Food Allergies Part 2: The Gluten-Free Takeover

Author: L. A. Briggs // Category: ,
   
Posted March 21, 2011 at 8:59 PM
   
It seems like in almost every supermarket that you go to now have a certain section devoted to gluten-free products. Much like dairy allergies, wheat allergies are becoming more prevalent among people.

So much like with diary, wheat allergies occur when the body produces antibodies that react in the presence of a particular wheat protein. The most common occurrence of wheat allergies occurs in young children, but most children outgrow the allergy between the ages of 3 and 5. The allergy is not very common in adolescents and adults. However, celiac disease, or gluten sensitivity, while not considered an actual food allergy, is more common among adults. A person can have both celiac disease and wheat allergies.

Celiac disease is a digestive condition that is triggered by the intake of gluten, a protein component of wheat. When a person who suffers from celiac disease consumes gluten, they experience an immune reaction that causes damage to inner surface of the small intestine that causes the body to not be able to absorb certain nutrients. Celiac disease has a wide range of symptoms, and sometimes it is hard to diagnose the condition because the symptoms mimic the symptoms of another digestive ailment. Some symptoms are very serious and life-threatening. Doctors are unsure of the cause of the disease, but they have found that if someone in your family was diagnosed with it, you have a greater chance of having the disease.

So what can be done about wheat allergies and celiac disease? The best advise is to avoid anything that has wheat, and particularly gluten, in it. As I noted above, most supermarkets today have whole sections devoted to gluten-free products. My mother is slightly celiac in addition to having dairy allergies, so having gluten-free and dairy-free foods is not new to me. Knowing that I too may have or develop celiac disease makes me conscious about the foods that I eat. It is really helpful that the food industry is aware of the growing problem and willing to make alternatives for the people with these allergies.

_______________________________________________________________
Recipe of the Day


Gluten-Free Pizza

For tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
4 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano

For pizza crust
¾ cup tapioca flour
½ cup white rice flour*
⅓ cup chickpea flour
⅓ cup sorghum flour
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup whole milk
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, from 1 (¼-ounce) package
2 teaspoons sugar
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

For topping
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, coarsely grated (about 1 ½ cups)
¼ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about 1 tablespoon)
4 large fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

*Be sure to use white rice flour; brown will result in gritty pizza dough.

Make tomato sauce
In a 4-quart saucepan over very low heat, stir together tomatoes and oil. Bring to simmer, cover partially, and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to 1 cup, about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in sugar, salt, and oregano, cover. Keep warm or refrigerate, covered, up to 5 days.

Make pizza crust
In bowl, whisk together tapioca flour, white rice flour, chickpea flour, sorghum flour, xanthum gum, and salt.

In small saucepan over moderate heat, stir together milk and ¼ cup water and heat until warm but not hot to the touch, about 1 minute. Stir in yeast and sugar. Add milk mixture, egg whites, and 2 tablespoons oil to dry ingredients and beat at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until dough is very smooth and very thick, about 5 minutes.

Remove racks from oven, set pizza stone or heavy upturned baking sheet on bottom of oven, and preheat to 400°F. Preheat at least 45 minutes if using pizza stone or 20 minutes if using baking sheet.

Have ready two 12-inch squares parchment paper. Scrape half of dough onto each square and form each half into a ball. Coat each ball with 2 teaspoons oil, then use oiled fingertips to pat and stretch each ball into 9-inch-diameter round, ¼ inch thick, with a ½-inch-thick border. Loosely cover rounds with plastic wrap and let rise in warm draft-free place until each pizza is about 10 inches in diameter, about 20 minutes.

Using baking peel, transfer 1 crust with parchment to preheated pizza stone and bake until top is puffed and firm and underside is crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer baked crust to rack to cool. Bake second crust in same manner.

Top and broil pizzas
Preheat broiler. Transfer baked crusts to 2 large baking sheets. Brush 1 teaspoon olive oil over each crust. Spread each with sauce, leaving ½-inch border bare, then sprinkle each with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Drizzle remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil over pizzas.

Broil pizzas about 4 inches from heat, rotating as needed for even browning, until cheese is bubbling and browned in places and crust is golden brown, 4 to 8 minutes. Scatter with basil, slice, and serve immediately.


The original recipe can be found here. The ingredients for this can be found at Whole Foods or other similar type stores.

4 Responses to "Food Allergies Part 2: The Gluten-Free Takeover"

Jen Schneider Says :
3/21/11, 1:52 PM

I agree! My niece has celiac, and I think it makes it so much easier on her and her family that there are products available. I'm vegetarian, and even five years ago it was hard to find easy-to-make foods in the grocery store that didn't have meat (it's still really hard to be vegan). So I'm grateful things are changing.

Bre Says :
3/22/11, 10:03 AM

Do you know if the sensitivity to gluten is becoming more common or if its that products are just becoming more available to consumers?

Carlos Says :
3/23/11, 2:37 PM

I'm wondering the same thing as Bre. A couple of years ago I did not even know people could be allergic to wheat and now gluten free products are everywhere.

J.D. Says :
3/23/11, 3:30 PM

I'm with Bre and Carlos. First time I came across this was on the Beau Jo's menu and thought it was some diet craze.

Post a Comment