People want to know what’s the deal with Ancient Grains? What’s an ancient grain and why is every food company adding them to their products? Ancient grains are a select few types of grains that are “true to their original form” and have not been genetically altered by breeders and growers to change their flavour, appearance, cooking qualities or nutritional content. For example, wheat has been changed over and over and over again to make it just how the manufactures want it to taste, look and/or work within recipes. Ancient grains are exactly how nature intended them to be, which is naturally delicious. Also, many of them have low or zero levels amounts of gluten so many are safe to eat by those who have Celiac Disease.

Here is some more information on some of our favorites: 

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah)

This is one of the most famous ancient grains since its reveal as a “superfood” onto the mainstream market a few years back. This lovely little “grain” is actually a fruit of a plant; one that is closely related to Swiss chard and beets. It cooks very quickly, has a slightly nutty flavour and can be substituted for basically any grain that you enjoy eating, such as rice, cous-cous or pasta. What makes quinoa so special is that it is gluten free and carries a lot of nutrients for such a small sized food. It contains 8 essential amino acids and compared to white rice, is has twice the protein, twice the calcium, 5x the magnesium, 7x the fibre and 1/3 less carbohydrates. Quinoa is available as a seed/kernel, puffed cereals, flaked and flour which makes it that much easier to use in your every day cooking and baking.

Spelt

In regards to nutrient, fat and protein content, spelt has numbers close to wheat. It is a good source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, vitamin E and b-complex vitamins. What makes this ancient grain special compared to regular wheat is that a lot of people who have a difficult time digesting wheat tend to be able to digest products makes with spelt much more easily. It is not gluten-free though, so celiac patients are not immune to this grain. Spelt is available as a flour, pasta, cereals, kernels and cracked grain. The flour can be used 1:1 for wheat flour in any recipe but you might need to cut back on your liquid since the starch absorbs more easily in water.

Amaranth

This ancient grain is a highly nutritious small brown seed. This gluten-free option is high in protein and fiber plus contains a couple essential amino acids. It also contains iron, calcium, potassium and vitamins A and C. Amaranth can be found as a whole grain, puffed cereal, pasta and flour. It’s great to use for your hot cereal in the morning (in place of oats) or you can even pop it like popcorn! If you want to reduce the gluten and boost the nutritional content of your baked goods, you can use 1 part amaranth flour to 3 parts wheat flour in your recipes. 

Kamut

Kamut is a naturally sweet grain with many nutritional benefits compared to regular wheat. It has up to 40% more protein and 65% more amino acids with higher levels of fibre, multiple b-vitamins, vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium and zinc. Kamut is also tolerated by about 70% of people who are wheat sensitive so it might be a good choice for someone who has minor wheat intolerances. This grain can be bought as a cracked grain, flour, pasta, puffed cereal and flaked cereal. It is great to be used as a hot breakfast cereal (in place of oats) or use the flour in your muffin and bread recipes.  Since this grain is naturally sweet, you can reduce the amount of sugar in your recipes when adding kamut to the mix.

Sorghum

This is another great gluten-free option for those looking for grain alternatives in their diet. This ancient grain is rich in phosphorus and potassium with good amounts of protein, calcium and multiple b-complex vitamins as well. Sorghum is sold as flour, cracked grain, flakes or even a as sweetened syrup. When ground down to flour, it has a very bland flavour so it can be used in place of regular wheat in any recipe without any alteration to the taste of the product. Just keep in mind that since it lacks any gluten, you will need to add a binder to your recipe, such as cornstarch or xanthan gum to hold everything together.

More Ancient Grains to check out: Rye, Buckwheat, Wild Rice, Barley and Millet.

Maintaining a healthy diet is crucial in controlling symptoms for those diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Food is fuel that provides energy to the body, and making healthier choices improves all body functions.

Fibromyalgia is like a symptoms-complex and each person affected by this disease can react differently. While treatments that work for one person very frequently do not work for another, natural health practitioners do agree that following a gluten- and dairy-free diet can help combat symptoms. Most believe food sensitivity is responsible for some of the pain and fatigue linked to fibromyalgia.

