Gluten-free gingerbread man

By Ms H

It is a great healthy Christmas treat for people  with coeliac condition.

Ingredients for 10 men:

Quinoa flour	30g
Rice flour	20g
Buckwheat flour	40g
Soy  flour	30g
Gluten-free plain flour	60g
Xanthan gum	1 tsp
Baking soda	1 tbsp
Nutmeg  ground	1 tbsp
Cinnamon ground	1 tbsp
Allspice  ground	½  tbsp
Cloves  ground	½ tbsp
Ginger  ground	2 tbsp
Honey	3 tbsp
Sugar	60g
Maple syrup	1 tbsp
Butter	70g
Egg	1

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C

Mix the flours, the xanthan gum and the butter well

Add the remaining ingredients and mix them well

Roll out the dough to 0.5 cm thickness

Cut the figures

Line the baking tin with greaseproof paper

Place the figures into the tin

Bake them for 10 minutes

Gluten Free Dining Tips   

by Faiz Cassim

Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, barley and rye. It causes mild stomach discomfort such as abdominal pain, gas and diarrhea. This also cause a serious condition known as celiac disease. If you are affected by this protein, you need to take on gluten free dining.
It is essential to practice this kind of dining carefully so that you do not ingest even a small amount of gluten. You need to eliminate foods such as pizza, chocolate cake, sandwiches and cereals such as cheerios, oatmeal and cornflakes. Corn can also be prohibited because of the possible color additives and processing.
When practicing this, you can take a bowl or cereal, juice or fruit. You should make sure that you use a non gluten brand of cereal. Another good choice for breakfast is scrambled eggs with bacon or sausage and rice bread or any other variety of gluten free bread. You can also choose plain yogurt.
It is advisable to pack your own lunch when practicing. If you choose to eat out, you can choose to consume foods such as potatoes, meat, fresh fruits and vegetables. You should be careful with additives such as gravies and sauces. Fruits are the best choice for desserts unless you prepare your own dessert or purchase specially labeled items. The other foods with good choices are nuts and popcorn.

When you want to travel as you practice this diet, you can use the following tips. One is to try and contact a celiac support group in the location that you plan to visit. This group can offer you a list of restaurants that serve gluten free foods. You can also find information about restaurants that offer gluten free dining online. When booking accommodations such as hotel rooms, condos and others, you should ask for rooms that contain kitchenettes. Such rooms will allow you to prepare your own foods during your stay.
It is also advisable to make a list of the ingredients and foods that you can take along with you when traveling. This is easy when travelling using your own car but if you are using public transport, you can choose to pack an extra suitcase containing your choices.
It is important to keep yourself updated on latest news, research and developments if you want to continue with this life style. Our site is dedicated to provide such information for your benefit.
Learn more by visiting our site. You have more on leading a Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free Dining and Gluten Free Living Insights. You can download and listen from iPod or Mp3 player, even while driving. insights.com/whatisglutenfree/glutenfreedining.html
http://goarticles.com/article/Gluten-Free-Dining-Tips/6319940/

Gluten intolerance and Coeliac condition

When immune system sees the gluten as an invader antibodies and B cells or B lymphocyte are produced dealing with them. 

On the diagram you see the model of a gluten molecule. The blue and the red parts represent the two parts of the molecule: the gliadin (red) and the glutenin ( blue).

While your body mistakenly attacks gland tissues, muscles or other tissues in different organs that are similar in structure to gluten an autoimmune disease can develop. The most common presentations of gluten sensitivity are the neurological symptoms;

migraines ,

headache,

dizziness,

epilepsy,

Parkinson’s,

depression,

MS,

clumsiness,

ADD

The second most common appearances of gluten intolerance are the hormone problems that can link to         infertility or

thyroid problems.

The gastrointestinal symptoms, known as coeliac condition, are the least common presentation of gluten sensitivity.

1% of the population suffer in celiac disease, which is neither allergy neither intolerance to gluten. Coeliac disease as you can see is an autoimmune condition when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. In this case the immune system mistakes substance found inside gluten as a hazard to the body and attacks it.

The gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, which provides elasticity to dough, plays essential role in rising and gives the final texture. This condition causes inflammation in the small intestines, which damages the villi, disrupting the body's ability to absorb nutrients from food. What causes the immune system to act in this way is not clear, it could be the combination of a genetic make-up and an environment issue. About 95% of people with celiac condition have the HLA-DQ2 gene and most of the remaining 5% have the HLA-DQ8 gene. Genetic testing can show these genes, so you are at high risk if any other family member already has this condition.

The symptoms of gluten sensitive condition are the followings:

diarrhoea,

constipation,

bloating,

wind,

urgency to use the toilet after a meal.

abdominal pain,

weight loss,

anaemia,

bone and joint pain,

malnutrition,

you feeling tired because of the lack of food.

Are all gluten-free products healthy?

Food manufacturers offer all sort of gluten-free foods. This certainly makes life much easier for sufferers of coeliac condition. Some of these goods are made of using potato starch, tapioca starch or corn starch instead of a gluten – free grain. Starches are refined, this process reduces their nutritional value. These

gluten -free products usually consist of high level of sugar and artificial chemicals. They are not healthy, so you have to read the list of ingredients very carefully before you put one of them into your basket.