Wal-Mart, autism and vaccines -- a holiday story

Thought you guys might like to read this. First, because it gets into the flu vaccine, thimerosal and mercury. Second, because this was written by Dr. David Ritchie of Boulder, Colorado. What's cool about that, you might ask? Well, he's my brother and an invaluable (free for me) resource when it comes to health issues. Enjoy the snippet. The rest of the article is on his blog, which you can find at this link.

My wife and I take both of our daughters to a chiropractic center near us that focuses on whole-body wellness. There is some research indicating that different types of chiropractic treatment (not the bone-crunching kind) helps kids with autism spectrum disorders. We believe -- without any scientific evidence -- that the treatments have helped some. I may post more on this later. There was an interesting piece on this in the last Schafer Autism Report, if you missed it.

The Flu Vaccine: Questionable at Best

By Dr. David Ritchie

It’s that time of year again… yup, it’s Flu season. You may have thought it was election season, seeing all the curbside signs to get $25 flu vaccines at Walmart, beckoning you as if they wanted your vote. Walmart, endlessly proving to the world that it is a one-stop-shop for everything; from food to patio furniture to underwear to… yup… you guessed it… vaccines. It looks like our health care system has taken the next step and is now being franchised like everything else. Does it concern you, even just a little bit, that the flu vaccine is being pushed so hard and you don’t even need to visit a doctor’s office to get it? Well, hopefully after reading this you might think twice.

Read the rest at Dr. Ritchie's blog, Innate Health. Or, if you're in the Boulder area, ask him about it yourself!

GFCF guide to hot dogs

I love hot dogs, and so do my kids. But, with the host of food issues they have, including the gluten - casein free diet and soy, finding an OK hot dog is tricky. We don't follow Feingold strictly, but we also try to avoid the dyes and preservatives. We bend the rules for hot dogs, since they don't get much of this elsewhere. However, we are in the process of switching hot dogs, to a brand that does not have the preservatives. I think it's worth the extra money. I'll be buying those in bulk to cut my cost. So, here's a look at some OK hot dogs with a few notes on each. Also note, there are turkey dogs and chicken dogs and tofu dogs out there. We can't do tofu, so you won't find that here.

1 - Best's Kosher: This is the brand we use. It is kosher. It is gluten/casein free. It is soy free. We can't find it in a local supermarket, but we can buy it through Sam's Club. You could also find it in a Jewish grocery or deli in your city. The only downside is that it contains preservatives, which we try to avoid. Otherwise, it's perfect.

2 - Hebrew National: This is the brand we used to use. It's similar to Best's Kosher in every way, except it contains soy. That's a no-no for us. If it's OK for you, it's a great hot dog, and you'll find it in your local supermarket.

3 - Applegate Farms: This is an excellent brand that is gfcf, soy free, and does not have the preservatives. It is sold organic and a non-organic package. Your choice. We buy it at a local food co-op but I imagine you'll find this at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's too.

4 - Wellshire Farms: This is the brand we're switching to. The reason is it's gfcf, soy free and preservative free. I can get this in bulk for the same price as the kosher hot dogs, which have preservatives.

5 - Shelton's: If you're looking for an alternative to beef, Shelton's is among the best, selling turkey and chicken hot dogs. My kids will eat this.

6 - Others: I've been told, and I've read, that other supermarket hot dogs are OK, such as some -- not all -- Hillshire Farms, Oscar Meyer, Ball Park, etc. This may be true. I've tried to steer away from those, not for any reason based in fact. I tried to head for hot dogs held to stricter ingredient guidelines, like the kosher dogs. Now, I'm going even farther in buying the preservative-free. Just trying to keep as much junk out of my kids bodies as possible.

Now, for buns, you're on your own -- for now. But, I've made hot dog buns using the Noah's Bread recipe. And for ketchup, Heinz is gluten free, but we buy Muir Glen brand, which is organic and does not have the high fructose corn syrup. Again, I buy bulk to cut costs. Annie's also sells a healthy ketchup. Mustard -- French's.

From cakes to cupcakes -- gfcf, of course

I like recipes that you can use in different ways. Cakes and cupcakes are an easy example. Sometimes my kids get tired of cake. I can see it on their faces. So, I'll use my "chocolate" cake recipe (carob) to make cupcakes. And they love it.

Here's my cupcakes:
- 1 "chocolate" (0r carob) cake recipe - click here for recipe

- muffin pan
- muffin liners

Simply pour the cake batter into the muffin liners, if you wish, or just into a greased muffin pan. I actually decrease the water in this recipe by 1/2 cup.

Chocolate milk -- without the chocolate

Huh - you might ask? Chocolate without chocolate. Well, this really isn't a recipe. It's just one of those things. You know, a creation, to get around a food intolerance. My kids can't have chocolate, for now. So, I turned to carob to make my chocolate cakes and cookies. And recently, I've been adding a little carob to our milk -- rice milk or DariFree. I've had great success with this.

All I did is pour a glass of your favorite milk alternative. Then, in another cup, add a Tbsp of carob powder and drops of water until it forms a smooth paste that you can spoon out. I spoon just a little into each of their cups, along with a tsp of sugar, and stir. I do the paste thing to prevent the carob powder from clumping in the milk.

Autism was everywhere -- we just didn't notice (HA!)

So, if the autism rate is a creation of better diagnosis, where are all the undiagnosed autistics from past decades? They must be everywhere, right? Look around your office or hometown -- how many do you see or know over age 20?

Take me, for example. I have two children with autism. A man in the next pod over has an autistic son. The supervisor two pods in the other direction has an autistic nephew. A supervisor nearby has a child with an autism spectrum disorder. My wife's best friend from her youth has an autistic son. So does one of my friends -- two children in his family. My last boss has an autistic son. Two families in my neighborhood are struggling with autism spectrum disorders. Two families in my small church are struggling with the same. There are about six children in my daughter's kindergarten class with spectrum disorders with more coming next year.

Now, how many kids did I know in high school who fit the autism profile -- maybe one, undiagnosed of course. Or, he might have just been very shy.

This is an item from the Huffington Post...

The Boys on the Bus
Posted November 5, 2007
By Kim Stagliano

My kids get door-to-door pickup service to their public schools. It's one of the "perks" of having autism. Remember the old jokes about riding the "short bus"? Not so funny anymore. On one of the two buses that stop at my house, I see three boys in the windows. Boy #1 is a good looking kid. He also has the telltale facial traits of Down syndrome. He sits tall, alert, and looks out the window at the world. When I wave to him he returns the gesture. His smile could light up a Broadway stage. He greets my daughter as she mounts the stairs. I call him "The Mayor."

Boys #2 and 3 are typical looking kids, blond, also handsome. They sit hunched over with their faces contorted, eyes squeezed shut and their fingers in their ears, blocking out the world as if in pain. If they happen to glance at me, they cringe and turn away instantly. (I haven't always had that affect on boys, in case you're wondering.) Boys #2 and 3 have autism.

You simply can't mistake their autism for anything else. It doesn't look like intellectual disabilities, DS, cerebral palsy, or any other category of disability. And yet the drums are beating in the national media (again) to tell you that there is no autism epidemic, simply better diagnosis. Or to promote this offensive explanation for the skyrocketing numbers of kids with autism: parents clamor for the diagnosis in order to get school services. Sure, blame the greedy parents! "I'll take reading, writing, 'rithmatic, a one-on-one aide, OT and Speech and a couple of those naked lady tees please."

In my household, autism is an epidemic. We're the New England Patriots of autism. 3 and "Oh!" (Our three daughters have autism.)

Along with telling us there is no epidemic of autism, a major push is on for two pediatric autism screenings by age two. That confuses the heck out of me. Doctors are already so good at diagnosis that we've gone from CDC stats of 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 150 in twenty five years. Is there a prize if we get to 1 in 50 kids?

I'm not sure the pediatricians are ready to take on the "two by two" challenge. They have not been trained in the neurobiological symptoms of autism. After all, autism is classified as a psychiatric/behavioral disorder, even in 2007. I asked hundreds of parents how helpful their pediatrician had been as they sought answer for their kids. Their answers were disheartening. The majority said that their pediatrician was an impediment to getting a diagnosis.

For instance, when a parent expressed concern that her child had regressed in speech and started chewing his clothing voraciously, "There's nothing wrong with him. He's just not a dummy, like most kids. He's worried about the world." To the Mother whose child couldn't sit up at 12 months, "She's a late bloomer." Another gem, "Do you see the way his eyes follow this block? That proves he doesn't have autism." To a mother whose child wasn't clapping by 12 months, "If he does have autism there's nothing you can do about it."

Here's my personal favorite. "I've never heard of a family with more than one child with autism." That's what my pediatrician told me in 1998 when I expressed concerns about my second child's lack of speech. He was in his mid-forties and affiliated with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the most respected hospitals in the nation.