While there may not be a single set of dietary guidelines that are right for all fibromyalgia patients, there are certain foods − or food groups − that seem to make a difference for many people. But remember, avoiding certain foods is not a guarantee that symptoms will change; avoiding one group may offer benefit while another may make no difference at all.

Getting enough protein in your diet is especially important for fibromyalgia sufferers because our everyone’s body needs it for growth and maintenance. Animal-based proteins (such as milk, meat, fish, poultry, and eggs) will give you the nine essential amino acids your body needs to build protein. Include vegetarian sources of protein (such as beans, soy-based products, tempeh, milk alternatives, nuts, and seeds) or the above animal-based options in each of your three main meals each day. Vegetarian sources of protein should be combined with grains or starchy vegetables to create a complete protein combination. For example combine beans and rice or tofu with corn.

Fibromyalgia sufferers need to include fats in their diet and should aim to eat a total fat intake of 20-35 percent of calories consumed. In choosing foods, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils are the best option. When eating other types of fats, opt for lean, low-fat, or fat-free varieties of meat, poultry, dry beans, or milk products. Less than 10 percent of total calories should be in the form of saturated fat as they interfere with circulation, leading to increased inflammation and pain. Saturated fats come mainly from: rich dairy products, fatty meats, sweets, salty snacks. Limit or avoid these foods in your diet.

Fibromyalgia sufferers often have a hard time digesting carbohydrates. Those battling fibromyalgia must be contentious to not overdo their daily fibre intake and to ensure they drink plenty of water. Eating a variety of raw and lightly cooked veggies each day with lean protein sources is the best route. Small servings of gluten-free grains such as amaranth, rice and quinoa are the most easily digested carbohydrates, while fresh fruits, nuts, seeds and rice cakes or crackers make ideal snacks.

Fibromyalgia: Seven foods to avoid 

1. Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners including Splenda

2. Food additives including MSG (monosodium glutamate) and nitrates

3. Sugar, fructose, and other simple carbohydrates found in many pre packaged foods

4. Caffeine; found in coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate

5. Yeast and gluten. Although these are two separate food substances, they frequently appear together − particularly in baked goods like cake, donuts, and bread.

6. Dairy. Be they low or high fat, some experts say, dairy products − particularly milk − have been known to bring on the symptoms of fibromyalgia

7. Nightshade Plants such as tomatoes, tobacco, chili and bell peppers, potatoes, rhubarb, and eggplant

Avoiding these foods can help to alleviate symptoms caused by digestive issues and distress. Each person with fibromyalgia will respond differently to various diets. Keeping a food journal and charting symptoms will help sufferers learn more about their trigger foods. Chart everything including symptoms experienced, water intake, and daily bowel habits. This will help any individual listen to their body and seek solutions to improve symptoms.

By living a healthy lifestyle patients of fibromyalgia can improve their chances of relieving the pain and discomfort associated with this disease. Outside of the foods that fibromyalgia sufferers’ eat each day, they may also choose to supplement their diet with magnesium since it works as a natural muscle relaxer. A simple fasting glucose test is often recommended as fibromyalgia patients have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. 

It’s very important that fibromyalgia clients maintain a good working relationship with doctors and specialists. There are many co-existing health conditions that have a tendency to occur in people with fibromyalgia, often with overlapping symptoms. These include gluten intolerance, gout (a form of arthritis), and restless legs syndrome. I also encourage clients to participate in online forums that discuss fibromyalgia and ask other sufferers how they deal with symptoms. Remember your health is your responsibility!

Well here I am once again writing about living Gluten Free. For those of you who read my entries and are living Gluten Free I hope you are enjoying my articles. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to make them. Mind you though, I can’t guarantee I’ll know the answers but will try.

Do any of you reading this ever get a craving for MacDonald’s Chicken Nuggets or even the frozen kind of Chicken Nuggets found in the freezer section of our grocery stores? I know I do so I decided to do something about my craving, I made up my own GF Chicken Nuggets which I am now going to share with you. Hope you enjoy them as much as my regular eating husband and I do!

