A Guide to Contemporary Cooking With recipes and articles by Shelly McRae

The Contemporary Cook needs to meet special dietary needs as awareness of food allergies continues to grow, as more of us decide to limit the fat and salt in our diets, and as many more choose a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. The development of personalized food styles leads to lifestyle changes, creating new paths and approaches to how we live on this planet. Listed here are a few of my articles relating to celiac disease and living gluten-free, with links to their respective postings. You can also visit my blog, Contemporary Cooking for more information on living gluten free.

Gluten Free Daily Bread I make gluten free bread from scratch. It’s a rice flour bread and the process is a departure from the usual one used in bread making. Let’s start with the recipe. Read more... Tips on Controlling Celiac Disease Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder. Your body cannot tolerate gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, oats and barley. Nor can you tolerate any gluten by-product, such as mono-sodium glutamate (MSG). Symptoms of celiac disease or gluten intolerance include stomach cramps, skin rash, headaches, vomiting, and diarrhea or constipation. You may also suffer from bone loss, loss of muscle mass and short stature. The symptoms derive from your inability to draw nutrients into your body from the foods you eat because ingesting gluten has damaged your intestines. Read more... Celiac Disease and Mental Health When the body is deprived of nutrients the infrastructure suffers. Loss of bone and muscle mass, slowed circulation and digestive problems, small stature and slowed cognitive development all relate to lack of nutrition. Celiac disease robs the body of nutrients. When the body isn't functioning properly, the brain suffers as well. When the brain suffers, so does mental health. Read more... Gluten Free Dough for Bread Breads and baked goods made from wheat flour have an airy texture; breads rise and baked goods are light and fluffy. One of the elements that brings this delicate quality to foods is gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat and subsequently in wheat flour. Read more...