Did you know that May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month? A proclamation by the New York State Senate, in tandem with many promotions, articles, and events by celiac groups has been responsible for the tremendous buzz about this often misdiagnosed disease. In this week’s Intro to Cooking installment, not only will you get some background info on celiac disease, but some tasty gluten-free tips!

What is celiac disease?
Celiac disease is the proper name for those with intolerance of gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and triticale (and for most, oats). Many conventional foods, including cereal, pasta, bread, beer, cookies, and other processed foods, are off-limits to those with Celiac disease. There is no known cure for the disease, and its only treatment is a lifelong commitment to a gluten-free diet. Accidental ingestion of gluten can result in nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea,  rash, or a host of other symptoms.

OMG you can’t have bread?! What do you eat? Will going gluten-free help me lose weight?
Contrary to popular belief, going gluten-free is not a surefire weight loss strategy. For those with Celiac disease, elimination of gluten may help them gain weight, because the ingestion of gluten blocks the absorption of proper nutrients and result in malnutrition. However, eliminating gluten from one’s diet and focusing on eating lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, lean meats, dairy, and other whole foods will contribute to a healthier lifestyle. Still, Celiac Disease Awareness Month is all about promoting wholesome, tasty, gluten-free alternatives to the foods we love! Read More »

I’m a runner, and I have celiac disease, which means I’m always on the lookout for fresh, healthy recipes that will satisfy my sensitive and insatiable stomach. So when I stumbled upon a blog called The Runner’s Kitchen, I knew I’d hit the jackpot. Its runner-author, Megan, is always serving up creative and tasty dishes that are simple to follow and great for inspiration beyond the poor-college-student-rice-and-beans diet that seems to account for much of my caloric intake.

My personal favorite of hers is a recipe for Spanish Ratatouille, which I’ve modified slightly below. It’s great to make in one big batch, either to portion out over the week (it reheats nicely) or to serve when you’re trying to impress the roomies. Besides being gluten-free, this hearty, filling, and flavorful dish is also vegetarian!

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt & pepper
1 large red onion
3 cloves garlic
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 eggplant
1 jalapeño
2 jars roasted red peppers
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cannellini beans, drained
3 cups (dry) brown rice, cooked (optional) Read More »

New year, new you. That’s the whole idea behind new year’s resolutions, right?

Except most resolutions get tossed out the window by February, leaving the resolutioner in the same exact place they were one year before. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are lots of ways to ensure you stick to your goals, one of them being accountability. Simply sharing your resolution with others so you have someone there watching you along the journey will help keep you strong.

So that’s what we’re gonna do. Three CollegeCandy writers have agreed to share their big resolutions for 2010 and document their quest to success. Every month we’re going to check in on them to see how they’re doing and keep them motivated to complete the goals they set for themselves.

Did you make a resolution? Do you want help keeping it? Come along for the ride each month and share your ups and downs in the comments section below. If we all work together we can be happier, thinner, stronger, smarter, richer, whatever-you-want-er come 2011. Read More »