Interesting articles I've read over the summer

Cat and Kitten, 2008  Photo by A. Stahl

I wanted to share a few interesting news articles that I've been reading over the summer. You see, I never really stop reading. I have friends who ask questions about "gluten free" or celiac disease, or whether or not a certain cross-reactive food is passed on in animal milk and that sort of thing... and I get the bug to go researching.

The only problem with this bug, is that I haven't been trained as a dietician or nutritionist, so I can only access whatever medical paperwork is publicly available or readily found via search engines. So, while these things are interesting, it's best to discuss these papers with knowledgeable gastroenterologist, dieticians and nutritionists who are well versed in Celiac Disease.

I read an eleven page document from The New York Times on "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food" by Michael Moss. My take-away from the article was that we need to be very proactive and aware of the psychology of marketing and that if we are to partake of junk food, that we keep it to a very limited amount. Not because it is too sugary or too salty - but because it is so addictive and it can affect us for a long time to come.

The more interesting articles I was reading happened to do with the evolving spectrum of celiac disease. I've long believed that "gluten sensitivity" or "intolerance" happens to be part of celiac disease, even if it is as of yet, not recognized as such. Voilá, attitudes are changing in the medical community.

"Gluten Sensitivity (GS) is a state of heightened immunological responsiveness to ingested gluten in genetically susceptible people. It represents a spectrum of diverse manifestations, of which, the gluten sensitive enteropathy known as [Celiac Disease] is one of many."
Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: The Evolving Spectrum

"It is now becoming apparent that reactions to gluten are not limited to [Celiac Disease], rather we now appreciate the existence of a spectrum of gluten-related disorders. The high frequency and wide range of adverse reactions to gluten raise the question as to why this dietary progein is toxic for so many individuals in the world."
Spectrum of gluten-related disorders: consensus on new nomenclature and classification

"Sub-clinical, or hidden, gluten intolerance is a health problem at epidemic proportions in certain populations in the United States and remains largely unrecognized by conventional medicine."
Dr. Daniel Kalish

Some acquaintances of mine were discussing some myths that were driving them crazy about Celiac Disease and I mentioned that wheat grass being gluten free was one of my major concerns, after seeing it featured in "Bedtime Stories" and another film ("Working Mom"?) as a safe option for Celiacs who wish to keep a healthy diet.

The problem is not that wheat grass is gluten free, but that the processing involved often causes the actual product to not be gluten free, and really that Celiacs need not be eating any of the grains (sprouted or not) provided from gluten containing grains because it is just too risky for accidents to happen. It took a lot of looking on my end to find an article that discussed these issues with wheat grass, and I found it at About.com's Celiac section.

"...while wheat grass and barley grass in their pure forms are considered gluten-free, it matters how they're harvested and how products containing them are produced.
...if a farmer allows some of the grasses to begin producing seeds prior to harvest, then that particular crop will contain gluten.
...if a manufacturer of supplements produces gluten-containing products alongside or on the same equipment as it's using for gluten-free labeled products, then those products can be cross-contaminated unless special precautions are taken, and they may contain gluten."
Are wheat grass and barley grass gluten-free?

What the article doesn't discuss is that there is a propensity of people with celiac disease to also be allergic to wheat, barley, rye or oats. If one doesn't know that they are additionally allergic, as well as intolerant -- this can cause some massive issues that are just not worth it.  If you do wish to go there, it is best to be sure you only acquire gluten free certified wheat or barley grass, and that you are certain you are not additionally allergic like I am.   It is very unpleasant if you are, and react as I have been.

Another article that I found was related to gluten traces in gluten free foods. This study was referenced in a recent DZG magazine and I went to find the actual article to read on my own. Basically, the DZG translated the article for a German audience, so I had the benefit of the study in both languages. Double plus! The study is entitled "Might gluten traces in wheat substitutes pose a risk in patients with celiac disease? A population-based probabilistic approach to risk estimation." and was put out by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  The "short" of the article is that there has not been enough study and that some Celiacs are more sensitive than others and will react to trace amounts while others do not. We need to adopt the 20mg/kg gluten threshold for the United States.


I have been hearing some things out there in cyber space about fermentation of grains making it gluten free or suitable for individuals with celiac disease. This is patently untrue, and mostly has been skewed from a few, very small sample-size studies.

