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6/20/2005
Surviving the Summer Holidays
without Wheat
DENVER, CO: The lazy, hazy days
of summer can include all your
favorite picnic foods like
hamburgers, cookies, and ––even
when you can’t eat wheat––if you
adjust your mindset and learn
how to use substitutes for this
all-American baking ingredient.
“About 10-15% of us can’t eat
wheat, a common ingredient in
holiday treats and one of the
top ten food allergens,” says
Carol Fenster, Ph.D., an
internationally recognized
expert who taught herself to
cook without wheat and then
published four wheat-free
cookbooks at Savory Palate, Inc.
“Reactions to wheat can dampen
summer activities with symptoms
ranging from mild flu-like
symptoms to potentially fatal
anaphylaxis”, she adds.
What should you do? First, she
says, it’s important to approach
the holidays with a positive
attitude, focusing on what you
can eat––rather than on
what’s forbidden. When dining
out, call ahead to see if the
restaurant has any wheat-free
dishes. If not, eat beforehand
and have a big salad as your
dinner.
“If you’re invited to someone’s
home,” says Fenster, “offer to
bring a dish––such as bread or a
side dish––so you have at least
one thing to eat. If the party
is a buffet dinner, eat
beforehand and just ‘graze’ the
vegetable or fruit platters.”
Holiday baking at home is easy,
says Fenster, if you have a
wheat-free cookbook. Or, use
“tried and true” recipes from
wheat-free friends to assure
early success and build
confidence. You can convert your
own recipes to wheat-free later,
she adds, when you’re a “pro.”
“To replace the wheat flour in
holiday goodies,” Fenster
suggests, “check the baking
aisle of your local health store
for wheat-free flours made of
rice, corn, potato, bean, or
sorghum. Don’t forget to use
xanthan gum, which prevents
wheat-free baked goods from
falling apart.”
Finally, she cautions, don’t let
hidden wheat spoil the
festivities––it lurks in
unsuspecting places such as
cream soups used in holiday
casseroles,
commercially-prepared frostings
and decorations for holiday
cookies, and licorice candy.
For free recipes and a catalog
of cookbooks––which include
lists of hidden wheat––visit
www.savorypalate.com or call
800.741.5418.
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