Quinoa

As promised, here is everything I have learned about Quinoa thanks to Wikipedia and the Gluten Free Girl and a little time spent messing around in the kitchen.

Quinoa (pronounced /ˈkiːnoʊ.ə/ or /kwɨˈnoʊ.ə/, Spanish quinua, fromQuechua kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a psuedocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a grass. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited. Unlike wheat or rice, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source. (from Wikipedia)

This is what the plant looks like:

and this is what whole grain Quinoa looks like when you cook it. It is cooked similarly to rice, 1 part quinoa to one part water brought to a boil, then covered and simmered for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. It can also be cooked in vegetable or chicken broth for more flavor.

When I cook it, I usually make 2 cups of Quinoa at once. We eat half with one recipe that day and I save the other half in the fridge for a few days later with something else. Lily likes to eat it plain with just some Bragg's Liquid aminos on it. It tastes especially good with corn and goes well with roasted vegetables too.

Quinoa is available in many forms. We buy this Quinoa and corn pasta, which is really good. It's available at Harvest Health and even Meijer I think.

Here is a meal I have made twice now with Quinoa and we have all really liked it. It is basically black beans cooked with oinions, green chiles and lots of fresh cilantro served on top if the Quinoa and topped with cheese and chrunched up tortilla chips. The time I made gluten free corn bread and fried plantains to go with it.


Daisy likes it!

I also discovered that Quinoa is a great stand in for the cracked wheat in traditional middle eastern tabouli, from a great recipe for a Southwest Quinoa tabouli. I ate it on tortilla chips and it was awsome. To make it follow the recipe below adding black beans and corn, omitting the cucumber and replacing the parsley with cilantro. Have fun expiramenting and let me know what you make!

Here is the recipe for the traditional tabouli:

Tabouli

2 cups cooked and cooled Quinoa
1 cucumber, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, (8) sliced
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
2 cups fresh chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

*this is also extra yummy with some Feta cheese mixed in!

Dressing:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Cook the Quinoa by boiling 2 cups water and stirring in 1 cup of rinsed Quinoa. Stir once then cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Cool. Combine the salad ingredients, including Quinoa, in a medium bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together and stir into the salad mixture. Serve chilled.It is best to cover the mixture and let it sit in the fridge for a hour or more so all the flavors can mix together.

Gluten Free Grains

When you are first learning to eat gluten free, it seems as though the whole world is made of wheat. Sometimes when I was in the grocery store I would look at entire aisles in amazement that every item on the shelf was made of wheat. Even for someone who can tolerate it, is a diet so narrow really healthy?

Once we had cut all the wheat in our lives, it suddenly seemed as though all we were consuming was rice. When I took stock of the items we were buying to replace our wheat products, I realized that everything we were buying (and spending way too much on) was made of some form of rice. The pastas, the cookies, the cereals... This couldn't be healthy either.


I am not sure how it came to be that we only consume so few grains in this country and why there are so many other healthier grains grown here and all around the world (something to do with profits I assume). How is it that most Americans have never even heard of them when many of them are grown here? I had never heard of many of them until we had to start eating gluten free, but now I am on a quest to try them all and incorporate them into our diets. You can't buy these things ready made in a box, so I am learning to cook; to really cook, real food. I laugh now because in all the 10 years that we have been married (which is actually all of my adult life) I have never really spent any time being concerned about preparing food. Now I find myself washing out canisters that have been on the shelf as decoration in order to store the large quantities of bulk grains and flours that I have been buying. I have had to blow dust off of the stack of cookbooks on top of the refrigerator in order to find recipes to try with these new foods and I am excited by it all. This Celiac diagnosis my family has been given has in some ways been a blessing. without it, I probably never would have taken the time to learn about new foods and cooking. It feels very good to prepare real, good food for my family that will help them grow and be healthy.

Here is a list and a quick synopsis of the inherently gluten free grains I have recently discovered, purchased and set out to learn how to cook and eat. As I try each of them I will share what I learn and the recipes that we like.

Quinoa has been a staple grain in South America for thousands of years. It is as high in protein as milk and high in calcium, b vitamins, potassium and zinc. It's the only one of these grains I have used very much yet and my next post will be dedicated to how we've been eating it.

Millett First grown in China, it was considered a sacred grain, but for some reason it fell out of favor with the upper classes and today is considered poor man's food in most of the world. In the United States however, we don't even consider it fit for human consumption and mostly only sell it as bird feed even though it is extreemly high in iron and is a complete protein.

