by Melissa Diane Smith

Do you eat gluten free, but gain weight or end up feeling not well during the holiday season? If so, consider this: There’s a little-known secret to enjoying the holidays with health, energy and no weight gain: Eating against the grain. Preparing low-grain foods and even no-grain foods may be unknown to most people (even many people who eat gluten-free). But it is an overlooked strategy for making delicious holiday meals quicker, easier and with far less fuss.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

If your doctor thinks there is no research to support gluten sensitivity that is not celiac disease, three new scientific abstracts published in a Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition supplement and presented at the annual NASPGHAN pediatric gastroenterology scientific meeting in mid-November might change his or her mind. Leading gluten researchers Alessio Fasano, MD, of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research was involved in two of the research reports, and Rodney Ford, MD, of the Children’s Gastroenterology Clinic in Christchurch, New Zealand, authored the other.

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What fun it was to meet and chat with another practitioner who is as enthusiastic about spreading the word about gluten sensitivity as I am! That’s exactly what happened when Dr. Rodney Ford, a pediatrician, gastroenterologist and allergist from New Zealand, came to Tucson with his lovely wife Chris. We had animated discussions about current and future research on gluten sensitivity, and we enjoyed several gluten-free meals, including particularly good ones at El Charro Café (loved that Shrimp Topopo Salad!) and Feast, two Tucson restaurants with gluten-free menus.

Dr. Ford had a flip videocam with him and, after a long day of sightseeing, he decided to film a quick public service announcement with me about gluten sensitivity. Check out our youTube video and be sure to send the link to others who may not be aware of gluten sensitivity and how common it is.

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by Melissa Diane Smith

Gluten sensitivity is much more than celiac disease: It is ten times more common than celiac disease and it is a brain and nerve disease, not a gut disease, New Zealand’s Dr. Rodney Ford said at the Southern Arizona Celiac Support Group general meeting in Tucson on November 7th.

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