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FUK Flour Guest Speaker at Living Green EXPO Presentations & Workshops Four sessions will be offered over two days.  Please note that all presentations will take place in Room 202(immediately off the main Atrium).  See below for further details. Saturday April 27, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm Greening Faith Groups' Real Estate Portfolio Saturday...

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FUK Flour Guest Chef For Go Gluten Free Featuring... Darren Potvin, owner of FUK Flour & Gluten Free Ottawa, is very excited to be part of Kathy Smart's "Go Gluten Free featuring decadent desserts" on Sunday, Febuary 24th from 3 - 5 pm.  We are one of her Gluten Free Guest Chefs for this event, and we will be featuring both our Gluten Free Vegan Maple Cashew Fudge...

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FUK Flour & Gluten Free Ottawa Accomplishments & Awards! Here are some of FUK Flour's Awards & Gluten Free Ottawa's accomplishments in our first half quarter.   FUK Flour 's won the Award for My Favourite Find This Year for 2012.  FUK Flour also Ranked Top in Organic Restaurant  and or Healthy  Restaurant, while coming in third place for Health Food Store.        FUK...

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Manotick Shiverfest and FUK Flour News 2013 Other Must See Places While You Are In Manotick: Lindsay & McCaffrey, Lilou Organics, Green Spirit, Chilly Chiles  

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FUK Flour In The Fashion News! I was delighted when Marcia from MarciaBcreative came to my Manotick Gluten Free Bakery, FUK Flour and Ottawa Gluten Free Knowledge Centre in Manotick Ontario.    A very beautiful and Stylish young lady this Marcia is, and I was delighted when she asked me to educate her on gluten and gluten free.   This ...

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A Possible Cure For Celiac Or Another Disaster Just Awaiting.

Category : Diseases & Gluten, News, Possible Health Risks


I’ll start off by giving a little one on one about Celiac disease. It’s an autoimmune and inflammatory condition that is initiated by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. When individuals with celiac disease ingest gluten, it initiates an inflammatory response which damages the lining of the small intestine. This is not the only response it creates, it also creates pain, bloating, internal bleeding, foul-smelling diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue… it can affect almost every system in your body, including your skin (eczema), hormones, bones, joints and the list goes on…

 

Now here is the latest news on a cure for Celiac. Researchers have found that humans have an inflammatory protein called interleukin-15, or IL-15 to keep it short and sweet. The IL-15′s task is mostly to regulate T-cells, and has been shown to increase the anti-tumor immunity of several specific kinds of T-cells, in other words, it helps to kill the cancerous cells. On the flip side, a surplus of IL-15 has already been involved in multiple inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis(RA). They’ve known about interleukin-15′s bad points for a while, and medications that block IL-15 are currently being formulated to treat conditions like RA. If you already made the connection with Celiac Disease, you’re smart, as it’s an inflammatory disease as well. When you read the article from WEB MD you will see why I made the nice comments below. Click Here for WEB MD Link.

 

Some of my views may come off strong, but my reasoning is that I have the knowledge and the research to back it up. I would like nothing more than to see this disease cured, but I think 15 years is not enough time to give ample research or proper testing when it comes to playing with genetics, or like some like to call it, Mother Nature. Another argument is that when dealing with genetics, they can cause mutations down the road, like found in some cases with lab mice.

 

What are they trying to do exactly? Well, they are trying to make genetic modification or alterations…oh yes the “G” word, that’s what I call it… G for genetic, but isn’t this how (possibly) Celiac and Gluten Intolerance all got started? By genetically altering wheat and other grains at a protein level. See my article on GMO & GE Foods Click Here.

 

This is what they are doing. Creating a block for a inflammatory protein called Interleukin-15 (IL-15) which is suppose to treat the symptoms of celiac disease, not just treat but prevent it in certain types of risk patients, but remember it wont cure everyone with Celiac. If you would like to read the press release or video please Click Here.

 

Now this wasn’t all that was found in the same study. They found that retinoic acid, or vitamin A derivative found in some acne treatments such as Retin-A and Accutane, is possibly another perpetrator in celiac disease. Retinoic acid acts as IL-15′s member, supplying the production of the protein and further intensifying celiac symptoms. Bana Jabri, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and pathology and co-director of the Digestive Disease Research Core Center at the University of Chicago states that vitamin “A” may not be a great idea for certain celiac patients, and that even topical ointments containing retinoic acid can potentially enter the bloodstream and possibly putting the celiac patient at risk. If you are a celiac patient and who uses such products you may want to bring this up to your physician, gastro, or holistic doctor if you’re concerned, but don’t be threatened by this article, it’s was written For Ur Knowledge…

What I am trying to do here is increase awareness of Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance or Gluten Sensitivity, and hopefully get more people diagnosed properly. There are so many people who don’t even know they have it. If I had the choice of taking a pill or staying on a “A gluten-free diet,” I’d stay on the GF Diet as it is currently the treatment of choice.

Genetically Modified/Engineered Wheat it’s been going on for years… Did You Know?