Amaranth An ancient grain, first grown thousands of years ago in Mexico. It is high in iron, fiber, and amino acids. It is tiny and round.

Sorghum The United States is actually the largest grower of Sorghum in the world. Imagine that. Ever heard of it? What do we do with it all if no one here eats it? Sorghum flour is great for making gluten free breads. I have a great recipe I have been looking forward to trying. I just got a kitchenaid mixer and I can't wait to put it to good use!

Teff is the staple grain of Ethiopia and I bought some because I am excited to try making traditional Ethiopian injera bread. It is a thin spongey pancake like bread that is kind of sour. It is used to scoop up food in liue of utensils in Ethiopian cuisine. It is extreemly nutritious containing lots of protein, calcium and iron. One cup of teff contains the entire USDA recommended ammount of iron for an adult for one day!

This information came from the book, Gluten Free Girl, which I highly reccomend! The author, Shauna Ahren has a great blog too!

Saturday Morning at Ma's Cafe

Waffles

(from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1962 edition)

Makes about 8 waffles.

1 3/4 cups gluten free flour mix
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten egg yolks
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup oil
2 stiff-beaten egg whites

Stir together dry ingredients. Combine egg yolks and milk; stir into dry ingredients. Stir in oil. Fold in egg whites, leaving some fluff. Bake in waffle maker.

An Amazing Easter

This year was one of the most memorable and meaningful Easter holidays I am sure I will ever celebrate.

I know that I keep saying it, but it has been a long winter for our family filled with lots of viruses, tiredness and sadness. We really seemed to identify with the dark season of advent season this year. It is the season of waiting. We looked forward, with much hope, to Easter and the season of renewal. We longed for Resurrection... waiting and waiting. Hoping and praying. We knew it would come, but it felt like such a long wait. We were waiting for warm weather and sunshine, waiting to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, waiting for healing, and waiting for new life.

Jenna and Brian were waiting for the arrival of their 3rd child and first daughter. I was anxious for her arrival too, especially since I was to be at her birth. Jenna was growing tired and uncomfortable and we knew the day must be coming soon. Saturday afternoon, Jenna called to tell me that she thought things were happening and by late that evening she called to let me know she was definitely in labor. Amy and I met her and Brian at the hospital at 12:30am Sunday morning. Easter, what a beautiful day for a birth. After about 4 hours of much hard work, (I am leaving out so many beautiful details here, because it's not really my story) Jenna gave birth to Solaya (from the french word for Sun) Jubilee at 4:30am in the darkness just before the dawn on Easter morning. I have been so blessed by the whole expierience and I am so honored to have been invited to such an intimate event.

Solaya Jubilee Chisholm
Weight: 6 lbs 6 oz of sweetness
Length: 18 inches

So at 7am I finally snuck into my bed, praying that I would not wake my children and hoping for at least an hour or two of sleep before it was time to get up for church. I was exhausted, but I made it to church at 10:30am and sat with Amy and her Father, who one year ago was dead. He had a heart attack and was pronounced dead. Then he came back to life. It was a very emotional Easter. The resurrection is here and feels close and very real. The LIGHT of Christ shown brightly!

After church we got together for Easter dinner with Rich's family. The kids played Red Rover outside in the sunshine and we had a very fun egg hunt. I found myslef praising God for my beautiful children, my neice and nephews and how much they have all grown over the past year.

Daisy

Rosie

Cody, who was born last January weighing only 3 pounds and spents weeks in the NICU

Lily and her cousin Brieanne

I hope that your easter was a memorable one too and that you are enjoying this new season!

about Celiac disease

In response to Kathy's comment on my last post, here is some information about Celaic:

Celiac Disease (CD) is a lifelong, digestive disorder affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Even small amounts of gluten (I have read that one crumb the size of the head of a pin is enough to make someone with CD very sick) in foods can affect those with CD and cause health problems. Damage can occur to the small bowel even when there are no symptoms present. It is not an allergy, it is an autoimmune disease with serious long term consequences such as malnutrition and cancer if not taken seriously. It is estimated that 1 in every 100 people has it and 97% of them are currently undiagnosed. I would list the symptoms here but the list is so long it would take up too much space! So here's a blog post dedicated to the symptoms of Celiac disease.