Here are the basics:

"Because enzymatic breakdown of gluten proteins often leads to small, difficult to degrade, toxic peptides, the partial breakdown of wheat, rye, or barley proteins during seed germination or in the malting process probably will not usually eliminate toxicity even when there is no trace of the large original proteins remaining. Thus, malt extracts and other hydrolysates of wheat, rye, or barley proteins (including beers) might retain some toxicity. Nevertheless, when such extracts are used in a product in very small proportions, as a flavoring, for example, the amount of toxic peptides present in the final product might be so small as to be negligible. Again, however, good scientific studies are lacking."
http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/.../topics/Celiac.vs.grains.html

"The sourdough fermentation may enhance the recovery from intestinal inflammation of coeliac patients at the early stage of the gluten-free diet.
PURPOSE:
This study aimed at investigating the effect of corn, rice and amaranth gluten-free (GF) sourdoughs on the release of nitric oxide (NO) and synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines by duodenal mucosa biopsies of eight coeliac disease (CD) patients."
http://cassies-candida-carbs.blogspot.de/2012/03/study-on-fermentation-of-grains.html

There was a study done in Italy with 13 patients:

"The Italian study was designed to assess how 13 Celiacs responded to eating baked goods made with wheat flour treated with lactobacilli and fungal protease. The study, Safety for Patients with Celiac Disease of Baked Goods Made of Wheat Flour Hydrolyzed During Food Processing was published in the January 2011 issue of the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology."
"...methods used to assess gluten damage in the participants -- blood tests for anti–tissue transglutaminase antibodies and small bowel biopsy have potential for false negative results. "
Is fermented sourdough wheat bread safe for Celiacs?

"These results showed that a bread biotechnology that uses selected lactobacilli, nontoxic flours, and a long fermentation time is a novel tool for decreasing the level of gluten intolerance in humans."
Sourdough Bread Made from Wheat and Nontoxic Flours and Started with Selected Lactobacilli Is Tolerated in Celiac Sprue Patients

The only issue with the studies is that it is such a small sample size, it was not done with a double-blind and they did not test individuals with the rather broad spectrum of celiac disease. There is no long term study, and you could not sign me up for this test with the reactions I have. Heck, I'm reacting to gluten grains in the fields now!


The other interesting bit of research I went into was the myth of there being traces of gluten in dairy products from animals. Based on testing, no significant amounts of gluten peptides have been detected in cow’s milk.

However, Lactose Intolerance Can Be A Symptom Of Gluten Intolerance. That actually was one of the many symptoms I had as a teenager before we figured out that my entire health issues could be pinned on Celiac Disease.

Here's the research I was able to find:

• Gluten Peptides in Human Breast Milk: Implications for Cow’s Milk???
• When Dairy Intolerance Joins Celiac Disease 
• What About Dairy Sensitivity? 
• How is lactose intolerance related to celiac disease?
• Mucosal reactivity to cow's milk protein in coeliac disease.
• Capsule Endoscopy Detection of Ileal Mucosa Alterations due to Cow Milk Malabsorption in a Celiac Patient
• Mucosal reactivity to cow's milk protein in coeliac disease
• https://tinyurl.com/of79nce   
• Intolerance of celiac disease patients to bovine milk is not due to the presence of T-cell stimulatory epitopes of gluten.

Here's hoping that you had a wonderful Summer and are easing gracefully back into school.

Jennifer

What I've been reading about these past two weeks

As I'm sure you all know by now, there's been a great scandal here in the EU about horse meat appearing in foods that have specified they are 100% beef, 100% lamb or a mix of 50-50 Lamb/Beef. Including some halal foods. And depending on the sect of Islam that one is in, halal can vary as to whether horse is halal or not.
Sufficed to say, I've been watching in horror as we cannot afford kosher meat or the trip to get any, and we cannot go meat free due to our dietary needs and my celiac being so bad.  So far, none of the foods we eat have been affected, praise G-d, but it is still quite frustrating nonetheless.

While testing all of their meat products, Iceland found out that some of their meat pies are vegetarian... not 100% beef. (cue maniacal giggling from me)

... his team did not find any horse meat ... one brand of locally produced beef pie ...contained no meat at all.

... "It was labeled as beef pie, so it should be beef pie."
Yahoo News

Four new products tested positive for horse in the UK. Taco Bell and another fast food chain have been affected.

"The affected products are Birds Eye's Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese and Beef Lasagne - which the company took off shelves last week as a precaution; Brakes' Spicy Beef Skewer; Taco Bell's Ground Beef."

