FODMAP last year that can help you get a better sense of the diet

• And for area nutritionists, the Virginia AND’s Annual Conference in April will have a workshop from Patsy Catsos, who is a fantastic teacher.

News:

• A new study is out on Crohn’s, birth control and rates of surgery
• Many people have IBS and migraines. A new study shows that the link might be genetic.
• A new study gives hope for preventing food allergies by introducing microscopic amounts of foods to babies.
• Love Simply Gluten-Free Magazine? In addition to articles from yours truly, there are always great recipes and photos. For the month of March, a subscription is $6 off, with the coupon 6OFF (all caps)

Nutrition professionals: I’ll be teaching Gluten-Free and Healthy on March 10^th, 2016 from 2-4pm EST. It’s always a fun and interactive class.

We’ll be hitting key topics, like nutrients often missing on a GFD, and also touching on the latest research and controversies on a gluten-free diet, such as arsenic, how a GFD affects athletes, the impact on weight, cardiovascular health, and much more! For more info and to sign up, see Dietitian Central.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax & Alexandria, VA.  She helps people with a range of dietary issues, including Celiac Disease, GI issues, food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

First things first–Valentine’s day candy list here from CDF. 

Valentine’s day was one of my favorite holidays growing up, and not much has changed. An annual tradition is Tuxedoed Strawberries, and there’s still time to make these for your favorite someone (this includes yourself of course!)

Another annual favorite: Hazelnut Buttercups

A bunch of my other favorite recipes are here, and there are great V-day GF roundups from

• Gluten Free Easily
• Gluten Free Homemaker
• Good Housekeeping
• Simply Gluten Free
• and Gluten Free, Vegan options from Ricki Heller

Looking for somewhere to go with your Valentine? Wildfire in Tyson’s is doing a special GF Valentine’s dinner

Interesting news:

• WaPo did a review on G-free dishes to try in DC.
• Zonulin as a marker for gluten sensitivity?
• The list of products labeled gluten-free that contain gluten is growing, including Bosco’s Chocolate syrup, Burt’s Guinness Chips and more. Many, many thanks to Gluten Free Watchdog for their tireless advocacy.

Also, I’ll be teaching “Gluten-Free and Healthy”, a 2 hour CE course for Nutritionists & Registered Dietitians on March 10th 2-4 EST. We’ll be covering all the nutritional deficiencies and excesses typically seen, preparation of gluten-free grains,  touching on arsenic, using a GFD for sports performance and much more. To register, see Dietitian Central.

Harris Whole Health offers individual sessions, family sessions and group classes to help people eat healthier and feel better! Cheryl works with people to feel and look their best with a range of specialties, including Celiac Disease, food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals. For an appointment with Cheryl Harris, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist, please click here, email or call 571-271-8742.

• Healthy habits
• Gluten in product labeled GF
• G-Free webinar for nutrition pros w/CEs

It’s that time of year where when resolutions start falling off. We want to start exercising, eating right, drinking more water and using more recycled bags to the store. I’m sure many of you have set resolutions or even goals, and unless there’s a very strong motivation, it’s difficult to keep those changes. As a nutritionist and coach, here are a few things I’d encourage you to consider:

1. Why is this super-wonderful new habit really important to you now?

Knowing your motivation is a powerful thing, and can help you build in structure to stay focused on what you value most. When I see clients, one my first questions is what they’re hoping to accomplish. When the answer is “Because Dr. So and so says so” or “I know I really should” or “It would make XXX happy” it’s a big red flag and we have to dig deeper and develop personally meaningful goals.

2.    What is your baseline?

Often we don’t have a good sense of our current habits. Many people report eating veggies every day or only occasionally going on a Starbucks run, but when they record their food for a few weeks, it becomes clear that the reality is quite a bit different. I definitely recommend keeping track of food, exercise or other habits the old fashioned way with pen and paper, on a website like www.sparkpeople.com,  or www.nutritiondata.com or on an app like My Fitness Pal or Lose it. In fact, tracking your food is one of the top recommendations from the National Weight Control registry.

3.     How much are you eating?

Take a look at those two pictures. Which has more food? Actually, it’s the very same food, photographed on a 11 inch plate on the left and a 9 inch plate on the right. Research shows we eat about 30% on the bigger plate. Amazing how much of a difference small choices in our environment can make! We live in a super-sized culture, and almost all of us fall prey to the ginormous sizes we see all around us. Studies show that everything from portion sizes to plates to colors or even names of food dramatically change our intake, and often small tweaks can significantly change our behaviors. If you haven’t read Brian Wansink’s Mindless Eating, it’s a fantastic read with a nice mix of research and easy tools to incorporate in your daily routine.

