Birthday BabyCakes in my Mailbox

When BabyCakes Bakery first came on the scene (or at least into my consciousness), I was about to move from my long-time home of New York City, so I didn't have the opportunity to try their phenomenal gluten-free baked goods made with organic, low glycemic and chemical-free ingredients.  But a dear friend came to visit me in Michigan 2 years ago with my then birthday wish in tow.  Gluten-free brownies from BabyCakes bakery.  We spent that May weekend in the famously historic Grand Rapids, Heritage Hill Area, then hiked the dunes at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, and then went to the Green Well Gastro Pub for a birthday dinner with friends.  For dessert, I pulled out those brownies that I saved (OK, I tried a few right away) to share as my birthday cake. The Green Well staff brought plates.  There may have been a candle.  Only one, mind you.

I was the only Tender Foodie at the table, and they were oohed and ahhed over by all.  Now, BabyCakes has three locations (New York, Los Angeles and Disneyworld) and they have two cookbooks.   Today, that same friend who brought towed my BabyCake treats onto the plane two years ago, just sent me both BabyCakes cookbooks.  I was so excited I simply had to tell you about it.

Its time to get baking.  And eating.  Birthdays aren't so bad when you get BabyCakes.

Gluten-Free Fair Success in G-Rap.

Many Attended

This past Saturday, I walked into the Delta Plex after hearing that 1565 people registered to attend the Gluten-Free Food Fair that day. 

If someone had told me 5 years ago, that this many peops would be attending a gluten-free anything, I would have been shocked.  But because the number of folks struggling to implement an allergen-free diets has exploded in the last few years,  the crowds were more of a bittersweet confirmation. The potential whys and wherefores of this explosion are just starting to be truly studied and discussed.  More on that in another post.

King Arthur Flour's Brownie Mix and a Couple of Nice Peops.

Multiple Food Allergies Need More Know-How

At the fair I witnessed that the market is also attempting to serve the millions who have multiple food allergies, yours truly included.  There is a long way to go in shared knowledge about multiple and more complex food allergies, which I predict, sadly, will also rise in the near future.  Many of the vendors at the booths were also the brains behind the product, the owners of the company, the big Kahunas.  They were the most knowledgeable about the factories, their partners and the ingredients.  There were a handful at the booths, however, that would confidently say things like, "All ingredients were processed in a factory free of the "Big 8" allergens (free of corn, wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, treenuts, shellfish/seafood & fish)," even though the labeling on the products themselves said differently.  Also, one or two other vendors couldn't break down a few mystery ingredients listed their products.  Most everyone was just fantastically knowledgeable, however, and brought their own experience to the table.   I hope that all vendors will continue to be and learn ahead of this growing market, and also train their staff with an emphasis on ingredient and factory knowledge.  There is a great deal to learn for all of us.

Cool Products

I did find some interesting new products, some of which I'm going to try.  I'll tell you about them over the next few weeks as I do.  If you would like to try them as well, let me know what you think!  In the meantime, here is a quick list.

Allerbling: I love this product.  It is hard enough for adults to communicate about their food allergies.  Imagine what it is like for a kid?  I can't.  But this product could really help.  Just stick out your wrist, kiddo and let your teachers, your friends' parents have an immediate list of what you can't eat.  It's a cute little bracelet with interchangeable parts that represent even some of the more uncommon allergies as well as the Big 8.

Somewhat Organic Soap:  I have to say that their slogan, "Any more organic and we'd be lying to you,' caught my attention.  From what I understood, lye is the only non-organic ingredient in the soap.  What I liked about them is that they have a Simple Soap that they said has zero fragrance.  It does contain coconut and rosemary extract, however, so it isn't quite as simple as super senstive people might need, but the vendors did say that super sensitive kids really liked it.  Your call.  Their other soaps with essential oil fragrance were lovely and felt great.

1-2-3 Gluten-Free:  Along with gluten and dairy, I am also allergic to baker's yeast.  So I simply don't eat sandwiches or biscuits any more.  I picked up a package of the 1-2-3 biscuit mix because it is free of all of the Big-8 allergens, and it is also yeast-free.   I'm excited to try this.

Keeki Pure & Simple:  A gluten-free nail polish developed first for celiac kids who might chew their nails, it is also "suitable for vegans" and for adults.  Fun colors. 

Organic Bistro Entrees & Bowls:  These conscientious folks were offering a taste of different products throughout the day.  Most of the ingredients in the Thai Style Yellow Curry with Chicken that I tried were, indeed, organic.  It was delicious.  A great quick meal alternative when you don't have the time to put together a lunch.