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Category : Diseases & Gluten, FUK Flour, News

I came across this article and it scared me.  I have been saying for years that the  Canadian Government Scientists are largely at fault (in my eyes) for all the health issues concerning diseases related to Gluten Intolerance or Celiac.  I look at things in a simple, logical way, and if you modify and alter a gene – and one that is so common such as a protein gene – wouldn’t you think it could, over the years, affect our protein gene?  There is no evidence that I know of to indicate that this is the case, but logically it makes sense in my mind.  I am not a doctor nor a biologist, I am someone who is aware and who has studied, researched and kept my mind open to these interests.  In a previous article I wrote about The Autoimmune Related Disease List… and Guess What’s on it?, there is a link showing that the Canadian Government, “Health Canada,” recognized the need for development and strengthening of infrastructures to facilitate the evaluation of the allergenicity of GM proteins — they will continue to participate in international efforts in this area while welcoming the contribution of all experts. That was back in 2005, but back in 2001 Scientist & Prof. Brian Ellis, an Agricultural Scientist issued a food biotechnology warning: Click Here to Hear CBC Radio Interview.   Other processes are  combining genes from different organisms which is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is said to be “genetically modified,” “genetically engineered” or “transgenic.” GM products include medicines and vaccines, foods and food ingredients, feeds, and fibers. Did you know Canada is the third largest producer of GM crops and has no law requiring labeling of GM foods. I have been doing research and looking for answers on the web and can not find much about Canada, what exactly their (Canada’s) processes are, and who does the actual testing. Why all the level of secrecy surrounding testing of genetically modified organisms?

We pay for it, we eat it and then we die or get sick from it, but why don’t we have a say?

Really, how long have they been creating GMO foods? 17 years, they say. Genetically Modified foods (GM foods) or GE (Genetically Engineered)  were first put on the market in 1995.  This is what they said in 2005 (and which has not been update since, right on the Health Canada Web Site): ”Health Canada recognized the need for development and strengthening of infrastructures to facilitate the evaluation of the allergenicity of GM proteins. We continue to participate in international efforts in this area and welcome the contribution of all experts.”  Again my question is, what about all the other years that we have consumed these foods? Do you think we have already been affected by this?  There are over 300 disease associated with Celiac, Gluten Intolerance and Gluten Sensitivity, doesn’t that say enough?

 David Suzuki speaks out, “The experiments simply haven’t been done and we now have become the guinea pigs.” and adds, “Anyone that says, ‘Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,’ I say is either unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying.”

 

I was not aware of what Novel Foods meant, but I guess it’s a nicer way of saying “Genetically Modified,”  at least this is what I was able to gather. Biotechnology is an umbrella term that covers a broad spectrum of scientific tools and techniques, including genetic modification and genetic engineering. In Canada, foods derived from biotechnology — commonly referred to as Genetically Modified (GM) or Genetically Engineered (GE) foods — are considered to be one class of “novel foods.” Health Canada regulates the sale of novel foods in Canada through a pre-market notification requirement which is specified under Division 28 of Part B of the Food and Drugs Regulations (Novel Foods).

I think I said enough for today, but what it all comes down to is that GMOs might be the cause of Gluten Disorders, Auto-immune, Neurological and a whole lot of other disease due to the toxic Proteins in GMO grains. Finally the truth is coming out.
Articles relating to my findings:

2- http://www.naturalroad.com/health-news/gmo-the-hidden-links/

3- http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/lifestyle/food/food-general/duelling-over-gm-wheat.html

4 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT-srJ22POE

5- http://theintelhub.com/2011/04/03/study-finds-link-between-gmo’s-and-current-health-care-crisis/

 

 

 

If you have not heard of the Wheat Belly book New York Best seller from what I have been told it is amazing and I guess we share the same views.

 

Below is an article I came across.  I have added in my remarks with the colour gold.

Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?

As scientists at Rothamsted’s GM trials plead with activists not to sabotage their work, Michael McCarthy visits the battle field.  

 

 

Three senior scientists made impassioned appeals yesterday to anti-GM campaigners not to destroy a field trial of GM wheat which is the culmination of several years’ work.

 

 

The trial involves a wheat strain modified to be resistant to aphid pests, but an ad hoc group of activists, assembled in a campaign entitled Take The Flour Back, have said they will march to the trial site this Sunday and attempt to destroy the young crops.

The activists say the trial, at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, is a threat to agriculture because pollen from the GM wheat could contaminate non-GM plants outside the trial boundary, and they believe GM is in general a dangerous and inappropriate technology for agriculture. But the scientists say cross-contamination from the site is virtually impossible, and that the new strain of wheat they are producing, besides being a boost to food security in an ever-hungrier world, itself has significant environmental benefits, as it will mean the input of pesticides is considerably lessened.

At Rothamsted yesterday, three of the leading figures in the project appealed to the protesters not to destroy it, saying they would be on the site on Sunday and would be happy to talk to the activists. “Call off your plans to destroy our experiment and come on the day and talk to us, but don’t come in a mindset of destruction,” said Dr Gia Aradottir. “This is a sustainable method that would reduce the carbon footprint for agriculture, if we don’t need to be driving tractors spraying pesticides. Surely that’s a good thing for environment? If they understand the technology and they understand what we’re doing, then they should embrace it, because really we have the same goals.”

