Thursday, March 11, 2010

A Gluten-Free Book Primer: What to Read When You're First Diagnosed with Celiac Disease


There are a ton of books out there on living gluten free.  Most of them are pretty great, but there are a few you really should have in your collection.  Here’s my book list:

In the beginning…
Living Gluten Free for Dummies by Danna Korn
Like most Dummies books, this one gives great information, in easy to digest (no pun intended) pieces.  You’ll learn the science of Celiac disease and lots of practical advice on living the GF life.  Perfect for newbies.











The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Jules E. Dowler Shepard
This is definitely the book for you if you’re looking for someone who’s been there to teach you the ropes.  Jules (of the now-famous Jules Gluten Free Flour Mix) refers to herself as a “patient-expert”, after having been through the medical merry-go-round of diagnosis and a sickening (literally) year of trial and error.













Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic by Peter H. R. Green, M.D. and Rory Jones.  Dr. Green is director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.  A comprehensive, easy-to-read book on all the aspects of celiac disease.













Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food that Loves Me Back…and How You Can, Too by Shauna James Ahern
The very inspiring story of blogger Shauna James Ahern (who is somewhat of a hero in the gluten free world.) 









Ready to dig a little deeper?

The Gluten Connection:  How Gluten Sensitivity May Be Sabotaging Your Health – And What You Can Do To Take Control Now by Dr. Shari Lieberman
The title pretty much says it all. 









Cookbooks
Any Celiac worth her salt (pun intended) needs a good arsenal of GF cookbooks.  Here are some great ones:

The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods:  Creating Old Favorites with the New Flours by Bette Hagman
Bette is the Queen Mum of GF baking.  Any of her books are worthy of a place on your bookshelf. 










Nearly Normal Cooking for Gluten-Free Eating:  A Fresh Approach to Living and Cooking without Wheat or Gluten by Jules E.D. Shepard
If Bette is the Queen Mum of GF baking, then Jules is the Princess.  There are some great treats in here: delicious cut-out cookies, light and fluffy rolls and breadsticks (yes, I said light and fluffy) and 2 recipes for peanut butter cookies.








Gluten Free Everyday Cookbook: More than 100 Easy and Delicious Recipes from the Gluten Free Chef by Robert Landolphi
Not only are there great recipes in this cookbook, but it is also chock-full of invaluable cooking tips.










BabyCakes: Vegan, (mostly)Gluten-Free, and (mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked-About Bakery by Erin McKenna
BabyCakes bakery has taken Manhattan by storm, and now there’s a cookbook to help us replicate the goodies from this wildly popular GF bakery.








Magazines

Did you know that there are magazines just for us?  Living Without Living Without Magazineis a “Lifestyle guide for people with allergies and food sensitivities” and Gluten-Free Living Gluten-Free Livingis written by and for celiacs.

So, there you have it...my short and sweet list of Must-Have GF books.  Do you have any favorites?  Let me know!


1 comment:

Krysten Lindsay Hager said...

I liked Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book on the GF Diet because it went into detail about cross contamination & brought things I hadn't thought about like someone using a cutting board for fruit & veggies that they also used for bread that could contain residue. It was also a key point in getting my extended family to understand my worries about eating at their house. They went from thinking I was paranoid to understanding & helping me out.