A Canadian Celiac Blog

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

On this episode I chat with Howard Selig who is not only a Registered Dietitian, but a trained chef.  After recognizing the nutritional benefits of adding flax in the preparation of some foods for residents of a care home, Howard branched out filling the needs of other care homes by grinding flax seeds for them.  Providing flax in different forms to others soon became a business.  Howard explains the many nutritional advantages of flax and how it can be a benefit to the gluten free diet.  With his baking skills, Howard decided to formulate a flour mix, gluten free of course, along with baking mixes (the one for bread just needs you to add water!).  Salene Pyke works with Howard and she explained what products they sell and how to get free shipping.  You can find out more on their website at www.flaxflour.com .

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Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

When it comes to food, and especially gluten free food, I often over-think things.  I remember, years ago, I was alone preparing something or other in my bakery when I started to wonder if I could only have one grain in its many forms (nothing gluten containing) what would I choose.

For me, it wouldn’t be rice.  I do like rice and often use rice flour, rice noodles and spring roll wraps, but rice just didn’t do enough.  We have some pretty amazing flours at our disposal when baking gluten free, which made my pondering harder.

After much thought, I settled on corn.  You may be one of those people who avoids corn for different reasons, but the more I thought about it, the more forms of corn I enjoyed in my diet.  Fresh corn in the summer is almost a season on its own.  Frozen kernel corn is so easy to use, and retains it’s freshness and flavour.  Then I began to think what I enjoy made from corn.  Every trip I used to take to shop in the US, always included gluten free Corn Chex – everyone has their favourite flavour, mine, hands down is the corn.

When it comes to baking, corn comes in different forms and varieties – corn flour, corn starch, corn meal, white corn flour.  Whenever I am running low on a starch for a recipe, I use corn starch to substitute, it’s available at every grocery store and isn’t expensive.

I remembered my single ingredient obsession while I was talking with Howard Selig of Valley Flax.  He was able to explain the many uses of flax, and how it can work with other gluten free ingredients to make a very healthy addition to almost any recipe.  With my flax allergy, I have to stroke it off my list, but I can clearly see how flax might be your can’t live without gluten free ingredient.  Flax has many nutritional benefits, and best of all, just a small amount added to your diet, gets big results.

Maybe flax will be your over-thinking single ingredient – it would be a great choice.  For me, I’ll stick with corn.  Now I’m thinking about popcorn – oh no, over-thinking again!

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

It’s the beginning of the month, which means I have the pleasure of chatting with Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com.  Here’s some of the topics we covered –

There has been very positive feedback on the stickers and wristbands available through www.celiackidstuff.com.

The 200^th episode of the podcast is coming up, and we’re turning the tables, so Ellen is asking me questions.  You can send your questions, or videos (we’ll only use the audio) to ellen@theceliacscene.com.

We shine a light on a gluten free bakery in Winnipeg calls Cocoabeans.  They have recently released four mixes that you can easily make at home – there’s even videos for any of you who might be baking novices.  Introducing Cocoabeans Gourmet Gluten-Free Mixes

The Canadian Celiac Association is hosting another great virtual conference this year on November 13^th and 14^th.  The 13^th (Saturday) is aimed towards those who have been diagnosed less than two years, whereas the program on the 14^th (Sunday) is more indepth for those who have been gluten free for more than two years (anyone can sign up for either).  The conference is free of charge, but you are asked to give a contribution towards costs if you can.

Canadian Celiac Association Virtual Conference November 13 & 14. The Celiac Scene will be there! Sign up for FREE!

If you are new to gluten free, or need a refresher, Cinde Little, the Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet has a new course called Healthy Me focusing on managing a healthy gluten free lifestyle. Find out more at  New to Gluten Free?

Ellen talks about a food labelling study looking at accuracy regarding allergens Accuracy in Food Labelling a Concern for the Allergic and a study that looks at issues celiacs encounter while dating Celiacs Who Date Report Anxiety and Admit to Taking Risks When Dining Out

I mention a little bit about my new co-host on my other podcast Gluten Free Weigh In .  In early December I will be introducing a male co-host who has just been diagnosed with celiac disease and is involved in a program awaiting bariatric surgery.  His story will be so interesting.

