And for those who don’t understand how the blog title has anything to do with Springsteen, that is just a reminder that I am old and you are not.

Anyway…back to the point at hand.

I had the pleasure of receiving a wonderful care package from the good folks at Harvester Brewing, with a bottle of each of their fine brews. There was an IPA, a Pale Ale, a Dark Ale, a Dubbel and an Experimental Ale.

And all I can say is…OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They have raised the stakes in the gluten-free beer wars.

New Grist…you were the first truly drinkable gluten-free beer I ever had and you will always hold a special place in my heart. You never forget your first love.

New Planet…you know how much I love you and you will continue to be a strong presence in my life.

Greens…you’ve got a quality product and I appreciate what you do.

Red Bridge…well you still suck…but you brought gluten-free beer to the mass market, so kudos to you.

Omission and Daura…sorry, but your claim that gluten-free beer must be made with gluten in order to taste like beer has been officially debunked. As more and more completely gluten-free breweries start popping up, your business model could be in serious jeopardy. Instead of spending your time and money lobbying congress to weaken the labeling laws, put it towards making a truly gluten-free beer.

Since it’s been almost 6 years since I’ve had “normal” beer, sometimes I may not be the best judge of what tastes like true beer. So when David Z., a true beer connoisseur, came over with his lovely wife, I had him try some samples and give me an honest review.

Here is a picture of us in action.

Wasn’t that exciting?

Anyway, here is his quote on the Dark Ale: “chocolaty and earthy undertones; impotent but subtle”

Yeah…I don’t know what he’s talking about either but the bottom line is that he loved it.

Of course the most important question is how safe is it for celiacs? I’ll let Harvester Brewing answer that question.

“Harvester Brewing is a dedicated gluten-free facility. Every beer we make is gluten-free. We use no corn agents or derived sugars. All of our equipment is new and is never used for anything except gluten-free beer. We start with ingredients that are naturally gluten-free and craft them into great beers. We don’t and never will use barley, wheat or rye and then attempt to chemically remove the gluten.”

Are you listening Omission and Daura?

In the coming weeks, David Z. and I will be shooting a video called “The Ultimate Gluten-Free Beer Review” where we’ll be blindfold tasting and reviewing a bunch of gluten-free beers. Should be quite informative and a hell of a good time.

Dude note to all gluten free beer companies: If you are interested in having your product being reviewed for this, please contact me asap so you can send me some samples of your beer.

Until then, my thanks to Harvester Brewing for their exceptional brew that celiacs can drink and enjoy without worry.

To learn more about them and more importantly find out how to get some, visit their website. Tell them Gluten Dude sent you.

Cheers!!

The post I Have Tasted the Future of Gluten-Free Beer and Its Name is Harvester Brewing appeared first on Gluten Dude.

We all know that celiac disease continues to be misdiagnosed and that the average time to get accurately diagnosed is 6-10 years.

We all know that because there is no “cure” for celiac disease and no drugs to treat it, and therefore no financial incentive for the medical community, it often gets overlooked.

What you may not know is that so many people, while trying to find a reason for their ailments, are diagnosed as having psychological issues. Imagine that? A doctor saying you need psychological help simply because he/she can’t find a physical reason for all your symptoms.

I hear it over and over again and it frustrates me to my core.

I want share a story that a fellow celiac sent to me. Not only is she a celiac, but she is a registered nurse. And yes…she was told she was crazy.

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I am a registered nurse and I knew um, nothing about celiac disease prior to my diagnosis. I have worked in the ER for years and yet knew nothing about it!

As a patient, like all celiac sufferers, I have a horrendous story to my diagnosis, but the long and short of it being that although psychiatric problems were the first/second/third thing every GP I’ve ever been to about the symptoms ever said (it was always in there somewhere), someone finally listened to me and tested the right thing.

I am honestly not surprised about the lack of health community knowledge about celiac, because a) it’s not immediately life threatening and b) aren’t we (celiac sufferers) all crazy anyways??

I wish I had known something about it, because hell, I would have picked it up myself a lot earlier than anyone else did. As a health professional, I thought I was going crazy with my constant symptoms with no obvious clinical basis, so I just told myself that I was ok and I would just have to live with the constant pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, teeth problems, nerve problems, etc… list goes on.

Crazy aye, I think I drove myself there, I had no answers so I just ignored it, but it wasn’t going away.

My celiac demanded attention and finally I returned to the GP and she mentioned celiac although her third suggestion was maybe I should see the psychologist!! My blood test and biopsies were positive+++ and here I am newly minted gluten free lifestyle, HEALING!

