Today a very popular Canadian television show CityLine had 2 segments on their program today talking about gluten free. Focusing on gluten free baking (making cookies and a fudge cake) and then later another segment on gluten free pasta.
I always get both excited (for the awareness) and weary when media has coverage on gluten free without having an ‘expert’ on speaking (in this case they had the food editor of Chatelaine Magazine) – they are usually cooks or bakers who are trying out gluten free (my personal opinion is because it’s seen as such a ‘fad’ now so the tv program/magazine want to be ‘cool’).
The episode is online so since I missed watching it on television i watched the episode today on the computer.
Other then the fact they suggested getting their flours from the Bulk Barn (which can be a huge cross contamination risk for people with celiac disease) and suggesting that celiac disease is an allergy [at 1:57] (eye roll)- the cookies & cake they made looked great. I do wish that media would focus more on not complicating the flours by adding a million different flours and extras (like crushed almonds) because that just scares people & can get expensive.
Then as i watched further – when they got to the gluten free pasta segment – my jaw dropped.
Watch at the 25:20 mark where the guest is talking about all the gluten free pastas they tried…
first one that is said…
Spelt.
SPELT IS NOT GLUTEN FREE
The food editor of Chatelaine Magazine alluded that spelt pasta is gluten free during a gluten free cooking demonstration on CityLine. While talking about a “gluten free discovery we had ” she included “spelt pasta” in a list of other pastas that are gluten free.
Including “spelt pasta” in that list made it sound like the food editor of a popular Canadian magazine was saying that spelt pasta is gluten free.
I am going to repeat that again because this is too dangerous to not be heard:
Spelt is NOT gluten free.
{oh & PS for cream sauce instead of flour you can simply use corn starch …}
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: FamilyNLifeLV
August 24, 2011 at 1:41 pm
What I think confuses a lot of people is you can have a wheat allergy and not have celiac disease, but the diet is pretty much the same. So it tends to get all lumped into one big grouping…
Gluten free living isn’t just for those with celiac… others who do not have this disease can be seriously effected by gluten reactions. I had a friend whom for years suffered with severe migraines, poor sleep, and major skin issues. Seeing these news shows she got tested for celiac’s disease (via biopsy) but it came back negative. She for years continued to suffer. Then one day she decided to cut gluten out herself. It was almost an immediate difference. When she asked her doctor about it, she was told she was indeed gluten intolerant, but did not have CD. (I don’t understand why this was missed for so long, had it been me I would have switch Drs asap! But I think it was bc like media even doctors can confuse CD and allergies…)
I think this is happening across the board with a lot of things. I for instance have to really watch my candida intake, or I will have migraines, and weight gain. Is this a disease – no, but it surely negatively impacts me.
I also don’t think of it as a fad… did you know that nearly while 1 in about 130 suffer from CD, nearly 1 in 10 have some sort of negative bodily reaction to wheat? (According to my doctors.)
I think as we are learning more about the actual impact different food has on our bodies, and how we react to then, more and more people are joining in the wheat free movement. Not because it is a fad, but bc it actually does affect a large percentage of people! (from eczema to sleep issues)
With that said – Celiac is obviously something that can not be taken lightly, and that media show clearly stepped in a load of it! They need to be more informed and able to make the distinction between a disease and an allergy.
Emily faliLV recently posted..Spa for Ma Giveaway Hop – Maranda Lee Designs Giveaway {#Spa4Ma} (US/CAN)
Twitter: FamilyNLifeLV
August 24, 2011 at 1:46 pm
PS – I do love reading all the CD posts on your blog as I have friends who suffer with this and I like hearing and learning from others so as to be more able to understand and help them.
Emily faliLV recently posted..Spa for Ma Giveaway Hop – Maranda Lee Designs Giveaway {#Spa4Ma} (US/CAN)
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
August 26, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Thank you Emily!
OMG! What part of ‘AUTO-IMMUNE’ disease do people not get?
Lady…you need to mention ‘cross contamination’ and keep mentioning it!
Xanthum Gum is great for people who have Celiac without corn allergies, but would be nice if Guar Gum would have been noted as well.
And what about the other ingredients she is using…she not once made mention that the vanilla, butter (marg.), etc. needs to be gluten-free. She sort of left the impression that the only thing a person eating gluten-free needed to worry about was the flour mixture.
I’m sorry, I could only watch about half of the video. Simply infuriated me with their lack of knowledge regarding the topic they were covering.
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
August 26, 2011 at 4:28 pm
& not to forget that guar gum is also so much cheaper then xanthum gum (and relatively interchangeable). I was also bothered by the non-mentions of watching for other gluten free ingredient (like the chicken broth which most store bought ones contain gluten).
I dont blame you for not being able to watch the whole thing – it got my blood boiling!
wowzers. now that’s what i call a fuck up.
Jenn recently posted..10 Natural Teething Remedies for babies and toddlers
Twitter: AccustomedChaos
August 26, 2011 at 4:29 pm
I know, right! & i am also slightly annoyed they have yet to acknowledge their mistake. I shudder at the effect it *could* have…