I believe my old pediatrician. I'm sure he had never run across a family like mine. Because I don't think we existed. The epidemic is real. It's here. The faces of those boys on the bus tell me so.

Mashed potatoes minus the milk and butter

How can mashed potatoes still be good without milk and butter? Well, I'm not sure you could possibly duplicate the original, but this version does a good job. This is a mini-recipe. If you're feeding more than a few, you should double it.

-- 5-6 medium potatoes
-- 1/2 tbsp organic shortening (or CF margarine if you can eat it)
-- 2 cubes chicken broth (these are ice cubes -- each cube is about 2 tbsp.)
-- 1 tsp sea salt
-- Darifree or other dairy sub

Boil the potatoes. Drain, and toss back into the pot. Add the 2 cubes of chicken broth (I make my own broth and freeze it in ice cube trays. Each cube is about 2 tbsp of broth.) And, add the 1/2 tbsp of shortening - I use the Spectrum organic shortening. Use what you like. Add the salt. Start mashing to get the lumps out. Then, I 'whip' with an electric beater. I add 1 tbsp of Darifree at a time to reach my desired whipped potato appearance and texture. Plus, the Darifree adds a creamy flavor.

Of course, after all that, my kids force me to make ketchup faces on their mashed potatoes. :)

Easy pizza sauce gfcf

I found this on the web somewhere and used it. It's very simple. And it works. It's the first of two pizza sauces I'll post this week. Both are good. And, both can be used in other dishes, which I'll get into later.

- 6 oz. can tomato paste (I use Hunt's)
- 8 oz. tomato sauce (any gfcf like Muir Glen)
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- dash pepper
- dash oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil or other oil
- optional: dash cayenne pepper

Mix in a sauce pan and heat on low until blended.

Translating GFCF Recipes

I'm amazed daily at how many people find my little blog each day from around the world - from Australia to Hong Kong to India to Israel to Germany, Spain and France, and nearly every state in the U.S. So, to make blogging easier for you, I've added an easy translation link to my site, located in the "GFCF Blog Guide" section near the top right corner. The scrolling message prompts international visitors to a free translation site hosted in the language they choose. Or, the link may immediately translate the page without having to plug in the blog address.

This makes it nearly as easy to read my blog in Chinese or Arabic as it is for a Pittsburgher to read it in English. I'll be expanding the service in the future.

Thanks for reading.

GFCF tortillas - great for sandwiches!

I put off trying gluten - casein free tortilla recipes. I'd never made tortillas in the past and was sort of afraid? Well, afraid may be too strong of a word. Anyway, I didn't. Until now. Let's call this the "Version I" tortilla, simply because it works for some things, but would not work for anything gooey or with sauce. It will fold, but not retain the bend. So, saucey stuff will run out. And, it doesn't keep too well. But, if you're looking for an alternative to regular breads and rolls for lunches and snacks, this would work. This version uses corn flour, but I know you could try any other flour -- brown rice and sorghum come to mind. Millet? Amaranth? Quinoa? This is very easy and quick. I had six tortillas in about 15 minutes, counting the mistakes. I had some for lunch and the following day after keeping them in the fridge. The hardest part of this recipe is the technique. Like many gfcf breads, it's sticky. The key is lots of flour. So, here it is.

- 1 1/2 cup corn flour, not corn meal
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2/3 cup luke warm water

Mix all the ingredients until you're able to scoop some up and roll a ball in your hand. It will be "loose." I taped wax paper onto my counter and coated it with corn flour. I floured my hands. I floured two spatulas. Yes, I used two. You'll see why. I put 1/2 tsp oil on a pan and heated it on high. When hot, I grabbed a golf ball size of dough, rolled it in my hand and then flattened it with my hands as much as possible. Then, I put it on the floured surfaced, flipped it so both sides were floured. Using the palm of my hand, I flattened more, keeping a circular shape, but not too much pressure. Now, using your hands to flip it will be difficult. It fell apart on me. So, I used the floured spatula to get underneath the dough and flip it. I flattened it more with my hand (I had to keep flouring my hands through all this), then I used the spatula again to get under it and plop it onto the pan. I cooked this about 1 minute on each side. A little more if you want.

Like I said, this is great as a sandwich alternative. I threw some lunch meat and mustard with lettuce in one for lunch. It's a nice change-up for my yeast-free daughter who eats buns at lunch from the Noah's Bread recipe.

I'm going to work with this a little more to get a tortilla that holds when it's bent.

Happy Halloween! -- safe gfcf candy lists

Anyone out there have a pile of candy tonight that your kids brought home from school, or a party, or trick-or-treating? Any clue as to what pieces are gluten - casein free and which are not? I just sorted through my daughter's bag of goodies from a school party. And, I used the following two lists to help guide me. If it wasn't on one of these lists, the candy went into my bag ... or, uh, the garbage.

First, check the candy list at GFCF Diet Support Group.

Next, is the list at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

Between the two, you have a heft list to review. Use your browser to search for candy names more quickly.

A simple GFCF icing for cakes, cookies and cupcakes

This is too simple to be good. But it is -- good, that is. And, very simple. Three ingredients. That's all. I'd say I developed this recipe, but I'm not sure a three ingredient recipe really can be developed. It's more of trial and error thing over time that finally worked, after many failures. See, all I wanted was an easy icing for my gfcf cakes and cookies. But, the no-dairy thing makes it difficult. And, my kids seem to not tolerate recipes heavy with the cf margarine or organic shortening. And, soy's a no-no, too. Anyway, enough of that. Here's the recipe.

-- 1 cup powdered sugar (Domino is gluten free, but has corn starch)
-- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (just a quarter teaspoon, no more)
-- 1 tablespoon water (this could be any milk sub, if you wish) plus more in 1/4 tsp increments to soften icing.

OK, now, mix the dry ingredients until blended. Add the water. Whisk well. Then spread. That's it. This will hold, retain color, etc.

So, what I haven't done, but know can be done, is to make variations of this. You can vanilla extract if you like. Or, add cocoa or carob powder to make chocolate icing. I don't know why it took so long to make this, but, you know, we have a lot going on. The simple things tend not to get done right away.

Halloween Candy

We don't do Halloween. It's not our favorite holiday, and never was. I'm not into the ghosts and spooky things. I tend to think it's a warped event altogether. Yet, I don't want the kids to be left out and now they're old enough to know when they're not getting candy and everyone else is.

So, this year, I bought some gfcf candy (also soy free) with a couple other treats and I'll put them in a birthday-type bag from the dollar store and send it to school for their Halloween party. They'll think it's great. To be honest, my kids don't eat much candy. We used to buy DumDums lollipops, but noticed when they had too many in a week that their behavior was warped. That's when we learned about the dangers of food coloring. So, we found Yummy Earth brand pops and College Farm candy. Good stuff. My oldest can stomach the dyes and corn syrup better than my youngest. And, it's the oldest's party I'm most concerned about. Oh, you can get chocolates out there too. Our kids just can't have it, so that's why I've skipped it. So, below, I've included some ideas of other safe candy.

- Sweet Tarts, from Wonka
- Necco Wafers
- Smarties, Ce De Candies
- DumDum lollipops
- Lifesavers (regular)
- Pez
- Starburst
- Some favorites like stickers, fancy pencils and a fancy pumpkin straw.

That'll be enough. It'll last her a long time. Like I said, we don't let her have candy very often. It's a treat.

The youngest will be happy with some DumDums, a Pez and Smarties -- with the toys, of course.

So, we'll make our kids happy on Halloween through sugar but I might just rename the holiday in our home, "Candy Day."

The flax egg substitute

This is one of those basic recipes for a cooking alternative that you don't know about unless someone tells you. For those of you who can't have eggs due to a food intolerance or allergy, you have some choices. Ener-G makes an egg replacer that has a potato base. Bob's Red Mill sells one too. You can make your own at home using flax seeds. It's much healthier, and in bread recipes, adds a nice texture. I use this is any recipe possible to give my kids more nutrition -- breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, etc.

Here's how to make it:

To make one egg sub ... one tablespoon of ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of liquid. Microwave for 1 minute. Let it sit for at least a minute or two. Note: with some microwaves, the heating can be done in 30 seconds.

Flax seeds are very healthy. According to HealthCastle.com, it has alpha linolenic acids, which is a type of plant-derived omega 3 fatty acid, which is what you find in fish. Its benefits include lowering cholesterol, especially the bad cholesterol, LDL. It also may lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure, and also lower the risk of heart attack.

It also is an antioxidant and has fiber. New research also shows it may help fight cancer, particularly breast cancer.

