By Allie Davison, Staff Writer luten-free has been popping up everywhere lately. There are gluten-free aisles at the supermarket, gluten-free menus at restaurants, gluten-free cookbooks taking over the shelves, and gluten- free blogs all over the Internet. More than one of my friends has kicked wheat out of their diet, apparently for good. The results have been mixed. One friend, with a combination of exercise and other healthy eating habits, lost 10 pounds in a week. But another noticed no weight difference after two weeks. Before I jumped on the wheat-free bandwagon, I needed to do some investigation of my own. * Here’s what I found out. ‘Is wheat the worst? Well, the reviews are in. And, sorry wheat, but things are not looking good for you. Although having wheat in your diet may not be the end of the world for everyone, doctors all over the world are finding that wheat intolerance, if not a full-on wheat allergy, is common in many people. The Canadian Celiac Association website defines celiac disease as “a medical condition in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by a substance called gluten.” Their website also states that only one in 133 people in Canada are affected by celiac disease. But, sadly, us un- celiac folks aren’t out of the woods quite yet. Experts in the gluten-free world now think that there are a whole range of gluten intolerances out there—with symptoms being anything from acid reflux, to asthma, to bloating, or even as severe as diabetes. So, in short: yes. I’ve clearly discovered that wheat is the worst. Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake I'ma big fan of wheat. So, if I do give it up, then I’ll need to find © some tasty treats to tide me over as I adjust my new diet. I made this Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Life&Style. What’s the deal with gluten-free? An inside look at the hottest new diet trend over the summer, when I was a summer intern at the Royal City Farmers Market. And, surprisingly, . it was pretty damn good—and easy to make too! ¥% cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1% cups sugar 3 eggs 1% cups Multi Blend gluten-free flour mix 1 teaspoon guar gum or xanthan gum ¥% teaspoon baking powder ¥% cup gluten-free sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Confectioners’ sugar for dusting top of cake Whipping cream Strawberries Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a cake pan. Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl on high speed until pale colored and light in texture. Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Stuck in Purge-atory A gross cupboard and bad karma By Laurel Borrowman, Life & Style Editor his week I had big plans. Too big. After some humming and hawing over what to get rid of for this week in purge-atory (admittedly, I may be nearing the end), I decided on something. Our bathroom is relatively tidy; there isn’t much space to store anything. We don’t have any closets, or “storage solutions” - or anything like that. We have a standing shelf that we stack the towels and soapy things on, and one large wall cupboard that holds all of our cosmetic-type things, mostly hair goop of various sorts. The setup of the bathroom is all off in terms of feng shui, but I’m guessing that the folks who built the place back in the ‘20s didn’t do so with zen at the forefront of their plans. That said, we do have storage underneath the sink, and that is where the clutter lives. It’s the medicine cabinet/ waxing strips/ tensor bandage/ gaudy bracelet/ Hallowe’en makeup/ Thai back medicine cabinet, and a prime candidate for Purge-atory. After explaining my plan to our fearless leader, Cody, I received an intrigued reply, wondering what kind of “pre-war medicines” and “DIY chemicals of mass destruction” could be living under there. Which started to make me nervous, not because I thought my bathroom would spontaneously combust if I started rummaging around in the space, but because I thought I might be biting off more spend the next week in quarantine. Either way, I decided to just keep the door closed for another week. Cop out? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Either way, I got some bad karma out of it. My failure to spring into action may have been the cause of what actually got purged this week in a Purge-atory special edition, the Accidental Purge! The week didn’t pass without losing something, albeit unintentionally. “The setup of the bathroom is all off in terms of feng shui, but I’m guessing that the folks who built the place back in the ‘20s didn’t do so with zen at the forefront of their plans.” than I could chew. I got all geared up and ready to purge, and I chickened out. It was too much. It was like the rejects of every nook and cranny in every part of your home, all concentrated in one square metre of dark, dingy (and evidently a bit soggy in some places; time to call the plumber?) - hole. It seemed like a situation where I would have to don gloves and a mask to sort through it all properly, or just dump it all ina garbage bag and be rid of it while I I was riding the SkyTrain to class, bleary-eyed on four hours of sleep (it’s crunch time, you feel me), writing portfolio (about 18 inches by 20 inches, one of those black, ~ zip-up cases with a handle on the spine) in hand, ready for a draft presentation to my instructor. The case cost me a pretty penny a few years ago, but more importantly the contents—writing samples, several hours of cut-and-pasting to lay out a spread of said samples, etc—are most valuable. Sift flour, xanthan gum, and baking powder in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla and mix well. Bake for one hour and 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Let cake stand for 10-15 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack. When cake is completely cool, sprinkle with a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar using a fine mesh sieve. (Original recipe: www. ' cookingglutenfree.com/2010/05/ strawberry-shortcake-thats-gluten-free) My train, traveling from Commercial and Broadway bound for New Westminster, was going . into maintenance at Edmonds, so I had to transfer trains a few stops early before getting back on to arrive at school. This was the morning of mornings for my transit routine to have a hiccup, and so when I got off, and got back on the next train, it took me one more stop to say to myself, “Self, you seem pretty unfettered right now. Did you get onto the train with...” Shit. So, I left my portfolio sitting on the SkyTrain. I contacted TransLink Lost & Found (lovely folks, by the way) right away, and I'm sure I'll get it back. On the other hand, [EXPLETIVE!]. A long string of profanities followed my conversation with the TransLink folks. Indeed, the objective of Purge- atory is to be unfettered; although if I’ve learned anything this week, it’s that I should just pick the plan, and stick to it, no matter how gross the ugly underbelly of any cupboard is.