Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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224 of 253 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good book for the gluten-free beginner or recently diagnosed celiac, April 28, 2009
I must admit that I had a preconceived notion about what the book was going to be like. My skepticism had nothing to do with her, or her personality, or what she says on the View, or what people think of her, because frankly, I don't have time to watch TV at 10am or read about her comments on the internet. My preconceived notion was based simply on the title "The G-Free Diet."
The cutesy title reminded me of an article I wrote on my blog Sure Foods Living in which I pointed out that maybe the reason people couldn't embrace the gluten-free diet is that the word "gluten" just isn't cool enough for people and that we need to start calling the gluten-free diet something else. (I jokingly offered "the no g-carb diet" as a solution.) Turns out I might have been right and a celebrity has given it a new name! Elisabeth uses the term "the G-Free Diet" so many times in the book that by the end I actually find myself getting used to it. Another phrase she uses: "G-Full" -- referring to foods that are full of gluten. Not bad.
So back to the preconceived notion... the cutesy title and cutesy cover made me think that the book was going to be cutesy too. It wasn't!
What I thought...
I found this book to be practical and personal. It is practical, with understandable medical and diet information, and personal, with stories meant to illustrate points and make us feel like she is just like us with the same worries and anxiety about the diet that we have (except that she hangs out with Whoopi Goldberg and Prince Charles!). She also maintains a positive but realistic attitude throughout, which is the tone that I also try to convey on my website.
Perhaps I liked this book too because I related to her story. My celiac story is very similar to hers in terms of symptoms and the journey to diagnosis. In fact we were both diagnosed in 2002, after returning from a time away from the United States -- she 39 days in Australia for Survivor: Outback, me 25 days in India for my honeymoon. We both were on a gluten-free diet without even realizing it, our bodies repaired themselves, and when we returned to our wheat-laden American culture, our bodies struck back with a vengeance. Another similarity -- we both figured it out before doctors did. Our recoveries were similar too. She mentions jokingly that she can't believe her now-husband continued dating her despite all her health problems -- I have also joked that I can't believe my husband married me! (I was diagnosed 3 months after our wedding!)
I really liked...
The chapter called "What's Mine is Yours (Well, Sort Of!)" Elisabeth is the only one in her family that eats gluten-free, and she provides helpful information for what she calls the "modified G-free kitchen" where both gluten-free and gluten-containing foods are prepared. If you are new to the diet and haven't converted your entire family to your way of thinking yet, the information provided in the book will make the shared kitchen seem do-able. Luckily I don't have to take all of these extra precautions, as my kitchen is completely gluten-free. (My husband eventually adopted my diet because he was feeling so much better when he was gluten-free and I have decided to raise my children gluten-free.) I feel that if you can get your kitchen to be as gluten-free as possible, it makes things so much easier and makes you feel more relaxed -- at least you can feel at ease in your own home!
The chapter "Out on the Town" about dining out. There are some very good restaurant tips and the section called "Deciphering the Menu: The G-Free Detective" defines menu terms that are helpful for everyone to read. Don't expect to find recipes or many menu ideas in this book. There are a couple Italian recipes from her mother, but this is not a recipe book.
The chapter called "Throw Me a Bagel!" about living with someone who is gluten-free. Rarely have I seen tips for the person who lives with a gluten-free person ("GFG" she calls it, for Gluten-Free Gal or Guy). There is some great advice addressing such things as compassion, adaptability, preparedness, cleanliness and selflessness.
The section "Translating Ingredients" for understanding how to read cosmetics and personal care product labels. This is something that often gets overlooked by people on a gluten-free diet.
I really didn't like...
The fact that there is a chapter named "G-Free and Slim As Can Be!" which sounds like the whole chapter is promoting the use of the gluten-free diet for weight loss. The chapter is actually not about that at all and points out that once people are on a gluten-free diet and are forced to read labels, they become aware of what they are putting into their bodies and generally become healthier eaters overall. The chapter is more about nutrition and awareness of food. There are only a few sentences that refer to the fact that people might try the diet to lose weight -- it's unfortunate that the title doesn't reflect the real content of the chapter.
I'm glad she included...
The foreword by Dr. Peter Green. Also, I'm glad that in the foreword, Dr. Green talks about non-celiac gluten sensitivity and states, "Those with gluten sensitivity in the absence of celiac disease have a great difficulty getting satisfaction from the medical community. Without an abnormal biopsy, there is difficulty among many physicians accepting such a diagnosis. I, however, regard the diagnosis as valid, providing that celiac disease is excluded." This is a different take than he had in the past when he referred to the gluten-free diet as unnecessary torture without a diagnosis of celiac disease. If you are a regular reader of my blog Sure Foods Living, you know by now that I think outside the celiac box, so I was glad to see that gluten intolerance has been acknowledged in the book by both Dr. Green and Elisabeth.
And in her last chapter, Elisabeth tackles the connection between Autism and the Gluten-Free Casein-Free (GFCF) Diet. I believe that she did it well, citing studies and quoting doctors to support the idea that a diet change could be beneficial for some autistic kids. She made the connection understandable and at the end of the chapter, points out (and I wholeheartedly agree) "If eliminating gluten and casein from your child's diet can even slightly reduce the severity of his ASD, why not talk to a physician who could help you make this change?"