As well, Ellen and I talk about restaurants – some on her list are –

• Suggestions Pour in for Celiac-Safe Sushi Restaurants in Victoria •  More Sushi!

• Bare Bones Fish & Chips Taking Bookings for Christmas
• Art of Slow Food Opens 100% Cafe & Bakery
• El Faro Fusion for Dining, Shopping and Special Orders
• Join Six Mile Pub for a Gluten-Free Christmas
• Vancouver Island Safe Fries UPDATE: Onion Rings, Fish & Chips & Deep-Fried S’mores

Along with upcoming baking classes and events –

• Candied Sweet & Sour Pumpkin Seeds
• Real Food Corn Thins November Recipe Ideas

• Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet Virtual Class Calendar • Priced per household – invite your friends & family!

• November 3 – Gluten Free Biscuits
• November 6 – Master Gluten Free Pastry
• November 24 – Shortbread & Gingerbread Cookies
• Coming soon! December 8 – KIDS CLASS – Cookie Decorating Party
• Purchase a Gift Certificate for a Gluten-Free Cooking Class!

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I’m a baker, Ellen is clearly not a baker.  Let me make the distinction between a baker and a cook.  A cook prepares meals, all sorts of meals using proteins, vegetables, herbs and spices.  A baker prepares breads and desserts and only limited cross-over meals, like pizza.  I do not consider myself a very good cook.  I can get by and feed my family a variety of nutritious meals, but nothing that requires much skill. 

One major difference between cooking and baking is with cooking you can vary recipes to your tastes, make little changes and come out with something unique for yourself and your family.  With baking, you pretty much have to stick to a recipe – especially with gluten free!  Baking is a chemical equation, and depends on the relative amounts of different ingredients to give a desired texture, look and mouthfeel, regardless of the taste profile.  In other words, you must stick closely to a formula in baking.

When I looked at the recipe videos for Cocoabeans Gourmet Gluten Free Mixes out of Winnipeg that utilize tried and true formulations from their bakery, I was drawn back a few years.

I suspect Cocoabeans and I were in similar situations.  When I started my bakery, I initially took my home kitchen recipes and expanded them to make much larger volumes.  Sometimes expanding a recipe leads to tweeks in the actual recipe to take advantage of scale (if you need 2 tbsp less than one lb of butter, maybe it’s easier to make the other ingredients up, so you use the whole pound).  For me and my staff in the bakery, we had a great efficient system with our recipes and mostly used weights in grams instead of volume measurements.

Once the bakery closed, I put the recipes aside for about a year, until I came to an agreement with our local cable channel to produce a gluten free baking show.  What an amazing experience.  The most difficult challenge was scaling my recipes down to home kitchen size again after making large quantities for many years.  It’s a good think I like math, because there’s lots involved in scaling recipes, both up and down.  You also need a good knowledge of baking measurements i.e. 1 tsp = 5 ml, there are 4 tbsp in ¼ cup etc.  My challenge was to not only scale back the recipes, but test them – this part was fun!

Recently, in some consulting work I do on gluten free recipe development, I was asked to take recipe that I’d developed, using the client’s ingredient and scale it to a sample size mix.  Sounds easy, but when you get right down to it, it’s hard to use 2/3 of an egg. 

I’m not sure if it’s a flaw, or maybe a happy quirk, but scaling recipes for me is fun!  I can only imagine the work, testing and frustration that went into developing the Cocoabeans mixes.  The videos are proof that all the work is worth it!  You can find out more about my recipes and baking shows at www.suesglutenfreebaking.com.

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

On this episode I speak with a man who identified a void in the gluten free marketplace – that of a healthy, good tasting hamburger bun.  Gus Klemos tells us his why, and more importantly his how he came up with a completely newly formulated gluten free bread that he named UnBun.  Gus is from Toronto and in a few short years from very humble beginnings, with a great deal of work, UnBun is now selling across both Canada and the US.  Gus discusses what makes his bread products different, and it makes us think about what benefits we are all looking for from our bread.  You can likely find UnBun products in not only your supermarket, but as staples in your fast food outlets.

Find out more at https://unbunfoods.com/

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

As I was talking to Gus, memories of hours spent developing recipes in my bakery came flooding back.  This is a topic I plan to discuss with some of my food blogger friends in the future, but for now he’s how I approach coming up with a new recipe.