Professor Johnathan Napier said: “Why would you want to destroy knowledge? I would ask the protesters what their solutions are to the problem of food security with the growth of the human population. What are your solutions to how are we going to feed nine billion people? We can’t do it by just simple highly-intensive, low-input organic production systems. We have to use lots of approaches.”  My response to this would lead me to say, “because it isn’t natural”.

The GM wheat plants are now nearly a foot tall, and due to be harvested in September, and the current research consists in measuring the aphid presence in the GM wheat against the number of aphids found in control-plots of non-GM wheat.  My question to the readers and scientists who are creating this GM Wheat is: why don’t you just use the methods most organic farmers use? 

The methods organic farming use include crop rotation, green manures, compost, mechanical cultivation and biological pest control. These measures use the natural environment to enhance agricultural productivity.  Vegetables are planted to fix nitrogen into the soil, natural insect predators are encouraged, crops are rotated to confuse pests and renew soil, and natural materials such as potassium bicarbonate and mulches are used to control disease and weeds. Organic farmers are careful in their selection of plant breeds, and organic researchers produce hardier plants through plant breeding rather than genetic engineering. To me, it all comes down to money. 

The modified crops contain a pheromone which is identical to the chemical used by the aphids as an alarm signal; when the aphids encounter it, they scatter, and aphid predators are attracted. The chemical, E-Beta-farnesene or EBF, is naturally occurring and found in about 400 plants, from hops to peppermint. The current trial at Rothamsted is being sponsored by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, so in effect it is being funded by the taxpayer.

In this, as in several other respects, it differs from the widely publicised trials of commercial GM crops promoted by giant agribusiness companies a decade ago, which found they would damage the environment as the extra-powerful weedkillers they were designed to tolerate would kill much other wildlife beside the target pests.

There has since been a virtual moratorium on GM crops in Britain and in much of Europe, although in other parts of the world GM technology is widely employed in agriculture on crops such as maize and soya beans.

 

“Michael McCarthy”

Michael McCarthy, the Independent’s Environment Editor, is one of Britain’s leading writers on the environment and the natural world. He has three times been Environment Journalist of the Year (1991, 2003 and 2006) and in 2001 was Specialist Writer of the Year in the British Press Awards. In 2007 he was awarded the medal of the RSPB for “Oustanding Services to Conservation” – the first time in the medal’s 100-year history that it has been given to a journalist – and in 2009 he was given the Marsh Award for Lepidoptera Conservation. In 2009 he published Say Goodbye To The Cuckoo (John Murray), a study of Britain’s declining migrant birds.

Our government has been genetically  altering our wheat and other foods for many years. All human beings share the same gene called FUK fucokinaseHomo sapiens ] (protein coding), and most of the genetically modified engineered  wheat (other GMO Foods)  are altered at the DNA protein level.  My question is, don’t you think it could meddle with our DNA.  This is my theory on how we are all becoming “allergic humans” or “glutenoids” and as well where I came up with the name for my business called FUK Flour.  It has only been in the past 20-25  years that you hear of all these kids and adults having so many allergies and weird diseases.   It’s your choice and your decision on what you want best for your life. As for myself, being gluten intolerant has made me wake up…yes, at the beginning it was a bit hard, but now it’s like it was before. 

To date there are over 81 genetically modified foods that have been approved for sale in Canada, and not one applications has been turned down.  When I read that it made me stop dead in my tracks, ‘not one application has been turned down,’ I said to myself…wow maybe I should apply… 

 

 

Information for this article http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/feeding-a-hungry-world–or-meddling-with-laws-of-nature-7786187.html

 

Mung Bean it’s magical … Another Power Food of the Golden Age

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Category : Diseases & Gluten, Food


Mung Beans 100% Gluten Free and has been around for thousands of years.  Their origin is India and they were cultivated throughout all of Asia. Mung bean sprouts are one of the most easily digestible foods. Their high content of zinc,calcium, phosphorus, minerals, and digestible proteins can help prevent prostate problems, glandular dysfunction, breast cancer as well as premature balding and greying. They also help to reduce hot flashes in women when being post-menopausal. Apparently these magical beans cure the disease beriberi, kidney inflammation, digestion, high blood pressure, overcome alcohol poisoning, pesticides, lead, overcome heat rash, diarrhea, vomiting, strengthens spleen and stomach function, impotence, pulmonary tuberculosis, acne, tackling the dark spots on the face…


Mung bean sprouts are germinated by leaving them in watered with four hours of daytime light and spending the rest of the day in the dark.
You do not need to use earth to cultivate them. Mung bean sprouts can be grown under artificial light for four hours over the period of a week.  There more commonly used name is bean sprouts.

 


These beans will make you tout and tout but not pollute.
By eating mung beans you get the benefit of precious plant protein which are high in soluble dietary fibers.


These are the perfect power bean to cook with because, unlike other vegetables, when boiled they do not lose their energy or nutirents. Green mung beans are not affect by heat and they are also a good source of vitamins A, B1, and C, but they also contain vitamin E which most other forms of bean don’t.  Mung bean flour is known as hunkue starch/flour and a high protein content, as much as 24%.

 

Here are a few of my favourite helpful aids from this magical bean, and I am not talking about Jack and the bean stalk. I love that the antioxidants in them help to slow the aging process.
 I also have a love for them, for they prevent the spread of cancer cells, which in my case has taken a few loved ones from me. They are exceptionally good for keeping the acidity of gastric acid in digestion, which I suffer from time to time.  Last but not least aiding of facial appearance and rejuvenating and smoothing the skin, nourish your hair and loosing body weight.

