The next time you are tempted to moan and ultimately procrastinate about going on a diet to lose those extra pounds and to improve your health, stop and think about Susan Cohen, who as a middle school student learned that although she was asymptomatic, she had celiac disease and would need to go on a very strict, gluten-free diet. Imagine how it would feel, especially at that age, to want to hang out with friends at Gino's and not have a slice of pizza or go to a birthday party and join in with the singing, but not partake of the cake. Susan has learned to handle all of these temptations, not only with good cheer and grace, but has put her experience to beneficial use by serving as the teen editor for a gluten-free cookbook, by and for children, published by the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, which she titled Nothing Beats Gluten-Free Cooking.

Celiac disease, although affecting one in 133 people, is relatively unknown to the general population. It is an autoimmune disease that causes damage to the small intestine because of an individual's intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. When a person with this condition eats foods containing gluten, his or her immune system responds by destroying the tiny villi in the lining of the small intestine, causing malnourishment, regardless of how much food is ingested. To make matters worse, the symptoms of the disease may vary widely in individuals and may mimic the symptoms of other diseases of the digestive system, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis, resulting in delays in diagnosis. Sixty percent of the people who have this disease can go for many years without experiencing symptoms, but meanwhile the damage to the small intestine is going on quietly nonetheless.

Susan considers herself lucky to have been diagnosed early before irreparable damage was done to her small intestine. Her mother, Laura Leon, had had a more arduous path before finally receiving the celiac disease diagnosis. Since the disease may be inherited, Susan and her two siblings were tested. It turned out that the blood test, considered very reliable and readily available now, showed that she, too, had the disease. The only treatment at present for the disease is a strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.

The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University became a tremendous touchstone of information and help for the family. The idea for the cookbook had come from the Center's nutritionist Anne Roland Lee who was especially sensitive to the emotional aspects of the disease for children who might fear that they could no longer participate in the social components of cooking with and for friends. Ms. Lee knew that Susan had written about coliac disease for various publications and wanting the perspective of a young person with the disease, asked her to be the teen editor. Susan says, "I was flattered and jumped at the chance to help other kids so that they wouldn't feel so different and left out."

In the preface to the cookbook, Susan encourages other children by writing, "I was a true 'carbs' girl with pasta, pizza and bagels as my closest associates. I barely ate meat other than chicken nuggets and kept my distance from fruits, vegetables, and especially, fish. I was a picky eater to the core and celiac disease seemed to be a tornado that was coming to topple my world ... the ominous storm clouds turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

Work on the cookbook, now in its second printing, began two summers ago. Susan says, "I had no idea how many details went into the making of a cookbook." She began by writing to support groups for celiac disease across the country, asking for recipes from families and then by helping in the structure of the cookbook and writing introductions for each section. The tabbed sections are broken into breakfast, lunch, snacks, fruits and vegetables, dinner and dessert, which are chocked full of tasty sounding recipes with credits given to the submitters. The book also contains a glossary of cooking terms and grains that are allowed in a gluten-free diet. The grains described are amaranth, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, wild rice and teff. Susan says, "We wanted to make the cookbook very user-friendly...It has been wonderful to end up with something tangible after all that work."

When it became time to select a graphic design artist for the cookbook, Susan did not have to look too far. Her mother had admired Kensington Deli's business card and asked owner, Paul Saberito, who had designed the card for him. It turns out that his daughter, Kristen, was the design artist whom Ms. Leon eventually hired for another project. Ms. Saberito was approached to work on the cookbook and created all the artwork and an appealing cover design inspired by Susan's title for the book, an array of wire whisks in bright colors, a vivid attention grabber.

In addition to work on the cookbook, Susan embarked on a mission to make celiac disease better known to her peers. Now, a senior at North High anxiously awaiting college admission decisions, she learned that a percentage of money raised annually by Fashion Show is donated to a worthy cause. She got in touch with senior advisors, Maria Fiore and Gail Paris Schwartz and submitted a request for the donation to go for research at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia. She was thrilled when her request was granted and that her classmates would become knowledgeable about celiac disease through this venue.

Up until a few years ago, gluten-free products were not readily available in mayor markets, food labeling was not as clear and thorough as it is today, and maintaining a gluten-free diet was very challenging going beyond exercising sheer will power. Gluten products are widely used as fillers and thickeners in processed foods to an extent that would be surprising to the unsuspecting consumer. Things have improved and continue to get better. Grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Fairway stock many gluten-free products that Susan promises "are delicious."

And what about eating out? Susan says that the restaurants' staffs that her family frequents have become educated about the needs of people on gluten-free diets and have been "wonderful." She can order wholesome, nutritious foods without worry.

She adds, "Anyone who is newly diagnosed with celiac disease should not look upon the diagnosis negatively, because getting healthy is as easy as maintaining a gluten-free diet."

And here is the good news. As Susan says, "Let's not forget that having celiac disease is not the end of breads, pastas, cakes and cookies." There is a recipe for "outrageous brownies" on page 81 that would make any chocoholic smile.

Nothing Beats Gluten-Free Cooking sells for $25 with the proceeds going to the Celiac Disease Center. It is available at Amazon.com and efforts are underway to make it available in brick and mortar bookstores. For further information about celiac disease, email CeliacAwareLI@aol.com.