New Calcium Recommendations-March ’13 Newsletter

For so many years it’s been a given that women should take a calcium supplement, just as a part of good preventative health and strong bones. Over half of women report taking calcium, vitamin D, or both. But the recommendation for calcium supplements has come under scrutiny during the past few years, with a 2010 BMJ study showing slight increases in heart attacks with calcium supplementation without D.

As of Feb 2013, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force official recommendation is against taking to taking calcium with D as primary prevention for fractures. They looked at 16 studies of people taking 1000mg or less a day of calcium with 400mg or less of Vitamin D (which is a pretty typical dose) and found that there was no decreased incidence of fractures.

  • This recommendation does not apply to people with osteoporosis, vitamin D deficiency, or people who are living in an institution. It also does not apply to people taking calcium for other reasons (e.g. Celiac disease)
  • The recommendations call for more research on the potential impacts of higher levels of vitamin D, and there is still support for taking Vitamin D for other reasons.
  • People who are at greater risk of falls are still encouraged to take vitamin D
  • They did not examine the effects of vitamin D on cardiovascular health or other diseases and conditions.
  • Fortunately, the risk of harm with taking calcium supplements is pretty low, but there is a slightly increased risk of kidney stones for women.

Take home message: If you’re a healthy person with no history of osteoporosis and you’re taking calcium because that’s what you’re supposed to do for your bones, the good news is now you have one less thing to worry about. Yes, you need calcium for your bones. But food sources are clearly superior to supplements. We also all need to regularly do weight bearing exercises, and avoid smoking.

There’s a nice summary from Harvard here, and full text of the recommendations here.

Recipe: Creamy Veggie SoupOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I wish I was moving onto Springtime recipes, but with the cold, I’m still loving my soup. This Creamy Veggie Soup is perfect for anyone avoiding dairy, or just trying to get some extra veggies.

  • 1 head cauliflower, roasted with olive oil and 1/2-1 bulb of garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • A big ‘ole container of chopped veggies (maybe 3 cups?) chopped carrots, onions and celery
  • A small handful roasted almonds, around ¼ cup
  • 4-5 big sprigs of thyme
  • 3-4 cups broth–any kind works. I usually use Pacific Organic Chicken Broth
    or their Vegetable Broth. I love Pacific because they’re organic, gluten-free & don’t use GMOs
  • Salt
  • White pepper, to taste

Roast a head of cauliflower with at least a ½ head of garlic. This can be done ahead or frozen.

Heat the olive oil over med/med high heat, and add in the veggies and thyme. Let them brown, 5-6 min and stir occasionally. They’re done when they are crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, puree the cauliflower mix and almonds with 3 cups of broth. This is simple in a Vitamix. If you’re using a food processor instead, using almond flour instead of whole almonds is probably a good idea.

Add puree into the pot with the browned veggies. Stir, add more broth, salt and pepper as needed.

 

Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax & Alexandria, VA. I work with people to feel and look their best with a range of specialties, including Celiac Disease, GI issues,  food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals.  Email me or call 571-271-8742. 

G-Free Products & Passover-March 2013 Newsletter

Gluten-free Passover foods:

Passover isn’t here until March 25th but many of the products are already appearing in grocery stores. Not all Passover foods are gluten-free, but many are, and there’s a much wider selection than usual at the grocery store. This can be a good time to stock up on GF cakes and mixes, cookies, macaroons, “bread” crumbs and supplies like potato starch. As an added bonus for people with multiple restrictions, most Kosher for Passover products contain no corn or soy products, either.

In a nutshell, the basic rule of foods for Passover is no leavened foods, which eliminates normal breads, cakes etc. Matzo, (an unleavened bread usually made from wheat) is eaten, and some products contain products Matzo and matzo meal, (also potentially listed as cake meal or farfel). However, many products don’t contain gluten. Or, if you find products labeled “non-gebrok or gebroktz or grebrochts” (or another spelling variation) they’re non-grain containing and therefore have no gluten-containing ingredients. Often Kosher for Passover products and cakes are made of potato flour or nut meals rather than wheat or glutinous grains.

As always in the gluten-free world, read labels carefully. “Kosher” and “Kosher for Passover” are two different things entirely. Kosher for Passover foods will be labeled “May be used for Passover” or have a symbol that says OUP. I have often seen “regular” Kosher foods in the Passover section at grocery stores, so please do check the labels very carefully.

Keep in mind that many Passover foods are imported from other countries, and imports should be, but often not labeled quite in the same way as the charosetFALCPA U.S. labeling laws dictate (the flip side is that a claim of “gluten free” is more meaningful in Europe or Israel) So a label will still say matzo, but may not say “wheat” explicitly or have the disclaimer stating that it contains wheat.

Most Kosher for Passover products will have to adhere to strict standards for cross contamination from a religious perspective, but again, buyer beware and no guarantees. Voluntary allergen labeling statements (AKA “Made in a factory” claims) are still not regulated.

And, for the first time, Manischewitz has a Gluten-Free line of products

From a gluten-free perspective, possibly the best part of Passover is AFTER Passover, when all of the great gluten-free goodies are on sale! Passover ends April 2nd, so mark your calendars, because the word has gotten out in gluten-free circles and the mad rush is on.

Back when you really couldn’t get GF prepared foods in the regular grocery store, this was a much bigger deal. But it’s still nicer to have an expanded selection, and nicest of all is AFTER Passover, when all of the products are on sale!

For people who DO celebrate the actual holiday of Passover, not just the gluten-free food, here are some great recipes and information:

Other favorite gluten-free recipe sites for Passover? Let me know in the comments on my website.

Lately, Whole Foods has stocked a gluten-free Matzah, and the brand is Yehuda, so keep your eyes peeled! There are also many more Kosher markets, such as Kosher Mart in Rockville. Some local grocery stores also have a great selection.
You can also buy gluten-free oat matzoh made from certified gluten-free oats. The only downside is that it is insanely expensive!

  • Shmura Oat Matzah http://www.glutenfreeoatmatzos.com/
  • Lakewood Shmura Matzo http://glutenfreematzoh.com/
  • Shabtai Gourmet have always been a passover go-to, but they are sold out–the company has damages due to Sandy and isn’t back to business yet.
  • Kids with Food Allergies put out a booklet on Passover with food restrictions.

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Gluten-Free Labeling Laws

Could it finally be? Yes, gluten-free labeling laws are on the horizon. We still don’t have a date, and don’t know what they say, but in the next few months there should be a lot more info available. Please note: these laws will not dictate that every product is marked for gluten status. Instead, if products choose to be labeled “gluten-free” they will have to conform to standards set out by the FDA.

FDA is holding a free conference in Bethesda with more info on the proposed labeling on March 22nd, 2013. It will also be taped and available after the event.

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DC Area Metro Celiac Organization
Next Meeting Date: Saturday, June 1nd, 2013, 2:00–4:00 pm

Rockville Public Library

Speaker TBD

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Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD is a Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist and Certified Wellcoach in Fairfax & Alexandria, VA. I work with people to feel and look their best with a range of specialties, including Celiac Disease, GI issues,  food allergies, pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegetarian and vegan diets, preventing diseases and “whole foods” eating. Let’s get you on your way to achieving your goals.  Email me or call 571-271-8742. 

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