I forgot to mention cooking with Mung Beans. We use them in our soups as an added ingredient or we simply make a mung bean soup. They are also great for placing them in stews and or salads. I have also used them in my juice machine and in some rice dishes. Be creative there are so many ways you can use these magical beans. I am adding mung beans to my “Power Food of the Golden Age” list.

This  has been brought to you by Gluten Free Ottawa and FUK Flour. GF Swami :)

The Autoimmune Related Disease List… and Guess What’s on it?

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Category : Diseases & Gluten, Food, FUK Flour, Possible Health Risks

I have a lot of people asking me if AD (Autoimmune Disease) is treatable by being gluten free, and I always say yes… In today’s world most illness can be treated with a proper diet, but also depending on the severity of the illness.  More and more Doctors are opening their minds to a more natural way of treating illnesses, like the Naturopathic Doctors who have been treating their patients for years.  Not many people want to believe that most of our foods are Genetically Modified Foods (GMO) at a seed source, but this is true. To view source Click Here .   I’ve done a lot of reading in my past-time during these past 7 years about GI (Gluten Intolerance)/Celiac and I have come to the conclusion that most of our illness are related to our foods and types of food we eat.   I believe everything is connected, the foods we consume that are genetically altered  which could have an effect on us down the road and then past down to our children through our genes.  If our food products are sprayed with a chemical compound that kills insect, and food (seed source) are being genetically altered to withstand certain environmental changes, then we eat it, will it have an affect on us?  These are some of the question I am trying to figure out, but the logic behind it is to clear for me.  Here is some information on the  protein gene causing allergies and illness, Click Here to view source. ”Techniques such as immuno electrophoresis, enzyme-linked immuno assays and Western blotting allow Health Canada scientists to detect allergenic proteins in food such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk and soy products, thereby complementing DNA-based methods aimed at detecting characteristic markers and protein/peptides in food.  As well, various in vitro models, such as steroid receptor assays, are used to identify and characterize endocrine-disrupting chemicals in foods. The reporter gene transfection assay is another biotechnology-based tool; its purpose is to determine the effects of chemical exposure on gene expression.”

There is another post on my blog that goes into more detail with a video clip about AD, click here to see.  There are many reason to become GF or stay away from the dirty dozen which are a list of vegetables and fruits that have a high pesticide absorption.   The  proof  is there you just have to find the right source to confirm  your own justification.   Just remember you can always stay sick and complain or do something about it and see the changes, what do you have to lose.

 

 

Mother Nature News To Justify My Statements.

A quote that scares me from Einstein which has a direct link to what I mention below.

"If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live."

Scientists have been frightened and mystified by reducing numbers of bee populations in the North America and other parts of the world.  I wrote about this a few years ago when I was free-lancing for a local magazine here in Ottawa, and now a few years later we finally have a clue of why bees are disappearing.  They have suspected that pesticides are playing a major part, but their experiments have yielded conflicting and ambiguous results.  To read the full story Click Here.

“I personally would like to see them not being used until more research has been done,” said David Goulson, an author of the bumblebee paper who teaches at the University of Stirling, in Scotland. “If it confirms what we’ve found, then they certainly shouldn’t be used when they’re going to be fed on by bees.”

In my opinion it is a combination of pesticides and GMOs,  which I feel relates to this whole article.

 

