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Wednesday, July 30, 2014
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Learning to eat all over again Langford couple make some new discoveries as they create a pure gluten-free diet herself, she has accepted her husband’s Almost five years ago, James Sharp dietary requirements almost as her faced a crisis of diet. own, choosing to consume no gluten at Doctors had helped pin down his home. constant stomach problems “It’s a combination, because and adverse reactions to obviously when you’re baking certain foods to celiac with gluten-free ingredients, disease, in combination with you’re not using just one gastroesophageal reflux type of flour, you’re using disease, sometimes known as tapioca, corn starch, brown acid reflux. rice flour or white rice flour,” They told him his body she says. “I use quinoa flour was not absorbing enough in my carrot cake and my nutrients out of his food, brownies.” in essence leaving him During the couple’s malnourished – the hallmark Don Descoteau culinary journey, Helen has symptom of celiac disease. Reporting created recipes that have “I literally crawled up and earned her accolades in the down the stairs, I was that community. A longtime baker who sick and I was that malnourished,” the learned the skill from her mother and Langford resident recalls. grandmother, she took third place at Once he knew what the problem the Luxton Fair for her carrot cake, and was, he switched to a gluten-free diet her chocolate chip cookies were named overnight, avoiding any product with best in show – both recipes are glutengrains and those containing gluten free. proteins of other kinds. The demand for her baked desserts, “At first it seemed like a bit of a chore from people at work and elsewhere – what was I going to eat? But I gained in their social network, led James to 10 pounds immediately and I was able suggest that Helen sell them to the to go up and down the stairs,” he says. public. In the beginning Sharp, a lifelong For the past several weeks they’ve lover of foods of all kinds including had a stall at the Goldstream Station pizza and cereal, wasn’t thrilled Market. Through word-of-mouth and with the prospect of eating foods he return customers, their products are considered to be “bland,” or those with selling increasingly well. a “ricey” texture. “I think there are a lot of people who Not one to stand by idly and watch her hubby suffer further, his wife, Helen, come to the market who are looking for gluten-free products,” Helen says. “One began devouring as much information woman had just been diagnosed the as she could on gluten-free recipes and week before and was surprised that she other food options for celiacs. could eat anything on our table.” Having completely cleared out the Not surprisingly, James is her best cupboards upon hearing the diagnosis salesperson, given his celiac experience – even the smallest amounts of glutens and the fact he’s Helen’s recipe guinea can cause almost immediate pain for a pig. person with celiac disease – she went to work cooking up and baking items that James could eat. PlEASE SEE: Despite not needing to eat gluten-free Eating gluten-free, Page A6
Don Descoteau/News staff
Helen Sharp holds up some fresh-baked, gluten-free quinoa brownies, which her husband, James, is anxious to dive into. He was diagnosed with celiac disease five years ago and Helen has worked hard to find items to make at their Langford home that James can eat.
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