The simplest gfcf cookie mix your kids will love

Jim's cookie mix

Well, this is what it sounds like. A basic cookie mix that you can use to make several variations of day-to-day cookies -- even for the toughest of diets. It is gluten and casein free. It's soy and egg free. And, the way I make it, it's also free of rice, corn, potato, chocolate and beans. Wow - what's left? Here it is:

Ingredients:
1 cup sorghum flour (or brown rice or chickpea)
1/2 cup tapioca flour (or other starch)
1/2 cup sugar (or other sweetener)
3 tsp egg replacer powder (like Ener-G) or 1 flax "egg" or applesauce/pearsauce/etc.
2 tsp xanthan gum (or guar gum)
2 tsp baking powder (corn-free, if desired)
1 tsp sea salt (optional)
Extra sugar (optional)
Canola oil (or other oil)
Water

Mix this well. Then add, 1/2 cup canola oil and 1/2 cup water. Add extra water by the tablespoon if too chunky. You want this to be smoother, but not liquidy.
Beat with blender until mixed, scraping the sides.
Using WET hands, scoop out small ball-shaped hunks of dough and place on ungreased cookie sheet or in muffin tins. The dough shape can be rough. You can smash the top down with a fork to give it the classic peanut butter cookie look. Or, you can smooth the top down by using a spoon. I sprinkle some sugar on top before baking. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. They will be very soft coming out of the oven but will firm up as they cool. When cool, top with some icing or powdered sugar.

This is the standard cookie. And, I actually don't make this version often. Most often I make one of the following versions:

-- Carob/cocoa: add 1/3 cup carob or cocoa powder to the recipe.
-- Spice: no carob. add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger to the dry mix. Add 1 tbsp syrup (cane, maple, honey, agave) to the 1/2 cup of water measure.
-- Date-spice: no carob. add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger to the dry mix. add 1/4 cup mashed dates or figs. Mash them by boiling in water for 10 minutes. Drain, keeping the water in reserve. Add 1 cup of the fruit to a blender with 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth. Add more or less fruit to get desired consistancy.

Noah's Bread

You may have heard of Noah's Bread. Like Tom's Bread, its among the most highly requested gfcf bread recipes. Why? Because it works and is versatile. I'll post the original recipe here, as originally posted on the GFCFRecipes Yahoo group message board by Kwan. She created this recipe for her son, Noah. Later, I'll post some of the variations I've used for things like donuts, rolls and soft pretzels. This is a good recipe to experiment with. Try different things you have in mind.

Original Noah's Bread

from Kwan
This is the original version of Noah's Bread, developed by Kwan for her son Noah when she couldn't find any bread he could eat.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice fl. (I subbed sorghum)
2/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup corn or potato starch
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg (or sub)
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup CF milk (or water)
1/3 cup sparkling water

Recipe
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix all ingredients well, except the sparkling water. Once the batter is well mixed, add the sparkling water to make the batter rise.

Work quickly and form batter into buns, bagels, roll, etc. I use hamburger form pans and rings from the Gluten Free Pantry but you can also use aluminum foil to make form rings. I also put the batter into large ziplock bags, cut a corner, and squeeze out the appropriate shape of whatever I'm trying to make, such as bagels.

The batter should be thick and look somewhat lumpy. Don't use too much batter or form too high. The bread will puff and rise and settle back down once cooled.

Bake for 20-25 min until the crust is golden brown.
The crust will be hard out of the oven but will soften once cooled.

They freeze and thaw really well.

Tom's Rolls recipe

So, I posted the recipe for the famous Tom's Bread. It's only fitting that I follow with the recipe for Tom's Rolls, a variation of Tom Van Deman's original bread recipe. Good for rolls or burger buns. Here it is in Tom's words:

1 1/8 cup Chickpea flour also called Garbanzo bean flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup + 1 Tbs. tapioca flour
3 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. creme of tartar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cup warm water (uncomfortable to touch but not boiling)
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Recipe
Turn your oven to 350 degrees. Put your bread machine on the dough cycle
and let your machine make your dough. Your problem with our non-wheat dough
is that it is very sticky. You will need to dump the dough into the middle
of a greased plastic sheet like saran wrap and squeeze out each roll on a
greased cookie sheet. Roll the greased plastic sheet around the dough into a
roll of dough leaving one end open and the other folded it over. Squeeze
out the dough using both hands to form balls of dough about the size of a
tennis tall and about 3 inches apart. Fill up each of your cookie sheets
with the tennis ball size dough. Try to squeeze them as round as possible.
Cover each sheet with a greased plastic sheet and place in a non-drafty warm
place to rise. Allow the dough to at least double in size. As soon as the
rolls are ready take off the plastic and place in the top part of the oven.
Bake for 25 to 40 minutes or until they look brown and sound hollow when you
tap lightly with a spoon. Cooking times will vary according to atmospheric
humidity. From this point I think that you will be able to finish the
baking. Hope that you enjoy the rolls. They can be used for hamburger buns
also.

My first GFCF pizza

Note: I've improved my pizza recipe since this time. You can find my latest pizza crust recipe by clicking here.

I think trying to make a pizza my kids would eat without the use of dairy or soy kinda scared me away from the idea altogether. But, recently, I've had a few ideas of how to make pizzas my kids might like. I tried one last night. And it worked. My kids had their first slices of pizza. And they liked it.

Now, if you're looking for a miracle recipe here, you won't get it. This is very basic stuff. I'll give you the recipes -- yes, two. And, now I think I'll try some of the other ideas I've had. And, when I do, I'll be sure to post.

These pizzas are using a crust made from the Noah's Bread recipe. Since I haven't posted Noah's Bread yet, I'll include it here (and, as a reminder to myself, I'll post that recipe tomorrow so we can all find it quickly in the future).

Crust
3/4 cup sorghum flour
3/4 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 egg sub
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup water or cf milk
1/3 cup sparkling water

Sauce
1 garlic clove
1 tsp sea salt
6 oz can tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp oil

Toppings
Use any you wish.
Pepperoni
Genoa salami
Hamburger
Sausage
Onion
Peppers
Potato chips (for chip lovers)
Etc.

Heat oven to 450. Mix dry ingredients well. When oven is ready, add liquids (have to wait -- don't do this too early because you want the sparkling water activity to be active and not have fizzled out). Mix well. Spread dough on a greased pizza sheet in a circular fashion. Pinch edges to form a pizza edge. Bake for 10 minutes.

Make the sauce. Chop onion and prep other toppings.

Pull shell out after 10 mins. Spread pizza sauce and other toppings. I added chopped onion and chopped genoa salami (Boar's Head).

Bake another 10 minutes.

Note, I made half a pizza with crushed potato chips -- sorta like you would with a tuna casserole. So, I waited to add those until the last 5 mins.

My youngest daughter liked the pizza with chips and my oldest liked it without.

It all tasted like pizza -- just without the cheese.

Stay tuned for more pizza updates.

Autism rates in public schools

An eye-opening piece from Rescue Post yesterday on the rate of autism. This is a repost from the Rescue Post item.

