Book Review: "Living Gluten-free for Dummies" by Danna Korn

Korn, Danna. Living Gluten-free For Dummies. Indianapolis, IN : Wiley, 2006. 355 pages, $19.99.

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2004 and have been on the gluten free diet with 100% compliance every since. Even though I am very familiar with the gluten free diet I still look for good resource materials. Last year I bought the book "Living gluten-free for dummies" because I wanted an easy to understand book to recommend to friends, family and to people new to the gluten-free way of life. I found it in this book.

It starts with a bang by having cheat sheet insert between the title covers and the title page. This sheet has on one side the dos and on the other the don'ts of the gluten free diet; this is extremely important information. There is a restaurant card the size of a business card to clip out and use that explains to the chef what you can and cannot eat. I would recommend photocopying it instead of clipping it for two reasons: 1. if you are like me, you might lose it 2. on the blank side you can write your food allergies (a lot of folks with gluten intolerances also have food allergies).

I was going to give an in-depth description of what is in this book, but then I realized that just listing the titles of the parts and chapters would give you the best idea of what this wonderful book offers. "Living Gluten-Free for Dummies" is divided into 5 parts plus an index and many recipes.

Part I: Going Gluten-Free: Who, What Why and How
Chapter 1: Gluten-Free from A to Z: The Basics of Being Gluten-Free
Chapter 2: Going Gluten-Free: Who's Doing It and Why
Chapter 3: A Closer Look at Celiac Disease
Chapter 4: Grasping the Ground Rules of the Gluten-free Diet
Chapter 5: Making Sure It's Gluten-Free: Digging a Little Deeper
Chapter 6: Gluten Free....Nutritiously
Part II: Planning and Preparing: The Preludes to Cooking
Chapter 7: Creating a Gluten-Free Friendly Kitchen
Chapter 8: Shopping is Easier Than You Think
Chapter 9: Cooking: Tips and Techniques
Part III: From Menus to Meals: Recipes for the Gluten-free Gastronome
Chapter 10: First Things First: Beginning with Breakfast
Chapter 11: Appetizers with Attitude
Chapter 12: Sensational Soups, Salads, and Sides
Chapter 13: Enticing Entrees
Chapter 14: Pizza, Pasta, and Bread: Foods You Thought Were a Thing of the Past
Chapter 15: Getting Your Just Desserts
Part IV: Living - and Loving - the Gluten-Free Lifestyle 24/7
Chapter 16: Getting Out and About: Eating Away from Home
Chapter 17: Raising Happy, Healthy, Gluten-Free Kids
Chapter 18: Beating the Blues: Overcoming Emotional Obstacles
Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 19: Ten Benefits of Being Gluten-Free
Chapter 20: Ten Tips to Help You (or Your Child)
Chapter 21: Ten Lame Excuses Not to Go Gluten-Free

Recipes are divided into six sections:
Breakfast
Appetizers
Soups, Salads, and Sides
Entrées
Pizza, Pasta, and Bread
Desserts

The only complain I have about "Living Gluten-Free for Dummies": is in the recipes, they are high in carbs. Being a diabetic and having gluten free recipes that are high in carbs is a problem. When I use one of the recipes I have to do a lot of substituting. For sugar, I usually substitute agave with a ratio of 1 cup of sugar to ¾ cup of agave. I often substitute the gluten free mixes she uses with almond flour because it is low carb.

Bottom Line: I highly recommend this book because it is well written. It is easy to understand and will quickly educate those who are newly diagnosed.

Other Book Reviews by Genie Walker:
Nonfiction:
"How to Retire Happy" by Stan Hinden
"More Than Enough: The 10 Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny" by Dave Ramsey

Fiction:
"At First Sight" by Nicholas Sparks
"Blow Out" by Catherine Coulter
"Darkfever" by Karen Marie Moning
"The Husband" by Dean Koontz
"The Mulberry Tree" by Jude Deveraux
"The Remains of the Dead" by Wendy Roberts
"Sam's Letters to Jennifer" by James Patterson