GF Chicken Nuggets a la Karen

1 large skinless, boneless Chicken Breast 

½ cup GF Bread Crumbs (I buy mine but one of these days I plan on making my own which I will write about in another post)

1/8 cup Almond Flour (ground up almonds which is sometimes called almond meal and can be either bought or made yourself. I buy mine at either Bulk Barn or Root Cellar)

Approximately 20 g potato chips (baked would be the best choice)

1 generous teaspoon Chicken Seasoning (I used Mrs Dash’s which is salt free) or seasoning of your choice and in an amount to suit your tastes

¼ cup egg whites

¼ cup milk (skim, rice, soy etc - I used Buttermilk) 

½ Tblsp Dijon Mustard

About 3 or 4 turns of freshly ground pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to spritz on top of nuggets

Method

Preheat oven to 425F

Wash chicken breast and dry with paper towel. I like to trim off any fat. Cut into chunks for your nuggets or you could slice into strips for chicken strips.

Mix egg whites, milk, Dijon mustard and ground pepper by whisking together.(I did this in a 1 cup measuring cup). Pour into dish that will hold your chicken. Add the chunked chicken breast pieces. Toss to coat well. Leave chicken soaking in this egg/milk mixture as you prepare coating. 

Combine the breadcrumbs, almond flour, potato chips and seasoning in bowl of food processor. Pulse until fine consistency and well combined. Put half of crumb mixture into bowl. Add several pieces of chicken breast, turning to coat evenly. Put coated nuggets onto an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Continue coating nuggets, adding more of the crumb mixture as needed, until all are done and placed on cookie sheet. Spray top of each nugget with extra virgin olive oil if so desired. Put in preheated oven and cook for approximately 12 minutes then remove from oven and turn nuggets, spray with more EVOO if desired and return to oven. Cook about another 10 to 12 minutes till golden brown and chicken cooked. (cooking time varies as depends on size of your nuggets)

Whenever I use my oven to cook I like to make the best use of it by cooking most of the meal if not all of it in the oven. With my nuggets I decided to serve oven roasted fresh veggies. In the fridge I had yellow zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and a few asparagus so this is what I roasted. Then, for my husband I also roasted several Red Fingerling Potatoes as he loves his potatoes, an Islander through and through!! Oven roasted veggies are so easy to do and taste so yummy. If you haven’t tried them you really should. I used to think it was just the Root veggies that were roasted but now I do all vegetables, even fresh green beans!! It only takes a very small amount of EVOO and seasonings of choice and at times I will also add a splash of Balsamic Vinegar as it is so good on vegetables!

Just a little information I recently learned, MacDonalds coat their fries in flour so even the fries are a bad choice for us who are GF! Now remember, being gluten free and going to MacDonald to eat is a No No so why not do it yourself. Hope you enjoyed this Blog entry and will try my GF Chicken Nuggets!! Till next time keep on enjoying your gluten free living, I know I do!!!

Karen Wood, Rachelle's gluten free mom

As most people following a Gluten Free lifestyle will tell you one of the hardships is the lack of tasty fresh bread. In the 7 or so years of my GF life I have rarely been able to enjoy the taste of fresh from the oven home baked bread as GF baking should be frozen due to lack of preservatives (which are found in gluten). I have gone through sessions of buying frozen GF bread, GF bread from Farmers Markets (for those GF here on PEI just a tip to tell you about YnotB at our Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. Yvette and Buffy make delicious GF foods from bread, scones, cookies etc to Lasagne and Pizza Crusts and you can pre order through their email if you like. This is a good idea as their yummy products sell out quickly), making my own from scratch bread and I even used Ezekiel (sprouted ancient grains) bread for awhile. Some people who are GF for various reasons find they can tolerate the ancient sprouted grains and I did for quite sometime until I got away from them for awhile and noticed a difference for the better so decided not to go back to eating them. Most GF breads require toasting to be tasty enough to eat as it has to be kept frozen to preserve it. 