Except for what Gus did at UnBun, there are generally two ways to develop a new gluten free recipe –

• Start with a similar recipe already written for gluten free and alter it, make an apple and raisin muffin, from a plain oatmeal muffin recipe.  For this method, I look at each of the ingredients and decide if I want to replace them, or change the amounts.  For the example of altering a plain oatmeal muffin, I might decrease the sugar since I’m adding raisins, and decide what form of apples I want to use, applesauce (sweetened or not) or apple chunks.  I look at any spices that might be added for flavour and adjust those.  In this case, I might want to add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.  Then I look back at the original recipe – how does the amount of liquid compare to the original – might I need to take some other liquid away, or maybe add more flour ingredients.  Should the leavening be the same – if the batter is heavier, maybe I need more leavening or maybe an extra egg white.  Lastly, approach this process as an experiment, and make notes of the alterations you make.
• The second type of recipe development is one most of us have fallen into out of necessity.  We want to replicate our Grandmother’s jam cookie recipe, but don’t know where to start.  Here’s my approach to that – First, decide on a flour blend that will, for the most part replace the wheat flour.  I recommend you reference the chart prepared by Cinde Little, The Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet https://everydayglutenfreegourmet.ca/2020/05/29/11-gluten-free-flour-recipes/ showing many different blends.  Cinde also has a video series that talks about the different flours and their best uses.  Both Cinde and I approach a recipe conversion the same way by using a simple 2 or 3 ingredient flour blend for our first attempt.  You may choose to use your favourite store-bought blend to begin with.  The procedure is pretty simple, at first just substitute the flour 1 to 1 and be aware of the difference in the dough – try and resist adding extra flour to get the same consistency as the original wheat recipe, but if you find the dough getting too thick, add some form of liquid or moisture.  You may have to handle the dough differently, or it might surprise you and be very similar.  Baking may take more or less time, so watch the oven carefully.  After your first attempt, decide if there’s anything that you can improve on.  From my years of gluten free baking, I know that we have to be aware of the protein content in our recipes (gluten is a protein, so we have to make up for that), so you may want to add an extra egg white, or some Greek yogurt, or a small amount of gelatin, or milk powder.  If the dough is thinner than what you want, try a small amount of guar or xanthan gum, but just make small adjustments.  Don’t forget as per our first approach, this is an experiment, so good note taking will allow you to replicate or better the outcome next time.

Before gluten free, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to formulate a new recipe.  I thought that was done in labs, by professionals.  You may also have other allergies or sensitivities that lead you to recipe alteration.  Nowadays, with the variety of gluten free flours and some new methods for working with dough unique to gluten free, anyone can come up with a new successful recipe to take pride in.

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

It’s great for me to have returning guests on the podcast.  Nicole Byrom RD, works with the Canadian Celiac Association as the Health Promotions Manager.  When I contacted her about coming back on the podcast, she had a list of things she wanted to inform listeners about.  The topic of arsenic in our food comes up often.  Nicole tells us why this is important to the celiac population and some ways to reduce arsenic exposure.  Nicole is involved in an upcoming webinar about Type I Diabetes and its relation to celiac disease.  There is a link below for more information on the webinar.

Since this is October, the topic of Halloween candy came up.  We both discussed how our celiac daughters were able to make the best of what could be a difficult situation.  Below is a link to the list of safe Halloween candy from the CCA.  Nicole filled us in on the growing practice of setting out “teal pumpkins” to signify that the house has non-food or allergen friendly treats to give away.

Nicole told us of the upcoming publications from the CCA as well she reminded us of the CCA Virtual Conference to be held on November 13^th and 14^th.  Below are links to sign up for the virtual conference, as well as to be on the email list for CCA publications.  It’s not too late donate to the teams from the CCA across the country running in the Scotiabank Run, as per the link below.  Nicole suggests you donate to her team BC CCA, as there is a bit of a competition going on.