List of Autoimmune and Autoimmune-Related Diseases
 

  • Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
  • Acute necrotizing hemorrhagic leukoencephalitis
  • Addison’s disease
  • Agammaglobulinemia
  • Alopecia areata
  • Amyloidosis
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Anti-GBM/Anti-TBM nephritis
  • Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)
  • Autoimmune angioedema
  • Autoimmune aplastic anemia
  • Autoimmune dysautonomia
  • Autoimmune hepatitis
  • Autoimmune hyperlipidemia
  • Autoimmune immunodeficiency
  • Autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED)
  • Autoimmune myocarditis
  • Autoimmune pancreatitis
  • Autoimmune retinopathy
  • Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ATP)
  • Autoimmune thyroid disease
  • Autoimmune urticaria
  • Axonal & neuronal neuropathies
  • Balo disease
  • Behcet’s disease
  • Bullous pemphigoid
  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Castleman disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Chagas disease
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome**
  • Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP)
  • Chronic recurrent multifocal ostomyelitis (CRMO)
  • Churg-Strauss syndrome
  • Cicatricial pemphigoid/benign mucosal pemphigoid
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Cogans syndrome
  • Cold agglutinin disease
  • Congenital heart block
  • Coxsackie myocarditis
  • CREST disease
  • Essential mixed cryoglobulinemia
  • Demyelinating neuropathies
  • Dermatitis herpetiformis
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Devic’s disease (neuromyelitis optica)
  • Discoid lupus
  • Dressler’s syndrome
  • Endometriosis
  • Eosinophilic fasciitis
  • Erythema nodosum
  • Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis
  • Evans syndrome
  • Fibromyalgia**
  • Fibrosing alveolitis
  • Giant cell arteritis (temporal arteritis)
  • Glomerulonephritis
  • Goodpasture’s syndrome
  • Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA) see Wegener’s
  • Graves’ disease
  • Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Hashimoto’s encephalitis
  • Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • Hemolytic anemia
  • Henoch-Schonlein purpura
  • Herpes gestationis
  • Hypogammaglobulinemia
  • Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
  • IgA nephropathy
  • IgG4-related sclerosing disease
  • Immunoregulatory lipoproteins
  • Inclusion body myositis
  • Insulin-dependent diabetes (type1)
  • Interstitial cystitis
  • Juvenile arthritis
  • Juvenile diabetes
  • Kawasaki syndrome
  • Lambert-Eaton syndrome
  • Leukocytoclastic vasculitis
  • Lichen planus
  • Lichen sclerosus
  • Ligneous conjunctivitis
  • Linear IgA disease (LAD)
  • Lupus (SLE)
  • Lyme disease, chronic
  • Meniere’s disease
  • Microscopic polyangiitis
  • Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)
  • Mooren’s ulcer
  • Mucha-Habermann disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Myositis
  • Narcolepsy
  • Neuromyelitis optica (Devic’s)
  • Neutropenia
  • Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid
  • Optic neuritis
  • Palindromic rheumatism
  • PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcus)
  • Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration
  • Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)
  • Parry Romberg syndrome
  • Parsonnage-Turner syndrome
  • Pars planitis (peripheral uveitis)
  • Pemphigus
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Perivenous encephalomyelitis
  • Pernicious anemia
  • POEMS syndrome
  • Polyarteritis nodosa
  • Type I, II, & III autoimmune polyglandular syndromes
  • Polymyalgia rheumatica
  • Polymyositis
  • Postmyocardial infarction syndrome
  • Postpericardiotomy syndrome
  • Progesterone dermatitis
  • Primary biliary cirrhosis
  • Primary sclerosing cholangitis
  • Psoriasis
  • Psoriatic arthritis
  • Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
  • Pyoderma gangrenosum
  • Pure red cell aplasia
  • Raynauds phenomenon
  • Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
  • Reiter’s syndrome
  • Relapsing polychondritis
  • Restless legs syndrome
  • Retroperitoneal fibrosis
  • Rheumatic fever
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Schmidt syndrome
  • Scleritis
  • Scleroderma
  • Sjogren’s syndrome
  • Sperm & testicular autoimmunity
  • Stiff person syndrome
  • Subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE)
  • Susac’s syndrome
  • Sympathetic ophthalmia
  • Takayasu’s arteritis
  • Temporal arteritis/Giant cell arteritis
  • Thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)
  • Tolosa-Hunt syndrome
  • Transverse myelitis
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD)
  • Uveitis
  • Vasculitis
  • Vesiculobullous dermatosis
  • Vitiligo
  • Wegener’s granulomatosis (now termed Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA)

**NOTE Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue are listed, not because they are autoimmune, but because many persons who suffer from them have associated autoimmune disease(s)

American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association

 This was brought to you by Gluten Free Ottawa and FUK Flour.  FUK Flour, Gluten Free Foods that not only taste good but are good for you. 
 
 
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Did You Know That Genetic Testing is Now Available For Gluten Sensitivity & Celiac Disease Without A Doctors Visit.

Category : Diseases & Gluten, Possible Health Risks

Your brain is going to hurt after reading this.

In most provinces in Canada, genetic testing for celiac disease are not generally available but they are available from a number of private laboratories for those who are willing to pay.  As well you can also order on line and get a home kit that is completely confidential and all  you have to do is mail it in with a cotton swab test. The labs generally charge between $300 and $500 depending on the exact test that is ran.

Not everyone has the celiac disease gene (HLA-DQ2 and/or DQ8) and will get celiac disease, but if you have these markers, you might develop celiac disease sometime in your lifespan.  The HLA stands for human leukocyte antigen and these very specific genes tells our immune system what is considered normal and what is considered a foreign invader, and weather it is worthy of attacking.

A lot of people ask me if it is worth getting a gene test for celiac? I tell them I would only get a gene test if the blood test was not accurate, or if like myself who is gluten intolerant and wants to make sure it wont develop into celiac disease or have been eating gluten free already for a period of time and do not want to eat gluten prior to a biopsy test.  For people already diagnosed with Celiac’s, knowing which genes you have is not going to change your treatment, but it may be useful in two specific situations.

If you have an infant with a parent(s) or sibling(s) who are diagnosed with celiac disease, you may want to use a gene test to see if the child has the genes for celiac disease. If the test is negative, you no longer have to worry about your child developing Celiac’s.  If the test is positive then you now know what will need to be done, if you’re educated with the Celiac diet.  You will then watch your child  or yourself so that if celiac disease develops, you will catch it in time and consider being as strict in your diet as someone with confirmed celiac disease must be.

Research into the genetics of gluten sensitivity is just beginning and many doctors are becoming more aware and looking more in-depths into research and cause of Celiac and Gluten Sensitivity (Intolerance) like Enterolab’s Dr. Kenneth Fine.  He believes many other HLA-DQ gene types (such as HLA-DQ7 and HLA-DQ9, both subsets of HLA-DQ3) predispose you to non-celiac gluten sensitivity.  For the moment, there is evidence that HLA-DQ1 (which includes HLA-DQ5 and HLA-DQ6) may predispose you to gluten ataxia, which involves brain damage from gluten.

