As more research is conducted on Celiac Disease, it seems that more and more other problems are linked to having Celiac.   In fact, many people are now being diagnosed with Celiac Disease despite not having any of the “standard” symptoms of Celiac Disease.  

The latest story I’ve found discusses Thyroid Disease and the possible link between Celiac Disease and Thyroid Disease.   According to Reuters:

Using data from Swedish national registers, researchers led by Dr. Peter Elfstrom at Orebro University Hospital, studied the long-term risk of thyroid disease in more than 14,000 individuals diagnosed with celiac disease between 1964 and 2003 and some 68,000 age- and gender-matched control subjects without celiac disease.

 

They found that people with celiac disease had a greater than fourfold increased risk of being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, a threefold increased risk of suffering hyperthyroidism, and a 3.6-fold increased risk of developing thyroiditis.

 

The reverse was also true, with the same level of statistical significance, for an increased risk of celiac disease in people with established hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and thyroiditis.

Here is a gluten free recipe for a healthy version of a Christmas Cake in case anyone is interested.  It was created to be sugar free and salt free.  Enjoy!

Gluten Free Christmas Cake Recipe

Cake Ingredients:

• 170g Pitted Dried Dates
• 140ml Water
• 115ml Sunflower Oil
• 30g Ground Almonds
• 5ml Mixed Spice
• 3 organic eggs or Egg Replacer
• 55g Rice Flour
• 55g Soya Flour
• 55g Corn Flour
• 455g Mixed Dried Fruit - can be raisins, muscatel raisins, currant, sultanas, or why not try cranberries, Blueberries or cherries!

Cake Directions:

1. Dates should be chopped into small pieces and placed in a pan with the water.
2. Bring to the boil and simmer for until dates are soft. Allow to cool.
3. Mix together the dates, sunflower oil, ground almonds, spice, eggs (or replacer) and all the flours.
4. Stir in you selection of mixed dried fruit and mix well.
5. Place mixture into a lined, greased 18cm cake tin.
6. Bake for 30mins at 170c, then another 45mins at 145c.
7. Allow to cool for 10mins then turn out, removing lining paper.
8. Allow to fully cool and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

[Recipe Courtesy of Goodness Direct]

If you live in an area that has an UNO Chicago Grill, you’ll be happy to learn that the popular restaurant chain is set to officially to debut a gluten free pizza!  Unfortunately I live in Iowa and am not aware of any within the state. 

It looks like this gluten free pizza is currently only available in their restaurants found in the Northeastern Region of the United States, but if things go well, they will be expanding to their other restaurant chains. 

According to Market Watch:

Gatto explained that it took over a year of research and development to find just the right recipe for a brand that is known for its iconic pizza. “While we want to meet the needs of guests with allergies, we never forget that we are about great taste and choice, and that means developing new dishes that are healthful without sacrificing great flavor.”

The company that was the first to develop deep-dish pizza in 1943 is still full of innovation. Uno Chicago Grill works closely with its Nutrition Advisory Board, which meets quarterly to discuss trends and solutions to improve the quality and nutritional value of its menu. The board includes world-class physicians with expertise in coronary disease, weight management, and other food/health related issues. Uno CEO Frank Guidara oversees the Advisory Board and brings his expertise as a member of the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Roundtable.

The new gluten-free pizza is being tested at Uno Chicago Grill locations in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts (excluding Worcester, Springfield/Holyoke, and Dedham).

If you read the article, you’ll notice they mention November as Celiac Awareness month, which is incorrect.  It seems we can’t decide between October or May for Celiac Awareness month, but I know for sure that it isn’t in November!   :)

All the rest of the information looks accurate.

In case anyone is interested, the Center for Celiac Disease is selling magnets and wrist bands to raise money for Celiac research.  They are $2.00 each and it looks like over 35,000 of these have already been sold!

If you are interested in contributing to Celiac research, you can find more information about how to purchase your wrist band or magnet here.

If you’ve ever considered how great it would be to have a GPS navigation system which was setup to help you locate restaurants with gluten free menus, there is a nice solution in the following press release, which I am reprinting with permission:

Gluten Free Registry^TM is a leading free searchable database of gluten-free friendly restaurants, bakeries, caterers, chefs and grocers. Their database is available as POI files for your GPS navigation system. Now those files are discounted up to 54% for the holidays. Buy now for your holiday travel at http://www.glutenfreeregistry.com/order-gps-download.do.

Celiac Disease is a genetic disorder where the body has an intolerance to the protein called gluten which is found in wheat, rye,  barley and oats. According to the Celiac Sprue Association, “1 in 133 Americans have celiac disease”. Left untreated, people with Celiac Disease can develop further complications such as vitamin deficiencies, other autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, and cancer. Currently the only treatment for Celiac Disease is a lifetime gluten-free diet.

http://www.glutenfreeregistry.com was created to help bring people and gluten-free friendly business together. Since their website launched the database has grown to over 12,400+ business locations in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. More business submissions are received every week. Their map interface provides a quick and intuitive interface for searching. This is especially helpful when traveling. Their database is also searchable on your cell phone or other internet enabled mobile device by going to http://gfregistry.mobi.

In addition to the business registries, the site includes comments and ratings provided by the gluten-free community about the business locations. You can view the comments by business location, the Most Recent Comments, Most Talked About Businesses, Most Liked Businesses, and the Most Debated Businesses. This community driven feedback, both positive and negative, provides a more complete picture of the gluten-free experience at the business location. No account is required to submit comments and ratings, or to suggest a business.

Gluten Free Registry^TM also offers a Community Events Calendar, a Resources page, GPS POI file downloads, and an Online Store. They have created a one stop shop for people living the gluten-free lifestyle.