Webinar with Diabetes Canada – https://www.celiac.ca/news-events/events/

Halloween Candy – https://www.celiac.ca/gluten-free-halloween-candy-list/

To Register for the CCA Virtual Conference – https://www.celiac.ca/news-events/national-conference/

To Receive CCA Publications – https://www.celiac.ca/get-involved/signup/

Scotiabank Run –  https://www.celiac.ca/news-events/national-conference/https://raceroster.com/events/2021/48139/2021-scotiabank-toronto-waterfront-marathon/pledge/team/325

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Its difficult for me to imagine living with celiac disease and navigating the gluten free diet alone.  Unfortunately, there are many people who are doing just that.  I have lots of friends in the celiac/gluten free community that share my interest in new products, baking, upcoming research and regulations.  I can’t imagine how someone can cope well if they are celiac, or eating a gluten free diet for other health reasons and don’t have a supportive community around them.

Facebook and other social media is a good start, at least you don’t feel like you’re the only one who is going through the day to day struggles.  As we all know, the internet is peppered with misinformation when it comes to the gluten free diet, and we’ve all heard the term – you don’t know what you don’t know.  A trusted community can give us trusted information, or be prepared to help you find the correct answers.  That’s where the CCA comes in. 

I know, from having worked as a volunteer with the CCA for many years that everything on their website is vetted by professionals who know the facts.  The Professional Advisory Council (Nicole referred to the PAC) is made up of highly qualified and respected individuals with a particular interest in celiac disease and the gluten free diet.  Sometimes it can seem to take so long to produce a statement or educational pamphlet, but that’s because it goes back and forth among the members of the Council, until everyone is ready to sign off.  The internet certainly doesn’t work that way.

The CCA has always produced newsletters, but lately the information is being better organized to be more topical – just what you need to know when you need to know it.  I’ve been on the CCA email list for so long, I admit I take for granted the information I get in my inbox.  Much of it is updates on information I was aware of, new recipes, events or research.  I’ve never felt alone as a celiac.  Receiving timely information on topics I need to know about assures me I’m part of a generous community who is going through the same things I’m going through.  If you do not already receive the email updates and publications from the CCA, I encourage you to signup.  I bet you’ll learn something!

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

Everyone has a diagnosis story, and I enjoy listening to and sharing many or them.  This episode of the podcast is a conversation with Beau Bristow of Nashville TN.  Beau was diagnosed as an adult and had a long list of symptoms, which to him were unrelated.  Of particular note, was the brain fog, which by reason of the name, you don’t realize at the time, and only once the fog has lifted do you understand what you were missing.  Finding suitable restaurants is a pain point for most of us, but in Beau’s case, he was determined to help solve this problem, not only for those of us on a gluten free diet, but for people suffering from other allergies. 

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The approach of the website https://picknic.app/ is to help someone requiring a special diet to find a restaurant that understands and follows suitable procedures for you to eat safely.  You can signup on the website to receive new information.  The website will soon be an app, to be downloaded, but at the moment it is focusing mostly in the Nashville area to get it right – how to onboard restaurants and the rate them as a “pick” for your special diet or not.  Beau has also asked for feedback from those on a gluten free diet and you can reach him at info@picknic.app.  You can also find Picknic on Facebook and Instagram @gopicknic.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I knew a few years ago, when I started using the “Find Me Gluten Free” app on my phone, of its shortcomings.  I distinctly remember going out of our way on a vacation to find a small restaurant that had changed owners since the review was written.  On the same trip, I tracked down a restaurant that appealed to me because I could get something or other, but it wasn’t a place the others in the car wanted to eat.  This is the main problem with crowd-sourced information – it changes.  The reviewer at the specific time is trying to give a faithful review of the restaurant and the meal, but as we know, we all see things differently, and have different standards.  The only standard I mostly look for is the understanding of gluten free.

I find the different approaches to solving the restaurant problem very interesting.  As I said in the podcast, I can easily see my daughter (who is 30) looking for a specific meal at a restaurant, then looking to see if there is something that would please the others who will be with her.  If you listened to Ep 191, you’ll realize that we approach the gluten free diet very differently.  My approach to finding a safe, appetizing meal is to first find a restaurant that I think understands the diet, then once I’m there, I ask specific questions on something that is either on their gluten free menu, or that appears that it can be made gluten free.  I am a question asker – on the other hand, my daughter is not.