 

Here Is A List That Will Show Who Should Be Genetically (DNA) Tested For Gluten Sensitivity?

From what I have discovered those directly related to someone who has already been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease should always be tested.   Those suffering with any of the following list of diseases should also get tested: The list below was taken from the Gluten Sensitivity expert DrPeter Osborne. 

  • Those who suffer from chronic intestinal problems
  • Infertility or recurrent miscarriage
  • Chronic anemia
  • Osteoporosis
  • Migraine Headaches
  • Psoriasis
  • Eczema
  • IBS
  • Bipolar or Schizophrenia
  • Low thyroid (Hypothyroid)
  • ADD or ADHD
  • Autism
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Restless Legs Syndrome
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Type I or II diabetes
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Any Autoimmune Disease

 

 

The article was put together by Gluten Free Ottawa  and I apologize for hurting anyones brain and  making it go dumb for the in-depth look into genetics.  I don’t usually get this deep into it but I found it quite interesting on a personal level and had to share.

 

If you enjoyed some of the information above and wish to order a genetic kit then Click Here.


Gluten Free Ottawa has no connection with Gluten Free Society and we can not be held for any damages through them.

Did You Know! Being Celiacs Is A Tax Right Off…

Category : Diseases & Gluten, Food, FUK Flour, Gluten Free Ottawa Announcement!

It’s Tax Time…  Make Sure You Have Your Doctor’s Letter Handy — It Could Save You A Lot Of Money…

Here is one of those things I new about but totally forgot to mention it in my blog,  just in time for tax season though. I have to many things to talk about and so little time to address it but here goes.  
 
I bet the first thing going through your mind is how can I get this for myself.  Well, you need  a certificate from a medical practitioner that states you require a GF diet because of celiac disease.  You can claim the incremental cost of GF products as an eligible medical expense.  Well… the “incremental cost” is the escalated cost of purchasing a Gluten Free products as compared to the cost of a similar non-Gluten Free  products.  It is calculated by subtracting the cost of a non-Gluten Free  product from the cost of a Gluten Free product.  I know the government makes everything confusing, but I hope the diagram below makes it easier to understand.   The best thing to do is to contact  your local accountant and ask them to help you out.  If you’re in the Ontario region send me a message and I will set you up with a very helpful, trustworthy accountant. 

 

Gluten-free products

Incremental cost of Gluten-free (GF) products, an eligible medical expense.

Persons who suffer from celiac disease (gluten intolerance) are entitled to claim the incremental costs associated with the purchase of gluten-free (GF) products as a medical expense.

You do not qualify for the disability amount (line 316) based on the additional amount of time it takes to shop for or prepare GF products.

What is the “incremental cost”?

The incremental cost is the increased cost of purchasing a GF product as compared to the cost of a similar non-GF product. It is calculated by subtracting the cost of a non-GF product from the cost of a GF product. The calculation is shown below in the sample summary.

What items are eligible?

  • Generally, the food items are limited to those produced and marketed specifically for GF diets. Such items include, but are not limited to, GF bread, bagels, muffins, and cereals.
  • Intermediate items will also be allowed where the patient suffering from celiac disease uses the items to make GF products for their exclusive use. These include, but are not limited to, rice flour and GF spices.

What if there are several people consuming the GF products?

If several people consume the products, only the costs related to the part of the product consumed by the person with celiac disease are to be used in calculating the medical expense tax credit.

What documents do I need to support a claim for the medical expense tax credit?

If you are filing a paper return, include the following supporting documentation. If you are filing electronically keep the following supporting documentation in case we ask to see them at a later date:

  • a letter from a medical practitioner confirming the person suffers from celiac disease and requires GF products as a result of that disease;
  • a summary of each item purchased during the 12-month period for which the expenses are being claimed (a sample summary is shown below); and
  • a receipt to support the cost shown in column (4) of each GF product or intermediate product claimed.

Sample of summary chart for incremental cost calculation

(1)
Item
(2)
Number of items purchased
(3)
Average cost
of
non-GF product
(4)
Average cost
of
GF product
(5)
Incremental cost
(4)-(3)
(6)
Claim for
GF item
(5)×(2)
Bread
52
$3.49
$6.99
$3.50
$182.00
Rice flour
4
 $6.59
 $9.59
 $3.00
 $12.00
$
$
$
$
Total Incremental cost allowable
(add all amounts in column 6)
 $ ______

 

To view the source of this information Click Here

This article was brought to you by FUK Flour and Gluten Free Ottawa.

Millet the Power Food… The Happy :) “Grain”.

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Category : Diseases & Gluten, Food, Possible Health Risks

I am going to start off by giving you a little history class on Millet as most people have never heard of it or even eaten it.   Millet are part of the small seeded species of grains.  Millet is grown all over the world for consumption of both humans and animals.  They do not form a biological classification or scientific classification in biology, this is a method to group and categorize organisms by biological type.  They are also an extremely hardy grains and are grown  in difficult  environments such as those at risk of drought.  They have been cultivated  in East Asia and  western Africa for the last ten thousand years and recently  in north america.   The range of millet sold in North America for human consumption is called Pearl Millet. Pearl Millet has a more alkaline pH which makes it a really easy to digest.