What I want to know is if it is so common, why aren’t GP’s encouraged to test those who have iron deficiency and symptoms of leaky gut or vague autoimmune symptoms for it? Why isn’t there a bigger push to get them to take notice? Why do we all have to go through so much trauma to get anywhere, anywhere at all with our doctors? How can they diagnose IBS without a clean celiac blood screen? What gives them the right to make us think we are going mad?

Do you know how severely deranged your mental state has to be to be causing actual bodily upset like gastrointestinal symptoms and the others? It has to be pretty high on the level of derangedness!

So turns out I’m not crazy, and I tell myself everyday that I am healing now! I am my own health advocate, I am the only person going to look after myself and that is what I am doing now.

Do not rely on your GP; if something is wrong with you, you need to make them understand. It is not in their nature to push past the initial diagnosis to look for something more sinister or hidden unless there are great big arrows pointing them that way. So make those arrows bloody big!

Life goes on… Better and better

The post You’re Not Crazy. You May Just Have Celiac Disease. appeared first on Gluten Dude.

Here’s the deal.

Dominick Cura is a 14-year-old celiac on a mission. He has his own blog. He’s been on the news. He has self-published a gluten-free cookbook. He is making a documentary about celiac disease to “show people Celiac isn’t the end of the world, but the beginning of a new one.”

And now, Dominick wants to get on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to help raise awareness about celiac disease.

How cool is that? When I was 14, my biggest goal was not to drool on myself when talking to girls. I’d say Dominick’s aspirations are a bit higher than mine were.

First…let’s get to know Dominick a bit.

Pretty cool kid, right?

Well this cool kid is doing everything he can to get on The Ellen Degeneres Show to talk about his disease…our disease.

Why The Ellen Show? His reasoning is simple.

“Because she has such a large audience, I would be able to inform everyone about Celiac and what it is.”

He even started his own Facebook page just for this cause. Check it out.

I’d like us to band together and help Dominick reach his goal. I am calling on all celiacs to help the cause. How sweet would this victory be if we can get Dominick on the show?

Here is all you need to do. I promise it won’t take more than 2 minutes and dang it, you’ll just feel good about yourself for doing it.

Click here to go to The Ellen Show website and fill out the short form.

Where it says “Tell Us Your Story”, just copy and paste the following:

And please, please share this page with as many of your fellow celiacs as you can.

We’re going big-time folks.

The post Let’s Help a Fellow Celiac Get on The Ellen DeGeneres Show appeared first on Gluten Dude.

But I’m back and ready to help all who need it.

Today’s Dear Gluten Dude comes from a doting Mom with celiac disease who is trying to do right by her children. They are showing some celiac signs but the blood work tested negative and she is debating whether she should order endoscopies for them. If any other parents out there have been in her shoes, please advise.

Here’s her email.

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Hey Gluten Dude!

I have Celiac. I am the mother of a 3-yr old boy and an almost-one-year-old girl. We introduced my son to gluten after his first birthday. Never gave Celiac any thought until now, since most of his symptoms were different from mine. Only ‘googling’ them now do I suspect Celiac. His blood test came back negative, but I’m not convinced.

Both my kids are small for their age. At 18 months old, he developed a red, blotchy, hot-to-touch rash all over his body, which 3 doctors could not explain. It lasted 3-4 days and disappeared on its own. At 2 he developed asthma and allergies, after a stubborn 6-month bout of bronchitis and pneumonia. He was put on Singulair and his cough went away. Soon after, he started with terrible insomnia, was a nightmare to get to bed, and after hours of fighting would fall asleep but wake up frequently during the night. Now, having just turned 3, when potty training was fiiiinally starting to work out, he had diarrhea for a month. Back to diapers we go, as he has no control. Poor kid – kept telling me “don’t worry mom it was just a toot!” Then after realizing what happened, informed me it was in fact a “poop toot” instead. Lol.

About a month ago, my daughter (who has suffered with frequent constipation since we introduced solids at 6 months – and we didn’t wait to introduce gluten this time) started passing white stools. Brought her to the Dr who ruled out blocked bile duct since she was not jaundiced. He suggested Celiac may be the culprit.

So we decided to go gluten free, and wouldn’t you know it, no more poop toots, and no more white poop. My son goes to sleep on his own with no fighting, and my daughter is growing some chubby baby cheeks.

I just am curious if there are any other parents out there whose child’s blood test was negative, but were re-tested positively later on, or who had the endoscopy and tested positive. I just am trusting my ‘gut’ (haha) and would rather just keep them GF forever than put my babies through the horror of an endoscopy! Since I’m already GF it’s not a big deal; I’ve been diagnosed for 6 years, so I’m well educated with food prep, but when I had to watch my boy cry his eyes out at a birthday party last weekend when I told him he couldn’t have cake, I just wish I could find out for sure.

Sorry for the rant! I just want to do the best thing for my babes, and after spending my childhood constantly sick, I want to make sure they never experience that.