Some picky notes (I couldn't just let these go!)...
Blue Cheese
Elisabeth recommends staying away from blue cheese, but there are many brands that are gluten-free. See the article "Is blue cheese gluten-free?" on Sure Foods Living for a list.
Glucose Syrup
Although it can be made from wheat, studies have shown that it is gluten-free. See the article "Is glucose syrup gluten-free?" on Sure Foods Living for more information.
Sticky Rice
The book says that the sticky rice in sushi might contain added gluten. I know a lot of you enjoy sushi, so don't freak out! The sticky rice (also called glutinous rice) does not contain gluten itself, despite its misleading name, and I have never heard of gluten being added to it. Things that are added to sticky rice are sugar, salt, rice wine and rice vinegar, all of which are gluten-free. There are other foods to watch out for when eating sushi (soy sauce, imitation crab, sauces, roe, miso, tempura, tea), but the sticky rice is not one of them!
Online Stores
I wasn't impressed with the online stores resource list in this book. I understand that websites and stores change a lot, but there were some basic "oopsies" that I found. In the middle of the book (p.74) she recommended a particular online store -- well, it's just someone's Amazon store! Also, in the resources list at the end of the book, she recommends another market whose domain name is for sale. Given that few resources were even listed, it seems like they should have been checked before going to print.
Overall...
I think this is a really good guide for someone who has just been diagnosed with celiac disease or is just starting a gluten-free diet, or even for those that have been on a gluten-free diet for a while but haven't completely mastered it yet. I am surprised I liked it so much. I may even start saying I am "G-Free!" Or maybe not.
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Discrepencies in gluten free diet, June 28, 2009
Dr Green's forward is excellent. The problem that I have with the text is that it disputes many reputable celiac writers. It claims that vinegar and alcohols are NOT gluten free when it has been proven scientifically that the protein in wheat, barley and rye do not go throught the distillation process.
Also, Elisabeth may have her opinion, but the majority of celiac research proves that topical and skin products do not have any affect on the small intestine.
The strongest part of the book was giving examples of the emotional issues that celiacs face.
I am a celiac that has done much research and I can say that we can agree to disagree on many of the chapters.
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68 of 93 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat smooth but some sticking points tough to digest, May 10, 2009
As a health counselor whose nutritional counseling practice is heavily focused on helping people with gluten allergies, intolerances, sensitivities and celiacs phase gluten out of their diet to regain their health, I wasn't expecting to learn much from this book. I'm well versed in gluten-free living from helping my clients and living gluten-free myself.
But I was hoping it would shed more thorough light to the public on how gluten can wreak havoc on one's health - even if one isn't celiac. It's called a Gluten-Free Survivial Guide - not a book solely for Celiacs. And, most people would benefit from being low or gluten-free.
Unfortunately, this book didn't accomplished that. If anything, I walked away feeling like someone reading this new to a celiac diagnosis or hoping to improve or even reverse their asthma, inflammation levels, cholesterol, skin problems, diabetes, IBS, acid reflux, exhaustion, anxiety attacks and depression (all which can be done by going gluten-free and changing over to a whole foods diet) would feel overwhelmed and afraid of eating forever.
I understand Elisabeth has no nutritional background beyond her own experience, but she has access to some of the most progressive health professionals in the world. She could have brought in more research on the incredible benefits of a gluten-free diet, or at least a low-gluten diet. And also the lifestyle and behavior change suggestions needed when under-going dietary changes. By focusing more on the benefits and the how's, which there are hundreds, people would be more motivated to attempt to make these changes in their diets.
Also, there was no clear cut process for removing gluten from the diet. Many people who have dieted all their life or are emotional eaters (which is the other majority in my practice) will at first, cling to this "deprivation" but in the end, binge on these gluten-foods. This is very dangerous territory and can send people who have a fragile relationship with food off the deep end.
It personally took me a year to remove gluten from my diet and the easiest way is doing it gradually and making sure the rest of your diet and lifestyle supports this change. Professional help is needed during this transition if you don't want to go insane in the process. And this type of stress can do more damage than gluten. This results in stressed-out people who will never experience the amazing benefits of being gluten-free. I wish Elisabeth would have at least stressed this in the book so that people who already feel like failures with food, wouldn't set themselves up for more heartache.
I also found some of the information in this book to be inaccurate. For example, there are brands of brown rice syrup that are gluten-free. And one doesn't need to avoid all dairy substitutes. Certain almond milk brands are gluten-free and can be helpful in restoring your health as dairy is very hard to digest. Also, oats are naturally gluten-free and at one point in the book, she mentions they contain gluten. There are other times she says you can find gluten-free oats and they are OK but the inconsistencies can be confusing when you are trying to even remember what gluten-is. And, the book is poorly written with every other line being a ! which personally, was annoying.
However, there were some interesting things I learned. For example, make sure eggs when you are eating out aren't mixed with flour. And to check my vegetable boullion cubes (which I did and happily, they are gluten-free).
I also appreciated her commentary on the pharmaceutical companies role in health-care and the need to get away from processed foods. It seems there we both agree.
Overall, I wish I would have bought the book used.
Ali M Shapiro, CHHC, AADP
www.alishapiro.com
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