October 18, 2007
Why the Department of Education Can’t Count
By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.
When journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were pursuing the Watergate scandal which eventually brought down President Nixon they were advised to “follow the money.” Or as my friend the Stanford economist says, “The truth is usually revealed when you find where people spend their money.”
I was considering these ideas when I came across some data from the U. S. Department of Education about the number of autistic children in public schools. The question of whether there’s actually an epidemic of autism is a controversial topic for many medical and educational professionals.
One of the more persistent critics of using data from the U. S. Department of Education has been Dr. Morton Ann Gernsbacher, a professor at the University of Madison-Wisconsin and President of the American Psychological Society. In an interview with Dr. Laurie Barclay and published in 2005 Dr. Gernsbacher laid out three reasons why the numbers from the Department of Education are not to be trusted.
First, the data is a count of only the children served, not all the children who meet the diagnostic criteria. Second, the criteria under which children will receive services may vary from state to state and across time. Third, the child count data for autism only began to be collected after the 1991-1992 school year.
I thought of my own initiation into the autism controversy when my daughter was three-years-old and in addition to having her seizure disorder and not developing normally was diagnosed with autism. At the time the therapy of choice was Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and it came with a hefty price tag, roughly two thousand a week. Adding to that were the other professions of speech, physical, and occupational therapy playing their role, and her price-tag for our school district was about a hundred and fifty thousand a year.
When we moved to a new school district and we tried a different therapeutic approach we were able to significantly cut the cost, but were still asking the school district to shell out a good seventy-five thousand a year.
Like you and me, the school districts are not interested in paying out that kind of money. I find it difficult to believe school districts could be railroaded into spending the sums of money required by our children if there wasn’t an overwhelming need.
George Orwell once wrote, “Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious.” Before we decide to dismiss the Department of Education numbers, let’s see what they actually are, starting with the three largest states, the three smallest states, then the country as a whole from the time the records began to be collected, in comparison to the present day.
In California in 1992-1993 there were 1,605 autistic children between the ages of 6-21 as counted by the U. S. Department of Education. In 2006-2007 there were 31,077.
In New York in 1992-1993 there were 1,648 autistic children between the ages of 6-21 as counted by the U. S. Department of Education. In 2006-2007 there were 13,951.
In Texas in 1992-1993 there were 1,444 autistic children between the ages of 6-21 as counted by the U. S. Department of Education. In 2006-2007 there were 16,801.
In Wyoming, the smallest state by population, in 1992-1993 there were 15 autistic children between the ages of 6-21 as counted by the U. S. Department of Education. In 2006-2007 there were 279.
In Alaska in 1992-1993 there were 8 autistic children between the ages of 6-21 as counted by the U. S. Department of Education. In 2006-2007 there were 454.
In Vermont in 1992-1993 there were 6 autistic children between the ages of 6-21 as counted by the U. S. Department of Education. In 2006-2007 there were 328.
In the United States in 1992-1993 there were 12,222 autistic children between the ages of 6-21 as counted by the U. S. Department of Education. (That’s about the current size of the small town in California in which I grew up.) In 2006-2007 there were 224,415. (Curiously, that’s a little more than the population of Madison, Wisconsin where Dr. Gernsbacher teaches as a professor at the University.)
When Vaccine Autoimmune Project/ founder Ray Gallup looked at these numbers with Dr. Edward Yazbak, they concluded that the most current autism prevalence among our children is not 1 in 150, but closer to 1 in 67.
Let’s look at this in terms of dollars and cents. I know at seventy-five thousand dollars a year, my daughter is a big-ticket item. Let’s cut that to an average of twenty-five thousand per autistic child per year and play around with the numbers, shall we?
In 1992-1992 if we used those numbers we would come up with a cost to our education system of a little over three hundred million, adjusted for today’s dollars. In 2006-2007 that number would be more than five and a half billion dollars.
The truth is found when you discover where people spend their money. If our public schools are wasting more than five billion dollars a year when they don’t have to, why are we letting them educate our children?
I’ll bet the Department of Education believes their numbers. They listen to teachers and principals on the front lines, not psychologists and professors in ivory towers.Kent Heckenlively has worked as an attorney, television producer, and is now a beloved science teacher.

To vaccinate or lie -- an autism dilemma

I signed one -- but in PA, the exemption is just not for religious reasons. Here's a snippet from PA code (note the part in bold):

"Religious exemption. Children need not be immunized if the parent, guardian or emancipated child objects in writing to the immunization on religious grounds or on the basis of a strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief."

And here's the Associated Press story as printed in the Boston Herald...

Parents take a shot at lying on vaccine forms
By Associated Press Thursday, October 18, 2007
Records show that a small but growing number of parents are claiming religious exemptions to avoid vaccinating their children, when the real reason is skepticism over their effectiveness or concern the shots may cause other illnesses.
Some say they are forced to lie because of the way the laws are written. Massachusetts and 27 other states allow parents to opt out for medical or religious reasons only.
Sabrina Rahim is not religious, but signed the form. She fears that earlier vaccinations may be to blame for her son’s autism.
State records and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show rising rates of religious exemptions.
Dr. Paul Offit, head of infectious diseases at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, and a harsh critic of skipping vaccines, said doing so is “irrational.”
The number of exemptions is just a few thousand of 3.7 million children entering kindergarten.
In Massachusetts, the number has more than doubled, from 0.24 percent, or 210, in 1996 to 0.60 percent, or 474, in 2006.
Officials say refusing vaccines carries a risk of disease outbreaks.
“You’re not just making a choice for yourself, you’re making a choice for the person sitting next to you,” said the CDC’s Dr. Lance Rodewald.
Rachel Magni, 35, a mom in Newton, is afraid of vaccines for her children. She got a religious exemption for her daughter, 4, and son, 1. “I felt that the risk of the vaccine was worse than the risk of the actual disease,” she said.
Dr. Janet Levitan, a Brookline pediatrician, tells worried patients to pursue the exemption. “I tell them, ‘If you don’t want to vaccinate for philosophical reasons and the state doesn’t allow that, say it’s for religious reasons,’ ” she said.

A gluten-free label -- but not mandatory

Maybe you've heard recently that the Food and Drug Administration is proposing the creation of a specific definition for "gluten-free" foods -- you know, putting a real meaning to the "gluten-free" label you find on that box of cereal, hot dog package or ketchup. This definitely is a step in the right direction as we gluten-free citizens well-know that most products have no label indicating the presence of gluten. That's because it's not considered a main allergen that should be disclosed, like soy and wheat. I hope that's the next step. So, for now, when this actually goes into practice, it will be a VOLUNTARY system. That means, companies don't have to label something gluten-free, but if they do, they must adhere to the rules. Also, unless I'm wrong, there's a little quirk in the proposal as products made from oats may be labeled gluten-free. That's because the oats themselves are gluten-free, but in most instances, are not kept apart from gluten grains and from the transfer, become a source of gluten. So, reading ingredient labels would continue to be a requirement. If you want to read more on the FDA's proposal, you'll find it here.

Gluten Syndrome? Uh-oh

The Press (New Zealand)
Thursday, 27 September 2007

The effects of gluten on health
Gluten sensitivity is not restricted to those with coeliac disease, says a food-allergy expert. If you're constantly tired, stressed and anxious or have problematic eczema or headaches on a regular basis, you might be one of the thousands who have what Dr Rodney Ford has coined Gluten Syndrome.

According to Ford, a Christchurch-based paediatrician who is a world-renowned expert in food allergies, people who are sensitive to gluten do not necessarily suffer from coeliac disease, which affects the small intestine, as is the common belief among most experts.

Ford says that up to one-third of all cases of chronic illness and fatigue could be caused through gluten sensitivity, and up to one in 10 people may be suffering from Gluten Syndrome.

"Gluten causes tiredness, anxiety and stress. The medical world accepts it can damage the gut, but it can also damage the brain, skin and nerves. Until now, many of these illnesses have been blamed on everything from stress at home to other medical conditions, including depression," he says.

You can read the rest at The Press Web site.

What's in a vaccine -- formaldehyde, MSG and mouse serum?

With all this talk about the hidden dangers of vaccines, especially with relation to mercury and autism, I found a recent blog entry at Rescue Post very enlightening. It showed what the ingredients -- approved by the CDC -- are in each vaccine. And, it included a link directly to the CDC's Website that shows this. Here's the direct link to the PDF file - click here. Or, here's the link to the page of files with all types of information about vaccines - click here. Another interesting file on that page is the Thimerosal content of vaccines -- click here. The ingredient list is disturbing and includes MSG, lactose (for those allergic to dairy, mouse serum formadehyde, red dye, thimerosal, yeast, calf skin, mouse brain, soy and human fetal tissue. Don't believe me -- look through the documents. (Oh, the human fetal tissue is "human diploid tissue.")

Autism cluster found in New Jersey school

For our autism education today, this is an interesting article from The Record in New Jersey about a cluster of autism cases found in one school. The article reports the study found of 24 school staffers, 57 percent of their children were diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders and 24 percent were diagnosed with autism. Read more.

The Record
Autism study hints at school cluster
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
By KAREN SUDOL, STAFF WRITER

A research study has found a possible autism cluster among children of teachers who worked at a Northvale school.

"While we cannot yet determine the cause of these findings, we can say for certain today that the prevalence of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders ... is statistically significantly higher," said study leader Dr. Lawrence D. Rosen.

The study's task force will now look at environmental factors at St. Anthony's that could have caused rates of autism and other learning disorders to be higher than state or national levels.

"Whether the building is contributing is speculation," said Rosen, also the medical adviser for the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center, which initiated the study.

The findings released Tuesday were based on interviews with 24 school staff members who came forward after 500 letters were mailed to present and past employees. Rosen said he doesn't know the total number of teachers with children who have worked at the school during the past 10 years but that he wants to interview all of them.

Read the rest at The Record.

