Cautions About Being "Gluten-Free"

Gluten is not just found in wheat, it is found in rye, barley, possibly oats, and some other grains. All the commonly used flours in mainstream breads, cookies, cakes, muffins, crackers, and pastas must be completely avoided.

Just reducing your gluten intake is ineffective and even dangerous; your diet must be 100 percent gluten-free. No exceptions and no cheating. This is because you will cause damage to your intestine from a meal with gluten which will take time to heal. This intestinal damage is what causes your symptoms, and these symptoms will continue long after that one meal containing any gluten is completely out of your system. You probably already know that if you diligently follow a gluten-free diet for even five days and then have "just one little cookie or cracker" somewhere, your intestines will be damaged and you will needlessly suffer.

You must also be extremely cautious about hidden gluten. This is a big problem which requires a lot of diligence. If you unwittingly eat some gluten (like from some soy products which may contain gluten, or you eat food served or cooked in a utensil with residue gluten) you won't see a significant reduction of your symptoms even after a couple of weeks on your new "gluten free" diet.  You might then conclude that you don't really have celiac. If that happens you can go months or even years before getting properly diagnosed.

It is extremely important to see the right doctor who specializes in and is experienced with diabetes, celiac and endocrinology who can conduct the proper tests and come to the correct diagnosis for you.

Once you are on your gluten free diet you must be extremely careful to check the ingredients of any product that you buy, no matter what the claims about the product are. After the proper testing and correct diagnosis your doctor can tell you if you need to avoid other items beside gluten. Obviously, sugar is one but you may also need to be off of any dairy or casein products and also be concerned about the total carbohydrates (net carbs) and fiber in your diet. This information is required to be listed for every food product sold in the US on the "Nutrition Facts" label and is something you must also check very carefully.  It is important to also stress that it is best practice to purchase products that are made in the USA by a reliable source who will be accountable for their gluten-free products and manufacturing process claims.

Home recipes can be a great way to tailor your diet properly but you must be extremely careful about the applicability of the particular recipe to your specific diagnosis. You must be 100% sure about every ingredient and also pay strict attention to where it is prepared, baked or cooked and what it is served in.  You run the risk of the damage and suffering you are trying to avoid and overcome by not being vigilant regarding the source and preparation of the items in the recipe.

 

Dr. Joel Goldman Google Scholar

Archive of Selected Articles on Diabetes: Dr. Joel Goldman

1. Ahn, Y-H, PS Maturu, FU Steinheber and JM Goldman:  Association of diabetes mellitus with gastric bezoar formation.  Arch Intern Med 147:527-528, March 1987. 
2. Leventhal, RI and JM Goldman:  The use of immediate plasma potassium levels in treating diabetic ketoacidosis.  Arch Intern Med 147:1501-1502, August 1987. 
3. Goldman, JM and M. Chiriboga:  Diabetic ketoacidosis with alkalemia, J Emerg Med 7:369-372, July 1989. 
4. Goldman, JM:  Oral hypoglycemic agents:  an update of sulfonylureas.  Drugs of Today 25:689-695, October 1989. 
5. Mu, L and JM Goldman:  Human recombinant DNA insulin-induced lipoatrophy in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus.  Endo Pract 6:  151-152, March/April 2000. 
6. Goldman, JM:  Immediate plasma potassium levels in treating diabetic ketoacidosis.  Arch Intern Med 148:752, March 1988. 
7. Goldman, JM, MF Wheeler and BA Wighton:  The effects of moderate weight changes on blood glucose levels in a diabetic patient.   The Diabetes Educator, 15:16-18, 1989.
8. Goldman, J.M., and K. Jimenez:  Prescriptions and over-the-counter- drugs. Diabetes Forecast PP6-8, June 1992 
9. Goldman, JM and MF Wheeler: Remission of diabetes after irradiation of the head and neck.  Diabetes Care 10:137-138, January-February 1987. 
10. Goldman, JM and MF Wheeler:  Lipodystrophy from recombinant DNA human insulin.  Diabetes 36 (Suppl. 1): 198A, May 1987. 
11. Vinay, R and JM Goldman: Diabetic foot complications associated with the Haj (Islamic pilgrimage). Pract Diab Int 21:138, May 2004.

Q&A with Jamie Geller and Ilan de Leon of Carb 1 Low Carb Gluten Free Muffins and Breads

Carb 1 Low Carb, Gluten Free Muffins and Breads

By: JAMIE GELLER

Carb 1 is such an amazing product with so many benefits and such great taste. What inspired you to create your line of low carbohydrate muffins and breads?

I created the products for people with diabetes. My mother and son are diabetic. A diabetic can't easily enjoy products made with wheat flour or sugar because those items raise their blood sugar levels.

When my son went to yeshivah as a kid, he had to take five syringes to school so he could give himself insulin shots before he ate snacks and meals.

A normal person's body creates insulin, which naturally keeps down blood sugar levels produced by high-carb foods. The insulin prevents the sugar level in your bloodstream from getting too high.
A diabetic's body doesn't produce insulin or enough insulin, so they have to take pills or shots of insulin before they eat items with a lot of carbs or sugar. Since our products were created to really taste good and we guarantee they will not raise your blood sugar, they are 100% safe for any kid or adult with diabetes to enjoy without any problems.

