Cheerios - Gluten Free? Read your options?

Go to this link to learn what Allergic Living Magazine states, why the Canadian Celiac Association takes a stand, and what to do if you decide to try the new Gluten Free Cheerios and get sick.

http://allergicliving.com/2016/08/23/association-advises-against-gluten-free-cheerios-with-celiac-disease/

AFTER DIAGNOSIS OF CELIAC DISEASE

AFTER DIAGNOSIS OF CELIAC DISEASE


After diagnosis a celiac patient should...
Notes on Dr. Mohsin Rashid's presentation
CCA National Conference 2012

Dr. Rashid is Member of the CCA Professional Advisory Board and Pediatric Gastroenterologist in Halifax

Good follow-up is important for both children and adults with good evidence that follow-up improves adherence to the gluten-free diet.

After diagnosis of Celiac disease patients should:

• At 2 months: see a physician (family doctor or gastroenterologist) and dietitian
• At 6 months: repeat celiac serology (see note below)
• At 12 months: have a complete physical, TTG blood test, and ideally a biopsy (not in children)
• Annually: celiac serology and thyroid test

Celiac Serology includes:

• TTG
• Iron
• Folate
• Thyroid
• Liver Enzymes
• Calcium
• Phosphate
• Vitamin D

The follow up should focus on:

• nutritional deficiencies
• adherence to diet
• monitor for complications

Even with strict adherence to a gluten-free diet, there is still an increased risk of other auto-immune problems.   Celiac patients with two abnormal genes (for celiac disease) have a greater risk of complications than those with one abnormal gene.

In general:

• Consult with a skilled dietitian
• Educate yourself
• Follow a lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet
• Identify nutritional deficiencies to avoid anemia and osteoporosis
• Advocacy  (support the CCA and your local chapter)
• Monitor for complications

Updated List of Celiac Related Books available at the Yukon Public Library

With the support of the Edmonton Chapter of the CCA (Canadian Celiac Association,) and the funds raised from our recent Yard Sale Fundraiser this month, we are donating more publications to the YUKON LIBRARY.   Here is the current list as of July 6, 2016.

The following are in the children's section of the Whitehorse Public Library.   They can be found by doing a keyword and refined search by subject heading, or by title.

CELIAC DISEASE IN CHILDREN

• No Cupcakes for Jason - a child's story about the gluten-free casein-free diet with a parents' guide and a school guide included.
  

• Gilda the Gluten Free Mouse -- a story about living gloriously with celiac sprue disease
  

TRAVEL

• Let's Eat Out Around the World -- gluten free and allergy free

CELIAC DISEASE AND GLUTEN FREE INFORMATION

• REAL LIFE WITH Celiac Disease

• Celiac Disease For Dummies

• the gluten-free bible

• Living and eating gluten free

• Dangerous Grains

• The Immune System Recovery Plan

• Gluten Freedom:  The Nation’s Leading Expert Offers the Essential Guide to a Healthy, Gluten-Free Lifestyle

• Mayo Clinic Going Gluten Free: Essential Guide to Managing Celiac Disease and Related Conditions

• The First Year:   Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free:   An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed

• Jennifer's Way: My Journey with Celiac Disease--What Doctors Don’t Tell You and How You Can Learn  to Live Again

COOKBOOKS 

• GLUTEN-FREE BAKING 
• Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies
• The dairy-free & gluten-free kitchen
• GLUTEN is my BITCH
• The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook
• All you wanted to know about G. F. Cooking
• PALEO COOKING from Elana's Pantry

• GLUTEN-FREE Cupcakes

• the GLUTEN-FREE ALMOND FLOUR cookbook

• the what to eat gluten-free & what to cook cookbook on a gluten-free diet

• THE COMPLETE FOOD ALLERGY COOKBOOK

• THE ALLERGY SELF-HELP COOKBOOK

• THE GLUTEN FREE Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy

• The Best-Ever Wheat-and-Gluten-Free Baking Book

This list has been updated (as donations to our Territory are made through our CCA Yukon Support Group) on July 6, 2016.

As you check out these books for loan, feel free to send me a write up on your thoughts about the information in both the Cook Books and in the Resource Information Books.  

Gluten Free Dining in the Yukon

Do
. . . check out the following:

Dawson

Call Dianne at the Riverwest Bistro

Address: 958 Front St, Dawson, YT Y0B 1G0

Phone:(867) 993-6339

 

If you phone ahead, she will ensure your sandwich order is prepared with no cross contamination.   Let her know that you are a diagnosed celiac.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Whitehorse

Steele Street Restaurant & Lounge Westmark

Address: 201 Wood St, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2E4

Phone:(867) 393-9700

 

One of the kitchen staff here has a 6 year old celiac child and is very aware of the requirements for gluten free dining.   Phone ahead and ask what the menu options are and find out what brand of gluten free bread is used for sandwiches so that you are not disappointed if they don't use your preference.