Some days I would have given just about anything to have been able to sink my teeth into a nice fresh sandwich of non-toasted bread!! (Here’s a tip for taking a toasted GF sandwich or burger to work or school if you have access to a microwave. I would make mine the night before or early in the morning and wrap in paper towels, even while warm, then in saran wrap and refrigerate. At lunch I would pop it in the microwave as is and nuke for about 40 seconds, depending on the thickness & contents of the sandwich. This kind of steamed as it heated up thus making it softer and fresher tasting. This also works well with wraps etc.)

Now that I am no longer working fulltime (but even if I were) I am back to baking my own bread. GF bread baking is not as hard as baking regular bread as there is no kneading involved and I can use my stand mixer with the paddle attachment. I have also used my bread maker but prefer my bread made by the mixer and baked in my oven. I love the aroma of bread baking as it fills the house with a “homey yummy” aroma! The smell takes me back to my childhood when my Mother would bake bread and we would anxiously await it being taken out of the oven and cooling enough for us to slice off the “heel” and enjoy with molasses and butter, what a treat! I have made various GF breads from scratch but lately I have been using the bread mix from Duinkerken, a company I am proud to say is a PEI company.

For those of you who are not familiar with Duinkerken, it is a GF Company that does mixes for Bread, Muffins (or Cakes), Pancakes/Waffles, Pizza Crust, & Cookies, as well as Rice Flour, Potato Starch, and Tapioca Starch. I LOVE all their product and use them regularly (well, except maybe the Cookie Mix as I have yet to try it as I prefer to make my GF cookies from scratch when I have the time or craving for a cookie which is not often.) Duinkerken products are found at Sobeys and Superstore in the GF Section of the Health Food Department as well as at the Bulk Barn and The Riverside Market. I don’t know about you but I like to support “Island” products and prefer to purchase “Island” whenever I can. Their website is worth checking out as you can find some wonderful recipes there as well as information on the company and their products.

The Duinkerken Bread Mix makes a marvellous loaf of basic white GF bread that can be eaten fresh from the oven. It is the closest thing I have come across since going gluten free to my Mother’s home made bread of my childhood. Put butter and molasses on a slice, close your eyes and take a bite and you are transported back in time!! What memories a taste will bring! Personally I don’t think a better basic GF bread can be found, especially one as easy to make as the Duinkerken Bread Mix . Yesterday I baked up a Duinkerken loaf of bread and I also tried a Bob’s Red Mill Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix for the first time. WOW!! This bread, again easy to make, will make you happy as it is so tasty and regular bread like. I couldn’t believe it! Even my gluten eating husband enjoyed it and I caught him munching a slice every now and then. I sliced both loaves of bread I had baked, wrapped 2 slices at a time in paper towels and then put in freezer bags and froze them. This way I can take out a slice or two as needed and enjoy my “freshly” baked GF bread. This morning I toasted a couple of slices of the Raisin Bread for breakfast and they tasted like regular gluten containing raisin toast! Another good thing about freezing your GF baking is that the temptation to eat more is gone!

So for all you following a GF lifestyle I hope you will check out Duinkerken and all their Island products as I think you will be impressed with the quality and ease of use. As well, for those who do not want to bake themselves, then visit Yvette and Buffy from YnotB at the Charlottetown Farmer’s Market on Saturdays but be warned, get there early if you don’t pre order as they are popular and their baked goods sell quickly!

Stay tuned for more of Karen Woods Gluten Free Adventures blog posts...yes Karen is my mom!

Hi,  my name is Karen and I have been living a gluten free lifestyle for about 7 years now and loving it!!  Loving it you say, how can that be??  Well, I feel so much better by eliminating gluten from my diet that it can be rather like a “high” I guess.  Once I gave up eating gluten I noticed many changes in me, like I had more energy, less head and body aches, no more  sores in my mouth, bowel problems disappeared as did other little problems in my health I had been dealing with.  My one regret is that I went gluten free on my own so was never checked for Celiac Disease.  Not that it matters whether I am Celiac or Gluten Intolerant as there is no way I will go back to eating gluten so as to be tested for Celiac!

