Mom's Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies GF

My mom has recently developed a gluten intolerance. I am hearing about this alarming intolerance more and more often latley. I've been doing a lot of research and talking to some Doctor friends of mine on why this is.

The reasons vary from genetic disposition to improper diet.  Some people who consume gluten may have dysbiosis — damaged gut flora — from antibiotic use or consuming foods that they cannot digest. Feeding infants grains before they are able to digest them may raise the risk of dysbiosis. It makes the most sense to me that improper diet and especially the over/mis use of antiobiotics would play a role in this scary disease.  Damaged gut flora is on the rise in our society for a number of reasons. Sugar, alcohol, antibiotics, environmental toxins, and other allergens (like the introduction of GMOs into our food supply within the last 15 years) all contribute to imbalanced intestinal flora which can lead to gluten-intolerance.

So what is gluten intolerance?  First, it isn’t a food allergy. It’s a physical condition in your gut. Basically, undigested gluten proteins (found in wheat and other grains) hang out in your intestines and are treated by your body like a foreign invader, irritating your gut and flattening the microvilli along the small intestine wall. Without those microvilli, you have considerably less surface area with which to absorb the nutrients from your food. This leads sufferers to experience symptoms of malabsorption, including chronic fatigue, neurological disorders, nutrient deficiencies, anemia, nausea, skin rashes, depression, and more.

Some of the most common symptoms of gluten intolerance are:

• Frequent constipation and or diarreah

• Frequent bloating

• Unintended weight loss

• Failure to grow (in children)

• Anemia

• Unexplained fatigue

• Frequent headaches

• Bone or joint pain

• Itchy skin lesions

• Tooth enamel defects

• Mouth ulcers

So, the point of my rambling, however informative and extremely interesting, is that I am trying to cut way back on gluten. I think that it is important to do much research about how to safely eliminate gluten from your diet. Gluten free diets can be high in starch and fat as these are common substitutions. Whole grains are a very important part of a healthy diet and should still be eaten in other forms.

Here is my mom's recipe for GF (gluten free) Breakfast Cookies.  They were really super yummy! That's another downfall to GF diets, it's difficult  (for me anyway) to find and especially make good tasting foods.

You will need:

1/3 c peanut oil  

1/3 c applesauce 

1 c. raw sugar

2 eggs, beaten

3 T. molasses

1/2 c. milk
1 c. non-gluten flour mix (Bob's Red Mill) 

1 c. coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut flakes

3/4 tsp. baking soda 

1 tsp. sea salt

2 c. oats ( I use Coach's Oats; healthier than quick oats)

1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. nuts
1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg
1/8 t cloves
1/8 t ginger
 optional  unsweetened coconut flakes for sprinkling on top

Putting it all together:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Have ready a greased cookie sheet.
Blend oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, molasses and milk. Add flours, spices, baking soda and salt and mix well.

Stir in oats, raisins, and nuts.

Grease a 9x13" pan and spread cookie mixture on top (you may have to wet your fingertips to spread it out.)
Sprinkle coconut flakes on top. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

Cool on rack. Cut into squares.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.



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