4.   How mindful are you?

Most of us live pretty distracted lives–and places like buffets and restaurants make it worse. Seinfeld actually had a funny monologue on it last week!

If we’re not paying attention to our life, we’re missing out on the fun! It’s easy to eat while checking email, watching TV, or even driving, and that cuts down on our awareness of portion and on our enjoyment of food. When we’re eating mindfully, we’re much more aware of hunger and fullness, and it’s much easier to stop eating because we’re full than because we’re only allowed a certain amount. Additionally, mindfulness has a huge range of health benefits, from improving depression, to blood pressure, to immunity to diabetes and much more. I’ve got a lot of the research on the benefits of mindful eating here.

5.   Do you have support?

Generally, healthy habits take a village. It’s easier to get up on those cold, dark mornings when you’re meeting a friend or you’ve got a four-legged friend who wants to go for a run. Likewise, it’s easier to eat well with support than constantly seeing tempting foods that are off-limits. It’s critical to build in support in person or online for a sense of accountability.

6. How are you managing work/life balance and stress?

The Washington Post did featured some of my eating tips in an article on reducing stress for the holidays. The tips do apply for any and every season, though, and most of us need some fine-tuning with the juggling.

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Warning: Aldi’s not very”gluten-free” bars

Aldi’s has some gluten-free bars available, which should, in theory, be a good thing. I mean, having more availability of gluten-free products is certainly a plus. The problem is, they contain malt (barley malt) and so the bars are not actually gluten-free and are incorrectly labeled.

More details are here from Gluten-Free Watchdog, and many thanks to GFW for investigating this.

It is sad how often this happens…and even sadder that this product actually had one of the gluten-free seals through GFCP on it, and it STILL isn’t a safe product. Given how poorly GFCP is vetting manufacturers and is doing so little to address this, I’d encourage people to look for products certified through GIG and CSA instead.

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New Live Webinar on Jan 21st, 2016 2pm-4pm EST

Join me for a 2 hour webinar on “Celiac Disease: What Every RD Should Know” through Dietitian Central.

Upon successful completion of this 2 hour course, the participant should be able to:

• Understand the biology behind Celiac disease
• Recognize our changing understanding of the symptoms of Celiac, prevalence, etc.
• Describe which testing methods are scientifically valid
• Understand what gluten is and where it is found
• Find gluten on labels in live examples with labels
• Discuss the regulations that changed in 2014 and how they affect gluten-free client
• Describe current 2016 controversies around fermented foods, oats, alcohol and more
• List foods at high risk of cross-contamination
• Identify the best resources for RDs and clients

This course is designed for nutritionists, but will apply to any health professionals…and I’ve had clients get a lot out of previous versions, too. To register, see Dietitian Central’s site.

Harris Whole Health offers individual sessions, family sessions and group classes to help people eat healthier and feel better! Cheryl works with people to feel and look their best with a range of specialties, including Celiac Disease, food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals. For an appointment with Cheryl Harris, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist, please click here, email or call 571-271-8742.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, see www.harriswholehealth.com

Wow, December has really flown by, and it’s so easy to get swept away sometimes in the holiday swirl.

For many people, the holiday season is one of the most challenging times to be gluten-free. Food is everywhere, and there’s lots of temptation. And, of course, it’s necessary to reinvent lots of old family traditions.I’ve highlighted some of my favorite tips for staying SANE and gluten-free here from Simply Gluten-Free Magazine. 

So…onto the food, right? Some of us aren’t all about mixing 5 different gluten-free flours and whipping out the xantham gum. I’ve collected a list of NATURALLY gluten-free desserts over the years—tried and true recipes that aren’t specialty cooking, but just happen to be marvelously gluten-free.

Remember, these foods are only GF if you use GF ingredients. And as always, check labels to avoid surprises. A surprising number of chocolates contain traces of gluten, including Lindt, Ghiradelli, Godiva and many of the Trader Joe’s options. I’ve got lists of chocolates listed gluten-free here and here.

There’s a range of allergy-friendly, grain-free, low sugar and completely decadent options, but there are enough options to choose from that you can surely find something that works for your lifestyle/food restrictions that you and your family can enjoy together.