Mrs. Glee's Noodles:  A quick cook noodle made from navy beans and non-GMO corn.  It is also fortified with some of the vitamins and minerals that Tender Foodies tend to lack, like B Vitamins, Folic Acid, and Iron; as well as natural protein from the "ungassed" beans. 

The brains behind Mrs. Glee's 

Restaurants Serving Gluten-Free

I was excited to find out that The Blue Water Grill has a dedicated gluten-free fryer, so you can get your french fries without cross contamination.  Brann's also was there serving sweet potato fries from their dedicated gluten-free fryer.  I was pleasantly surprised to find Vitale's serving up gluten-free pizza, with pizza crusts from Coco Charlotte, a local-to-Grand Rapids gluten-free baker.  Willy O's, however, was serving up a gluten-free, yeast-free and dairy-free veggie pizza.  It was thin and crispy and pretty good.  It set off a few pleasure bells in my head since I haven't had any kind of pizza in years  I will have to try it again when its fresh from the oven and without broccoli (not a big broccoli fan).

Saffron's Marketplace was also there and they have a great little exclusively gluten-free shop.  I stopped by there after the fair to check out the rice cheese and daiya cheese which was whispered about throughout the fair-goers as great dairy alternatives.  But alas, this favorite will remain a mystery to me as it contains inactive yeast.   

Your server rep from Vitales and a few gluten-free options including beer and pasta

Vitale's gluten-free pizza went like hotcakes and got rave reviews

Nutritional Learning Curves

I was disappointed that I couldnt' get there in time to see Marie Catrib's demonstration of gluten-free bread making.  But I was able to catch Heather Leets, RD Dietician with Spartan Stores.  Heather discussed that rice, potatos and corn are the most common replacements for wheat, however, their starch content is high, as is the potential for weight gain if you turn to these exclusively.  

Heather then reviewed some of her favorite protein-rich, low-starch, high-nutrition flours.  These flours are my favorites as well and include teff flour, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth and a new flour to me - sorghum. I experienced sorghum flour for the first time last week as I took the plunge and had a beer after 10 long years.  Gluten-free of course.  One interesting point Heather made, was that people with celiac disease (and I'd like to add any food allergy to that) can have a tougher time absorbing nutrition.   Whole grains like these are rich in protein, soluble and insoluble fiber, B Vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium and selenium.  Amaranth, for instance has 3 times the fiber of wheat!  Personally, I feel a remarkable difference when these grains are part of my daily diet. 

I am also happy to have learned a little more about each of these vendors at a great event.

Thanks to the Celiac Ministries of Anchor Baptist Church for putting on this very successful fair!  Stay tuned for a Q&A with Nancy Spears, the mastermind behind the event.

The Cost of Food Allergies is $500 million in U.S.

The Big 8 Have a Big Price Tag

Food allergies are expensive.  If you needed more confirmation than your hospital and doctor bills (and lost work days) are pricey, then this study is for you.  It costs Americans $500 million dollars to be allergic to food. 

Total medical costs ranged from $225 million to $307 million, (depending on the type of calculation the researchers performed) and 52% of the medical costs were for doctors' visits alone. 

The researchers used information from several databases to find the total cost of emergency room care, hospitalizations, and visits to the physician's office for allergic reactions.  Those numbers were used to estimate the nationwide cost of treatment.  Researchers then published their results in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Four out of every 100 people have food allergies -- that's 12 milion people with a classic IgE reaction that can cause anything from itching, hives, anaphylaxis (closing of the airways) and death.  An estimated 90% of those allergies are from eight main food sources (called "The Big 8").  These are peanuts, treenuts, wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, fish and shellfish/seafood. 

Another 3 million people suffer from celiac disease - a severe autoimmune disease where even a crumb of wheat or gluten can be damaging.  18 million people (a new study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine) have a slow onset reaction or intolerance to wheat. It appears that the study focused on classic food allergies (IgE responses) and not slow onset reactions (IgG immune responses), and it would be interesting if they would have also included grocery bills and other lifestyle expenses in the mix as well.  But this information is a great help in diagnosing the breadth and depth of a big part of the food allergy puzzle.

The researchers were surprised to find that emergency room visits were not the bulk of the costs.  The large price tag on doctors visits were assumed to be more preventative and managed care. 

Is Buying Local Better? When it comes to Food, Yes.