Tom's Bread - a gfcf bread

I hadn't posted this individually on my blog yet and thought it was time I did. If you're looking for an easy and reliable gluten - casein free bread, this is a good one. Tom shared this with the GFCFRecipes Yahoo message group and it is widely requested. People just call this Tom's Bread. It can be made in the bread machine or oven. I've subbed potato starch for the corn starch. And, I've even used a mock yeast recipe instead of real yeast. I also use regular cane sugar instead of the brown sugar. Very good gfcf bread. I'll post it below just as Tom wrote it:

CELIAC LIGHT BREAD by Tom Van Deman August 20, 2003

1 1/8 cup Chickpea flour also called Garbanzo bean flour (Jim's note: I've switched to sorghum here -- same amount -- as my youngest can't deal with the bean flour yet)
1 cup cornstarch (I use Cream corn starch)
1 cup + 1 Tbs. tapioca flour
3 1/2 tsp. xanthum gum
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. brown sugar (Make sure that there are no lumps)
1/4 tsp. creme of tartar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/8 cup warm water (uncomfortable to touch but not boiling)
3 Tbs. vegetable oil (I use peanut oil or canola oil)
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

Bread Machine Method

WARNING: Adding more liquids or flours or reducing same could cause the bread to not cook thoroughly on the inside or to be too heavy. Also I am at almost 6000 feet altitude in Denver area which might cause your bread to be slightly different than mine. First try it as is and then experiment if necessary.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl except for the yeast. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly with wire whisk. Mix together the lightly beaten eggs, warm water, and oil in a separate bowl and thoroughly mix with wire whisk. Pour the liquid ingredients into your bread machine bowl (I use my Zoj). Immediately spoon in your dry mixed ingredients on top of the wet ingredients to make a mound in the center but covering all of the wet ingredients. With a spoon or spatula make a small depression in top of your dry ingredients (must be dry for the yeast) and immediately spoon in your yeast. Place your bread machine pan in the machine correctly and turn the machine to regular wheat bread cycle and turn on machine. (This dough will need two kneadings in order to get its content to proper consistency.)

Do not add any more liquids or flour. The dough will form a sticky ball. With a spatula scrape down the sides of machine bowl to make sure all of the dry ingredients get into the dough ball. On the rise cycle use your spatula that is wet to smooth the top of the loaf, if desired. Bake the bread using the medium crust setting. When finished turn the loaf out onto your wire rack and allow bread to cool or you can slice it while hot (Do not squeeze the loaf too tightly while holding it to slice while hot.) Slice the bread thin with a serrated bread knife or electric knife and enjoy.


Oven Method

Turn your oven to 375 degrees. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl or your mixer bowl including the yeast. Mix thoroughly on medium or low setting. Mix together the lightly beaten eggs, warm water, and oil in a separate bowl and whip with wire whisk until all ingredients are mixed. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with your mixer on medium speed (Use paddle or dough hook). When sticky ball forms scrape sides to get all of the flours and ingredients mixed together and continue to mix for about 1 minute more. Scrape into a 9 x 5-inch lightly greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap, set in non drafty warm place and let rise until at least double size (approximately 45 to 60 minutes). Remove plastic wrap and pace pan in preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped with a spoon. Turn the loaf out onto your wire rack and allow loaf to cool or you can slice it while hot (Do not squeeze the loaf too tightly while holding it to slice when hot.)

Free Autism video glossary now online

This could be a big help to anyone looking to decipher the world of Autism Spectrum Disorders. It's a free, online video glossary that explains a lot of the lingo and behaviors involved with these disorders. Now you can see the things that your doctor, teacher or therapist is talking about.

You can access the glossary, called the First Words Project, at http://firstwords.fsu.edu/.

The project is the product of the Florida State University's Dept. of Communication Disorders. Here's a statement from the university's website: "Our major goal is to identify early red flags of developmental language disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and other communication delays in children under 24 months of age. Through our research findings, we aim to improve screening tools and early detection of communication disorders by maximizing the role of the family, which will help families obtain intervention services sooner."

Note that the link above takes you to the Autism Speaks site, which hosts the actual video glossary. You have to click the big LOGIN button and register, which takes just a minute. It's very easy to use.

Even if you don't need it, bookmark the site and save it for when you get those requests for help from others.

Garlic broccoli recipe - good luck!

I'm posting this recipe simply because it's good. It's gluten and casein free. It's soy free. It's rice/corn/potato/bean free. And, I'm sure there are some kids out there on special diets that like broccoli. My youngest (PDD) does. My oldest (also PDD) doesn't. And, best of all, the adults (that's us) love it. The recipe has many healthy benefits. First, it's low cal, low carb and fat free. Second, the broccoli, for my money, is the king of fiber in veggie land. It also has Vit C, folate, potassium and the phytochemical called sulforaphane, which has been proven to lessen the risk of cancer.

And, the recipe includes some olive oil, a proven link to decreased risk of heart disease and cancer along with increasing HDL, the good cholesterol.

Then, the garlic, which, according to WholeHealthMD, it "may protect against stomach and colon cancer, slow the build-up of artery-clogging plaque, prevent the formation of blood clots, help lower blood pressure, reduce the chances of infection, improve nasal congestion and sinusitis."

Wow!

So, how do you make it. Way too easy.

Take a bunch of broccoli - I don't measure. Wash it. Cut it as you wish.

Prepare 1-2 cloves of garlic. Chop fine.

Heat 1/4 cup water in a stove-top pan. Toss the broccoli and garlic in. Add a pinch of sea salt and a dash of black pepper. Cover with a lid for five minutes.

This essentially steams the veggies.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the veggies. Heat for a minute longer.

Strain the veggies or remove from pan with a slotted spoon.

Eat. Yum.

Gluten free chicken nuggets recipe -- my versions

I realized over the weekend that I had failed to post one of the most-requested recipes in GFCF land! Chicken nuggets.

So, here, I'll offer a couple different versions for you. However, this is very adjustable, depending on your child's likes and dislikes.

Basic fried nuggets:

- cooking oil (I used Tuscan Sun, non-GMO)
- Chicken (I use breast meat)
- GF flour mix (any will do. I have used different mixes. Some really like frying with chickpea flour mixes. I've also used a sorghum mix with tapioca starch. Use what you like. For today, I will use 1/3 cup sorghum, 1/3 cup tapioca and 1/3 cup potato starch.)
- Spices: add what you like. I add this: 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp sea salt. Other possibilities: black pepper, cumin, cilantro, parsley, oregano, etc.
- Optional: ketchup
- Optional: egg substitute (I use Ener-G for this)

So, pour some oil in a frying pan. Heat on medium high to high. Mix the dry ingredients. Add your spices. Make the egg substitute.

Wash, trim and cut your chicken into nugget pieces.

Now, version 1: mix spices into flour mix and stir till blended. Coat chicken with dry mix. Fry several minutes on each side until cooked through.

Version 2: mix spices and flour. Dip chicken into flour mix, coat with egg sub, dip again in flour mix until coated. Fry several minutes on each side. This is a crispier chicken. You could also add a little baking soda to this too. Try it out.

Version 3: With either of the above two versions, you can coat the chicken lightly with ketchup before dipping and coating. Adds a welcome flavor to the mix. Very good.

Version 4: Try baking these instead of frying. I've done this with the "crispier" version. Baked on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. I've also done chicken strips this way. I think if you did the non-crispy version, you might cook less and maybe have to dab some oil on top halfway through so they didn't dry out.

Version 5: With the fry versions, you could also do this "popcorn" style, simply by cutting the nuggets into smaller pieces, and then cooking them for less time.

I purposely didn't include cooking times here because everybody's pans heat differently and some people use real fryers and all ovens are different, etc. etc.

Anyway, hope this works for you. If not, check for more GFCF nugget recipes at Recipe Circus, like this one here.

Will a new Autism brain center lead to new treatments?

Why is so much 'real' research, funding and general concern about autism among public officials happening everywhere but here?

Oxford Mail
Princess to open autism image centre
The Princess Royal will officially open the world's first brain imaging centre for autism at an Oxford hospital tomorrow.

A special scanner at the £2.3m centre at the university's Department of Psychiatry at the Warneford Hospital, Headington, will help Oxford University researchers study the brains of autistic children and adults, to look at how it functions as they complete tasks.

The technique will highlight how the brains of those with autism disorders differ from other people, and could lead to better treatments.

The Princess Royal will be shown the scanner and other facilities at the Oxford Neurodevelopmental Magnetoencephalography Centre.

While in the city, the Princess will also attend a Citizenship Ceremony at County Hall and join a meeting of the St Helena Diocesan Association at Pusey House.

The battle of school vaccine exemptions

So now we're dealing with the school, where my oldest daughter attends kindergarten, which wants her to get all of her vaccinations. Uh, no. So, we're finding our way through the process of satisfying the school. Our doc is sending the school a letter but it may not be enough, so we're also signing a formal letter citing a section of our state (PA) code that lists vaccine exemptions.

I found some help online with a sample letter at AutismLink. The actual page is at this address: http://www.autismlink.com/pages/autism_exemption/.

We'll see how it goes, but this is one battle we'll fight. I expect the school will not push this.

I forget the exact numbers, but the school got smacked with kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders in their incoming kindergarten class this year -- 6 out of 40. So, we're not alone.

