In my opinion, here are some books that I cherish. They made this journey a little easier to handle and a lot less mysterious.

Celiac Disease: The Hidden Epidemic by Peter H.R. Green and Rory Jones. Doctors Green and Jones are known in the field as THE Celiac Doctors. They are based in New York and head the major Celiac conferences in the East Coast. This book is a good guide for both the newly diagnosed as well as "old timers" to Celiac Disease. It explains the who/what/how/why of Celiac Disease and what you can do to help your doctor understand your needs.

Gluten Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Shelley Case, Dietitian. I went to a conference she was speaking at, and I think I took at least 10 pages of notes!! She breaks down the food you need to avoid, be careful of, and the foods you can and should have. As a dietitian, she is concerned about us celiacs eating the same 5 foods everyday at the expense of getting proper nutrition. She details alternate grains and how to cook and use them. She also gives sample 7 day diets for good nutrition. It is also worth noting that she is Canadian, and since the labelling laws are different between the us and canada, she makes understanding labels crystal clear. This book is almost overwhelming with the amount of information, so it is well worth the price. She also sells pocket guides to keep in your purse/pocket about what exactly is and is not gluten free.

Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A Balch CNC. This is a large reference guide. I got mine from Whole Foods, but I've also seen it for sale at Costco! If you don't want to buy the whole thing you may be able to copy just the section on Celiac Disease and/or any related illnesses you have. This author gives natural remedies for almost every ailment under the sun, all arranged alphabetically. She tells you what supplements and vitamins to buy, in the order of importance, and why you need them. I follow the programs for Celiac Disease and for Low Immunity. I can't imagine trying to get well without the supplements she's suggested. The vitamins and supplements recommendations I got from this book really made a huge difference in the way I felt.

The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy by Bette Hagman. Bette Hagman was recently honored by the Celiac Disease Foundation as a pioneer. She was the first to publish adapted recipes and start the conversation about Celiac Disease. All of her books are fantastic. I choose this one because it's a little lighter on calories. My only complaint is that I rarely bake enough to justify all of the different types of flours her recipes call for, so I end up wasting a lot of expensive flour. All of the recipes I've tried are amazing and tasty. I have even been able to feel comfortable enough with her recipes to experiment and personalize some of them with great success.

xoxo