Millet is one of our ancient ancestors best kept secret.  Millet is a very tiny  grain but is gluten free and packed with so many vitamins and minerals. The truth about millet is that it is really a seed and not a grain. Packed filled of fibre, protein, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins… Acts as a prebiotic to feed important microflora in your gut and provides serotonin to calm, relax  and  give you the feelings of well-being and happiness.  Millet cooks like rice, can be flavoured with anything.  Eaten as a side dish or as a morning hot cereal with brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon.  Millet get confused with quinoa most of the time but they are two different grains.  For a bag of 28 oz would run you for about $3.00 and would last you for many recipes.


Millet is one of the 11 gluten-free grain that are used in a celiac diet.  The 11 grains are Amaranth, Buckwheat, Corn, Millet, GF Oats, Quinoa, Rice, Sorghum, Teff and Wild Rice’s.

 

Millet Nutrition Facts

Reasons why millet should be part of your gluten free diet:

  • Doesn’t feed the pathogenic yeast called candida
  • Reacts as a prebiotic to feed important microflora in your gut
  • Provides serotonin
  • Assist in hydrating your colon to keep you regular
  • alkaline based diet allows you to digests easily

 The nutrient Millet give and is essential for your body:

  • Magnesium
  • Calcium
  • Maganese
  • Tryptophan
  • Phoshorus
  • Fiber
  • B vitamins
  • Antioxidants

The nutrition benefits identified from Millet:

I am not going to list all the benefits of Millet or whole grains cause you would be reading forever.  Think of it this way natural foods better health.

 

Take a look at my newest power food creation. I called them GF Millet Coco Crisps, they are so yummy and healthy for you as you should know now cause you read my article on Millet.  Yes people it is a power food but in this case it is a Power Desert square. Much better than your plan old Rice Krispy Squares.

                     

Ingredients: Koala Coco Crisp ( Organic Brown Rice Flour, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Rice Bran Extract, Natural Flavour, Organic Cocoa, Organic Molasses, Sea Salt), Organic Millet Puffs, Butter and Gluten Free Mini Marshmallows.

Thanks to Gluten Free Ottawa

Fibre Myth: Gluten Free Diets Are Lacking Fibre.

3

Category : Diseases & Gluten, Food, Possible Health Risks

Why Should We Eat More Fiber?

Eating fiber has been shown to have great health benefits. Foods that are high in fiber can help with constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis (the inflammation of pouches in the digestive tract) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  These are also symptoms of  Gluten Intolerance (Celiacs Disease) but aren’t the main symptoms.  Dietary fiber may also help lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, gallstones, colon cancer and varicose veins.

Eating fiber-rich foods also helps with the digestion and the absorption of nutrients.  It also helps you to feel more full after eating, which can help curb over

eating and weight gain.  It also helps for people who are gluten intolerant and celiacs.

 

The way you can get more fiber in your diet?

I’ve been asked at what age should we eat more fiber… I say every age… Fiber  should be in your diet every day but depending on your age and sex should be increased more. Asked your family doctor and or consult with a nutritionist.

Below you will find a list of some healthy tips on increasing fiber in your diet for people with Gluten Intolerance or Celiacs.  Once you have read this you will see why this article was titled Fibre Myth:  Gluten Free Diets Are Lacking Fibre.
Eat at least 2 cups of fruits and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables each day. Fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber include:

Beans such as:
Navy (1/2 cup = 9.5 grams),
Lupini Bean (1/2 cup = 16.grams),
Kidney Bean (1/2 cup = 8.2 grams),
Pinto Bean (1/2 cup = 7.7 grams),
Black Bean (1/2 cup = 7.5),Lima (1/2 = 6.6 grams),White (1/2 cup = 6.3 grams)
Great Northern Bean (1/2 cup = 6.2 grams).
Artichokes (1 artichoke = 6.5 grams)
Sweet Potatoes (1 medium sweet potato = 4.8 grams)
Pears (I small pear = 4.4 grams)
Green peas (1/2 cup = 4.4 grams)
Berries such as raspberries (1/2 cup = 4.0 grams) and blackberries (1/2 cup = 3.8 grams)
Prunes (1/2 cup = 3.8 grams)
Figs and dates (1/4 cup = 3.6 grams)
Spinach (1/2 cup = 3.5 grams)
Apples (1 medium apple = 3.3 grams)
Oranges (I medium orange = 3.1 grams)
Peanuts, dry roasted (1 cup = 11.7 g)
Eat brown rice instead of white rice.
GF Oats

Popcorn

These are just some of the foods that contain fiber that are gluten free.

When eating store-bought foods, check the nutrition information labels for the amounts of dietary fiber in each product.  This will help you make a better fiber choice. Eat beans every week.

“Beans, beans, good for your heart
The more you eat the more you fart.
The more you fart the better you feel
So eat beans with every meal.”

 

 

*Be sure to drink more fluids when you increase the amount of fiber you eat. Liquids help your body digest fiber. Try to drink 8,  8 oz glasses water each day.

