Gluten-Free Gab: How to Cook, Live and Enjoy Gluten-Free

Written by Danielle Paananen on 11 June 2013

Danielle Paananen is a homemaker; wife and Mom of 2 energetic boys ,and entrepreneur from Manitouwadge, Ontario. When she realized her eldest son would benefit from a gluten-free diet but couldn’t find the foods he needed in Manitouwadge, or surrounding communities. she rolled up her sleeves and got to work creating new recipes and converting old favourites; it wasn’t long before she realized there were many other people who would appreciate having gluten-free options to purchase in the Manitouwadge area. She currently works from home though she hopes to someday relocate to Manitouwadge’s downtown core. Paananen’s new column “Details by Danielle” will be published every other week on OntarioNewsNorth.com, don’t hesitate to leave your questions, comments or topic requests for Danielle below, she looks forward to hearing from readers!

Danielle Paananen, Owner/Baker, Gluten-Free Manitouwadge

With the opening of my new business, Gluten Free Manitouwadge, I was asked to begin writing this column and I jumped right on this opportunity. It seems that, even with the growing numbers of individuals with Celiacs Disease or other gluten insensitivities, many people still do not even know what gluten is, let alone the effects it could be having on your body. Those who are thinking of starting, or who are just finding out they need to be on, a gluten free diet have no idea where to start. And, those who are already on the diet, may be having trouble finding foods and recipes that both suit their needs, give them variety, and all at the same time, taste great. So the purpose of this column is to basically cover all bases. Some will be informative, some will be recipes, some will be tips and resources. I would also like to put out there that if anybody has any requests for specific topics that you would like to see, please feel free to contact me.

So I thought I would keep this one simple, and cover the absolute basics. What is gluten anyway? Gluten is the sticky protein in certain grains like wheat, barley and rye. It’s what makes pizza dough stretchy, it makes bread rise, and it makes pasta stick together. It is a common thought that simply cutting out breads and pastas would be enough, but there is gluten in so many products that you may not think twice about. Things such as salad dressings, soy sauce, artificial colours and flavours and popsicles. It can also be found in some non-food products, which, because of absorption through skin, should also be avoided when on a gluten free diet. Some of these products include some varieties of lipsticks, shampoos, play doh, vitamins, etc..

It may seem a bit silly to have to avoid things like licking an envelope, or making sure your toothpaste is gluten free, but it is something that is incredibly necessary, especially those who have Celiacs Disease, or other sensitivities. The amount of gluten it takes to cause a reaction is microscopic (as little as 20ppm), and is enough to hospitalize or, in severe cases, cause a fatality to some. Even those who are on this diet by choice, it really has to be all or nothing. You can cut out breads and pastas completely, but if you don’t cut out everything, there will be no change, and no benefits from it. However, those I have talked to who do commit to this diet, whether it was medically necessary or not, have all found that they feel better in general. From their stomach issues getting better (whether it be gas, indigestion, acid reflux, etc…) to acne clearing up… and in the case with my son, as well as many other autistic children, a lessening in the severity of his autism symptoms and some of them completely disappearing.

That being said, this diet, while it can be a lot of extra work, can be a huge benefit to many people, whether it is medically necessary or not. It can be overwhelming for those starting out, and perhaps frustrating for those who are currently gluten free, and I look forward to hopefully helping make it a little bit easier for everybody through this column and the gluten-free options available through Gluten-Free Manitouwadge.

Daniel Paananen, Owner/Baker
Gluten-Free Manitouwadge