Feature-a-Blog: Celiac Teen

When Canadian high school senior Lauren McMillan was diagnosed with celiac disease at 14, an unexpected feeling overwhelmed her: gratitude.

Having gone through weeks and months of discomfort and uncertainty, Lauren welcomed the diagnosis because it gave her a sense of empowerment. She now knew what was wrong, and could do everything in her power to counteract it - which she has done successfully ever since.

Lauren's blog, Celiac Teen, describes her fascinating experiments with gluten-free food. Her posts, bursting with liveliness and optimism, explore the various ways of substituting other grains for tricky wheat.

Determined not to let celiac deprive her of yummy childhood favorites, Lauren has come up with her own gluten-free adaptations for any traditionally wheat-based food you might imagine: pancakes, muffins, shortbread, ladyfingers, focaccia, cranberry loaf, tiramisu, pita...and the list grows larger every week. She frequently takes part in Daring Bakers challenges, too, going the extra mile to devise a gluten-free version of each recipe that features wheat.

A daring young lady herself, Lauren boldly bakes in the face of celiac disease. She manages to completely overturn its implications - a lifetime of deprivation becomes an opportunity to explore, invent and - most importantly - to play with her food. And she dares all of her readers to do the same.