Recommended Gluten-free Reading List

When Dr. Peter H. Green’s book came out shortly after was diagnosed with celiac disease, my copy could not arrive fast enough. As it turned out, an updated version of Shelley Cases’ book edition came out about the same time as Dr. Green’s book. Being able to own them both made me feel well armed to learn all there was to know (or at least enough to feel well educated) about this strange condition called celiac. None of the doctors I’d seen up to that point knew much, if anything, about what I had or where to direct me to learn how to follow the gluten-free diet to stay healthy.

Obviously, Dr. Green’s book explains what celiac disease is, and does so in such simple terms that people like me, who don’t understand much medical jargon, can easily understand the text. When my copy of the book arrived, I still didn’t understand much of anything about celiac disease. Dr. Green’s book explains a lot of important things about what celiac disease can do if left untreated – like causing certain cancers – and much more. Everything was in simple terms and not in “doctor speak” which can be difficult for lay people like me to understand. Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic explained everything about my condition that my own doctors could not. The latest edition of Dr. Green’s book was recently released.

When people ask me what books will help them figure the gluten-free lifestyle out, I always recommend the same three books.

• Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Shelley Case explains in detail everything you need to know about the diet, including what is and isn’t gluten-free. The many intricacies involved in following the diet correctly are included as well as gluten-free food companies, products and stores. The latest edition of her book was also recently released.

• Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic by Peter H. Green, MD, explains in easy to understand terms exactly what celiac disease is and much about the history of the condition. There is insight about why the condition is still so undiagnosed in this country in particular. Dr. Green is originally from Australia, where celiac is much more recognized – and diagnosed – by the medical community.

• Living Gluten-Free for Dummies by Danna Korn is a fairly light hearted, fun and very relatable read. It will have the reader understanding that not only is there life after a celiac or gluten intolerance diagnosis, but also that it can actually be quite enjoyable and full of delicious food. Danna is currently working on a gluten-free book for children and the second edition of her “for Dummies” series book will be released in May.

It’s unfortunate that people are not required to read these books because so many people seem to avoid gluten-free foods by mistake, while consuming things they have no idea contain gluten. Not everyone has outward symptoms so they don’t necessarily know if they eat gluten by mistake or not. It’s rare for me to go more than a couple of weeks without meeting or speaking to someone who is quite confused about what is and is not gluten-free. I’ve met people that didn’t know that celiac was the number one genetic condition in the world because their own doctors don’t know it. Without doing thorough research, it’s nearly impossible for anyone to truly follow the gluten-free diet correctly or understand exactly what having celiac disease means in terms of their own family tree. An educated consumer is definitely the best consumer when it comes to the gluten-free diet.