“Low GI Gluten Free Eating Made Easy” is a useful and comprehensive book.* This book is part of the “New Glucose Revolution” series and in this particular book, the author, Dr, Jennie Brand-Miller, professor of human nutrition at the University of Sydney, AU, collaborates with Kate Marsh, a dietitian and life long diabetic who was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and Philippa Sandall, editor of the GI newsletter (ginews.blogspot.com). This book answers many of my questions about the Glycemic Index, Celiac Disease, Heart Disease and especially what a life long, healthy eating plan and lifestyle looks like. This timely book is a highly recommended read for those wanting to make a gluten free lifestyle even healthier.
Dr. Alessio Faisano, Director of the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland, in his new article: Surprises from Celiac Disease in the August issue of Scientific American, states that “gluten causes this inflammation and intestinal damage by eliciting activity by various cells of the immune system.” Dr. Faisano’s acknowledgment that gluten is an inflammatory agent is an important connection. As many know the prevailing professional wisdom is that there is a relationship between Diabetes and Celiac Disease. It is highly likely that we will see more dual diagnoses of Diabetes and Celiac Disease, so understanding how the Glycemic index works is going to be increasingly important.
My life-long journey with Celiac Disease led me to the Glycemic Index through Anti-Inflammation diets some years ago and I have been waiting for this book or one like it to reach me. Although published in 2007, I just discovered it while in Portland, OR. I mention Portland, OR because that was the place I first became aware of the problem with the Celiac Disease diet and recipes and diabetes.
Last year, my friend’s husband was diagnosed as gluten intolerant and pre-diabetic. Handed the GF diet what he and his wife soon discovered was that his insulin spiked when he ate the “traditional” CD diet of rice, potato starch, tapioca and the like: all those staples in most of our recipes. Insulin spiking is not a good thing when you are pre-diabetic. Shortly after he was diagnosed, I met an Irish MD who was doing her internship at one of the hospitals in Portland, OR. Her sister, who had Downs syndrome, is an insulin dependent diabetic and was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease, was adamant that the “Celiac Disease” diet “needed major revision”…actually what she really said was that the CD diet was “just plain rubbish” in this very thick Irish accent. Her sister couldn’t eat any of the recommended bread and certainly the rice was also major issue. So, if there are friends of yours who are already dually diagnosed, the “Low GI Gluten Free Eating Made Easy” will be an important resource.
In addition to understanding the Glycemic Index, the authors make another important distinction. They delineate 5 categories related to Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease itself, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Intolerance and Wheat Allergy. Diagnosed as an infant in 1945 with Celiac Disease, I currently do not test positive for the changed classification of Celiac Disease. Not only are there people like myself, there are also many people who do not currently test positive for Celiac Disease for whatever reason. Here in the US the prevailing allopathic medical view is that those of us who do not test positive for Celiac Disease do not need medical attention or are not as important. I have been told several times by allopathic doctors that it was fashionable to diagnose Celiac Disease in the 1940s and ‘50s and that my diagnosis is not a valid diagnosis. I am relieved to finally see that there is a book written with everyone in mind.
The recipes in “Low GI Gluten Free Eating Made Easy” are quite interesting and weekly food plans are certainly a good place to start. There is one suggestion I have when making wraps these days…Either use Vietnamese Rice wrappers or Iceberg or Romaine lettuce leaves as wraps. The book refers to some gluten free wraps…but I suspect they are Australian and not a common item here in the US….yet. The most important thing tho’ is that finally there is a book that connects the first set of dots between diabetes and celiac disease.