Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/85232
Sarah King's eldest children, Brianna and Callum, were plagued by a series of health problems in their early years. Their reactions were so bad that the King's referred to their bathroom as 'the office' because they patronised it so often. The family frequented doctors' offices recurrently as the flow of illnesses afflicted one child or the other. "They were well enough to be going to school but never felt 100 percent," Sarah explains. "One day my mother read something about the gluten intolerance and told me to get Brianna tested for it. I was sceptical as most people are and it took about a year of her harping on for me to finally look into it." Coming from the food industry, Sarah was dubious thinking the disorder was 'just a fad'. People in the food industry are not usually warming towards people with allergies and intolerances. "Finally, I took her to get her blood tests done and the results were alarming. Her tests sky rocketed through the markers of normal levels. We took her straight off gluten and the effects were immediate. She grew from this scrawny little kid to one of the strongest, brightest kids in her class." Just when Sarah was coming to terms with the adjustments needing to be made in her child's life, her eight-year-old son Callum, told his parents he might be gluten intolerant as well. "Few children his age are in the mindset to decide that they will not eat sausage rolls at their friends' birthday parties or white bread sandwiches. He wants to be as much part of the pack as other children but he recognised that he wanted to be healthy." After a year without gluten, Callum grew nearly a foot. At that point, the entire family took gluten out of their house for good and both Sarah and her husband, Mitch benefited from the deduction. "We've found that when we eat something with gluten in it, it doesn't make you feel sick, but down and drowsy enough for you to realise you've eaten something that maybe you shouldn't have. For us we want to feel good all the time so why not eat foods that allow us to do so?" Over time, Sarah wanted to give her family the same foods they had eaten before. She concocted a range of delicious gluten- free morsels that became so popular amongst friends and family that she decided to take them to the Takapuna markets. A few months into selling, Sarah's treats had established a cult following. Enquiries flooded in for a more regular place to purchase the products so The Gluten Free Grocer was set up in Newton, Auckland in late 2009 and has become a tourist WHITE CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE BISCOTTI Perfect with tea or coffee, these light and aromatic biscotti will leave you longing for more. No nuts, soy • Makes about 30 150g butter, softened 220g caster (superfine) sugar 2 eggs zest of 2 oranges 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 220 gluten-free flour blend (page 10) ½ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon xanthan gum 150g white chocolate, roughly chopped Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2. Grease two baking trays or line with non-stick baking paper. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until white and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the orange zest and vanilla and mix to combine well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum. Add to the bowl together with the chocolate, using a wooden spoon to gently fold everything together. Using wet hands, form two rolls the length of the trays, about 5cm wide, and place one on each tray. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until firm to the touch all over. Turn off the oven, remove the rolls and let them cool completely. With a sharp knife, cut the cooled rolls into slices around 1–2 cm thick, cutting on a slight angle. Heat the oven back up to 135°C/270°F/Gas mark 1. Place the slices flat on the baking trays and bake for a further 25 minutes to dry them out. You can turn them over halfway through to ensure they cook evenly. Cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container. The biscotti will keep this way for up to one month. Variations Cranberry Biscotti (dairy- and soy-free) – replace butter with the same amount of dairy-free margarine, and replace chocolate with the same amount of dried cranberries. Almond Biscotti (dairy- and soy-free) – replace the butter with the same amount of dairy-free margarine and replace the chocolate with 150g blanched almonds. WHAT CAUSES AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO GLUTEN? SARAH KING ANSWERS THE QUESTION… Gluten is a protein present in many foods processed from wheat and other related grains. Gluten intolerance is the most common of three forms of reactions to the protein. There is also coeliac disease which affects the small intestines and wheat allergy which causes reactions similar to hay fever or pet allergies. Gluten intolerance is not contagious; you're born with it. Some research suggests that coeliac disease and gluten intolerance come through inheritance from your father's side, but to this point there is so much argument that as far as I'm concerned, no one has nailed why we get it. Symptoms can be anything from feeling drowsy, down and emotionally affected to severe reactions which can harm your intestines. There is no one answer of the affects gluten has.