Something I’ve learned, speaking with different app developers is that although it appears we all want the same thing, there are different ways to get there.  It’s those differences that suit different people.  Many of the apps I’ve looked into are still in development.  They are shying away from being crowd-sourced (yeah!), but the downside of that is likely there will be a subscription of some form to gain access to the curated information.  I’m fine with that, as long as the app can give me what I’m looking for.  Maybe that’s where we will all get confused.  What are we looking for – besides a safe meal – is it finding a suitable place to eat, having all our questions answered, finding a restaurant that will accommodate different issues and our other guests?  I suppose we’ll know it when we find it.  It’s exciting that smart people are spending so much time on finding solutions to eat out – maybe I’ll try them all! (the apps, not the restaurants).

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

For many people September and October are not as much about Autumn as they are about pumpkin spice everything.  Being a baker, this has always interested me, but I have to say, except for pumpkin pie, I had pretty much stayed away.  Cinde Little, of the Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet was the best person to get me up to speed on pumpkin spice – is it gluten free? what do we have to look out for? where should we expect to find it? and can we use it at home in baking or drinks?

Cinde sent along a photo of her favourite Pumpkin Date Cake, which looks very yummy and you can find the recipe on her blog.  As well, she had a work in progress for a pumpkin spice syrup to use at home.  I’ve played with what she had, and have given a recipe below, so you can make your own special café drinks at home.  After recording with Cinde, I did go out and buy a couple of pie pumpkins.  You can see photos and read what I did with them on Episode #193 of my blog www.acanadianceliacblog.com.  You can find Cinde at www.everydayglutenfreegourmet.ca.

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Café Drinks

1 ½ cups water

1 ½ cups sugar

Spices – 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/3 – ½ cup pumpkin puree

½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Place water and sugar in a saucepan on medium heat.  As the mixture heats, add the spices and stir well.  Add pumpkin puree depending on your preference – the 1/3 cup will be a mild flavour and the ½ cup will be more pronounced.  Heat liquid to simmering.  Continue simmer for 5-10 minutes, watching it doesn’t boil over.  Remove from heat.  Add vanilla extract (optional), which will give a somewhat richer taste.  Let mixture cool for 5 minutes.  If your pumpkin puree is still a bit lumpy you can use an immersion blender to smooth out the liquid.  Pour syrup through a sieve to remove any larger bits of the spice blend or pumpkin.  Store in a squirt container or bottle in refrigerator. 

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Not my thoughts as much as adventure with two pie pumpkins.  Pie pumpkins are smaller and have more flavour than the ones you carve for Halloween.

Step 1 – Wash the outside of the pumpkin and cut the stem down close.  Using a large knife, cut the pumpkin in half from top to bottom (easier than I expected it to be).

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Step 2 – Scrape out the seeds and fibres.  The flesh comes out remarkably clean.  Place pumpkins on a baking tray, poke each a few times with a fork and drizzle with a small amount of oil.  Place in 375° oven for 40-50 minutes, until flesh is easy to pierce with a fork.

Step 3 – If you want to also roast the seeds – In a large bowl place the seeds and fibres.  Run water into the bowl and agitate by hand.  Most of the seeds will loosen and float to the top.  Skim off seeds.  You will need to remove some seeds from the fibres, but they come away easily.  Fill a saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring to a boil.  Add seeds and a pinch of salt.  Boil seeds for 5-10 minutes.  This will clean up the seeds and ready them for roasting.  Place seeds on a baking pan in the oven on a shelf above the pumpkin and roast for 10-15 minutes.  You can season the seeds with lots of different flavours – I want mine for granola, so left them plain.

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Step 4 – Remove the roasted pumpkin shells and seeds from the oven.  Let cool for about 10 minutes, then scrape the flesh from the skins (if there are any brown bits, don’t use those, it may give your pumpkin a burnt taste). You can mash the pumpkin or use a food processor as I did.  Place in containers and refrigerate.  I also plan to freeze it in ½ cup portions so I can easily add it to muffins and cake or the syrup recipe.

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I enjoyed making my pumpkin puree and will probably do a couple more while they are still in season.  It appears I got about 2 ½ cups of puree from each of the small pumpkins.