Gluten is the common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. These proteins are found in ALL forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn and faro) and related grains rye, barley and triticale and MUST be eliminated. Oats should be avoided too, and we do. They are naturally gluten free, but it's just that they are so often cross contaminated in the growing, harvesting and processing. Some people eat them and other say they react to them. It is possible to buy gluten free oats. It sounds easy in theory to eliminate these items from your diet, but I am still amazed at the ridiculous places that gluten hides. Especially in processed pre packaged foods, such as otherwise gluten free foods flavored with Barley malt. It is in many candies, used as thickeners in sauces and soups and as an anticaking agent in many foods. It takes extreem vigilance to follow a gluten free diet.

Corn, thankfully is ok. It does NOT contain gluten. making mexican food one of our favorite meals around here. We also eat lots and lots of corn tortilla chips. Locally made El Matador are our favorite and the factory has confirmed that they are gluten free. We have to consult the internet and call numerous companies to verify if a food is gluten free. There is this law about labeling foods with allergy information, but it isn't really that helpful for people with celiac. They are required to label things that contain wheat, but not gluten which is found in many things that don't actually contain wheat.

Celiac disease is hereditary runs very strong on Rich's mother's side of his family. His mother and grandmother and many of his aunts, uncles and cousins have it and many more most likely have it but have not been diagnosed. It is something we should have been looking into sooner considering how prevalent it is in his family, but we just never really thought about it, I think we were in subconscious denial. Lily and Rich have now been gluten free for about a year. Both of them have seen major improvements in thier digestive health as a result, but for both of them the biggest difference is the almost complete releif from the severe anxiety that they both suffered from on a regular basis. Read my previous post to hear about Daisy's journey.

There is much to learn, Here's some resources for more info:

celiac.com

celiac.org

our local celiac kids support group

celiac kids support group on facebook

the many symptoms of celiac

http://www.glutenfreeworks.com/symptomology.php
Gluten Free Works Symptom Guide
How can I tell if I have a problem with gluten?
This is a common question people ask in the face of a bewildering array
of possible symptoms. We have developed a Symptom Guide below to
help you identify possible symptoms and health problems that you can
present to your doctor.
Here is the list of over 300 Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders and
Complications directly or indirectly resulting from celiac disease.
We were the first to present this information in our comprehensive book,
"Recognizing Celiac Disease." This list is now being used by celiac disease
centers, national celiac organizations and health organizations worldwide.

1. BLOOD SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Abnormal levels of blood components and quality of blood cells and
plasma, detected by blood studies ordered by a doctor.
Anemia, Folic acid deficiency
Anemia, Iron deficiency
Anemia, Vitamin B12 deficiency
Anti-endomysium (EMA) antibodies present
Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) present
Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) present
Associated auto-immune antibodies present
Bone alkaline phosphatase, elevated level
Calcium, low
Cholesterol, too low - below 156
Coagulation factors, low
Copper, low
Hemochromatosis
Homocysteine, elevated
Hyperprolactinemia
Hypoprothrombinemia
Hypertransaminasemia
Hypoglycemia
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
Macroamylasemia
Macrocytosis
Macrolipasemia
Magnesium, low
Neutropenia
Phosphorous, low
Plasma proteins, low
Potassium, low
Prolonged prothrombin time
Transient erythroblastopenia
Zinc, low

2. BODY COMPOSITION PROBLEMS
Disorders of the body as a whole.
Anorexia
Appetite, increased
Cachexia
Obesity
Vitality, loss of
Weight gain, unexplained
Weight loss, unexplained

3. CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of the heart and blood vessels.
Angina pectoris
Aortic vasculitis
Atherosclerosis
Cardiomegaly
Cardiomyopathy, idiopathic dilated
Coronary artery disease
Easy bruising (ecchymosis)
Hypertension, reversible
Nosebleeds, unexplained

4. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM PROBLEMS
The following symptoms in this section may be present alone or in any
combination in celiac disease. They result from inflammation, damage,
and interference with normal function caused by gluten exposure in the
digestive tract itself. As you see, problems can develop not only in the
small intestine where inflammation can be intense, but also in other
areas such as mucosal tissues of the mouth, esophagus, stomach and
colon.
Abdominal distention (bloating)
Abdominal pain
Abnormal appetite
Autoimmune cholangitis
Bacterial overgrowth (small intestine)
Bleeding unexplained
Cancer - adenocarcinoma of the small intestine
Cancer - esophagus
Cancer - esophageal small cell
Cancer - pharynx
Cancer - post-cricoid
Candida infections
Canker sores (aphthous ulcers) in mouth
Carbohydrate malabsorption
Cheilosis - (red lips, cracking/ oozing at corners of mouth)
Colitis - collagenous
Colitis - lymphocytic
Colitis - ulcerative
Colonic volvulus - (loop of bowel twists so as to strangulate it)
Constipation
Constipation alternating with diarrhea
Crohn's Disease
Delayed gastric emptying- (early fullness after eating)
Diarrhea, acute
Diarrhea, chronic
Duodenal erosions in the second part of duodenum
Dysphagia - (difficulty swallowing)
Edema of intestines
Esophageal motor abnormalities - (poor propelling of food)
Food allergies, IgE and non-IgE
Gas
Gastric ulcer - (stomach ulcers)
Gastric ulcerations, multiple
Gastritis, collagenous
Gastritis, lymphocytic
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Gastro-intestinal bleeding, occult - (blood not visible)
Gluten sensitive enteritis
Gums, bleeding/ swollen - (purplish in adults/ red in children)
Heartburn
H. Pylori Bacter infection of stomach
Impaired gall bladder motility
Intestinal edema
Irritable bowel syndrome
Jejunitis, chronic
Lactose intolerance - (gas, bloating, loose stools from milk)
Laryngospasm
Leaky gut syndrome
Lymphoma
Malabsorption of nutrients (see below)
Maltose intolerance - (gas, bloating, loose stools from starch)
Milk intolerance, cow - (similar to gluten enteropathy)
Nausea
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Oral mucosal lesions
Pale, smelly, floating stool - (hard to flush or sticks to toilet)
Plummer-Vinson syndrome
Primary biliary cirrhosis - (bile backs up in liver)
Primary sclerosing cholangitis - (scarring of bile ducts in liver)
Small bowel intussusception - (loop of bowel slips into another)
Sucrose intolerance - (gas, bloating, mucous in stool from sugar)
Swallowing - difficulty (dysphagia)
Tongue - beefy, red, smooth, burning
Tongue - fiery red, smooth, swollen, sore
Tongue - magenta, swollen
Tongue - pale, smooth, burning
Tooth defects - yellowing, white spots, missing enamel
Vomiting

5. GLANDULAR SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of the glands.
Addison's Disease - (adrenal gland failure)
Autoimmune hepatitis
Autoimmune thyroiditis - (hypothyroidism)
Diabetes mellitus type I - (pancreatic failure)
Diabetic instability
Gastro-intestinal complications of type 1 diabetes
Grave's Disease - (hyperthyroidism)
Hepatic granulomatous disease
Hyperparathroidism, Primary
Hypoparathyroidism, Idiopathic
Hypoparathyroidism, Secondary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Pancreatic insufficiency
Parathyroid carcinoma
Steatorrhea

6. IMMUNE SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of antibody production.
Allergic rhinitis
Antiphospholipid syndrome
Asthma
Autoimmune disorders in CD
Autoimmune disorders in dermatitis herpetiformis
Autoimmune polyglandular syndromes
Common variable immunodeficiency
IgA deficiency
Sarcoidosis
Sjogrens syndrome
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Urticaria, chronic - (hives)

7. INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of skin, hair, and nails.
Alopecea areata - (patches of hair loss)
Alopecia, diffuse - (balding)
Cutaneous vasculitis
Cutis laxa, generalized acquired
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Dermatomyositis
Eczema
Edema
Eythema elevatum diutinuum
Erythema nodosum
Follicular hyperkeratosis - (dry rough skin/ plugs on arms)
Ichthyosis, acquired
Itchy skin rash
Hangnail
Koilonychia - (thin nails that flatten then turn up or spoon)
Melanoma
Nails - dry and brittle that chip, peel, crack or break easily
Nails - horizontal and vertical ridges; fragile
Nail - rounded and curved down ends, dark, dry
Nails - white spots
Nails with splinter hemorrhages
Pityriasis rubra pilaris
Prurigo nodularis (Hyde's Prurigo)
Psoriasis
Scleroderma
Seborrhea
Thin hair
Vitiligo

8. LYMPATIC SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of the lymphocytes (white blood cells), lymph nodes
and spleen.
B-cell non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Cryptic intestinal T-cell lymphoma (refractory sprue)
Enteropathy associated T-cell Lymphoma (EATL)
Extraintestinal Lymphomas
Intraepithelial lymphocytosis in small bowel samples
Lymphadenopathy
Mesenteric lymph node cavitation
Hyposplenism - (atrophy of spleen leads to failure)