Few mercury-free flu shots in Pennsylvania

And, here at home, not a thought given to the mercury lurking in our flu vaccines. I think I'll suffer through the flu this year. I get it anyway, even with the shot.

---

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Mercury-free flu shots in short supply
By Mike Cronin
TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, October 10, 2007

People who want a flu shot without mercury this year in Pennsylvania will have to ask.

Most flu vaccine doses available in the state have thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury, according to local health care providers. About 54,000 of the 250,000 doses bought by the state Department of Health are thimerosal-free. But 90 percent of shots administered in the state will be done by private providers, said department spokesman Dan Miller.

The Allegheny County Health Department has bought 3,000 doses of flu vaccine, 200 of which do not have mercury.

"Children and pregnant women should not receive flu shots with thimerosal," said county Health Department spokesman Guillermo Cole.

Eight states have passed laws to ban or limit mercury in vaccines, according to the Washington-based Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning. Pennsylvania allows the preservative, which some people believe is linked to autism disorders.

Read the rest at the Trib's Web site.

Autism, Africa and an 8-year-old boy

This is just a very sad story, but one I couldn't stop reading.

Grieving mother plans autism school

By MICHELLE MOLZ
For the Courier-Post

MOUNT LAUREL

She traveled thousands of miles from one of Africa's poorest countries to seek help for her autistic son.

Now, after her 8-year-old boy died unexpectedly, Sabelle Jelani is preparing for a new journey. The 39-year-old township resident plans to open a school for autistic children in Dakar, capital of Senegal, as a memorial to her son, Hakeem.

It would be the first of its kind in Senegal, Jelani's native country. She left her homeland and spent the past five years here caring for her son and educating herself about autism. She hoped to return to Senegal to share her knowledge with families who have no resources to help them cope.

Plans for the school were under way when Hakeem suddenly died in his sleep in Dakar on Sept. 8. They had been visiting family for the summer.

"We laid down, and I rubbed his head, his chest, his hands, and he was stroking my cheeks, my nose, my eyes. He fell asleep and never woke up," Jelani said in a telephone interview from Dakar.

"I was his shadow, he was my shadow," said Jelani, who with her husband, Ahmed, 59 have two other healthy boys, Osman, 11, and Habib, 7. "He was a sweetheart. He was a wonderful soul."

Read the rest at the Courier Post.

Strawberry ice cream - gfcf, soy and rice free

This gfcf ice cream is based on the original recipe for ice cream, using coconut milk, which you'll find in the recipes section of this blog. Again, very easy. And, this time I bought lite coconut milk, which has less fat.

Ingredients:

2 x 14 oz cans lite coconut milk (I bought organic)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pureed strawberry

I bought a pound of strawberries and pureed them in the blender until smooth. I mixed all of the other ingredients in a bowl, whisked together for a minute, and then poured it into an ice cream machine. I use a Rival machine. I know you can make this without the machine and use a blender. I added 1 cup of the strawberry to the recipe.

Redesign!

Hope you all like the new look of the gfcf recipes blog. It's not entirely complete, but the biggest changes have been made. If you're having any problems with font sizes, colors, etc., feel free to let me know.

jim

How schools handle autistic students

This will be happening everywhere, soon. It is in our suburban Pittsburgh school and I know of it happening in others.

Public schools respond to rise in autism

Goldsboro News Argus, NC
10/05/07 By Phyllis Moore

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism over the last decade and with it, the need to provide specialized teachers, Wayne County Public Schools officials say.

The once-rare disorder is becoming more prevalent across the country.

Some experts believe heightened awareness is prompting parents to have their children tested. Others attribute the rise to the fact that the definition of the autism spectrum has expanded.

Autism encompasses a wide range of behaviors and learning abilities -- from nonverbal and non-communicative students to children who are very talkative and adapt comfortably to a regular classroom.

Since schools are required to provide an equal education to all students, and fewer parents are opting to place their children in private or specialized schools, public schools are having to keep pace with the burgeoning need.

"It's plain and simple -- every child is entitled to a free and appropriate education," said Dr. Craig McFadden, assistant superintendent for accountability and student services for Wayne County Public Schools. "Whatever needs a child comes with, we're charged with meeting those needs, and not just for autism."

Currently, the district serves 2,872 students categorized as "exceptional children," which range from developmentally delayed and emotionally handicapped to hearing impaired and severely/profoundly mentally handicapped. Of those, 158 students are classified as autistic.

That number has quadrupled over the last decade. In 1998, out of the 2,553 exceptional children, 43 were deemed autistic. That number jumped to 83 in 2003, to 127 in 2003 and has gradually risen since.

Read the rest at the News-Argus Web site.

Mercury free vaccines have arrived

Coming to a state near you? Let's hope so.

Santa Fe New Mexican
State's flu shots have mercury options
Thimerosal-free versions available to both children and adults
By Diana Del Mauro The New Mexican
10/3/2007

Although a recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests the flu shot's tiny dose of mercury is harmless to a child's neurologic development, parents who don't want to take the risk don't have to in New Mexico.

The Department of Health ordered about 170,000 doses of flu vaccine this year, of which 97,440 doses are formulated without thimerosal, the preservative that contains mercury. The mercury-free version is available to both adults and children.

All the flu vaccine ordered for children 6 to 35 months of age is mercury-free, said department spokeswoman Deborah Busemeyer. In addition, the state purchased 17,450 mercury-free doses for children ages 3 to 18, and 20,000 mercury-free doses for adults 18 and older.

Separate from what the state offers, some clinics also provide another mercury-free alternative: FluMist, which is administered as a nasal spray and is made from the killed influenza virus. Only approved for use with healthy people 2 to 49 years of age, FluMist is not safe for pregnant women, children who are on long-term aspirin use, people with asthma or other lung diseases, people with chronic heart disease, people with diabetes or kidney failure, or people with a weakened immune system, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the rest of the article at The New Mexican.

Chili -- GFCF and bean free

My kids like this and I tend to make it more in the fall and winter. Well, here's the colder weather. And here's the recipe. Basic chili -- free of gluten, casein, soy and most major allergens. What's nice is that you can tailor this to the things you like to eat. Ours does not have beans because my youngest can't eat them. You could use rice, quinoa, potatoes, etc.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb ground beef
- half an onion
- 15-16 oz can tomatoes
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup polenta (optional)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Easy directions:

- cook the burger and diced onion in a pan, then drain grease.
- put burger mix in a crok pot (or large cooking pot)
- add the remaining ingredients. Stir.
- cook crok pot on high for 1 hour, then at least 3 more hours.
- or cook in pot on low for 2 hours, stirring frequently.

An Autism guide -- finally

Yes, finally. I wish they had this when my kids were first diagnosed with PDD. The group TACA has published a guide about dealing with autism, called the Autism Journey Guide, which you can buy in book form, or DVD, or both. I have not read this yet, but TACA shows the table of contents and judging by the topics covered, this is thorough and covers all the important points. It appears to really help people who need help quickly, especially those who have just received an autism diagnosis and are seeking treatment options or want to start the gluten and casein free diet. This could end up being the "How-to" guide for autism.

Gluten-free brown rice bread

Bread is difficult to overcome on the gluten-free diet, much less gluten and casein-free. My youngest still cannot tolerate rice or eggs or yeast. But my oldest can. I like this bread recipe, which I found at the Pratt Family Allergy Free Cookbook online, and modified slightly. That's a helpful website if you're searching for ideas, simple conversions and other helpers. All the credit here goes to Barbara Pratt. It's a good bread. One note, although it's a "brown" rice bread, the bread is more of a white bread.

Brown Rice Bread
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons GF Flour Mixture (1 cup GF brown rice flour, 3/4 cup sorghum flour, 3/4 cup tapioca starch plus 2 tbsp tapioca starch)
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons instant (quick) yeast
2 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup water (100˚-120˚F)

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the eggs, vinegar and oil. Mix. Slowly add the water to the mixture while mixing. Scrap into an oiled or greased non-stick loaf pan. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap. Let rise for 35-45 minutes or until it rises about 3/4" below the top of the pan. Bake in a preheated 375 ˚ F oven for 20 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. Test with a toothpick. It will come out clean if it is done. (It will be light brown on top or it will smell done.)
Copyright © 2004-2005 Barbara Pratt. All rights reserved.

Gluten free beer

Yeah, you read right. Since I don't drink (anymore), this really hadn't crossed my mind. Then I saw an article on gluten-free beer and got interested. The bottom line is you can find gluten-free beer and other alcohol. And, they're making more of it. Here's a few examples of what's out there:

Redbridge beer is made from sorghum by Anheuser Bush.

Bard's Tale Beer was developed by the Celiac community and still is overseen by a board comprised of Celiac folks. Also made from sorghum.