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

It’s the beginning of the month again, so I get the pleasure of speaking to Ellen Bayens of theceliacscene.com about some of the topics of interest that have come up during the past month.  We discuss the diagnosis story of the family of a Neonatologist in the US who sought out the team at the Celiac Disease Program at Boston Children’s Hospital for help.  Ellen and I discuss how comprehensive the whole family approach to treating and further diagnosing family members is.  See the link below to the article about this family’s journey.  Ellen and I go on to look at some of the feedback we’ve had about the stickers and wristbands from www.celiackidstuff.com and how families can use these tools to help their kids eat safely.  The silicone wristbands for kids which say – I’m a Celiac Kid     I Can’t Eat Gluten – are now being made available for gluten free bakeries to sell directly.  If you know of a bakery that might be interested in offering the wristbands, please let me know and I can reach out to them.

Ellen and I speak about bagels and doughnuts – I’ve ever the purest, but explain to her why fried doughnuts are rare.  Also, below is my recipe for Gluten Free Doughnut Holes.

In the previous episode of the podcast, I recorded a discussion with my adult daughter Deanna, about our differing attitudes towards celiac disease and the gluten free diet.  I am grateful for the opportunity to have these discussions as I suspect that much the same dynamic is going on in other families with multi-generational celiac disease.  Also, at the end of that podcast, Episode 191, I included a short “blooper reel” which Ellen refers to and gives a classic insight into mother/daughter interactions.

Episode 200 of the podcast is approaching, and I’ve decided to mark that milestone with a special episode allowing Ellen and my audience to ask me questions.  If you have a question, or comment you’d like Ellen to pose or discuss with me, please email her at ellen@theceliacscene.com.

https://theceliacscene.com/sending-kids-school-celiac-disease/

Sue’s Doughnut Holes

1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend (I use ½ cup of each white rice flour, potato starch & corn starch)

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup skim milk powder

1 tsp guar or xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend includes gum)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp oil

2 eggs

2 tbsp water

Blend together all the dry ingredients.  Add vanilla, oil, eggs and water.  Add more water 1 tbsp at a time if batter is too thick.  Blend by hand, or with a mixer.  Batter should be thicker than pancake batter but not as thick as cookie dough.

In a saucepan heat oil to 375° (only fill saucepan less than half full with oil, leaving enough room for the bubbling expansion of the batter).  Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil, cooking only 3 or 4 at a time.  Turn to cook evenly till dark golden.  Remove onto absorbent paper towel.  While still warm, place in a bag with sugar and cinnamon to coat.  Can be kept in sealed container 3-4 days.  If you want to eat the doughnuts right away, you can drizzle them in icing or chocolate sauce, but just know they will not keep well if they get soggy (so eat them up!)

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Over the past few years, I’ve shifted many of my buying habits to online.  Certainly, the pandemic has changed the way we shop for most of us.  For me, an online store was a resource that anyone, anywhere could use to get something they wanted or needed.

When setting up the online store www.celiackidstuff.com, it did not occur to me that any of the products would be available anywhere else, besides through the website.  Recently, I had reason to visit a couple of gluten free bakeries in Ottawa, and yes, one reason was to do some shopping, but before I planned my trip, I thought back to my time operating a gluten free bakery and the customers who came in.  My bakery was usually the first stop for the newly diagnosed.  Husbands, wives, parents and children came in seeking safe food for themselves or their loved ones.  There’s no prescription to hand into a pharmacy, just the requirement for gluten free food.

What I was able to provide, because of my knowledge and training from the Canadian Celiac Association was support and advice, not only about safe food, but how to navigate a gluten free lifestyle.  We never thought of it as a lifestyle then, and only because of the popularity of the diet, do we consider it an accepted way to eat now.  The families I was drawn to and felt needed more guidance involved the diagnosis of a child, often the only celiac in a family.  Parents were lost.  How to provide safe food at home was one thing, but allowing their child to eat outside of their sight was quite another.

Somewhere, in planning my trip to the gluten free bakeries in Ottawa, it hit me.  Years ago, I was the first stop for parents of a newly diagnosed celiac child, so things must be similar today, and I had a tool that could help them in so many ways.  Selling the wristbands at the trusted place where safe food was available will make a difference to families who are urgently searching for solutions for their gluten free child.  I’m excited to be able to offer the Celiac Kid Stuff wristbands to bakeries who are the ‘boots on the ground” when it comes to filling the needs of celiac families.  If you know of a gluten free bakery that might be interested in offering the wristbands to customers, please either speak with them, or pass on the information to me.  You’ll be doing a good thing.