• Baked apples
• Candied orange peel (DF, EF, SF, NF)
• Caramelized bananas or Bananas Foster
• Candy canes! Dipped in (dairy free) chocolate or plain (DF, EF, NF)
• Chocolate bark (DF, EF)
• Chocolate mousse (NF)
• Christmas pudding/plum pudding
• Crème brulee (NF)
• Cheesecake-use any gf cookie crumbs for the crust, or do a crustless cheesecake (NF)
• Chocolates: make your own with a mold or buy
• Chocolate covered: strawberries, cherries, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, etc. (can be DF or NF)
• Clementines (DF, EF, NF)
• Clementine cake (DF)
• Custard (NF)
• Dessert soufflé
• Dried fruit (DF, EF, NF)
• Divinity (DF, NF)
• Flan
• Flourless tortes
• Fondue, using chocolate and a variety of fruit and GF cookies (DF*, EF, NF)
• Fruit crisp (any gf flour or quinoa flakes for topping) (DF, EF)
• Fruit and whipped cream (EF, SF, NF)
• Fudge (EF)
• Gelato
• Hard candies (DF*, NF*)
• Hot chocolate (EF, NF)
• Ice cream/frozen yogurt (check labels!)
• Jello (DF, EF, NF)
• Macaroons
• Mango with sticky rice (DF, EF, NF)
• Marshmallows (DF, NF)
• Meringue cookies (DF, SF, NF)
• Marzipan (some say glucose derived from wheat, so beware)
• Nut or seed brittle (DF*, EF)
• Panna Cotta (EF)
• Pavlova (meringue cake) (DF)
• Peanut butter cookies (DF) or a nut free, sunbutter cookies
• Poached pears (DF, EF, SF, NF)
• Popcorn clusters or caramel corn (EF)
• Popcorn cake (EF)
• Pralines,<–this version is dairy free (EF)
• Pumpkin seeds (DF, EF, SF, NF)
• Pudding
• Pudding pie with almond or cookie crumble crust
• Rice pudding ( EF, NF)
• Rice krispie bars using puffed rice (EF)
• Roasted chestnuts. (DF, EF, SF) Not quite dessert, but an amazingly seasonal yummy snack.
• Sorbet (DF, EF)
• Toffee (EF)
• Truffles (EF)
• Watermelon (DF, SF, EF, NF)
• Zabaglione

dairy free (DF), egg free (EF) and soy free (SF), NF (nut free) *=check labels

Not that these are healthy by any stretch of the imagination, BUT Martha Stewart has a slideshow and recipes of 40 holiday candies, all of which (at a quick glance) are GF. Of course, you need to make sure the chocolate is GF, be mindful of cross contamination, etc. but this is an easy way to keep traditions without venturing into specialty flours and unfamiliar territory.

My personal favorites? My Bittersweet Chestnut Fudge and my Vegan Pralines.

Oh, right, and there’s holiday food, too. I’ve got a G-Free Turkey and Ham list.

More recipes from around the web:

• A roundup of gluten-free favorites on Gluten-free Homemaker
• The Dec issue of Simply Gluten-Free  is online and has many beautiful recipes
• 25 Christmas cookies from Only Taste Matters
• 20 Gluten-Free recipes from The Kitchn
• Jules Shepard is again hosting a g-free cookie swap, where you can get a ton of ideas, or enter to win prizes. Or you can just ogle the pictures. 😉
• Just saw a roundup of 50 gluten-free & grain free holiday desserts from Gormande
• Iris of the Daily Dietribe has a list of 30 g-free cookies
• G-Free Kid has a PDF of holiday favorites
• Some Paleo Christmas treats from Paleo Parents
• Gluten Free Girl and the Chef has a great selection of cookies
• A gargantuan Home for the Holidays from GFE and many  others
• The delicious Ms. Shirley Braden of GFE has an all desserts blog, All Gluten-Free Desserts with many options perfect for the holidays
• Simply Sugar and Gluten Free Christmas recipes
• 25 days of Christmas from Gluten Free Easily 2010
• Celiac Family’s Favorites
• Gluten Free Merry Christmas from the Whole Gang
• Gluten and Dairy free Holiday tips from Gluten Free Goddess
• Christmas Cookie Roundup (from my cookie exchange)
• Christmas cookie roundup from Ginger Lemon Girl & I’d also recommend her GF 101 Cooking e-book!
• A roundup from Elana’s Pantry

Wishing you a peaceful season!

…and if you’re gluten-free, I’ve got more suggestions here for making the holidays work with ease.

Thanksgiving tips

Recipes

Happy almost Thanksgiving! I’m sure this is already on your radar if you’re gluten-free.

Thanksgiving tips:

It takes a little planning ahead to guarantee a great Thanksgiving. In many ways, it’s easier if you’re hosting, because you’ve already got familiarity with the diet. Most people hate to impose on their hosts, but it’s easier on you AND your host to ask beforehand than sit through a four-hour meal and watch others eat. Remember, nothing is more important that staying safe! I love these tips from Shirley of GFE and from GF Jules.