"Horsemeat was first discovered in January in frozen burgers on sale in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and since then traces have been discovered in processed beef products and prepared meals across the EU.
A first wave of tests ...in the UK found horsemeat in some products sold by Aldi, Co-op, Findus, Rangeland and Tesco.
Subsequent rounds of testing revealed ...some products sold by Asda, Sodexo - which supplies food to schools, care homes and the armed forces - and the Whitbread Group.
Last week Ikea withdrew a batch of frozen meatballs from sale..."
BBC News UK

Then I found this gem from Deutsche Welle:

"Food labs usually only check meat for what they suspect might be in it - a lot could pass unnoticed. Now, German researchers have come up with a single test for meat products to identify as many as 50 different animals."

"The greatest advantage of the new technology is that everything can be traced. The disadvantage: the smallest amount of contamination can be a problem."
Deutsche Welle

Then, breaking news goes out to tell us about an organic egg scandal here in Germany. Lots of farms are not doing their hens as free range or even feeding them organic, and the oversight committees only go and check in on these farms one or two times a year. That explains why sometimes my eggs were looking very anemic and not organic free range. This is so upsetting, as we are paying upwards of 2-2,50€ per package of 10 eggs. No, they do not come in a dozen here in Germany. Don't ask me why, I don't know. I guess that never caught on.

Here is the IFOAM press release. It really does not give a lot more news than what they're releasing here so far. Basically the low down is that everything is done by paper, and the FSA comes in 1 or 2 times a year to look in on the farm. They may or may not inspect closer.

"Chickens and their eggs can only be described as free-range if each animal has access to at least four square metres of space, while the description organic, or "bio" in German, requires further specific conditions."
The Local.de

"About 150 farms in Lower Saxony and 50 more in other German states are now under scrutiny."
http://www.dw.de/egg-fraud-scandal-hits-already-food-conscious-germany/a-16625982

"Joyce Moewius of the German Association of the Organic Food Industry (BÖLW) says she believes the problem has been that farms have kept too many chickens, rather than that eggs have been declared retrospectively as coming from the wrong kind of farm."
"In addition to the EU organic seal, several associations, such as Bioland, Demeter or Naturland, offer their own standards, which are above those of the EU."
Deutsche Welle

"The German state of Lower Saxony appears to be the centre of the alleged scam but Roland Herrmann, an investigating prosecutor, said that scale of the operation was "nationwide," and that anybody found guilty faces up to six months behind bars."
The Telegraph UK

"In 2012, the number of chickens kept as free-range increased by 8.9 percent and as organic -- out in the open -- by 8.7 percent. The number of chickens kept in battery farms however declined by 4.2 percent."
The Global Post UK

"Two years ago, a European Union-wide health alert was sparked when German officials said animal feed tainted with dioxin had been fed to hens and pigs, contaminating eggs, poultry meat and pork at affected farms."
BBC News UK

I'm thinking this is where the FSA has to make good on claims of oversight... rather than coming down to a farm once a year, they need to go multiple times a year, and the physical paperwork that is filled out on the farm needs to go in computers on the same day.  But, that might make too much sense for those with purely bureaucratical minds.

On top of all of this, we get news filtered through The Local.de that there are issues with milk here in Germany having carcinogens in them.

"Hundreds of farms in Lower Saxony have been banned from selling milk in the latest food scandal to hit Germany, after authorities discovered thousands of cows had been given carcinogenic animal feed."

" The source was traced back to 10,000 tonnes of a Serbian shipment of contaminated maize which found its way into animal feed delivered to 3,560 farms in Lower Saxony, including 938 dairy farms, the state's Agriculture Ministry said on Friday."
The Local.de

I never found anything on Der Spiegel or Deutsche Welle, and it never was specified if this is an organic or conventional set of farms, and whether our milk has been effected and I need to move back to the organic non-homogenized variety I was previously getting before making so much milk kefir.  (I almost need my own cow to be honest!)

In the UK, there's been an outbreak of the Schmallenberg virus again. It affects cattle of all sorts, so I expect to see that come this summer and fall, our prices for lamb and beef has gone up, as well as woolen items.

