Category: Uncategorized

Okay, so this newsletter is late. Very, very late. But here are a few articles that have caught my eye, some recipes, news & more.

AI to diagnose Celiac, with better accuracy? This may be the next new thing.

Coconut has never been a nut. But in terms of allergen labeling, it’s been required by the FDA since 2006 until now. No more!

It’s not all or nothing! Compression garments, even the ones you can get without a prescription, improve heart rate and symptoms of people with POTS.

A potential link between archaea (the little buggers that produce methane in intestinal methane overgrowth, or methane SIBO) and colon cancer. This may really alter how doctors view intestinal overgrowth.

One of my go-to recipe ideas is featured in Real Simple, featuring one of my favorite foods

I’m looking forward to speaking on mast cells, histamine & the GI tract in a few weeks. It’s aimed at RDNs, but anyone can sign up.

In honor of IBS awareness month:

I know too many of you are *entirely* too aware of IBS. The two most common questions I get are about on the go foods and hummus. So, here are a few bars that are low FODMAP:

• Go Macro bars (many kinds)
• Belli welli
• Just Nosh
• 88 acres
• Nature Valley Peanut butter crunchy, Almond
• Bobo bars
• Fody food bars
• Casa de Santé Low FODMAP Vegan Protein Prebiotic Snack Bar

If FODMAPs aren’t an issue for you, a longer list of GF options here.

And re: hummus, here’s a quick and easy low FODMAP hummus recipe . I’m a fan of making your own hummus either way because it is really quite simple!

Easter:

Easter GF candy list from Jules GF.

Last, but not least, bunny meringues.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD.  She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, Colitis, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

Thanksgiving is nearly here:

My 3 favorite tips:

• Plan ahead, and try to bring along safe options when possible.
• Bring along or order ingredients online that might be a problem. This includes broth, gravy, butter without crumbs, soups, flour for thickening, etc.
• Keep it as simple as possible.

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 is usually the easiest and safest part of the meal. For the past 17 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 is Tofurky, which has gluten, and some glazed hams DO contain gluten. As always, read carefully!

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:

• Preparation method: Broth used for basting, or even the butter used for basting. This also includes the kind of flour used if a turkey is cooked in a bag.
• Seasonings…so much room for problems here
• Stuffing in the turkey
• Cross contamination/cross contact<–and this is the most common problem.

Gravy

Many regular canned gravy and gravy packets are not gluten-free. Gluten-free gravy is available online, and Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Wegman’s, 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
• My favorite gravy (paleo/starch free)

Side dishes

There are lots of good options here. Green bean casserole works, just sub the french onion–Aldi’s does NOT have a GF version in this year, yikes, be careful! or use Fritos, or almonds, and buy a GF cream soup–Pacific is in most stores. Or get creative–we do roasted green beans, baked yams, cranberry relish or the stuff from the can works, too! 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.

Stuffing:

This obviously requires a bit more planning. 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 GF bread crumbs, too. Aleia’s and Arrowhead mills are easy to find locally.

Make sure that “regular” stuffing is not used to stuff the turkey. Not only does that raise the risk of food poisoning, but the whole turkey would be cross-contaminated with gluten.

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. 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. 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.

For suggestions for cross-contact/cross contamination, see ideas here from GFE

Have a wonderful holiday!

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD.  She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

On the move:

First, some news:

For the last few years, I’ve been working with colleagues on a handful of papers on some of my favorite topics, and they’ve all come out…and somehow all at once.

So here they are:

• Nutritional Considerations for Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Practical Gastroenterology, May 2024
• Management of childbearing with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders: A scoping review and expert co-creation of evidence-based clinical guidelines May 2024, PlosOne
• Nutritional Implications of Mast Cell Diseases–Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, in press (feel free to email me for a copy)

I’ll also be teaching a 4-part webinar series on EDS for nutrition professionals—more info is here

Gluten-free on the move:

Summertime is prime time for travel, so here are some resources:

• Translation cards from GF Globetrotter:
• GF Jules has restaurant cards:

Places to eat in Europe

• https://www.coeliacsanctuary.co.uk/wheretoeat/
• https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/global-associations-and-policies/associations-around-the-world/

Wishing you a great summer!

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD.  She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

 

 

And somehow it’s already May. Happy Celiac Awareness Month!

