The Real Wonder Bread
I put my 9 1/2 year old son Charlie on the gluten-free casein-free diet the day I read about it on the internet back in June of 1999. A month later, we found out that Charlie had tested positive for celiac disease, in which the body is unable to break down gluten, the protein in wheat. I got the Autism Network for Dietary Intervention (ANDI) newsletter by autism mothers Lisa Lewis and Karyn Seroussi, and soon was folding back the corners of pages in Lewis’ cookbook, and eagerly read Seroussi’s Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother’s Story of Research & Recovery . Charlie’s diet has always been what I call “vaguely Asian”—I am Chinese-American and grew up eating white rice every single night—and it was not tremendously difficult to find things to cook for him: Charlie’s taste for sushi, Vietnamese summer rolls, and bowls of rice noodles thin and thick was developed early on.
Except for the perfect loaf of gluten-free bread. I bought the xanthan gum, tapioca and rice and soy and chestnut flours, mixed in large amounts of yeast (which did not seem a good idea, since anti-fungal therapy worked well for Charlie). But without wheat flour and milk and butter, the loaves I produced were veritable bricks and the ones I found in the freezer case of a dense quality rather like the taro root “cake” my grandmother, Ngin-ngin, used to make.
So I was dubious, yet curious, to read that, as reported in today’s Science Daily, researchers in Spain at the Food Technology Plant Special Research Centre (CeRPTA)
have for the first time developed a completely gluten-free bread that is of a much higher quality than products currently available for coeliacs. The product was 100% successful in the tests carried out. The resulting product has an increased nutritional value, a longer useful life and a similar texture to traditional bread.
……The aim was to develop a type of bread suitable for coeliacs with a similar taste and similar texture to bread made with wheat flour — that is, a spongy centre and a “normal” volume — as well as a unique taste that makes it stand out from existing products.
Could this be it: A gluten-free bread with the consistency of……..Wonder Bread?
In the meantime, Charlie has been devouring the English muffins from Foods By George (and a pack of brownies is carefully hidden away in the refrigerator).
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POSTED IN: Books, Food and Diet, Science
9 opinions for The Real Wonder Bread
Daisy
Dec 19, 2006 at 9:16 pm
A co-worker of mine has celiac disease, and she found a bread like the one you describe. She eats it sparingly, because the fiber, um, is powerful, but finds it very satisfying.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Dec 19, 2006 at 11:40 pm
Charlie adores these English muffins—they actually have a “fluffy” texture and look and taste like the “real thing.” The textures of the other breads does not appeal to him!
Autism Vox » Charlie takes it all in
Jan 6, 2007 at 2:00 pm
[…] At my mention of that word, my son Charlie, who has celiac disease and who has been on the gluten-free casein-free diet for the past 7 1/2 years jumped up from the couch. He was on the verge of dozing off—Charlie has been having trouble going to sleep and a nap at noon means he will not fall asleep till the wee hours of the morning. I recently found some gluten-free rolls that he loves and now found a pizza that he likes, too—-when Charlie was younger, he did not seem to notice if we ate pizza or bagels or bread if we ate them in front of him. A few years ago, he became much more aware of what my husband Jim and I do and, in particular, of what we were eating—and he wanted to eat the same things as us. […]
Gluten Free Recipes - Mike
Jan 15, 2007 at 11:05 am
I have heard more and more people discuss the possible relation between Celiac Disease and Autism. In fact, I have allergists and doctors offices that treat autistic children selling my Gluten-Free Recipes book since they feel it can be of great use.
Although my specialty is desserts, my wife has created quite a few really great gluten-free bread recipes that are posted for free on our website. Even great gluten-free pizza crust recipes are online for free for anyone that would like to try them. Some of the breads we have online are lighter ones, and some are more of a multi-grain or “wheat” bread style to introduce a more fiber into the mix.
Hope the information is helpful.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Jan 15, 2007 at 11:36 am
Thanks so much—-really appreciate it and will check out your site!
The Bus Comes and a Trail of Bread Crumbs
Sep 15, 2007 at 2:15 am
[…] at a small local carnival. Back at home, Charlie sat again in the black chair and munched on a wheat-free roll: He use to eat both the noodles and the rolls frequently and lost interest in the early summer: […]
Valorie
Sep 19, 2007 at 8:04 pm
I just wanted to let people know that there is a company, founded by celiacs who make delicious wheat free muffins. Its a small family run business so they are only distributed in Wa Or and northern Ca right now but they can be purchased online at Flax4Life.net. My kids love them!
We heat the carrot/raisin muffins up and put lowfat cream cheese on them and serve them as dessert!
Jenny McCarthy, Autism Mother
Oct 27, 2007 at 11:56 pm
[…] otherwise have: epigenetics, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), what “stimming” is, why bread without wheat just isn’t the same, how to have a conversation with a tall 10-year-old using less than a […]
Special Diet, Charlie Style
Mar 13, 2008 at 12:11 am
[…] spotlight as an alternative treatment for autism. I have written about our experience with “the diet” before; Charlie has been more or less on the diet since June of 1999. I say “more or […]
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