"Cases of Schmallenberg have now been reported in all the counties of England and Wales, and in Northern Ireland.
Scottish farmers are on alert for the disease, which is carried by midges.
Some farms have suffered heavy losses of newborn lambs during the winter lambing season.
The latest figures from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency show the virus has been detected on 1,531 farms, in cattle, sheep, alpacas and goats."
BBC News UK

In other news, Belgian opinion on the Seralini study differs from that of the ESFA, A GMO Poll (US) Finds Huge Majority Say Foods Should Be Labeled, Nigella Lawson will be doing a live video chat (Google Hangout), NBC is casting for "Food Fighters", a reality tv series.  Hawaii and Vermont made historic GMO Labelling progress, and Sygenta was charged for covering up cattle death due to GMO feed. There was an interesting news article that states: "Buying Local and Organic? You're Still Eating Plastic Chemicals" - wow... not sure how to process that one actually...

Someone had posted a link to the EWG's 2011 Meat Eater's Guide, which looks quite interesting. It seems we're doing OK with our levels of beef consumption, fish consumption and how little we eat lamb. Some of it doesn't apply since we're mostly grain free.

Doctor Mercola has a great article on the benefits of Coconut Oil, which reminded me to go and buy two more containers of organic coconut oil yesterday. So, thank you Dr Mercola for reminding me I was out of it before I started another batch of bone broth!!

And I found this hilarious (in a laugh so I don't cry kind of way) image posted to the Take Back Food community on Google+. What is so sad is, this is the truth for the US market.

Just in time for St Paddy's I saw this recipe for Paleo Spinach Tortillas posted to a community on Google Plus. They are gluten, dairy, corn and egg free. Thank G-d I finally found a tortilla press!!

Then someone posted a link to sushi made with quinoa. I had never thought to do that, but that would be great if you are on a paleo diet.

Today, I found this gem listed as free for kindle:

Also, I found a wonderful new idea for swift smoothie making and in addition to all of this, I've been working to get my own Pinterest feed up, begin tweeting again, I'm taking a Psychology course and all of my books are here finally, as well as helping out in a couple Google Plus Communities. I'm also trying to learn how to more effectively post recipes once I have my own to share on the blog. For now, I'll just keep to sharing recipe pairings from the blogs I've got mentioned in my blog list and from the cookbooks that I mentioned in a previous post.
 

What have you all been reading about this week?
  

Say it isn't so! (Hostess Cupcakes)

By golly, Hostess Cakes is going out of business.

If you've not heard the recent news... here it is:

The end for Twinkies may just be hours away.
Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of the iconic snack, announced on Wednesday that it will liquidate the entire company if not enough striking employees return to work by Thursday evening.
ABC News: Twinkies Maker Hostess Vows to Liquidate Company if Strikes Persist, November 15, 2012

Nearly 18,500 workers nationwide are out of a job -- including close to 150 at the century-old Cincinnati bakery. That means the end of the line -- for now -- for such iconic bread lines as Wonder and Butternut (a Cincinnati-bred bread for more than 100 years) and those vintage snacks Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, Honey Buns, cream-filled cupcakes and that old standby, Twinkies.
USA Today: At Hostess plant, bittersweet feelings, November 16, 2012

 ...Hostess's latest woes took hold when thousands of employees in its bakers union went on strike Nov. 9 in protest of a court-imposed labor contract that cut wages, commissions, and health care benefits and changed the structure of pension plans in a way that could reduce payouts to retirees.
The strike affected roughly two thirds of Hostess's 36 plants..
Wall Street Journal: Twinkie Maker Hostess to Close, November 16, 2012

Rayburn said he’s hopeful the company will find buyers for its roster of about 30 brands, which include Ho Hos, Dolly Madison, Drake’s and Nature’s Pride snacks. The company books about $2.5 billion in sales per year.
Chillico The Gazette: Hostess store likely to close by month's end, November 16, 2012

"We deeply regret the necessity of today's decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike," Hostess Chief Executive Gregory F. Rayburn said in a statement Friday. The Irving, Texas, company, founded in 1930, runs 565 distribution centers around the country, as well as 33 bakeries and 570 bakery outlets...
LA Times: Twinkies maker Hostess to go out of business, lay off 18,500, November 17, 2012

...An amalgam of brands and businesses, the company has evolved over the years through acquisitions. In the 1960s and 1970s, the company, then called Interstate, bought more than a dozen regional bakeries scattered across the country. A couple of decades later, it paid $330 million for the Continental Baking Company, picking up a portfolio of brands like Wonder and Hostess....
Five years later, the company emerged from Chapter 11 as Hostess Brands, so named after its most prominent division...
DealBook: As Labor Talks Collapse, Hostess Turns Out Lights, November 17, 2012