To celebrate, here’s a roundup of research on Celiac & digestive conditions, with some resources & recipes below. And I know some of the links look like they’re broken, but they work.

• Gluten-related disorders from bench to bedside—a wide ranging review on Celiac, gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy from AGA
• Which is the chicken, which is the egg? We know many people with celiac have low iron. But can iron supplementation prevent celiac?
• Celiac & IBS are associated. Someone with Celiac is more likely to be diagnosed with IBS than someone in the general population, and siblings are more likely to receive an IBS diagnosis, too.
• New study in BMJ show exercise is great for mood. If for some reason it’s not possible and/or not in your best interest, there are absolutely other good ways to take care of your mental health.
• New pesticide residue calculator:
• A quiz on some of the latest Celiac research. How will you do?
• A homemade enteral formula for pediatric Crohn’s? Fascinating new research…
• A lot of people with IBD still have persistent symptoms and pain. What to do? More here:

We’re about to roll into the best time of year for trips, travel & time on the go. A list of grab and go gluten-free foods is here.

Here are some veggie-based recipes for some (gluten-free) and lighter summertime recipes.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the beautiful weather.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD.  She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

How…did November fly by so fast?

Thanksgiving is almost here, so this is just a mini-newsletter.

Here are some of the latest roundups of recipes & tips:

• Tips from Jules
• Gluten & dairy free recipes from New York times
• Gluten-Free Shoestring
• Food network
• MI Gluten-Free Gal
• Gluten-free globetrotter—tips on NYC
• Martha Stewart

Looking for something FODMAP friendly?

Thanksgiving recipes

Sweets & treats here (gluten-free too, of course)

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD.  She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

Oh, what a world we’re in these days. I know there are unprecedented levels of global unrest, which has been hard on so many people in different ways. So first, an encouragement to take extra time take care of yourself and your family, to offer kindness to others where you can, knowing many people are going through a lot of fear and uncertainty for the safety of loved ones.

Back to our normal discussion around digestive dysfunction:

• Looking for gluten-free Halloween candy? GF Jules has a list. For those that are newer to a gluten-free diet, a quick reminder is there are some candies that are normally gluten-free that *aren’t* gluten-free in, say, their pumpkin or ghost shape, so do double check, even if it’s a candy you typically consume.
• Of course, you can always opt for non-food options…this is our 2^nd year of Ninja rubber duckies. Caveat, of course, that Play doh has wheat in it.
• New guidelines on Belching, Distension, and Bloating—frequent, but frequently not talked enough about.
• Celiac & Thyroid disease—webinar will be posted here very soon from National Celiac Association. They regularly have wonderful webinars.
• Paper on Inflammatory bowel disease and all the other factors that can cause symptoms—from IBS to mast cell to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency to SIBO, mast cell dysfunction, Ehlers danlos, POTS & more.
• Hot off the presses—new paper on EDS and pregnancy complications
• Thinking ahead about a gluten-free Thanksgiving or winter holidays? Look on my website for prior years for recipes or other ideas.

I’m in the midst of presenting a training for over 100 of professionals through the Ehlers Danlos society on the nutritional complications of EDS. I’m teaching on digestive complications. ? Education will always be a passion for me, and I’m aware of how much I’ve learned from wonderful mentors and, of course, my clients.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD.  She helps people with a range of digestive problems, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

Happy Summertime!

We’ll start with the biggest news. As some of you are aware, there’s *proposed* legislation to require labeling for gluten in medications. This is not our 1^st rodeo…I remember speaking to the FDA about this is 2011…but the ADINA bill now has bipartisan support in the House, which is new. Please reach out to your member of Congress with the script provided by Gluten free Watchdog, or write your own. The amount of support and interest we express *does* matter!

For all the info you need on the bill and how to contact your reps

And yes! there is also a bill to require labeling of gluten in food. This also has bipartisan support, but that doesn’t mean it will be passed.  Last year it did not get enough support.

Shifting from work to play, summer is often a time for travel.

I pulled together several of my favorite resources.