In the beginning it was quite a chore learning to live without gluten in my diet but I persevered and now it is automatic and I basically do it without much thought.  By the time I went gluten free my husband and I were “empty nesters” so I didn’t have to deal with feeding a family while eliminating gluten from my diet.  My husband has been very supportive and he basically eats what I eat these days.  The exception is that he gets regular bread and the odd package of sweets etc from one of the grocery store bakeries.  When we have friends and family over for a meal they know that it will be a gluten free one and no one has ever complained yet nor refused an invitation to dine with us.

I will admit that it can be a challenge to be gluten free when we travel or eat out a restaurant but it gets easier each time.  When travelling we always take a cooler filled with foods I can eat and we like to shop at grocery stores and health food stores for the majority of our meals as I have more control over what I eat then if we always ate out in a restaurant. I find many restaurants will go out of their way to serve you a GF meal if you let them know that is what you require.  Many staff at eating establishments are getting more knowledgable with regards to special diets people require and are now advertising which diets they serve.  Cross contamination is always a problem that one has to watch out for.  Restaurants that serve GF deep fried foods have a separate fryer they reserve for GF so that is the only safe way to eat French fries if you are craving them.  Gluten can be found in the most unlikely places that one would never think it would be.  The first thing I learned was to read labels very carefully as gluten was just about everywhere. Grocery shopping became a whole new experience for me as I was now shopping for healthy, low fat, low cholesterol, organic if possible and now gluten free food!!  I also prefer to buy “local or close to home” as often as I can.

I have always been “at home” in the kitchen so I quickly learned to bake gluten free.  Over time I became familiar with all the different flours I could use and developed a liking to some over others.  I picked up many little GF baking tips from going online and reading GF recipe sites and Blogs.  I started following certain GF Bloggers and found many great recipes as well as knowledge on a GF lifestyle. 

Here is Rachelle’s recipe for Banana Bran Muffins which I have remade into a gluten free muffin.  Enjoy

GF Banana Rice Bran Muffins

1 cup Brown Rice Flour

1/3 cup Tapioca Starc 

1/3 cup + 2 Tblsp Rice Bran

1/4 cup + 2 Tblsp  ground Flax

¼ cup (heaping) Sorghum Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda 

2 tsp GF Baking Powder

1 tsp Xanthan Gum 

½ tsp Nutmeg

½ tsp Sea Salt

2 to 3 ripe Bananas (depends on size), peeled & mashed

1 Egg + 2 Egg Whites, beaten

2/3 cup Milk (I use Rice Milk but could use Skim or Soy) 

½ cup FF plain yogurt

½ of a small individual serving of unsweetened Applesauce (about ¼ cup)

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

Prepare muffin tins by lining with muffin liners  (I like to use silicone liners as they are washable so reusable and come off muffins so easily)

Sift dry ingredients (first 10) into a large bowl. (I always sift my dry ingredients in any GF baking I do)  Stir with a wooden spoon or whisk to mix well as this is important when baking gluten free.

Mix wet (last 6) ingredients in a separate bowl.  (I use a whisk to do this)  Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture.  Mix just till all moistened.  (I find you have to make sure very bottom of bowl is getting mixed in otherwise you will have some dry spots).  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. (I got 14 muffins).  I like to let my batter sit in the muffin tins about 15 to 30 minutes before putting in the oven to bake.  This is just a little trick I picked up early in my GF baking days and I find doing this makes for a better GF baked good.  Now is when I usually turn my oven on to preheat.

Bake at 375F 20 to 25 minutes or till done when a toothpick inserted into middle of one comes out dry (with no batter clinging to it).  Transfer to wire rack for cooling.  (if using silicone liners do not leave muffins in them as they will sweat.  Once completely cooled I like to freeze as GF baking does not keep well)

If you try this muffin I would love your feedback on what you think of it.  I have many recipes and GF experiences to share so if you would like more Blog entries from me just say the word!! 

Happy Gluten Free Lifestyle to you!! Stay tuned for more of my gluten free adventures in the kitchen.