The company is blaming its decision to shut down on a labor strike by members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. But Americans' appetite for junk food has also been waning in recent years. The company has filed for bankruptcy protection twice this decade, the last time in January. 
LA Times: Twinkie, Ding-Dong runs reported as Hostess bakery closes, November 17, 2012

The 82-year-old maker of Hostess CupCakes, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos said yesterday it would fire more than 18,000 employees and go out of business after a weeklong strike by its bakers’ union. Metropoulos, owner of Pabst Brewing Co., said it may bid for Hostess’s ``iconic brands.’’ Flowers, maker of Nature’s Own bread and Tastykake snacks, could pursue some of its rival’s assets to expand its geographic reach and fill existing territory, wrote William Chappell, an analyst with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.
Washington Post: What’s next for Twinkies maker Hostess Brands?, November 17, 2012

Hostess Twinkies’ CEO tripled his salary to $2.55 million while the company was preparing to go into bankruptcy.
And nine top executives saw massive pay raises, some nearly doubling their salary.
America Blog: Hostess Twinkies CEO tripled salary to $2.5m while preparing to file bankruptcy, November 17, 2012

Their official statement can be found here.

At the time of Hostess's liquidation, these were its brands in the United States:

• Baker's Inn
• Beefsteak
• Blue Ribbon
• Bread du Jour
• Butternut Breads
• Colombo, sourdough bread bakery, based in Oakland, California^[33]
• Cotton’s
• Di Carlo
• Dolly Madison
• Drake's
• Dutch Hearth
• Eddy’s
• Good Hearth
• Holsom
• Home Pride
• Hostess
• J.J. Nissen
• Merita
• Millbrook
• Mrs. Cubbison's Foods
• Nature's Pride
• Parisian
• Standish Farms
• Sweetheart
• Twinkie
• Toscana, sourdough bread bakery, with Colombo and Parisian Bakery, part of the San Francisco French Bread Company, acquired by Hostess in 1984^[34]
• Wonder Bread

Wikipedia: Hostess Brands

I'd be a lot sadder if I were in the United States, and were not a Celiac. On a more sentimental level, of course I am very sad about this news. I loved Hostess products while growing up! I remember being poor and thinking the highlight of the month was going to the Hostess/Wonder Bread  Thrift Shop. Fruit Pies *drool*  I remember fondly waking up on Sunday mornings and having Doughnettes at one congregation, and after moving away and going to work - I was enjoying them out of our snack machines...

I haven't had any of their products in many years due to my Celiac. So, you are probably wondering why I'm blogging about this. I'm sort of wondering myself, as reality hits that even though I cannot have this item, I thoroughly MISS these products. And what I felt upon knowing these were all 100% off limits, must be how many loyal customers are feeling right now.

I've been making some "clone" recipes of the products for some time now, due to my food issues.  I found a pie crust recipe that translated well enough to make the fruit pies. I haven't made them in ages. I might this Thanksgiving though...

I've made a clone of the hohos, twinkies and cupcakes. I've missed the doughnettes with a purple passion. I finally found a recipe that will allow me to "clone" those as well. I've got the perfect cake tins for them as well.  Snoballs were ok, but not my favorites. . . I do recall really liking them as a young kid and trading for them during lunch. (Mom, now you know.  It only happened a couple times, I promise. Fruit Roll Ups were more my thing... and we stopped trading when dad got wind and we were worried he had spies everywhere.)

There are a lot of sites popping up now with clone recipes for popular Hostess items. Such as Friday's  Mother Nature News article "Make your own Hostess Treats".   I still have my copy of April 2009's Family Circle article "Homemade Versions: Double Takes". I've made a few of the items and friends who have had the cakes have said they are better than the original. I wouldn't really remember. It's been nigh on 8 or 9 years since I had any of them.  Not So Humble Pie has a recipe for Baked Cake Doughnuts that is a good Doughnette clone, and I found out how to make Gluten Free Cake Flour here. I did find a copycat recipe for the Fruit Pies if you need them. I'm not sure if I would make them the same way gluten free, but it's a start for a great kitchen experiment, no?

I guess I just really wanted to let other Hostess fans know that you are not alone. I will miss it too. I still miss it after all these years.  It's a nice treat once in a while... and for now, they're gone, until the recipes are sold and picked up by other retailers. I'm prayerful that the employees losing their jobs will soon find another place to work, and that G-d will graciously provide for them in these lean times. There is nothing absolutely as scary as being in the position they are currently in right now.

And for Nostalgia's sake:

These were sadly discontinued a long time ago.