Kids Corner

Gluten-Free Kid

I recently stumbled across an awesome blog page written by a 12 year old girl named Alex. If you have any children in your home that have gluten issues, I strongly urge you to allow them access to this page. It would be a great way for them to relate to someone of their own age with the same problems they have. Her page is no hack job, it's slick, well written and has great information from recipes to personnel stories. I could learn a thing or two from her for my own page. Below is the introduction from her "Getting to know me" section.

"Hi, my name is Alex and I am a 12 year old girl. I live in Woodinville, Washington. I was really sick in third grade and missed 36 days of school. After a bunch of tests I found out I had celiac disease. It was very hard at first to have celiac but now it has gotten a lot better. My friends are great about this and have helped me through this disease. My family has also helped me a lot. Once you get used to having celiac disease and your friends start to know more about it this disease will be more like a little problem instead a huge one. Other kids who have celiac disease might think that this is really hard and might think that this is the end of the world, I used to think that but now that I have gotten used to it is just normal. I created this website so that I could share with other kids fun recipes, places to eat, great places to go on vacation, and to help out other kids with celiac disease."

Click on the link below to check out her whole page and make sure to tell her what a wonderful job she is doing.

Gluten-Free Kid

Regards,

The Celiac Shack

"Making gluten free fun one day at a time!

Health & Wellness

Diagnostic Tests for Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a chronically undiagnosed and misdiagnosed condition. The list below is of diagnostic tests mentioned in various sources as used in the diagnosis of Celiac Disease.


*Gluten antibodies
*Antigliadin antibody test
*Anti-endomysium antibody test
*Antireticulin antibody test
*Small intestine biopsy


Diagnosing celiac disease can be difficult because some of its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulosis, intestinal infections, chronic fatigue syndrome, and depression.

Recently, researchers discovered that people with celiac disease have higher than normal levels of certain antibodies in their blood. Antibodies are produced by the immune system in response to substances that the body perceives to be threatening. To diagnose celiac disease, physicians test blood to measure levels of antibodies to gluten. These antibodies are antigliadin, anti-endomysium, and antireticulin.

If the tests and symptoms suggest celiac disease, the physician may remove a tiny piece of tissue from the small intestine to check for damage to the villi. This is done in a procedure called a biopsy: the physician eases a long, thin tube called an endoscope through the mouth and stomach into the small intestine, and then takes a sample of tissue using instruments passed through the endoscope. Biopsy of the small intestine is the best way to diagnose celiac disease.


Screening for celiac disease involves testing asymptomatic people for the antibodies to gluten. Americans are not routinely screened for celiac disease. However, because celiac disease is hereditary, family members--particularly first-degree relatives--of people who have been diagnosed may need to be tested for the disease. About 10 percent of an affected person's first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, or children) will also have the disease. The longer a person goes undiagnosed and untreated, the greater the chance of developing malnutrition and other complications.


Regards,
The Celiac Shack

Gluten Free Taco Pizza Recipe!

The Jones Gang is having a Pizza & Movie night! We're making
GLUTEN FREE TACO PIZZAS!!

Of course, the crust is made with our Tastefully Gluten Free Pizza Crust on sale now at The Celiac Shack ~ Surf on in, pick up a bag and have a fun Pizza night with your kids this weekend!




Taco Pizza
Think Mexican! Serve the kids one of their favorite meals in a fresh new way.


Ingredients
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Crust:
1 pkg Tastefully Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix
1 tsp Sugar
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Oregano (optional)
1/2 tsp Basil (optional)
Water
Toppings:
1 jar Gluten-Free Taco Sauce
1 lb. Cooked Ground Beef
2 cups Coarsely Crushed Tortilla Chips
2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes
Instructions
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Prepare Tastefully Gluten-Free Pizza Crust dough according to package directions and spread evenly into 2 12-inch pizza pans.
Spread your favorite gluten-free taco sauce evenly over the dough.
Spread ground beef, crushed tortilla chips, cheddar cheese evenly over dough.
Bake as directed.
Cut and sprinkle with shredded lettuce and tomatoes.

An easy and fun meal that your entire family will love!
The Celiac Shack ~ Making gluten free fun one day at a time!