From the Desk of Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson, DC.....

With pizza and hamburgers as fixtures in the diets of most of today’s kids, it can be challenging to raise a child who suffers from celiac disease or gluten intolerance, but there are also many tips and techniques that can make it much easier to keep your child healthy, happy, and gluten-free.  A trip to your local library or bookstore can go a long way towards helping your child understand that they’re not alone and that many kids must maintain special diets.  For example, “Eating Gluten-Free with Emily” (by Bonnie J. Kruszka) is a highly recommended book for pre-school and elementary age children with celiac disease.  It explains the condition and its effects on the body without being condescending or "talking down" to the child. 

Eating out when you live gluten free presents a unique challenge but an even greater dilemma when you plan to dine with friends who don't suffer from this autoimmune illness. If you lead a GF lifestyle, follow these simple steps for hassle free dining out with friends.

Be Prepared
When you life with a food sensitivity, it pays to know ahead of time where you can and cannot eat out. Pizza? Probably not unless the parlor specifically serves GF pizza. Brew pubs? Not your best option, either.

Knowing ahead of time the restaurants that cater specifically to people on a gluten free diet or those who can easily accommodate your needs will come in handy when the question gets asked, "Where should we eat tonight?" Consider knowing a few restaurants in different parts of town, that serve different cuisines and what your beverage choices are (not just beer, for example).  If you're not prepared with some suggestions that will have broad appeal and can meet your dietary needs, you'll probably find yourself eating a house salad, hold the croutons and dressing. Again.

Hidden Allergens
Your troubles don't stop once you get to a known restaurant or one you reasonably believe could accommodate your gluten free lifestyle. You should also know where food allergens can hide out of sight on the menu descriptions. Some common foods prepared with wheat, barley, malt and rye include:

• Soup with a flour base;
• Salad dressings containing soy sauce or other thickeners;
• Breading on a wide variety of appetizers and entrees;
• Finishing sauces and gravies thickened with flour;
• And anything with soy sauce.

Never be afraid to ask your wait staff about how the food is prepared, what specifically is in the dish including the different sauces, and whether or not the food comes into contact with any gluten, especially if you have a very high sensitivity or celiac disease. If the chefs or wait staff can't tell you if a dish is gluten free or not, pick something else. A little investigating on your part will save you from the after effects of ingesting a known allergen after your meal.

Help With Cross Contamination
No matter how careful you are in selecting a tasty dish to eat, it is wise to use gluten and casein digesting (dipeptidyl peptidase IV or DPP IV) enzymes at the beginning of your meal.  Why you may ask and the reason is the food you eat at a non-gluten free restaurant will likely have gluten cross contamination.  Taking an enzyme with high activity units of DPP-IV go a long way towards mitigating the effects of accidentally ingested gluten cross-contaminated foods.  I recommend either Apex Energetics GlutenFlam or Integrative Therapeutics Similase GFCF.  I have used both personally and find them very effective.  They are available at my office.

Educate Your Friends
Your food sensitivity is not just a matter of taste. Living GF takes diligence, effort, patience and a lot of self education. People don't choose this diet simply because they woke up one day and decided they didn't like bread. But sometimes, our social circle, particularly those without dietary restrictions, simply can't understand why we have to be so careful about what goes in our mouths. Taking the time to teach your friends about your autoimmune illness, how it affects you and the long term damage gluten can do to your body will go a long way toward making dining out with friends easier. When your friends understand your challenges, they will be less likely to blow off your concerns about where you choose to eat.

Living with a gluten sensitivity takes some hard work, but you can still enjoy the pleasures of dining out with friends by planning ahead. Happy eating.

I could have easily titled this article "Eat, Fish and Be Healthy" but that wouldn't have been as descriptive.  Michigan in the heart of summer is an amazing water wonderland.  She is surrounded by the great lakes that just beg for exploration and the sharing of her bounty.  Recently I hired my friend Captain Dan Cruchon to take my sons and a couple friends and I sport fishing in Lake Huron.  Fishing with Captain Dan Cruchon is always a great experience.  His knowledge and expertise in the field of sport fishing is amazing.  There has never been a time where we have left the boat empty handed.   I’ve made it an annual tradition to hire Captain Dan and his Stormy Chinook to capture food for our family.  We love salmon, trout, walleye and other great lakes fish.  What a great way to add fish to the freezer and best of all it is wild – NOT FARMED.

I often get emails and phone calls from patients and potential patients regarding how we help those who suffer with Hashimoto's. 

You know the feeling - - you are invited to someones lake house for a holiday celebration and you think to yourself - how am I going to stick to my health supporting diet? 

Most people want a linear answer when it comes to answers about their autoimmune illness or other health challenge.  I'd say that a majority of the time when it comes to chronic illness, the solution is more like solving a jigsaw puzzle.

What would you do if you had a LARGE unsightly collection of callous laden warts on the bottom of your right foot, autoimmune attack of your gut, gluten sensitivity and a family history of many autoimmune diseases like Parkinson's disease and rheumatoid arthritis?

"Look, Dr. Johnson", exclaimed Sarah as she entered the center nutrition testing treatment room at Johnson Chiropractic Neurology & Nutrition.  Sarah excitedly used her index finger to repeatedly and exuberantly poke her forearm.