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

On this episode I speak with my daughter Deanna.  She has been a guest on the podcast in the past, and I take this opportunity to ask her about some of her attitudes and coping skills dealing with celiac disease and how those compare to my approaches.  I was a Mom of two beautiful girls when I was diagnosed, with Deanna’s diagnosis coming five months later, just in time for her fifth birthday.  Having suffered from an unknown cause for some very diverse symptoms for many years, my diagnosis became one of questioning every food, not only for me, but for my daughter.  In contrast, Deanna doesn’t remember her symptoms prior to diagnosis and has been raised to understand the diet completely and take it in stride.  Hopefully, you will find some aspects of each of our perspectives in your approach to the diet and how it affects your life.  I couldn’t resist the urge to include some of the bloopers from our conversation in a mix up at the end of the podcast.  It was a joy to have such a heart-to-heart with my all-grown-up daughter.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Something that became clear to me when I was talking with Deanna (and listening as I edited the audio) was that our attitudes towards the diet and celiac disease are formed by our initial experiences. 

In my case, I suffered for years.  Finding a diagnosis was a blessing, but I confess to feeling the anger of “why me?” and “why has the diagnosis taken so long?”.  Like many adult celiacs, I lived through my childhood years, my school age years, my dating years, my early adulthood, my early married years, and motherhood before I found the key to health.  The “key” unlocked the gluten free diet, but then I had to put in the work to not only understand the diet, but to master it.

In Deanna’s case, she was too young to really notice that her Mom was experiences any health issues.  Once I received my diagnosis, there was a bit of a shake up in the family eating routine, but a young child rarely notices those differences.  It was simple to explain to her that Mommy couldn’t have certain foods, and like most kids, it didn’t mean much to her.  Once I received her diagnosis, so many puzzle pieces came together – multiple ear infections, what I thought were reactions to some medications, lots of tummy aches, low energy after eating – it was all making sense.

Deanna doesn’t remember a time in life before the gluten free diet.  She was excited to try her first gluten free Oreo, never remembering she ate them until her 5^th birthday.  On the other hand, I remember everything: how I would meet friends at MMMuffins in the mall for tea and a treat; late night snacks at the only diner in town open after the clubs closed; attending gatherings and only remembering the people I socialized with; being able to just get in the car and go out for a day without a care as to what my next meal would be.  My diagnosis solved the mystery, but added a new layer of complication to my life.  In Deanna’s case, it was just a pivot – there was always a plan for her next meal, always gluten free foods on hand and I was there to ask the questions for both of us.  Our conversation made this difference in our perspectives clear, but it took a bit of thought on my part to understand why.  I think I’ve worked through that and am grateful for her unquestioning acceptance of the diet. 

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

The Canadian Celiac Association successfully presented two virtual conferences in 2020 and is now gearing up for the 2021 Conference.  I speak with Nicole Byrom RD from the CCA who is organizing the conference.  This conference will be somewhat different from all other CCA conferences in the past, in that of the two days, November 13^th and 14^th, the first day will be geared towards those who have been diagnosed for two years or less.  The second day will focus on information for those who have been diagnosed longer than two years.  Certainly, anyone is welcome to join either day, but I find it intriguing that this distinction was made.  You can find out more about the conference, the speaker lineup and how to register by going to the CCA website and clicking on News & Events where you’ll find the Conference information listed – https://www.celiac.ca/news-events/national-conference/

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

It’s hard to remember exactly how many CCA conferences I’ve been to.  I can mostly remember them by the variety of cities and warm welcomes I received in different parts of the country.

One of my first conferences was in Hamilton, Ontario.  At the time, I was a member of the CCA, but I didn’t live in Canada.  I was living with my husband and two daughters in Bermuda.  Life was good for us in Bermuda, and that’s where I was finally diagnosed, and my daughter was diagnosed five months later. I can’t recall what year I attended the Hamilton conference, but one reason I did was because they offered a children’s program, and without knowing other celiac kids in Bermuda, I was somewhat desperate for Deanna to meet other gluten free kids. 