Grab and go snacks (updated 2023)

For travel domestically:

• www.findmeglutenfree.com
• www.glutenfreetravelsite.com
• https://glutendude.com/gluten-dude-mobile-app/

Places to eat in Europe

• https://www.coeliacsanctuary.co.uk/wheretoeat/
• https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/global-associations-and-policies/associations-around-the-world/
• Gluten free translations
• Gluten-free restaurant cards

And speaking of travel…two rescues have officially become employees of Harris Whole Health, and sometimes they make an appearance for sessions. They’re originally from Ukraine–their names are Myshko and Zhanna. They lost their homes in the conflict, so they’ve come to live with us. When they’re awake, they’ve taken over our house, and are completely running the show. They have strong feelings about omega 3s and occasionally you’ll see a tail flying by.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach working with clients in VA, DC & MD.  She helps people with a range of digestive, including Celiac, IBS, Crohn’s, UC, gastroparesis, EDS, POTS & more. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals and feeling great!  Email or call 571-271-8742.

 

So much news in the digestive & gluten-free world! Here’s a quick round up:

• New BMJ study on Celiac and cardiovascular disease, showing increased risks for people with Celiac
• Finally! New guidelines for management for adults with Celiac, and there are changes, including much more thorough nutrient testing recommendations. There’s still a recommendation for seeing a dietitian… ?
• Lots of important news from Gluten-free watchdog re: oats and contamination, so if you haven’t been following that, I’d recommend it.
• The Crohn’s and Colitis foundation just launched a new website: gutfriendlyrecipes.org
• Newest article on POTS and long COVID
• A new study (not yet peer reviewed) showed a substantial increase (42.6%) in rates of auto-immune disease among people who’ve had COVID. One of the highest increases was in the development of Celiac. Certainly concerning.
• New studies show people with ME/CFS have different gut bacteria than healthy controls.

It’s just about Valentine’s day, so if you’re looking for something delicious to make, I have a list of naturally gluten-free desserts right here.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax, VA.  She helps people with a range of dietary issues, including Celiac Disease, digestive issues, 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.

I have to tell you a secret. My in-laws came last weekend–they’re from Rochester, and wanted to miss the snow. Man, are they smart–especially given the weather forecast! So we did a mini-Thanksgiving last weekend and now I feel like all the pressure is off and I just have yummy leftovers now, and we’ll do something small next week.

But I’m assuming most people are still in planning mode.

Here are some great Thanksgiving feasts, with a ton of recipes:

• From Jules GF (we love her rolls)
• From Delish.com
• From food.com

and my usual tips are here.

Remember, when in doubt, keep it simple.

The main issue is often cross-contact, and/or people who make mistakes and really mean well. Ideally, you try to serve yourself first, with clean utensils. If there’s something you know you’ll want leftovers of, make sure to put it aside in a covered dish.

And because people with GI disorders are often at higher risk of food borne illness, *ahem!* a gentle nudge–here are the food safety guidelines from FSIS.

Have a wonderful holiday season.

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax, VA.  She helps people with a range of dietary issues, including Celiac Disease, digestive issues, 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.

 

 

 

The summer really flew by…and I meant to post, but life sometimes slips away.

First, cake! Yes, of course it’s gluten-free. Recipe here.

I finally was prompted to post because of an issue with GF Harvest Oats, which Gluten-Free Watchdog has kindly alerted the gluten-free population to. So if you don’t support Tricia, please consider it. In a nutshell, GF Harvest is under new management, and now has batches testing as contaminated with gluten. If you’re using these oats, it’s time to reconsider and choose a new source of oats.

Ever heard of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome?) Too few people have. It’s fairly common, and before COVID, it affected around 1% of the population. I got POTS when I was in grad school, and it’s always been on my radar because 4% of people with POTS have Celiac, instead of the usual 1%, and ~95% of people have digestive issues. Since COVID, rates of POTS have increased significantly because it’s often post viral. I have a paper on the nutritional management of POTS in the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics this month.

A really common question I get from people on a gluten-free diet is, what about kissing people who are eating gluten? It’s something many people worry about–39% overall, and 41% in women. And not surprisingly, dating poses all sorts of challenges…

A low FODMAP diet helps with digestive symptoms, but not mucosal healing in patients with IBD (review of current studies)

People with Celiac have ongoing symptoms despite a strict gluten free diet–up to even 20% of patients. Symptoms may be digestive, joint stiffness, fatigue, skin issues, & depression. https://bmjopengastro.bmj.com/content/9/1/e000914

As so many are headed back to school, here are some thoughts on gluten-free breakfasts.

Wishing you a delicious autumn,

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax, VA.  She helps people with a range of dietary issues, including Celiac Disease, digestive issues, 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.