9. MUSCULAR SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of muscle structure and function.
Hypkalemic rhabdomyolysis - (acute, severe
potassium deficiency)
Muscle pain and tenderness
Muscle spasm and cramps
Muscle wasting
Muscle weakness
Osteomalcic myopathy
Polymyositis
Tetany

10. NERVOUS SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of nerves, brain and spinal cord structure and function.
Anxiety
Apathy
Ataxia, gait disturbance
Ataxia, gluten
Ataxia, progressive myoclonic
Brain atrophy
Cerebral perfusion abnormalities - (poor blood flow)
Chonic fatigue syndrome
Chorea
Cortical calcifying angiomatosis
Dementia
Depression
Epilepsy
Fatigue/ lassitude, chronic
Headache
Inability to concentrate
Insomnia
Irritability
Migraine
Multiple sclerosis
Nervous system disorders
Peripheral neuropathy
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
Schizophrenic spectrum disorders
Tremors
Vasculitis of the central nervous system

11. PULMONARY SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of lung tissue and broncheal tree structure and function.
Bronchiectasis
Bronchoalveolitis, Lymphocytic (bronchial pneumonia)
Idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis
Increased pulmonary permeability
Increasee susceptibility to tuberculosis
Lung cavities or abcess
Pneumococcal septicemia
Tuberculosis, non-response to treatment

12. SENSORY SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of sense organ structure and function.
Bitot's spots - (foamy patches on whites of eye)
Blepharitis, unexplained
Bloodshot eyes, chronic
Blurred vision, unexplaines
Cataracts
Keratoconjunctivitis sicca
Keratomalacia
Night blindness
Ocular myopathy
Uveitis, bilateral
Xerophthalmia
Loss of smell
Dysgeusia (loss of taste)

13. SKELETAL SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of bone, joints and teeth.
Bone fracture
Bone pain
Osteitis fibrosa
osteomalacia
Osteonecrosis
Osteoporosis
Arthritis, enteropathic
Arthritis, psoriatic
Arthritis, recurrent monoarthritis

14. URINARY SYSTEM PROBLEMS
Disorders of kidneys and urinaty tract structure and function.
Hypocalciuria
IgA nephropathy
Kidney stones
Urinary tract infection

15. REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM PROBLEMS IN FEMALES
Disorders of organ structure and function.
Amenorrhea, secondary
Infertility
Late menache - (start of periods)
Menopause, early
Premenstrual syndrome
Dysmenorrhea (painful periods)
Dyspareunia - (painful intercouse)
Vaginitis

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM PROBLEMS IN MALES
Disorders of organ structure and function.
Hypogonadism, unexplained in adults
Impotence
Infertility
Sperm abnormalities

16. REPRODUCTION: PREGNANCY, LABOR & DELIVERY AND
PUERPERIUM PROBLEMS
Disorders of childbearing.
Severe iron deficiency anemia in pregnancy
Short duration of breast feeding
Miscarriages, spontaneous
Complications during pregnancy, labor and delivery
Complications after child birth

17. ZYGOTE DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS
Disorders of chromosomes.
Down syndrome
Turner's syndrome

18. FETUS DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS
Disorders of that occur before birth of the child.
Congenital anomalies
Intrauterine growth retardation
Cystic fibrosis
Spina bifida

19. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROBLEMS
Disorders of children that occur after birth.
Autism and learning disorders
Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
Cancer predisposition in children
Chronic bullous dermatosis
Delayed puberty in boys
Delayed pubety in girls
Dermatitis herpetiformis
Developmental delay
Failure to thrive and growth retardation
Fecal occult blood in stool - (hidden)
Glycogenic acanthosis
Hypotonia
Juvenile autoimmune thyroid disease
Juvenile diabetes type 1
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Abnormal blood studies
Latent anemia in enzymopthies of small intestine - (lack
of enzymes that finish digestion of protein/ sugars)
Penicilllin V impaired absorption
Refractory anemia ( does not respond to iron therapy)
Osteopenia
Rickets
Short staure
Stroke in childhood
This ends the listing from "Recognizing Celiac Disease."