Lakefront Brewery makes a gluten-free beer from sorghum and rice.

Find out more about gluten-free beers by visiting the Gluten Free Beer Festival site.

Even other alcohols traditionally made from grains can be gluten-free, such as vodka. There are many vodkas made from potatoes. One such brand from Maine is Cold River Vodka.

Wines, of course, are primarily made from grapes. Some are better for those of us trying to avoid pesticides and stay as organic as possible. LaRocca Vineyards in northern California, for example, makes wine from organic grapes and does not use chemical additives including sulfites. Bravo!

For more info, visit a few other sites, like the Gluten Free Kitchen's page on alcohol or Celiac.com's list.

The dangers of artificial color and preservatives

This will sound familiar to a lot of you...

TIME
Thursday, Sep. 13, 2007
Hyper Kids? Check Their Diet
By Claudia Wallis

Parents have long observed that some kids go bonkers after eating foods with a lot of artificial ingredients or neon-bright colors. Medical researchers--not to mention the food industry--have been skeptical; there was no proof of this effect, at least nothing like a double-blind, controlled study.

As so often happens, however, the parents turned out to be a step ahead of the pros. A carefully designed study published in the British journal the Lancet shows that a variety of common food dyes and the preservative sodium benzoate--an ingredient in many soft drinks, fruit juices and salad dressings--do cause some kids to become measurably more hyperactive and distractible. The findings prompted Britain's Food Standards Agency to issue an immediate advisory to parents to limit their children's intake of additives if they notice an effect on behavior. In the U.S., there hasn't been a similar response, but doctors say it makes sense for parents to be on the alert.

The study, led by Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at England's University of Southampton, involved about 300 children in two age groups: 3-year-olds and 8- and 9-year-olds. Over three one-week periods, the children were randomly assigned to consume one of three fruit drinks daily: one contained the amount of dye and sodium benzoate typically found in a British child's diet, a second had a lower concentration of additives, and a third was additive-free. The children spent a week drinking each of the three mixtures, which looked and tasted alike. During each seven-day period, teachers, parents and graduate students (who did not know which drink the kids were getting) used standardized behavior-evaluation tools to size up such qualities as restlessness, lack of concentration, fidgeting and talking or interrupting too much.

Stevenson found that children in both age groups were significantly more hyperactive when drinking the beverage with higher levels of additives. Three-year-olds had a bigger response than the older kids did to the drink with the lower dose of additives, which had about the same amount of food coloring as in two 2-oz. (57 g) bags of candy. But even within each age group, some children responded strongly and others not at all. Stevenson's team is looking at how genetic differences may explain the range of sensitivity. One of his colleagues believes that the additives may trigger a release of histamines in sensitive kids. In general, the effects of the chemicals are not so great as to cause full-blown attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Still, the paper warns that "these adverse effects could affect the child's ability to benefit from the experience of school."

The Lancet paper may be the first to nail down a link between additives and hyperactivity, but as long ago as the 1970s, the idea was the basis for the restrictive Feingold diet, popularized as a treatment for ADHD. Some clinicians still routinely advise parents of kids with ADHD to steer their kids away from preservatives and food dyes. "It matters for some kids, so I tell parents to be their own scientist," says psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, author of several books on ADHD. While a similar link between hyperactivity and sugar remains unproven, Hallowell cautions parents to watch the sweets too. "I've seen too many kids who flip out after soda and birthday cake," he says. "I urge them to eat whole foods. They'll be healthier anyway."

The food industry has responded cautiously to the study, calling for further research. The food dyes used in the study "have gone through substantial safety evaluations by government bodies," notes Cathy Cook of the International Association of Color Manufacturers.

The Lancet study will probably encourage other researchers to conduct food-additive work of their own. People with disorders ranging from autism to atrial fibrillation (a heart condition) have claimed that preservatives worsen their symptoms. "My guess is that if we do similarly systematic work with other additives, we'd learn they, too, have implications for behavior," says Dr. James Perrin, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard. "Kids drink crazy things with colors that are almost flashing," he says. The study is one more reason to cheer the trend toward less processed, more natural fare.

Read the entire article at Time by clicking here.

Autism vaccines ad in USA Today

In case you missed this, you can view the full page ad from Generation Rescue that appeared in USA Today on Tuesday by clicking here. The ad focuses on the number of vaccinations children are given. Kids weren't given nearly as many vaccines years ago. This obviously has been tied to the mercury used in the vaccinations.

Quick sorghum bread

I made this as an alternative to corn bread. It's gluten free, casein free, soy free, rice free, potato free, corn free and egg free. Still, it's good.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp oil
~2/3 cup water

Grease a bread loaf pan. Heat oven to 375. Mix dry ingredients. Add honey and oil. Add water. Whisk until blended. Shouldn't be too dry, like cookie dough, and shouldn't be runny like a quick bread batter. Scoop into the bread pan. Flatten with wet spatula. Bake 20-25 mins.

Gluten-casein-egg-soy free onion rings

I debated adding this recipe because it's so easy. But, I decided to offer it anyway, mostly because even the simplest foods often seem difficult to make without gluten and casein. Making fried onion rings is even more difficult without the help of eggs or soy. So, here's a really good alternative.

Ingredients:
- Onions, cut into rings or half rings.
- 1 cup gluten-free flour mix (I use 1/3 cup sorghum, 1/3 cup corn flour, 1/3 cup tapioca)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika
- 2 egg subs (I use Ener-G)
- oil

So, heat a shallow amount of oil in a frying pan. Cut the onions. Make 2 egg subs in a bowl (I use 2 tbsp powder and 4 tbsp water). Mix the dry ingredients in another bowl.

When oil is hot, dip a few onion rings in the flour mix, then dip in the egg sub, then dredge back into the flour until well coated. Fry in oil until golden and down -- just a few minutes.

Pretty good stuff. I make a batch of these after making french fries on special nights.

Gluten free food industry is booming

I know, this is a press release. But, it has some eye-opening information in it about the gluten-free food industry. Worth reading.


Gluten-Free Just Keeps Getting Easier, Tastier, and More Affordable

Coeur d'Alene, ID, September 10, 2007 --(PR.com)-- The popular gluten-free manufacturer, Namaste Foods, has released their first edition cookbook and a new website with more discounted offerings for customers.

Demand in the gluten-free market is showing no signs of slowing down. While sales in 2001 were valued at $210 million, the most recent figures show it has escalated to roughly $700 million. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, by 2010 they are expecting the market to reach a whopping $1.7 billion, primarily due to the compounding growth in the diagnosis of Celiac Disease. It has been estimated that 97% of people living with Celiac Disease still remain undiagnosed.

Yet as this special diet niche flows rapidly into the mainstream, so few companies have gotten it right. Crumbly, dry, and tasteless are terms often associated with gluten-free foods. Thankfully there is one small manufacturer tucked away in a scenic mountain town that just keeps on giving to the gluten-free community. Since 2001, Namaste Foods has been building upon their product line of gluten-free foods that actually taste good. They now boast a selection that includes eleven baking mixes (from muffins to pizza crust) and three pasta mixes.

As their products have grown significantly in popularity, appearing on grocers’ shelves nationwide, the people at Namaste have decided to expand the versatility of their mixes. Responding to customer requests, they have authored the Simple Pleasures Gluten-Free Cookbook, packed with 60 new ways to use Namaste Foods. Recipes such as the Taco Pasta Salad that follows dot this easy to use resource.

Catering further to their high level of repeat business, Namaste Foods has also redesigned their website for a new look and ease in purchasing direct, along with a host of ordering options. New customers will like the selection of trio packs, which allow you to purchase groups of three different products at a discount, while loyal customers will enjoy the bulk offerings. Every baking mix is now available in bulk sizing for significant cost savings.

Beyond the gluten-free market, Namaste Foods caters to other food allergies and sensitivities. Their mixes are produced in a dedicated facility, which is free of gluten, wheat, potato, soy, corn, milk, peanuts, and tree nuts. Namaste Foods’ baking and pasta mixes are distributed to grocers nationwide. Individually packaged mixes, bulk mixes, trio packs, and the new Simple Pleasures Cookbook are available to purchase directly from www.namastefoods.com.

Mini gluten free apple rolls

My kids got tired of my basic, and easy, roll recipe. I had tried to sneak in some flax seed to provide a little fiber and other good stuff for them, but it became a boring food. So, I tried to change it up on them. And it worked (well, with one child, anyway).
This recipe brings an added layer of flavor to the basic roll recipe. And, later, I'll sneak the golden flax back in.

Here's how to make them. Use your own flours, of course.

