Thanksgiving dinner can be made gluten-free sufferers of Celiac Disease
Keokuk Hy-Vee dietitian Joni McKay is available at the store on weekdays with insight about gluten-free diets and other nutritional needs.
By Megan Spees/Staff Writer
The holiday season revolves around food – and for at least 2 million Americans with celiac disease, that presents a challenge.
celiac disease is a digestive disease found in 1 in 133 children and adults that damages the small intestine and hampers the absorption of food. The condition is triggered by the consumption of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Even slight traces of gluten can affect celiac disease sufferers. Regardless of whether symptoms are experienced, damage to the small bowel can still occur, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.
The long-term effects as well as unpleasant symptoms – including abdominal cramping, intestinal gas, anemia, etc. – give Celiac Disease sufferers pause before they reach for a plate of cookies or a bowl of gravy at a holiday get-together.
Joni McKay, dietitian at Hy-Vee in Keokuk, has personal as well as professional experience with Celiac Disease – her husband Chris is allergic to gluten.
Certain Thanksgiving dinner favorites are off limits for Chris unless they’re made with gluten-free ingredients. Green bean casserole recipes call for condensed soup, which contains wheat flour.
Turkey is usually safe, although some are enhanced with flavor injections that have gluten in them.
McKay advises people with Celiac Disease to give advance notice of their dietary needs to whomever is preparing the meal, or to bring a gluten-free dish to share.
Shopping for a gluten-free diet has become much easier in the past decade, since laws were passed by the Food and Drug Administration that require product manufacturers to include information about gluten content in ingredient lists.
If in doubt about the contents of a product, “you can always call 800 numbers” provided on labels, McKay said. Many gluten-free options are available in the health food section at Hy-Vee and throughout the rest of the store, in addition to other local supermarkets. A list of Celiac Disease-safe holiday must-haves also is available in the gluten-free section at Hy-Vee.
“We do have a HealthMarket ad located at the front of the store that includes gluten-free items,” McKay said. “The customer count is at least in the hundreds that shop the gluten-free section.”
McKay recommends brown rice and quinoa for protein and other nutrients.
“There are a lot of nutrients you miss out on (with a gluten-free diet),” she said.
About a year ago, Michelle Peterson of Keokuk switched to a gluten-free diet and started to notice a difference within two weeks – almost no morning stiffness or pain, and increased energy.
“I have an aunt that has Celiac Disease, so things are a little easier for me at the holidays because we look out for each other and can both educate those (who are) cooking,” Peterson said. “When I go to someone’s house I usually eat something light before going so that I can get away with a small salad or veggies, in case there is something not OK on the menu or that I’m unsure of.”
Kathy Sellers of Keokuk was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 11 or 12 years ago, so she’s well-practiced in scanning product labels and passing up suspect dishes at the dinner table. That rules out Thanksgiving staples like gravy and dressing.
“You learn really quickly what’s OK and what is not OK,” Sellers said.
Now that there are so many Celiac Disease-friendly choices in supermarkets, from pie crusts to soups, she spends less time preparing meals. But Peterson doesn’t mind making a little extra effort at the store and in the kitchen to cook and bake foods she can eat.
“I much prefer cooking from scratch using a gluten-free flour mixture that I found in Silvana Nardone’s book ‘Cooking for Isaiah’ – see her blog at silvanaskitchen.com – and I highly recommend it,” Peterson said. “I also have a lactose intolerance and (Nardone’s) book is gluten/dairy free. I stay away from bean flours and prefer oat and rice flour or potato and tapioca starches for baking.”
For more information about CD and the gluten-free diet, go to www.celiac.org or call McKay at 524-2902.
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