__________________________

___________________________

Here are some other ways to look at problems:

BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
Aloofness
Hyperactivity
Irritability is an early symptom. It is common in children.
Impatience
Lack of desire to get things done
Lack of feeling
Restlessness
Timid behavior
Violent behavior

NEUROLOGICAL ISSUES
Anxiety
Apathy
Bipolar disorder
Depression
Difficulty making friendships
Easy frustration and anger
Nervousness
Panic attacks
Sense of worthlessness
Overly self-criticism
Hysteria
Hypochondria

THINKING PROBLEMS
Confused/ faulty thinking
Confabulation
Delusional
Dementia
Disorientation
Faulty learning
Hallucination
Inability to concentrate
Inattentiveness
Loss of memory
Loss of immediate memory
Poor memory
Psychiatric disorders
Reduced learning
Slow thinking
Scattered thinking

ASSOCIATED DISORDERS IN CD
Addison's Disease
Allergic Rhinitis
Alopecia Areata
Angina Pectoris
Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Arthritis
Asthma
Ataxia
Autoimmune Hepatitis
Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndromes
Bitot's Spots (eyes)
Blepheritis (eyelids)
Bloodshot eyes
Bronchiectasis
Cardiomegaly
Chronic Bullous Dermatosis of Childhood
Chronic Hives
Chorea
Common Variable Immunodeficiency
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Cortical Calcifying Angiomatosis
Dermatomyositis
Diabetes
Diabetic instability
Eczema
Erthema Elevatum Diutinum
Erythema Nodosum
Graves's Disease (hyperthyroidism
Hepatic granulomatous disease
Hypertension
Hypogonadism
Hypokalemic Rhabdomyolysis
Icthyosis, acquired
Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
Idiopathic hypoparathyroidism
Idiopathic thrompbcytopenic purpura
IgA deficiency
IgA Nephropathy
Impotence
Kidney Stones
Loss of vitality
Multiple Sclerosis
Neutropenia
Osteomylacic Myopathy
Peripheral Neuropathy
Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris
Polymyositis
Primary hyperparathyroidism
Psoriasis
Sarcoidosis
Scleroderma
Seborrhea
Sjogren's syndrome
Systemic Lupus Erythomatosus
Tremors
Urinary Tract Infection
Vitiligo

COMPLICATIONS OF CD
Aortic vasculitis
Atherosclerosis
B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Bone Fractures
Bone Pain
Brain Atrophy
Bronchial Pneumonia
Cancer Predisposition in Children
Cataracts
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Congenital Anomalies
Cystic Fibrosis
Dementia
Down Syndrome
Enteropathy associated T-cell Lymphoma (EATL)
Epilepsy
Extraintestinal Lymphomas
Hyposplenism
Infertillity, Female
Infertility, Male

I told you this is a long list! and I am sure there are even more things that could be added!

Daisy

Our poor little Daisy has had a rough few weeks. She has been pretty sick. We have all had a lot of nasty virus this winter, but the last few weeks have been really hard on Daisy. She's had a constant runny nose and cold, and digestive issues, then she got hit by a really awful stomach bug 2 weeks ago. She ended up in the ER needing IV fluids for dehydration and it just seemed that she was having a really hard time kicking it.

I have suspected that she too has Celiac Disease for some time, so I had her on a gluten free diet for 6 weeks, but put her back on wheat about 6 weeks ago because I didn't think I had seen much of a difference and we were also finally going to get into see the Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Devos Children's Hospital that we had been waiting to see for over 5 months. I knew that she would order blood tests that would require that Daisy be consuming wheat. I was surprised however when the Dr. recommended that she consume wheat for three months before having the blood test. We didn't make it that long however. Even after recovering from the stomach flu, she was still having constant diarrhea, sometimes 6 or more times a day.

She was so uncomfortable, so we went for the blood test on Wednesday. It had seemed so important to have the medical diagnosis... but it got so bad that it just felt like torture. Do I really need a Dr. to tell me my kid shouldn't eat wheat? As soon as we left the lab Daisy went completely gluten free again.

Less than 24 hours later she had her first solid poop in over 6 weeks.

So we are still waiting for the results of the blood work, but I already have my answer. It couldn't be any more obvious. It's only been two days now without wheat and I can't believe the difference. I really believed that going gluten free would solve her discomfort, but I had no idea it would happen so fast.

So no more gluten at our house, the number of people who can't it now out number the ones who can. I am very thankful though that this is a disease that can be overcome. My family can be healthy. We must simply (it's simple in theory anyway) eat a gluten free diet.