 

________________________________________________________________________________

 

 Boston Pizza

Address: 2241 2nd Ave, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5W1

Phone:(867) 667-4992

 

Ensure the staff know you are a diagnosed celiac.   I often enjoy the ribs with now sauce and steamed vegies . . . or . . . the salt and pepper baked chicken wings . . . and there is always salads.    Be cautious of the gluten free pizza and pasta dishes as the potential for cross contamination is higher on these.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

Ricky's All Day Grill

Address: 2288 2nd Ave, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 1C8

Phone:(867) 633-5524

 

I must say that the wait staff here understood what gluten free meant when I ordered potato skins and she asked if I wanted them done in a separate pan.   I was so impressed.

 

 _________________________________________________________________________________

 

Antoinette's

Address: 4121 4 Ave, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 1H7

Phone:(867) 668-3505

 

A gluten free menu is offered here . . . I have had celiac individuals report back that they did not feel well after choosing to dine here but I myself have not had any problems.   

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

High Country Inn

Address: 4051 4 Avenue, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 1H1

Phone:(867) 667-4471

 

I know they were able to provide a gluten free meal for me at a conference I attended but when all the deserts came out I was given a small plate of fruit so I wasn't terribly impressed but call ahead and see what they can do for you.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

DON'T
. . . go here, major cross contamination in place:

Tony's Pizza

Address: 113 Copper Rd, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2Z7

Phone:(867) 668-2225

 

They prepare the gluten free pizza on the same area that the gluten pizza's are prepared, they do not use separate pans.   They cook their advertised gluten free wings in the same deep fry oil as the gluten products are cooked in . . .  this is not a safe place to eat gluten free.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Burnt Toast Cafe

Address: 2112 2nd Ave, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 1B9

Phone:(867) 393-2605

 

Unfortunately this great little cafe is not able to offer zero cross contamination . . . you will see on the menu that they charge an additional $4 for gluten free bread.   I am not certain that the quinoa they use is gluten free certified.

MAY CELIAC AWARENESS MONTH Drop-In Sessions

MAY IS CELIAC AWARENESS MONTH

GLUTEN FREE LIVING INFORMATION

is available at the following 3 AWARENESS EVENT locations

May 15 – Whitehorse Public Library – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

May 21 – Dawson City Community Hospital – 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

May 29 – Annual Diabetes Walk at Shipyards Park – 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Living with Celiac Disease, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity

or Dermatitis Herpetiformis

doesn't mean you have to stop enjoying life . . .

your CCA Yukon Support Group is here

to address the different challenges on the gluten free diet.

• Learn how to adapt to the gluten free diet
• Learn kitchen safety methods to avoid cross contamination
• Learn about a variety of foods that are available
• Learn how to navigate the grocery store in search of gluten free foods
• Learn how to check labels
• Learn the questions you should ask when dining out

Plan to drop in for discussion, information

and a chance at winning the “gluten free goodies” basket!

How to Stay Gluten-Free at Restaurants

How to Stay Gluten-Free at Restaurants

5 rules to follow to dine out safely when you have celiac or gluten sensitivity

Rule #1: Choose Your Restaurant Wisely. Restaurants with gluten-free menus are a good place to start, since in many cases (but not all), staff members at those restaurants receive training on how to keep food gluten-free and to avoid cross contamination.

But you still have options if you don't want to go to a chain restaurant. For example, ethnic restaurants offer gluten-free options. In addition, you can try a local restaurant, although you'll need to choose sensibly — the local bakery and café may not offer good gluten-free options, and you may not even be able to enter the place due to the flour in the air. You'll have better luck with an upscale establishment where they make most of the food from scratch.

Rule #2: Talk Directly to the Chef or the Manager. Take it from me: Having your server relay questions back and forth to the chef or the manager just doesn't work. At all. Details get overlooked and ingredients get garbled, especially as your requests get more complicated (and avoiding cross contamination is pretty complicated!). Your server may say he knows how to ensure a gluten-free meal, but unless you take the time to quiz him extensively, you won't be sure if hereally knows his stuff. Also, he won't be in the kitchen actually preparing your food; the kitchen staff takes care of that.

Instead of trusting your server to get everything right, enlist the help of a manager or — preferably — ask to speak to the chef directly. In most cases, I've found chefs to be very knowledgeable and very willing to help. Once I started skipping the server and going straight to the chef, my restaurant-related glutenings declined dramatically.