Thanks!

The post Dear Gluten Dude: My Kids Tested Negative for Celiac but I’m Not Convinced. I Need Advice. appeared first on Gluten Dude.

There was a very, very interesting article recently on the current state of gluten-free beer. And more specifically, on Omission beer’s fight with the FDA to be able to label itself “Gluten Free”. You can read the article here.

Here’s a quick recap on Omission Beer. Instead of using gluten-free grains to brew their beer, they use barley, a big celiac no-no, and then remove the gluten using a proprietary technique so it falls below the 20ppm threshold. Their method produces a more traditional tasting beer. But scientists say it leaves tiny gluten fragments behind and that it may not be safe for those with celiac disease. And recent tests done in Canada on other “gluten-removed” beer found gluten in these beers too.

Because Omission is made with gluten, they cannot label it gluten-free in the United States. It also must carry a warning that no tests exist to verify gluten in beer, at least until the FDA rules on the issue. The bureau ruled last May that affixing a “gluten-free” label to a product made with barley, rye, wheat or crossbreeds would be “inherently misleading.”

(Ironically, they can label it gluten-free in Denmark, Canada and within Oregon, where the beer is brewed. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…our labeling laws just suck.)

What is Omission beer’s response to all of this? They say, and I quote, “There’s no denial that we’re going to find pieces of protein [gluten] in the beer. Those don’t go away. But those pieces are small. That’s our view on it.”

When I blogged about Omission Beer in January, it quickly became a hot topic of discussion, generating over 150 comments. The verdict seems that most celiacs who take their health seriously will not risk it. And many of the ones who did came to regret it.

Now Craft Brew Alliance, who brews Omission Beer, is lobbying Congress to push the FDA to allow them to label their beer gluten free. Here’s a blurb from the article which states it quite eloquently:

Craft Brew’s full-court press leaves federal regulators balancing the health of a small number of consumers against the moneymaking interests of a politically connected business. In this case, the health of 3 million people with celiac hang in the balance with the nation’s ninth-largest brewer fighting to maintain $160 million in annual sales in an increasingly competitive beer market.

Now of course, Congress has gotten itself involved. Oh joy. Note dripping sarcasm.

Five congressmen, naturally all from the Northwest where Craft Brew Alliance is located, sent the FDA a letter saying they were being “unnecessarily rigid”.

That’s right folks…keeping celiacs safe is unnecessarily rigid. How dare the FDA worry about our health when there are profits to be made.

Here is what I want: transparency and honesty. I know, when it comes to big business and the government, I’m kidding myself.

The fact is I’ve heard from many of my fellow celiacs who have tried Omission or Daura. Almost all of them say “never again.”

There is enough evidence that these gluten-removed beers pose a risk to those who cannot tolerate gluten. So there is no way in hell they should be able to label themselves gluten-free.

Here is what I say to these brewers: If you want to make a gluten-free beer, then make a damn GLUTEN FREE beer. Rise to the challenge. Be creative. Don’t try to change the laws at my community’s expense so you can make more money.

Other companies are managing to make truly gluten-free beers that taste just fine. There is a microbrewery called Harvester Brewing that makes the most amazing gluten-free beer. They make an IPA, a pale, a dark and an experimental ale. And they make their beers in a dedicated gluten-free facility, more than I can say for the folks at Omission.

While Omission beer is willing to accept that their beer is making some celiacs sick, James Neumeister, the owner of Harvester Brewing, says that if he heard that gluten-intolerant drinkers were having unpleasant reactions to his beer, “I’d have to be committed. I’d be a nervous wreck.”

How about that? A company with a conscience.

That’s who I want making my beer.

What about you?

The post The Gluten-Free Beer Wars: Health vs Profit appeared first on Gluten Dude.

Two days ago, Dr. Oz had a special episode called “Fast Diet Tricks That Work”.

(Dude note: Hey Dr. Oz, here’s a fast diet trick: eat less and exercise more. Can I get a TV show now?)

And who is his guest of honor on the episode? None other than our good friend Dr. Agatston of The South Beach Diet. Yes, the same Dr. Agatston who once said if you have celiac disease, you “can’t have almost any gluten.”

If you’re new to this site, I’ve talked about his new book “The South Beach Diet: Gluten Solution” here and here. My issue is not with the original South Beach Diet book but the fact that he has jumped on the gluten free bandwagon, spewing false statements, simply to line his pockets.

The video above is just an intro to the show which pretty much sums it up perfectly. Scare tactics backed up by false statements.

Here is the official description of the Dr. Oz episode, as taken from the show’s website:

Want to lose weight effortlessly without going on a full-time diet? The creator of the South Beach Diet reveals the tricks that will help you slim down instantly! Plus, stop eating this one thing and lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks!

