Living Gluten Free for Dummies

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Living Gluten Free for Dummies

Your guide to becoming gluten-free and healthy- the easy and tasty way! If you have a wheat allergy, gluten intolerance, celiac disease, or you just want to enjoy the benefits of a diet free of wheat, barley and rye, then this guide is for you. Packed with over 75 nutritious and tasty recipes, and endorsed by the Coeliac Society of Australia, Living Gluten-Free for Dummies, Australian Edition helps you make a smooth and successful transition to your new lifestyle.

Living Gluten-free involves more than cutting gluten out of your diet. It also affects other aspects of your life- including ordering at restaurants, attending social functions and dealing with emotional challenges. With Living Gluten-Free For Dummies you can embrace all aspects of the gluten-free lifestyle and make a smooth and successful transition to better health.

Living Gluten Free for Dummies covers:

Spotting the tell-tale signs of gluten intolerance

Relieve the symptoms of celiac disease

Decipher Australian food labeling

Cook tasty breakfasts, lunches and dinners

Stay on track with your gluten-free diet

Raise happy, gluten-free kids

According to latest research 1% of Australians are affected by celiac disease.
It is now known that the disease can affect a person at any age, from infancy to senior years.

Danna Korn: is also the author of Wheat-Free, Worry Free: The Art of Happy, healthy Gluten-Free Living and Kids with Celiac Disease: A Family Guide to Raising Happy, Healthy Gluten-Free Children. Respected as one of the leading authorities on the gluten-free diet and the medical conditions that benefit from it, she speaks frequently to health care professionals, coeliacs, parents of coeliacs and is a consultant to retailers, manufacturers, testing companies, dietitians, nutritionist and people newly diagnosed with gluten intolerance and coeliac disease.

Why did you think it was important to put this book together?

Margaret Clough:I, or rather the Coeliac Society and I decided to it was important to write the Australian version of Living Gluten Free for Dummies partly because there is so much misinformation about coeliac disease, but mainly because we know that only about one fifth of people in Australia who have the disease have been diagnosed. That's a whole lot of people struggling with poor health or feeling chronically tired and below par. Some of those people will go on to develop more serious conditions simply because their coeliac condition has not been diagnosed and treated. Coeliac disease can be difficult to diagnose as it can appear in so many different ways and often doctors simply don't consider it as a diagnosis. So we wanted to get the information 'out there' to as wide a range of people as we could.

Why did you choose to put the living gluten-free topic into the for dummies series?

Margaret Clough:We were happy to be included in the For Dummies series because For Dummies books are so widely known and have a good reputation for presenting material accurately but in an easy to read format.

How important is it to have an Australian edition?

Margaret Clough:The US version of the book is not suitable for Australian readers for many reasons. In the US, allergen labelling on products, the definition of 'gluten-free', and diagnostic methods are different to those in Australia. Many of the recipes used ingredients - and of course terminology - that are not suitable for Australian readers, and we felt Australians preferred lighter, healthier recipes than those in the US book. Our sense of humour also differs somewhat, and many of the terms or idioms would not be understood by Aussie readers. Information of overseas travelling was light on, and the information on nutrition was also not appropriate. Much of the book needed rewriting.

Do you find people take the Restaurant Card to restaurants?

Margaret Clough:The restaurant card is really useful for people when they are first diagnosed as they may feel self-conscious about discussing their dietary needs in front of other diners, and with the card they can be more discreet. I know of coeliacs who use their card every time they eat out and others who are quite happy to just talk to the waiting staff about their needs. Over the past few years understanding about 'gluten-free' has improved within the community and there is perhaps less need for a card. The Coeliac Society publishes translations of the card for overseas travel and those cards are indispensable in crossing the language barrier.

Who is this book suitable for?

Margaret Clough:Living Gluten-Free For Dummies is suitable for diagnosed coeliacs and/or their parents and close family members, as it has so much information about the disease, the diet, good nutrition and ideas for dealing with a gluten-free diet in any circumstances. It is also suitable for others who are on a gluten-free diet for whatever reason, or those who have a medical problem and think they may have coeliac disease or an intolerance to wheat. I think it could also prove helpful for professionals who work with those on a gluten-free diet to help them become aware of the difficulties of maintaining a strict gluten-free diet, and the way this impacts on day to day life.

Is it recommended for chefs, so they too understand the importance of wheat and gluten free meals?

Margaret Clough:The book would be helpful for chefs and in fact anyone preparing food in any context, as these days they would receive many requests for gluten-free alternatives. The Coeliac Society also publishes some guidelines for the catering industry which are excellent. But the recipes and the information about alternative flours, baking differences etc will be really helpful for anyone at all who wants to have a go at gluten-free cooking.

It is set out so it is very easy-to-read and understand. Why is this?

Margaret Clough:Like all books in the 'For Dummies' series, Living Gluten-Free for Dummies is set out in an easy to read way because the format has been tried and tested. I had to learn to adapt my writing style to meet these requirements. I loved the challenge of presenting sometimes quite complex information in an easy, humourous style, without losing accuracy. It was great discipline, and I still have the odd hair left at the end of the process. Most people don't want to read a textbook, so For Dummies books make information readily accessible. A gluten-free existence certainly has its moments, and a good laugh at our dilemmas certainly helps, so I enjoyed writing in a light-hearted style.

What is your favourite gluten-free recipe from the book?

Margaret Clough:My favourite recipe from the book? Hard one. For today, it would be the Fetta Frittata recipe, and if you have a sweet tooth, the Flourless Chocolate Cake (mmmmm). But I also love the Chickpea Curry in a Hurry and for a really quick, light meal, Zucchini and Ricotta Pasta. Sorry I can't narrow it down further than that!

Margaret Clough:is the public offer for the Coeliac Society of Australia and the travel editor for The Australian Coeliac magazine. She was a co-founder of the ACT Contact Group of the Coeliac Society in 1981 and has been an active member of the Coeliac Society Australia since 1990.

Living Gluten Free for Dummies
John Wiley and Sons
Authors: Danna Korn and Margaret Clough
ISBN: 9780731407606
Price: $34.95

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