Conversely, skipping this rule — even for part of your meal — can lead to big trouble. At one restaurant we trusted, we spoke to the chef at the beginning of the meal. At the end, the server recommended the gluten-free brownie with ice cream. Now, I didn't remember seeing a gluten-free brownie on the menu, but all seemed well, so I decided against bothering the chef again. That turned out to be a major mistake: the brownie was sugar-free, not gluten-free ... as I learned only after eating it.

Rule #3: Stress Cross-Contamination Issues with Your Chef and Server. As I said earlier, most of our problems in restaurants (the brownie incident excepted) have involved cross contamination, not actual gluten food served to us. Workers in busy restaurant kitchens need to share cooking surfaces, utensils and pans ... and it can be difficult to carve out a place to make an allergen meal in that chaos. Some restaurants that excel in gluten-free items actually keep separate kitchens for gluten and non-gluten food (Disney does this in some cases), but most do not.

·         To stay safe, make sure you ask the kitchen staff for the following:

·         Wash their hands and change their gloves before preparing your food

·         Mix any salad in a clean bowl (many restaurants reuse bowls, and they may contain crouton fragments or unsafe salad dressings)

·         Avoid using a grill surface that's shared with gluten-containing items (including hamburger buns, sauces and breaded items)

·         Use fresh water to cook gluten-free pasta or steam vegetables (some restaurants reuse pasta water for this purpose)

·         Place gluten-free pizzas or rolls on a pan instead of directly on an oven surface, and cover them with foil to avoid crumbs

Also, ask your server to keep your food away from the bread basket and other obvious gluten threats; it's possible to have cross contamination introduced between the kitchen and your table.

Rule #4: Question Everything. Many restaurants follow the practice of having someone who's not your server bring your food to the table. In some cases, that person will say reassuringly, "Here's your gluten-free meal." But when the person doesn't say that, I always ask "Is that gluten-free?" I've saved myself from several glutenings this way, as the person realized he had picked up the wrong plate. If something appears on your plate that you didn't order (such as a garnish or a sauce), don't touch it or try to push it aside; instead, find out what it is and whether it's safe. If there's any doubt, ask for another plate to be prepared.

In addition, if you're very sensitive you'll certainly need to ask more questions. For example, the restaurant may offer a dessert that doesn't include gluten ingredients, but it may be made right alongside the gluten-filled pastries on the menu.

Rule #5: When In Doubt, Don't Eat. In most cases, I'm able to eat out safely and enjoyably. But I've skipped meals entirely on occasion because the restaurant seemed clueless about gluten. I don't enjoy going hungry, but I prefer it to getting sick the next day. If the chef doesn't seem to get it — or worse, doesn't seem interested in trying — you're better off not taking a chance.

CRA Tax Credit for Diagnosed Celiacs

This is the link to access the information:

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/gluten-free/

Gluten-free products

Persons who suffer from celiac disease (gluten intolerance) are entitled to claim the incremental costs associated with the purchase of gluten-free (GF) products as a medical expense.

What is the "incremental cost"?

The incremental cost is the difference in the cost of GF products compared to the cost of similarnon-GF products. It is calculated by subtracting the cost of a non-GF product from the cost of a GF product (see example below).

What items are eligible?

• Generally, the food items are limited to those produced and marketed specifically for GF diets. Such items include, but are not limited to, GF bread, bagels, muffins, and cereals.
• Intermediate items will also be allowed where the patient suffering from celiac disease uses the items to make GF products for their exclusive use. These include, but are not limited to, rice flour and GF spices.

What if there are several people consuming the GF products?

If several people consume the products, only the costs related to the part of the product consumed by the person with celiac disease are to be used in calculating the medical expense tax credit.

What documents do I need to support a claim for the medical expense tax credit?

If you are filing your income tax and benefit return electronically or on paper, do not send any supporting documents. However, keep the following documents in case we ask to see them at a later date:

• a letter from a medical practitioner confirming the person suffers from celiac disease and requires GF products as a result of that disease
• a receipt to support the cost of each GF product or intermediate product claimed
• a summary of each item purchased during the 12-month period for which the expenses are being claimed (see example below)

Example

1. Item: bread
2. Number of items purchased: 52
3. Average cost of non-GF product: $3.49
4. Average cost of GF product: $6.99
5. Incremental cost (line 4 minus line 3): $6.99 - $3.49 = $3.50
6. Amount to claim (line 5 multiplied by line 2): $3.50 x 52 = $182.00