A 10% Shift Brings Local Communities Millions

There are a few chains that I adore, like Target.  I also like the convenience of Walmart.  It is wonderful to have the products and cost savings that come with mass, global production.  Do I rage against the long-distance commerce machine?  No.  Buying local is not a panacea for every problem and it is not always possible.  But we are consumers who live in communities that need our business and support.  And there are many reasons why (and occasions when) mass, global production is not a wise or cost-effective use of our hard-earned dollars.  Try this statistic on for size:

If the people of an average American city were to shift 10% of their spending from chains to local businesses, it would bring an additional $235 MILLION to the community's economy.
www.elocal.com

Elocal.com has an incredible map that illustrates the costs and benefits of investing in our local economies -- from reducing pollution, to improving food quality, to increasing employment.

There is a simple, often missed wisdom in buying from local sources.  Especially when buying food.  If you have food allergies, buying local can also help us become a healthier Tender Foodie community.

Food Allergies:  The Benefits of Knowing Where Your Food Comes From

When I first started reading labels to ferret out wheat and dairy ingredients, I was pretty shocked to see how many "whole" foods from national food producers were laden with words I could not pronounce.  Many of those preservatives secretly house milk products like whey, and wheat derivatives disguised as anti-caking agents -- even in spices. Food labeling is slowly improving, but it is still tough to discern what potential allergens might lurk on grocery shelves.  On the flip side there may be foods that are perfectly safe, but manufacturers prefer to add "may contain X allergen" on the label, rather than put proper testing in place.  And in their defense, the FDA has yet to let manufacturers know what is "safe".  That's another story.

Buying local can help the food allergy community as well as the local community.  If you know your farmers and local food sources you can:

1. Avoid many of the preservatives needed to add shelf-life to foods that are warehoused for long periods of time and shipped long distances.
2. Know how your food is grown, made, processed, and delivered so you can reduce the possibility of cross-contamination from farm to factory to table.  You can ask questions of the people who actually handle your food. Questions like, "do you use GMO seeds or products?", "does your production facility also produce nuts or wheat?", etc.   
3. Influence you local producers and help them become aware of how many food allergy sufferers there are in their customer community.  Each voice adds to the next.  Smaller, local producers can make some (not all) changes more easily.   If food producers can serve a market that needs and wants organically grown products without cross contamination, they are more likely to work with their vendors to make that happen.  And do it more quickly.
4. Give your local producers power.  Many local farmers and producers of food have a huge amount of pressure from large distributors to produce food more cheaply.  Often this means adding antibiotics, hormones, cheaper feed, and more.  Buying from our local food producers who have the knowledge to raise our food with healthy, not harmful practices, actually encourages those practices, helps those food producers thrive, and influences the overall market.
5. Keep more nutrients in our food.  According to www.elocal.com, a typical carrot is picked up from the farm a week in advance and travels 1838 miles before reaching a store.  Then it sits on the shelf of the store.  Nutrients are most potent when fruits and vegetables are eaten as close to their harvest as possible.  Buying from your local farmers' markets is just better for your bod.

The "Buy Local" movement is often seen as elitist.  But the consumer community forgets how much power we have to influence products, pricing and the healthfulness of our foods.  If just 10% shift to local vendors equals $235 million dollars, think what else we can do to make our community better.

Let's Go Out To Eat! Tender Tapas at San Chez Bistro. (May 17, 2011)

Tuesay, May 17, 2011 from 5:00-7:00pm at San Chez Bistro in Grand Rapids, MI

One of the biggest difficulties for people with food allergies is eating out and being treated well when doing so. The good news is that there are restaurants popping up all over the country who are serving Tender Foodies with passion and responsibility. The even better news is that we have several right here in Grand Rapids. So let's eat out! You can help me review these restaurants, too, by adding your comments to my upcoming review on www.tenderfoodie.com (I'll post a note right here when its up).

RSVP:  on the Facebook Event Page or at info@tenderfoodie.com
PRICE: order from the menu & self-pay
DRESS:  whatever floats your boat

Stop by San Chez Bistro on Tuesday, May 17 anytime between 5:00pm & 7:30pm. We are gathering in the bar area (The Fishbowl). Come for just a cocktail or add a small plate or six. Or grab a table and have dinner! San Chez is one of the pioneers in serving people with food allergies; they might even be the first Tender Friendly restaurant in Grand Rapids.


Check out their food allergy menus here: http://www.sanchezbistro.com/menu.htm

They have nut-, treenut-, lactose-, gluten-, soy-, capsicum- (peppers), garlic-, citric-acid, seed-, seafood- free menus. They also have a Vegan menu (right on). As for gluten-free alcohol, they have Redbridge Beer, as well as Chopin Potato Vodka (Chopin grows their potatoes without chemicals or pesticides).

PLEASE NOTE: make SURE that you are clear and responsible with your servers about your food allergies, so they can serve you well. Speak up!

I'll tell you a secret, it's also my birthday. What a way to celebrate by meeting Tender Foodies & Friends!