There are a lot of so-called low-carb products out there. How are Carb 1 products different? Why are your products safe for diabetics to eat? 

Our bakery goods are low carb since we use no flour, grains or starches, and they therefore will not raise blood sugar levels. This means that a diabetic will not have to take insulin before they eat our breads or muffins. 

To put it into perspective, our muffins have 1 carbohydrate whereas regular muffins made with wheat flour have 50 to 60 carbs.  A diabetic can safely enjoy our muffins and bread, which really is a new experience for someone used to taking insulin before each meal.

Your breads and muffins are so moist. I'd never guess they are low-carb. What's your secret? How do you keep the carbohydrates down without sacrificing flavor?

You're right on the money. People can't believe our products are practically carbohydrate free. The secret is that instead of wheat flour, we use almond flour. A lot of times, low-carb products are dry and tasteless. Almond flour makes products moist and rich-tasting. It took us two years to develop the formula but we are tremendously happy with the results.

And for sweetness, what do you use in place of sugar?

Well, in our breads we don't add sweeteners. In the muffins we use sucralose, which is Splenda.  This is a sweetener designed specifically for diabetics.

Carb 1 is such an innovative product. What kinds of muffins and breads do you offer and what are the plans for the future?

Currently, we offer three types of sliced breads; plain, onion, and garlic, that come in 24 slices per loaf. We also offer muffins in chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, and hazelnut flavors. They come 6 in a package.

All our products are available in the freezer section. They will last indefinitely in the freezer or 3-4 weeks in the fridge.

In terms of the future, we have other products in the works that we haven't introduced yet. Currently, we are working on things like rolls, biscotti, cereal made with pistachio nuts-lots of yummy things.

By the way, all our products are made under the guidance of Dr. Joel Goldman, chief endocrinologist, (the head of the diabetes department) at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn.

I'm getting hungry just hearing about Carb 1. Do you have to be diabetic to enjoy your products?

No way! The product was designed with diabetics in mind but everyone can enjoy them.

People who have Celiac disease will love them because they are gluten free. To put it into bold terms, our products are wheat free, gluten free, sugar free, transfat free and dairy free. If you are conscious of any of these things, you'll love our products. Most importantly, our products taste great so anyone can enjoy our delicious breads and muffins.

Author Bio:

- JAMIE GELLER is a best selling author (Quick and Kosher Recipes from the Bride Who Knew Nothing, 2007), an internationally syndicated food and lifestyle columnist, an award-winning television producer, a motivational speaker, and the host of popular Internet cooking shows "Quick & Kosher" and "Simply Kosher." -

Dr. Goldman's Creates and Endorses Carb-One Low Carb Muffins and Breads

Carb-one.com was established by me to produce low starch, very low sugar products which can be substituted for starch products because of the difficulty of many patients with diabetes to stay on such a diet.

These new products do not raise the blood sugar levels to any significant degree. They are safe for diabetic patients to eat. 

All of the ingredients have been approved by me as safe for diabetic patients.

All Dr. Goldman's Carb-One products contain no sugar, grains, dairy or transfat and are 100% gluten free.  

Enjoy in Good Health!   Take the Dr. Goldman’s Carb-One challenge!

If you find after eating any of my products, any increase in your blood sugar levels, contact us for an unconditional 100% money back guarantee.

Diabetes Mellitus and Celiac Disease

Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the body is unable to utilize glucose (a simple sugar).

As a result, glucose levels in the blood increase. This exposes the blood vessels and surrounding tissues to elevated levels of sugar which have a "corrosive" effect on these structures. After many years of this excess exposure to sugar, the blood vessels and tissues become irreversibly damaged which leads to the long term complications of diabetes such as blindness, kidney failure and amputation of limbs.

In order to prevent the complications of diabetes, it is extremely important to keep the blood sugar level as close to normal as possible.

In a normal person without diabetes, the blood sugar level remains in a very narrow range. This is due to a number of hormones, mainly from the islet cells of the pancreas, which interact to keep the sugar (glucose) levels normal whether one is eating or fasting.

When diabetes develops, the pancreatic islet cells are unable to produce enough insulin to keep the sugar levels normal. As a result, the sugar levels rise to levels which damage many organs of the body leading to the terrible complications of this disease.

A contributing factor in many patients is insulin resistance which prevents the levels of insulin from working properly. As a result, the tissues of the body cannot utilize glucose causing the blood levels of sugar to rise.

To treat diabetes, many medications are available which increase the insulin levels and/or decrease the insulin resistance. These medications generally lower the glucose levels toward the normal range. Unfortunately, none of these medications, including insulin, can prevent sugar levels from rising if sugar is consumed.

Sugar can be consumed by eating or drinking foods with sugar, for example, candy or cake. Fruit contains "natural" sugar which raises the blood sugar levels in a very similar way to "refined" sugar.

Starches such as pastry, bread, rice, potatoes and cereal are very efficiently converted into sugar (glucose) within 30 - 60 minutes after eating. All flour produced from grain (wheat, rye, oats, barley and spelt) or other starches such as potatoes, rice and corn are converted into sugar.

To treat diabetes by keeping glucose levels from rising, it is essential to stay on a "low carbohydrate" diet which is actually a low starch, very low fruit and no sugar diet.