Now heres the myth of Gluten free people lacking fiber.  If you know anyone who is gluten intolerant or celiacs you will know that the above mentioned list is basically all we eat.   Fruits, vegetables, brown rice or rice, beans, corn, berries and so on… So whom ever is writing these articles that Gluten Free Diets Are Lacking Fibre, don’t know what they are talking about.
Here is the exact mean of fiber from a dictionary:
fiber |ˈfībər| ( Brit. fibre)noun1 a thread or filament from which a vegetable tissue, mineral substance, or textile is formed :tropical elements like coconut fibers and branches.• a substance formed of such threads or filaments : ordinary synthetics don’t breathe as well as natural fibers | high strength carbon fiber.• a threadlike structure forming part of the muscular, nervous, connective, or other tissue in the human or animal body : there were degenerative changes in muscle fibers |figurative she wanted him with every fiber of her being.• figurative strength of character : a weak person with no moral fiber.2 dietary material containing substances such as cellulose, lignin, and pectin, which are resistant to the action of digestive enzymes :cereals high in fiber.
See more articles at Gluten Free Ottawa.

Gluten… What You Don’t Know Might Kill You!

1

Category : Diseases & Gluten, Possible Health Risks

This is an extremely well written article by Dr. Mark Hyman on the dangers of Gluten.   Did you know that 1 in 133 Canadians are affected and don’t even know they have a a Gluten Intolerance (GI).  I thought you should know this.  Also take a look at my Symptoms list and see for yourself. Click Here

http://drhyman.com/gluten-what-you-dont-know-might-kill-you-11/

 

Gluten Sensitivity: One Cause, Many Diseases

 

A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be caused by eating gluten. (iv) These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia,cancerfatigue, canker sores, (v) and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all otherautoimmune diseases. Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric (vi) and neurological diseases, includinganxietydepression, (vii) schizophrenia, (viiidementia, (ixmigraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage). (x) It has also been linked to autism.(ix)

We used to think that gluten problems or celiac disease were confined to children who had diarrhea, weight loss, and failure to thrive. Now we know you can be old, fat, and constipated and still have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Gluten sensitivity is actually an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation throughout the body, with wide-ranging effects across all organ systems including your brainheartjointsdigestive tract, and more. It can be the single cause behind many different “diseases.” To correct these diseases, you need to treat the cause–which is often gluten sensitivity–not just the symptoms.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that ALL cases of depression or autoimmune disease or any of these other problems are caused by gluten in everyone–but it is important to look for it if you have any chronic illness.

By failing to identify gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, we create needless suffering and death for millions of Americans. Health problems caused by gluten sensitivity cannot be treated with better medication. They can only be resolved by eliminating 100 percent of the gluten from your diet.

The question that remains is: Why are we so sensitive to this “staff of life,” the staple of our diet?

There are many reasons …

 To continue reading please Click Here.

 

See more articles at Gluten Free Ottawa.

Gluten Intolerance Symptoms

6

Category : Diseases & Gluten, Possible Health Risks

Here is a common list of gluten intolerance symptoms. This list does not complete all documented symptoms of Gluten Sensitivity (GS).   These symptoms vary significantly from person to person, depending on the level or severity of GS and or Celiacs.  The reason why this list is not complete is that there are still other diseases and illness that are under scientific investigation.

I myself had over 15 of these symptoms prior to becoming gluten free.  Some of them I still get due to eating something that was not identified as being gluten.  This is why I always stress to read the ingredients if you are not sure.  Check out one of my safe list or make sure it has one of the GF symbols.

If you feel you have more than 5 of the below symptoms I would advise seeing your family doctor and get tested for either Celiac or Gluten Sensitivity (GS). Feel free to print this page.

 

 

  • Abdominal Distention
  • Abdominal Pain and Cramping
  • Acid Reflux
  • Alternating Bouts of Diarrhea and Constipation
  • Anemia
  • Arthritis
  • Asthma
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD, ADHD)
  • Autism
  • Bloating
  • Bone Density Loss
  • Borborygmi (stomach rumbling)
  • Constipation
  • Stunted Growth and Failure to Thrive
  • Depression, Anxiety and Irritability
  • Dermatitis Herpetiformis (eczema)
  • Diabetes
  • Diarrhea
  • Fatigue
  • Foggy Feeling of Confusion
  • Malodorous Flatulence
  • Malodorous Stools
  • Gluten Ataxia
  • Grayish Stools
  • Hair Loss (Alopecia)
  • Headaches and Migraines
  • Hypoglycemia
  • Infertility
  • Joint pain
  • Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
  • Lactose intolerance
  • Mouth sores or mouth ulcers
  • Nausea
  • Numbness or tingling in the patient’s hands and feet
  • Osteoporosis
  • Peripheral Neuropathy (including either a tingling or sensation of swelling your toes and fingers)
  • Schizophrenia
  • Sjogren’s Disease
  • Steatorrhea (high lipids in the stool, which may cause the stool to float)
  • Teeth and Gum Problems
  • Turner Syndrome
  • Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies
  • Vomiting
  • Unexplained Weight loss
  • Urticaria

 

I hope this gluten intolerance checklist helps you and please do not try to diagnose yourself with the list I provided for you. Always consult a professional like I did, because this is a very serious condition.

 

See more articles at Gluten Free Ottawa.