Mindful Creations

I started dabbling in gluten-free cooking eight years ago. I sought out resources to glean any morsel of education. I realized many conditions and diseases were affected adversely by gluten-containing grains and foods. Soon I was analyzing the properties of grains and flours, alternative sweeteners, nut milks and flours and questioning other creative cooks. Ultimately within the last five years, I began combining them into a variety baked goods both edible and inedible. I now create the same product twice with equal success thanks to finally writing a semblance of a recipe. Although, a new baking pan alters a tried-and-true recipe. Crackers became my creative outlet – juniper pepper, honey cumin, and fennel almond. Pie crusts were pretty easy. Muffins and scones could be touch and go. A thin crust pizza is a treat for others.

In the last couple years, natural food stores began boldly labeling gluten-free items or carried their own product line. Local Chicago bakeries and local and chain-restaurants began offering gluten-free items. Living Without magazine focuses on food sensitivity articles and recipes.

What started as crackers as holiday gifts has expanded to creating mindful choices in baked goods and meals. I assess through the usual Chinese Medicine intake focused more on the digestive system, diet and lifestyle what would be more beneficial for your kitchen pantry and provide some ideas. I offer cooking classes and pre-made meals to assist creating a healthier kitchen.

Why is gluten bad? It’s not bad; it is over consumed found in many processed items as flavoring or additive. As a busy society, we need quick convenient choices and the cost effective grain is wheat (a gluten product). Just know that there are alternatives if you want to try them.

This is a lengthy explanation on gluten and how it is stressful on the digestive system and the entire body. It is from Gluten Free and Healthy.

Gluten is the tough elastic protein in wheat, rye, barley and other grains. The presence of gluten is what allows bread to expand and become bread; this is due to its very high content of the sulphur containing amino acid cystine, which gives gluten its elastic and expandable qualities. It is, however, what also makes gluten very difficult to digest because gluten is not easy to breakdown. If a person's digestive system is even minorly compromised, it is likely the gluten will not be fully digested and will be allowed to pass through to the intestines, where undigested proteins are the perfect nourishment for bad bacteria. Because of the physical nature of gluten, it is an especially unfavorable substance to have in the intestines. It tends to stick to intestinal walls and combine with another hard to digest protein, casein. The two proteins can form an adherent mass on the intestinal walls that makes absorption of essential nutrients problematic or impossible. It can also make the passage of waste material extremely difficult (constipation) contributing to overall body and bowel toxicity. This intestinal build-up can put an enormous toxic burden on the body, making it vulnerable to an infinite amount of chronic conditions. [It can also cause a rapid passage of food or alternate difficult and rapid passage of waste through the system.]

Alternative medicine has long identified the potential hazards of gluten and has come to recognize its association with allergies (immune system reaction). Gluten appears to be a trigger in some cases and a cause in others. This allergic response can be acquired when some of the partially digested gluten is absorbed into the bloodstream. Gluten is one of the few substances that does not have to be digested to be absorbed into the blood stream. If the gluten makes it past the liver, which is equipped to manage partially digested substances but can be overloaded already, then the undigested gluten will be allowed to pass into the bloodstream where it is not recognized as "self" by the immune system. The immune system will then initiate an immune response against the gluten causing a wide range of allergic symptoms. The more widely recognized symptoms include bloating, gas, water retention and a stuffy nose. The lesser known reactions primarily exhibit them themselves mentally. In recent years there has been growing evidence that those who suffer from certain forms of schizophrenia, autism and multiple sclerosis benefit from a gluten free diet seeing a marked improvement in their symptoms when gluten is removed. Chrones disease and Celiac disease are two conditions in particular that are directly related to intolerance for gluten. Chrones disease is an intestinal disease where the small intestine is dysfunctional, and results in considerable pain and discomfort when one side of the intestine has turned inside on itself. This disease is frequently associated with a long history of gluten consumption. Celiac disease is an example of an extreme intolerance and allergic reaction to gluten. Symptoms include rapid passage of food through the intestines (diarrhea) which does not allow for proper absorption of important nutrients, the inability to digest fats, bloating, gas and associated discomfort.

Removing gluten from ones diet is a sensitive area to address as we have all been raised on cereals and breads as familiar staples and comfort food. If an intolerance of gluten were suspected then switching to a diet that limits the intake of cereals to [quinoa, amaranth, tapioca, nut flours,] rice, millet and buckwheat would be favorable.