CeliacChicks

More From The New York Times

Wow! Over 50 of you shared your comments about the New York Times Q & A yesterday. The varied experiences you have all had trying to get a proper diagnosis and the reasons why you are on a gluten-free diet are very interesting. The personal stories revealing the diverse health conditions of our gluten-free "community" were riveting and I'm so pleased that many of you have seen dramatic health benefits.

I wanted to add to our discussion that The New York Times has actually raised a lot of awareness about celiac disease with great articles in the last few years. Maybe that is why yesterday's Q & A came as a bit of a surprise.

Well, I think you will all be pleased with the Q & A about celiac disease and gluten-intolerance in today's New York Times.

Can You Be Intolerant To Foods Like Pasta?

I think we are back on track now! Whew! Now we can get back on the party train! 

Any comments?

Gluten-Free Diet Questioned In The New York Times

Did you see this Q & A in The New York Times today?

I have no idea why they titled this Gluten & Gluttony. Am I missing something?

And the "answer" given made me feel like the author took a few quotes from a doctor that specializes in celiac disease and then twisted the "answer" to lead the reader to the conclusion that "there is no benefit to eating a gluten-free diet unless you have been diagnosed with celiac disease."

True, it has not been proven scientifically that a gluten-free diet benefits other ailments. And for the record, I  strongly encourage people to first try to get properly tested for celiac disease before going on a gluten-free diet.

However, I still had a few issues with the given "answer". I'm sure the author didn't have any ill intent when writing this "answer", but as we all know, there are still millions of people that have undiagnosed celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Knowing this makes me feel that articles such as this one are downplaying these numbers and even subtly mocking people that are trying a gluten-free diet and claiming to feel better without an official diagnosis of celiac disease. There was no mention of other auto-immune diseases that could be associated with celiac disease, while celiac disease is often overlooked. Wouldn't a well rounded journalistic approach have been to mention this and also mention some of the shocking numbers of undiagnosed patients along with the scientifically proven fact that gluten-sensitivity, although not officially celiac disease, is just as much of a deadly danger? 

Speaking of gluten-sensitivity, remember when it didn't exist because it hadn't been proven scientifically?

Celiac Disease Article On The Huffington Post

Dr. Jon LaPook just wrote a very detailed article about celiac disease on mega blog The Huffington Post. Dr. LaPook is a gastroenterologist at Columbia University Medical Center who is also the Medical Correspondent for CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. Be sure to check out the discussion below the article and feel free to join in.

Here is the link to the article:

Why Common Foods May Hurt Your Health

Thank you, Dr. LaPook for writing such a fabulous article! And thank you, Huffington Post for helping out with celiac disease awareness!
[air kiss]

HIGHLIGHTS

I really liked the detailed list of celiac disease symptoms:

Diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, distention, weight loss, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, failure to thrive in infancy, vomiting, short stature, iron deficiency with or without anemia, poor performance in school, delayed puberty, infertility, recurrent miscarriage, osteoporosis, vitamin deficiencies, fatigue, tooth discoloration and dental enamel defects, skin disorders, elevated liver enzymes, Down syndrome, Sjogren's syndrome, aphthous ulcers (canker sores), arthritis, depression, nerve and balance problems (peripheral neuropathy and cerebellar ataxia), irritability in children, seizures, and migraines. Patients with other autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and thyroiditis are at increased risk for celiac disease.

Added to this:

Gluten-Free Food Fraud Update #2

The Chicago Tribune reports that Whole Foods finally listened to complaining customers and removed three popular "gluten-free" products from its shelves due to high gluten content.

The news gets even better. Whole Foods is now going to create a "strict definition of gluten-free" for products sold in their stores along with monitoring the items to make sure they continue to comply with the given standard.

Now that is good customer service and responsibility!

On the other hand, you might want to read the comments from Louis Colameco, the owner of Wellshire Farms.

Oh, and keep an eye out for Wellshire Farms other brand name, Garrett County, that sells "gluten-free" chicken dogs, beef dogs, and chicken bites. The recent Tribune tests showed gluten levels as high as 2000ppm. Nice. 

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Related articles:
Gluten-Free Food Fraud Update
Chicago Tribune Busts Gluten-Free Food Fraud

Chicago Tribune Busts Gluten-Free Food Fraud

Do you eat Wellshire Farm's "gluten-free" products?

Did you read this article?

Children At Risk In Food Roulette

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I don't even know what to say.  I noticed that on the Wellshire Farm's website they still label their Chicken Bites for kids as "gluten-free". Uh, if kids are already being hospitalized over these, what is it going to take before they do something about their mislabeled products? Oh, and just for kicks check out this page about their "quality control" complete with a thank you letter from a mom gushing about how she "doesn't have to worry" due to their allergen database.

I checked in with Sam Roe, the reporter at the Chicago Tribune that wrote the article, hoping to find out that Wellshire Farms had tried to redeem their company name in some way. Perhaps that is why I procrastinated when it came to publishing this. Roe told me that yesterday they claimed to have "posted something on their website", but nothing has been seen. The products that are tainted are still being sold at Whole Foods. I could only find the Chicken Bites on the website. Did they remove the Chicken Corn Dogs and Beef Corn Dogs? And if so, why those and not the Chicken Bites too?

Maybe there is a positive side to this story? Maybe the timing for this story to break was perfect. You see, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) just entered into its 2nd phase, so hopefully this scandal will help to prove how important proper labeling and accurate testing is for products labeled as gluten-free. 

I'm going to choose to be mindful of all of the companies that I really do trust and that have a great long-standing reputation within our community. If anything, I think this article leaves me with even more appreciation for the companies that really live up to the responsibility to be honest when they say their products are gluten-free. Some people still have standards!

BTW- If you still are a little foggy about FALCPA, Nancy Lapin wrote an extensive and easy to understand article about it and what it entails on About.com.

Anything you'd like to say?

Would you like to email Wellshire Farms and explain to them why proper labeling is important to you? Here's their email:Info@WellshireFarms.com