NOTICE: This blog is no longer being updated, so medical information may no longer be accurate.

Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom’s List of Favorite Books and Resources on Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance and Overall Healthy Living

Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom's List of Favorite Celiac, Gluten Intolerance and Health Books

If you’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease, I’m going to take a wild guess at what your gastroenterologist told you right after he or she delivered the good news:

  • He/she recommended that you should see a dietitian/nutritionist to help you learn the gluten free diet.
  • He/she recommended you buy some Lactaid (for good measure) to better help you digest milk while your villi heal.
  • See ya in 6 months.

Am I close?  If not, congratulations on having a physician who has stayed up-to-date on all the latest celiac research!  If it does sound familiar, know that you are not alone.  That was the exact scenario that happened to me back in 2005…only the dietitian that my GI recommended never returned my phone calls and the dietitian I eventually found on my own admitted that she was not knowledgeable of the gluten free diet.

And then she handed me the bill.

Gee, thanks.

While great strides have been made in celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity awareness over the past 6 years, the disturbing fact remains…the majority of physicians in the United States believe and are still practicing the antiquated beliefs about celiac disease that they were taught in medical school decades earlier.

And non-celiac gluten sensitivity?  Consider yourself “lucky” if you’re not escorted out of the doctors office in a straight jacket for even mentioning it!  (No, you are not crazy.  Gluten can damage any organ in your body…and it does not have to be in conjunction with the intestinal damage found in those of us with celiac disease).

And because of that, it is up to the patient to teach themselves not only about the gluten free diet (often learning things the hard way), but also what to expect as you go through the healing process.  More often than not, the gluten free diet alone is NOT ENOUGH to restore a person to good health after suffering from the ill effects of consuming poison for decades.

Many folks do in fact experience an immediate “gluten-free euphoria” when they first remove glutonium from their diet…but many people also feel worse because they are going through gluten withdrawal (but they don’t realize what they’re experiencing is withdrawal and that the symptoms should subside within a few weeks or so).  Even the people who experience that initial euphoria, often find that their feelings of good health backslide over time.

Then there are those wild and crazy celiac people like me, who don’t feel any different on a gluten-free diet than they did while still eating a gluten-full diet (and this is where the dangerous temptation to cheat can grab hold – trust me, I know).

I found that for me, the best “medicine” was education (after removing glutonium from my diet of course).  I’m the type of person who needs to know and understand the hows and whys of something in order for me to make lasting change.  Take sugar for example, I used to have a horrible sweet tooth (over a pound of gummy bears a day!).  Of course I “knew” that sugar could make my teeth fall out and add a few unwanted pounds around my mid section but I could live with that.  Then I watched Sugar: The Bitter Truth and realized that no, I really couldn’t live with it (or shall I say, I wouldn’t live very long with it).

Same thing with gluten.  Because I do not feel any noticeable symptoms when I get exposed to the crap, it was vitally important for me to understand what gluten was doing to the inside my body (it’s not like I have a zipper and can just take a peak inside whenever I want!).

So, as I shared in my post on my favorite cookbooks, I will link to the following books on Amazon (if available).  Yes, the links are affiliate links (you can read my disclosure policy to learn more), but no pressure to buy from me, if you can find a better deal elsewhere, by all means, go for it!  You should also check out your local library to see if they have a copy you can borrow. 😀

The following books are my absolute favorites, not just for learning about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, but there are also a few books about how many of us probably ended up in this place to begin with (well, at least what I believe to be largely true).

Celiac Disease, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity and Intestinal Health Books

Celiac Disease (Revised and Updated Edition): A Hidden Epidemic by Peter H.R. Green, M.D. and Rory Jones

Whether you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, this should be one of the first books you read.  Dr. Green does an excellent job of teaching those who do not have a medical background about the human digestive system and how it works, as well as the multitude of disease processes that can occur when the gut is in a state of disrepair.

While the book does focus heavily on celiac disease, Dr. Green also explains in great detail much of the terminology that one will come across when reading other books and medical research on the topic of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.

Fast Facts: Celiac Disease by Carlo Catassi, M.D. and Geoffrey Holmes, M.D., PhD, FRCP and Alessio Fasano, M.D.