We had an amazing time at the conference and Deanna met a girl her age who was there with her celiac Mom.  The girls became good friends.

I wasn’t able to attend all the conferences held since my return to Canada, but here are some locations I remember – Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario; Kamloops, BC; Toronto, Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario; Moncton, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Attending so many conferences, I got to know many of the Chapter Executives who would often be the only travelling delegates from other provinces. 

Attending CCA conferences all across Canada was an amazing experience with memories I will always treasure.  But, the luxury of being able to attend conferences far from home as the chapter representative was something that most members missed out on.  Virtual meetings can’t replace the social time, formal dinners and meeting new friends that happens at a face-to-face get together, but, it can make available the presentations from the excellent speakers that give real life to a conference.  The CCA is very big on inclusivity, and virtual conferences do just that.  I particularly like that the conference is free of charge, with donations kindly accepted – no one is excluded. Maybe one day, I’ll get to meet in person again with my CCA friends, but for now, I take great comfort in knowing that everyone can attend these informative conferences, no one misses out and even if you’re in the newly diagnosed category, as I was at the conference in Hamilton, you’ll gain so much that will help you live a fuller gluten free life.

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

On this episode I speak with Carmen from the Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association who came up with the idea of organizing a sleep away camp for kids with celiac disease.  The camp was to have occurred last year, but as we all know, the pandemic changed that.  The camp did go ahead this past August and I’m thrilled to be able to talk to Carmen about both organizing the camp as well as being on site to ensure the food was prepared and served strictly gluten free.  Carmen has two daughters and they both attended camp, along with some of their friends.  Carmen’s daughter, Rosie,  has celiac disease, and I was thrilled to be able to ask her what she enjoyed about camp, both the activities and the meals.  You can find more information at campceliac.ca

Camp was made better for the donations of very generous sponsors, some of which are –

Schar Gluten Free

Rizopia Gluten Free Pasta

O’Doughs Gluten Free

Farm Boy Grocery

All Free Allergen Friendly

Purest Foods

The Bean Sprout – Dedicated Gluten Free Chinese Food

Only Oats

Bobo’s

Queen Street Bakery

Sun Butter

Aidan’s Sans Gluten Free

Nature’s Path Organic

Kinnikinnick Gluten Free Foods

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I remember a few years ago, I was watching a sporting event on television and the hosts were recalling some past seasons statistics.  One of the statistics they listed had an asterisk beside it.  I was immediately confused and asked my husband what it meant.  Apparently, that was a shortened season due to some labour dispute or strike.  Made sense.

Looking back on 2020 and now 2021, it occurs to me, both of these years will be forever known by the asterisk beside them in lists of yearly accomplishments.  Labour disputes or strikes might affect some statistics, but a global pandemic ticks all the boxes for unexpected, unwelcomed and uncomfortable.

What is extraordinary is that both 2020 and 2021 will both have asterisks beside them when it comes to Camp Celiac.  The camp for 2020 was planned, subscribed to, donated to, and talked about, but, as we are acutely aware, camp was a no-go last year.  Lots of work went into planning, but no amount of work could make it happen under the dark cloud of so much that was not known about Covid-19. 

The asterisk beside the year 2021 for Camp Celiac means something altogether different.  Camp Davern was given preliminary go-ahead instructions mid-June.  With not enough specific information on guidelines and a very tight ramp up schedule, it was a bit of a miracle that camp actually opened on time.  There were issues – limits on the number of campers, fewer qualified counselors available to work the summer, testing to be done on site, and the dreaded decisions that had to be made ahead regarding what to do if there was a positive test.

Despite these challenges, Camp Davern opened and hosted weeks of happy campers.  Thankfully, Celiac Camp was scheduled to run closer to the end of summer than the beginning, when routines were in place, counselors were comfortable with the rules, and in the case of our celiac campers new to Davern, and who didn’t know any different.

Celiac Camp at Camp Davern near Perth, Ontario (about 90 minutes outside of Ottawa) was a roaring success.  Many people worked hard to achieve that success, but in the end all that matters is that the kids were happy and well fed.  Celiac kids were the regular kids for one week.  I think everyone involved in camp should be very proud of the 2021 *.