Turkey:
Though it’s always good to check, the good news is that all plain, fresh turkey is naturally gluten-free. Again, that’s ALL plain, fresh or frozen turkeys. I know there are emails that go out every year about warnings of “hidden gluten” in the turkeys, but ironically, the turkey usually the easiest and safest part of the meal. For the past 4 years I’ve been looking, calling and asking around if any of the brands of un-stuffed turkeys have gluten, and I haven’t found a single one in all that time. If you’ve seen one, email me or leave me a comment below. So you do have to look out for stuffed turkeys, and you do want to look out for gravy packets and of course, the preparation of the turkey.

The only exception Tofurky, which has gluten, and some glazed hams DO contain gluten. As always, read carefully! I have a gluten-free turkey list, with has manufacturer contact info.

As always, there can still be risks in the ingredients used on or in the turkey, and cross-contamination always needs to be on your radar. You’ll need to talk to your host about:
* Broth used for basting, or even the butter used for basting
* Seasonings
* Stuffing in the turkey
* Cross contamination

Gravy

Many regular canned gravy and gravy packets are not gluten-free. Gluten-free gravy is available online, and Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, etc. sell  some now. Even Mc Cormick’s has a gluten-free gravy packet that’s certified GF! Also, it’s pretty easy to make a simple gravy with gluten-free broth and cornstarch instead of wheat (and if corn is a problem for you, arrowroot can be substituted 1:1 instead).

Herb Gravy From Elana’s Pantry

Gravy using Cornstarch from Simply Recipes or see this link for recipes.

Side dishes

There are lots of good options here. Green bean casserole (BTW, Aldi has gluten-free French fried onions) or get creative–we do roasted green beans, baked yams, cranberry relish, gelatin salads, butternut squash soup, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, applesauce…all of these things are easy to adapt to food restrictions, and they’re healthy and delicious to boot.

Here are some ideas to get you going:

Sides:

My Cranberry Fresh Fruit Relish

Crockpot Applesauce by Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free

Green Bean Casserole from Ginger Lemon Girl

Simply Tasty Asparagus from Celiac Family

Stuffing:

This is obviously more of a challenge. You can go the nontraditional route and do a wild rice, buckwheat or quinoa stuffing. You could use a gluten-free cornbread or pre-made bread crumbs.

Cornbread stuffing with roasted acorn squash from the Gluten-Free Goddess

The NY Times Blog had a G-Free Stuffing section with a few recipes

Dessert!

For many people (myself included!) dessert is the highlight of the Thanksgiving route. If you’d like to use your standard old-school recipes, you can easily make a crustless pumpkin or sweet potato pie or check out Whole Foods’ GF crusts. Even Pillsbury has a GF pie crust! Or, you can easily make a crust from crushed up gluten-free cookies, shredded coconut or almond meal. Apple crisps are also simple, too. And, of course, now with the GF Wegman’s or Betty Crocker mixes, a cake or brownies are pretty simple, even if they’re not traditional.

The Best Pecan Pie (one of my very favorites)

Sweet Potato Pie (vegan), pictured right here—>

Easy, Crustless Apple Pie from Gluten Free Easily

Super-cute baked apples from GF Jules

Ginger Lemon Girl’s Pecan Pumpkin Pie bars

Apple Crisp: simple, delish!

T Day Recipes:
It’s dangerous when someone asks about food while I’m hungry. Here are a bunch of  wonderful things that would make for an absolutely amazing gluten-free feast some of my favorite GF bloggers and around the web.

• Shirley of GFE has a roundup of 100+ Thanksgiving recipes, both her own and others around the web
• Gluten Free Homemaker has a wonderful roundup of recipes
• Food and Wine has a round up
• Food.com has their g-free T day faves
• Gluten-free Goddess updates her roundup every year, and has GF vegetarian recipes, too.
• Elana’s Pantry has a big Thanksgiving Roundup
• Gluten free Girl has an amazing roundup of recipes
• Celiac Family has a Thanksgiving Roundup from a variety of bloggers
• Simply Gluten and Sugar Free Healthy Holiday
• Celiac Princess
• About.com
• a older roundup from a variety of bloggers
• Jules GF had a Thanksgiving ebook that’s 50% off right now,

And as a bonus, the Happy Tart now has a bakery in Falls Church in addition to the Alexandria location, so it’s even easier to get a g-free pie without pulling out a rolling pin.

I’m submitting this to the Gluten Free Recipe Fix: Thanksgiving edition hosted by Shirley of Gluten Free Easily & All Gluten-Free Desserts Lynn and Linda of Gluten-Free Homemaker.

As always, wishing you and yours a joyful, peaceful and yummy holiday season.

Harris Whole Health offers individual sessions, family sessions and group classes to help people eat healthier and feel better! Cheryl works with people to feel and look their best with a range of specialties, including Celiac Disease, food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals. For an appointment with Cheryl Harris, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist, please click here, email or call 571-271-8742.