The Gluten Syndrome by Rodney Ford, M.D. (also available as an e-book)

Eczema! Cure It by Rodney Ford, M.D. (also available as an e-book

Dangerous Grains: Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous To Your Health by James Braly, M.D. and Ron Hoggan, Ed. D.

The Iron Edge by Ron Hoggan, Ed. D.

Cereal Killers: Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free A to Z  by Ron Hoggan, Ed.D and Scott Adams, founder of celiac.com

Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance by Dr. Stephen Wangen of IBS Treatment Center

2010 Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Forum (DVD) sponsored by HealthNOW Medical Center and featuring Dr. Vikki Petersen, Rodney Ford, M.D., Cynthia Kupper, R.D. and Dr. Tom O’Bryan

The Gluten Effect by Drs. Vikki and Richard Petersen

 

Gluten Toxicity: The Mysterious Symptoms of Celiac Disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, And Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance by Shelly L. Stuart, R.N., B.Sc.N. of Celiac Nurse

Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet by Elaine Gottschall, B.A., M.Sc.

More great books that have been instrumental in my crusade to heal my family

The Unhealthy Truth: One Mother’s Shocking Investigation into the Dangers of America’s Food Supply– and What Every Family Can Do to Protect Itself by Robyn O’Brien of Allergy Kids Foundation and Robynobrien.com

Note from Heidi: Moms, Dads, Grandparents, Teachers, etc., etc.  READ THIS BOOK!!!

The Hundred-Year Lie: How to Protect Yourself from the Chemicals That Are Destroying Your Health by Randall Fitzgerald

Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.

 

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders by Kenneth Bock, M.D. and Cameron Stauth

 

Hidden Food Allergies: The Essential Guide to Uncovering Hidden Food Allergies–And Achieving Permanent Relief by James Braly, M.D. and Patrick Holford

The UltraMind Solution: The Simple Way to Defeat Depression, Overcome Anxiety, and Sharpen Your Mind
by Dr. Mark Hyman

Do you know of a great book that you don’t see listed here? 

If so, please share your recommendation(s) in a comment! 😀

 

Comments

  1. Phenomenal list, Heidi! You never disappoint, dear. Your opening is perfect!

    We've given away some of these books for our Home for the Holidays … Gluten-Free Style event … they are really all valuable resources. We talked about trying to get Dr. Blalock come speak for the health initiative of which I'm a member. The clear results of his work with removing gluten from the food served to inmates in prison was nothing short of incredible. Makes you wonder how many problems we could solve or dramatically improve by removing gluten in our society. Did you see that even Seth Godin (in a post last week) advised folks to give up wheat for a week to see the results and, furthermore, stated they'd be surprised? I'd like to think we're inching (maybe a much smaller measurement than that) our way closer to the Gluten-Free Planet that Dr. Ford envisions and all of us who are gluten free fantasize about …

    xo,

    Shirley

  2. Real Life With Celiac Disease – Troubleshooting and Thriving Gluten Free. Melinda Dennis, RD and Daniel Leffler, MD from the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. I had to buy this one is has so much information on Celiac Disease – a great guide book to maneuver through the mazes and unexpected crisis. I also liked the book by Dr. Peter Green. I hope one day that every major Medical facility will have a Celiac Clinic. This disease is so much more than eating gluten free. I diagnosed myself, requesting the blood test at my physical since there was no explanation for my progressing osteoperosis, and learned to shop and eat by myself. On top of that my computer went down the first month after diagnosis and I had to visit the computer lab at the library every day before I could put a new food in my mouth. I feel this is a very self-managed disease. I read that gluten free eating is not our problem but our solution to good health. It would be helpful to concentrate on the solution and not have to handle all these problems alone.

  3. Wheat Belly, by Dr. William Davis and The Primal Blueprint, by Mark Sisson, are excellent sources of grain-free information and recipes.

  4. That is a great list! I have 2 that I would like to add. “What’s Eating Your Child” By Kelly Dorfman and “Diet Wise” by Kieth Scoot-Mumby. I am currently reading “Dangerous Grains” and find the history of wheat and its effects fascinating.