Ingredients:
-- 1/2 cup sorghum flour
-- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
-- 1/2 cup corn flour
-- 2 tbsp sugar
-- 1 tbsp honey or syrup
-- 2 tsp baking powder
-- 2 tsp xanthan gum
-- 2 tsp egg replacer powder
-- 1/2 tsp sea salt
-- 1 apple, peeled and diced
-- 1/2 cup of water
-- 1/2 cup oil

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease an oven pan or use a liner. Mix the dry ingredients -- but not the apples. Put the apples in a small pot with the water. Heat to boil. Let boil 5 minutes. Pour the apple and water mix into a bowl. Using a masher or electric chopper, break down the apples. Pour the apple mush into a half cup measure. You only need a half cup. Add to the dry mix. Then add the oil. Blend together. Scoop into small rolls on the pan. Use an ice cream scoop, tablespoon measure or your hands. Bake for 12 minutes.

Extra crispy chicken wings

How do you make extra crispy wings when you can't have gluten or dairy or eggs? Well, you can, and it's not too difficult. Use your flours of choice, of course.

Ingredients:
-- dozen chicken wings, cut and washed
-- flour mix (i use 1/2 cup sorghum, 1/2 cup tapioca flour, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)
-- 2 egg subs (i use Ener-G)
-- oil of choice (i use canola)

Heat oil in a large pan. Cut wings. Now, toss and coat in the flour mixture. Dip into the egg sub mixture. Toss again and coat in the flour mixture. Cook in frying pan until golden and cooked through. These also could be baked.

The "regular-crispy" version of this is to not use the egg sub. Just coat the wings with the flour mix and cook.

The power of cilantro

So, are you aware of Cilantro's power to detoxify the body? How about the link between cilantro and autism? Cilantro and mercury?

It really is a powerful herb. Many people know it as cilantro, which is a common ingredient in salsas. It's green and leafy, and looks something like parsley. The plant's seeds are known as coriander.

Why am I telling you all this -- because of its detoxifying abilities, including heavy metals. If you're interested, do some research, including reading the scientific study that revealed the herb's powers - click here.

Here's a blog article on the topic that might be helpful.

And, here's a page on cilantro's healthy qualities from The World's Healthiest Foods.

Here's a snippet from the cilantro study:

"However, these mercury deposits, which commonly occur in such cases, were successfully eliminated by the oral intake of 100 mg tablet of Chinese parsley (Cilantro) 4 times a day (for average weight adults) with a number of drug-uptake enhancement methods..."

The study is by Omura, Shimotsuura, Fukuoka and Nomoto, from the Heart Disease Research Foundation, in New York.

Now, here's an easy way to store Cilantro, and for my money the best way. Harvest, or buy, fresh cilantro. Do NOT wash. Pull the leaves from the main stem -- keeping the smaller branches is OK. Place on a flat cookie sheet. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. Pull from freezer and place the crisp leaves in a freezer storage bag. Refreeze. Great way to store. When you want to use some, pull them out and wash.

And, here's a great cilantro recipe from Health Diaries:

Cilantro Pesto
Ingredients:
2 cups loosely packed cilantro leaves (stems removed)
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (my kids can't eat cheese, so i was going to try polenta or just leaving it out)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2-4 teaspoons water (depending on desired consistency)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Blend all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Use more or less water to get the thickness you desire.
Serves 4-6 people.
Enjoy.

What's the harm in milk?

This is interesting stuff, especially for us Autism families avoiding the casein gene.

The devil in the milk molecule

The Press Saturday, 15 September 2007

Has a Lincoln University researcher spilt the milk industry's secret about the potential harm in its product or is it more crank science? JOHN McCRONE investigates the latest fuss over A1 and A2 milk.

Is there a health risk in drinking milk? Has there been a naughty cover-up of the facts by Fonterra and others?

These, bluntly, are the questions raised in the explosive new book by Lincoln University agribusiness professor Keith Woodford, who this week reopened a long-festering debate within the New Zealand dairy industry.

The theory, which has been around a decade, seems incredible to most people: that our brains and immune systems can literally be poisoned by poorly digested milk.

Only a certain genetic strain of milk is to blame – the A1 type. However, that is also our most common milk.

The science, put as simply as possible, is that the A1 strain breaks down to release a tiny bio-active peptide fragment called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7). The other kind of milk, A2, breaks down quite harmlessly.

In people who are susceptible, which could be as many as one in five (although this is still a guess), BCM-7 may trigger a host of diseases: diabetes, heart disease, autism, schizophrenia, infant cot-death syndrome, multiple sclerosis, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease – the woes of the Western world it seems.

Then there is the question of an industry cover-up. Read the rest by clicking the blog headline.

Frito-Lay friendly

If you haven't yet realized that not all chips are gluten-free, or soy-free, etc., you might consider Frito-Lay chips. No, I don't get money for saying this. I'm very impressed with this company. They don't make you guess about what ingredients are in the chips you're buying. It's all on the label. And, if you have questions, their Website is extremely helpful. They have an entire section on ingredient concerns that plainly shows you which chips have gluten, which have dairy, which are kosher, which have soy, etc. You can find that page by clicking here.

My kids only can eat the plain Lays, Ruffles and Fritos chips. No Tostitos because of the soy oil used in those. Until now! Frito-Lay recently started selling a Natural Tostitos chip that has no soy. It's in the photo above.

I'll also mention one other thing. No chip is healthy for you. I've tried many to find a good one, including Garden of Eatin and Bearitos -- both very good chips (I prefer the Bearitos). I should also note Terra Chips here for those that are corn and/or potato challenged. But do your own checking. The fat and sodium contents of those health-store chips aren't much less than Frito-Lay chips. Sometimes, the difference is zero. So, for my money, and because of all the saturated-fat snacks my kids cannot eat, AND because Frito-Lay makes it soooo easy for a family like ours to check ingredients, I'll buy Frito-Lay. Support the companies that help us.

Peanut butterless cookies

I personally love this recipe. Why? Because the cookies are so good. And, it takes no time at all. My kids don't eat nuts. They're not allergic. But, our doc says to avoid them. But, he says, sunflower seeds are OK. And, you can buy sunflower seed nut butter. You can also buy pumpkin seed nut butter. So, experiment. I'll show you two ways to make this recipe. The original recipes tends to be crumbly. I added a little flour to firm it up. Both are good.

1 cup sunflower seed nut butter (Once Again makes this) or other nut butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg (or 2 egg subs)
1/2 tsp salt

So, I made the egg subs, added sugar, baking soda and salt, then the sunflower seed butter. Then I mixed until well combined. I rolled into balls and onto cookie sheet. I flattened slighly with a fork, making the classic PB cookie indentation.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

I also made these by adding some flour and xanthan gum to hold them together. Can't tell you how much I used. But, what I'm trying to point out is that if yours fall apart, don't give up. Try adding your favorite flour mix and xanthan/guar to hold them together. I didn't use a lot, just enough to mix through. If it looks too dry, add water until you get that cookie dough texture while mixing.

Dairy free sorbet

I like this recipe because there's no concerns about trying to make ice cream out of a dairy alternative like rice milk or Darifree. And, it has a lighter taste. Plus, it's very easy to make. Here's how.

- 1 packet of unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 3 large ice cubes
- 2 cups of fruit

Dissolve the gelatin and sugar in boiling water. Add the ice cubes and stir until melted. Pull from heat.

Chop up fruit. Put in food processor or blender. Add 1 cup of the gelatin mixture and puree until smooth. Add the rest of the gelatin mix and puree again until mixed.

Pour this into a 13x9 pan. Cover with foil or wrap and freeze for 2-3 hours.

Then, spoon the sorbet mix back into the blender and blend at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Pour into a loaf pan, cover and freeze for 8 hours or overnight.

Use any fruit. I tried peaches.

Allergy link

There's tons of info on the Web about allergies, autism, etc., and I come across good ones every so often. I found this today, for the Food Allergy Initiative and will be adding it to my link section.

What's in your ketchup?

Did you ever think about what's in the ketchup you put on your favorite burger, hot dog or potatoes each day? I did a couple of months ago. And it made me change what I bought for my family.

Heinz ketchup -- America's No. 1 ketchup -- is filled with high fructose corn syrup. If you don't yet know the dangers of this sweetener, read my blog entry from yesterday, or Google it for yourself.

This was very depressing, especially since I like Heinz. But, with the care we're taking to feed our kids properly, I decided to look elsewhere.

I found two quality substitutes that are gluten-free, soy-free and HFCS-free.

Annie's ketchup is pretty darn good. For me, it's a little spicier, in a sweet way, than I prefer. But, my kids loved it. And, it's organic.

Muir Glen also makes an organic ketchup, which I prefer. I now buy this by the case. It's taste more closely resembles Heinz -- and actually is what Heinz probably tasted like 20-30 years ago when it wasn't made with the HFCS.

Do a taste test for yourself, and make your burger a little healthier.