May 2012 – Celiac Disease and Menus

Celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disorder in which the body
virulently rejects gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Eating foods
with this protein causes severe gastrointestinal distress. The rejection of gluten
causes damage in the walls of the small intestine, which body needs to absorb key
nutrients like iron, folic acid and vitamins D and B12. Specialists recommend going
gluten-free once you have the biopsy diagnosis rather than waiting for showing
gastrointestinal symptoms and letting the damage progress. Some minor signs
may be gas, bloating, indigestion, loose stools, migraines or joint pain. Perhaps
eliminating gluten from your diet may alleviate these symptoms. The start of a
gluten free diet requires strict vigilance: reading every food package label and
daily avoidance of cross-contamination with a myriad of gluten-containing foods.

Menus: Gluten-Free

Apple Pear Muffins

1 cup of millet flour

¼ cup of tapioca starch/flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp xanthan gum

¾ tsp fine sea salt

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ cup vegetable oil

Mix first 9 ingredients together; add next 4 and beat until smooth. Batter should
be thick but not too wet. Using spatula, stir in diced apple and pear. Line the
pan and bake in oven for 22-25 minutes. Pop out of the pan to prevent soggy
bottoms.

Lemon Chicken with Asparagus Salad

4 chicken legs and 4 thighs

2 trimmed bunches asparagus 1 separated head of radicchio

1 sm red onion sliced 2 segmented oranges 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Score chicken legs. Toss legs and thighs with zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast
in oven 22 -24 minutes on 400 until cooked. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil. Roast
on top oven rack 8-10 minutes.

In medium bowl toss together orange segments, red onion and asparagus with
rice wine vinegar and splash of olive oil.

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Dr. John Bush did his annual dental screening on May 7, 2012.

RI Hearing Center will be performing their annual hearing screening for students
in grades Pre-K through Grade 3 on May 11, 2012.

Kindergarten registrations were held April 30, May 3 and May 4, 2012.