Can you guess what the ONE THING is? Do I need to say it? Or as Springsteen would say when introducing Clarence (RIP)…”Do I have to say his name??”

It’s gluten of course.

If you want to watch the entire episode, help yourself.

Did Dr. Agatston back up any of his figures with proof? Of course not. He continues to spew that the majority of people are gluten sensitive, even though the experts claim it’s roughly 6% of the population.

Did they mention celiac disease in the entire episode? Nope…not one single time. Can you imagine a full segment on gluten and not mentioning celiac disease just once.

Did they recommend getting tested for celiac disease before giving up gluten? Of course not…that would make too much sense.

Did Dr. Oz challenge him on the 10 pounds in two weeks claim? Nope…again not that I saw, although oddly the end of the episode is cut off on his website so if anybody out there saw the whole thing, perhaps you can enlighten me.

Just imagine, according to Dr. Agatston, not only can you cure yourself of all of your ailments by giving up gluten, but you can lose 10 pounds in two weeks.

It’s odd, I lost so much weight when I was sick, when I gave up gluten you’ll never guess what happened? Of course, I gained weight because my intestines began to heal. But now that doesn’t sell books, does it.

What a sham. What a shame.

And Dr. Oz…you’ve got a huge audience. Including a segment on gluten on an episode titled “Fast Diet Tricks That Work”?

What were you thinking??

The post What Was Dr. Oz Thinking?? appeared first on Gluten Dude.

The people in Oklahoma are struggling and they need our help.

Imagine being without a home. What do you do? Where do you go?

Now imagine the same situation, but you must eat gluten-free.

That’s what many folks are now going through.

The good folks over at GoPicnic are making it easy to donate ready-to-eat gluten-free meals. Not only that, but through June 10th, GoPicnic will match your donation. So if you buy 5 gluten-free meals, they will actually send out 10. Very cool.

Below are the instructions and here is the direct link to GoPicnic’s Gluten-Free products page: http://www.gopicnic.com/Special-Diets/Gluten-Free

Whatever you can do is most appreciated.

The post Oklahoma Needs Our Help…Please Consider Donating Gluten-Free Meals appeared first on Gluten Dude.

Back in my wildly unsuccessful acting days, I kept the above words in my wallet and before each audition, I read them to remind myself to slow down; to not just read the words on the script, but listen to them, let them sink in, determine how they would affect the character and THEN respond.

It worked wonders. Instead of getting just 1 out of every hundred jobs I auditioned for, I got 2 of them

But even after all these years, I still remember those four words. And as we continue our fight for celiac awareness, I want to remind everyone, myself included, to not skip those two middle steps.

We certainly are NOT a bunch of whiners but after a month of amazing awareness and results, I do want to make sure our message continues to get across in the most effective manner humanly possible.

I was reminded of this after I received a comment from Charlie on my Today Show blog post over the weekend. Here’s how it started:

Alright, I’m just going to go ahead and say this: You are all acting like a bunch of whiny bitches.

He went on to make a bunch of nonsensical comments about how our complaining is hurting our cause and not helping our cause. And he said that we have plenty of awareness already because we have Udi’s, Schar, Red Robin, Five Guys and In ‘n Out.

Yeah…I’m not sure what his point was either.

Do I agree with him? Of course not.

And if he wanted to make his points a topic of civil discussion, starting out by name calling is not the best way to go about it.

But it did make me think a bit on how we need to continue to fight the good fight, but still make sure we come across as a respectful, yet very passionate, community.

The comment generated an excellent dialogue between Charlie and a few members of our awesome community (myself not included as I took a needed weekend offline.)

After a quick war of words, Adalaide came on and wrote an incredibly thoughtful response. She did not name call. She did not attack. She simply presented our case for why we do what we do and respectfully laid out why she disagrees with Charlie.

And thus started an awesome discussion.

Look…I’m as passionate as they come when it comes to celiac disease. And there is no doubt that we need that passion from our community to fuel our cause. That passion got one of the biggest companies in the world to pull a TV episode before it aired. Pretty cool stuff.

Do I cross the line at times? Absolutely.

Does it hurt our cause more than help it? I hope not.

Do you have my permission to give me a kick in the pants when I go overboard? Sure thing.

Mrs. Dude and I always say we need to “pick our battles” with our kids. And I think that same mentality can work for our cause.

We can’t boycott a restaurant chain because of one bad experience.

We shouldn’t start a petition on change.org every time we are wronged.

And we shouldn’t react without first listening.

Keep up the passion folks. We’re changing the world.

Let’s just try not to live in a “glass case of emotion”.

The post Are Celiacs Just a Bunch of Whiners? appeared first on Gluten Dude.