A few months ago, I read an article from the Huffington Post titled How to Get Flat Abs, Have Amazing Sex and Rule the World in 8 Easy Steps. I assumed it was an article similar to the ones you see on the cover of Cosmo (of which I haven't read in years), so I ignored it when my friends first started posting it on Facebook.
When multiple people posted it and started leaving comments alluding to their being more to it, I decided to break down and read it. I have this secret hatred of all things Huffington Post, and I'm not sure why. I think it has something to do with something I heard they stand for a long time ago, but I honestly have no idea what it was or if I should actually despise them. At this point, I'll occasionally read their articles, but I always keep in mind that they might be slanted or have misinformation or do something else that will tick me off.
I am incredibly grateful that I read it. Not because it was something I necessarily needed to hear because it is how I prefer to live my life anyway. (Did you break down and read it yet--if not, I encourage you to do so.)
If you were to apply these things directly to the gluten-free diet, you would have my outlook on it. Stop believing your BS that you can't do this. Stop with the crazy making: "Life is full of obstacles; we don't need to create extra ones." Stop making things so hard. Stop complaining for the sake of complaining. Stop thinking the waiter/waitress is going to hate you for asking a million questions. Stop assuming your family will hate you for bringing your own food/asking questions/doing whatever you need to do to get a safe meal at family gatherings and the holidays.
So tell me. How do you truly LIVE?
Monday, December 16, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Even I Panic Sometimes
Back in high school, I was on the Dance Team and I was editor of the our school paper. When the status of whether or not Dance Team was a sport came under fire, naturally, I wrote an editorial describing our position. I remember quoting a Shawn Mullins song where he said, "Ain't it a blessing to do what you wanna do." I just heard another Shawn Mullins song, but his voice always brings me back to that struggle.
It seemed so insignificant to others, but gaining the recognition and status of being a sport had huge implications. My high school was ahead of its time in giving the Dance Team the status of "sport" rather than "activity" right from the start. The football team confirmed we deserved that status when they were completely incapable of completing a full dance team practice after we breezed through one of their football practices.
Back to the quote. "Ain't it a blessing to do what you wanna do." One of the biggest struggles with Celiac Disease is simply not being able to do what you want to do unless you change your viewpoint. We can't just run to McDonalds for a quick meal or order delivery from any restaurant that delivers. We can't go to any gathering that includes food and eat whatever we want without asking a million questions, and even then, we often can't eat anything.
The other day was our 6 month wedding anniversary. We were both busy trying to get stuff done all day, and when it came to the end of the day and time to eat dinner, neither of us wanted to cook. We decided to order takeout from a local pizza place that is very good about avoiding cross contamination for their sandwiches that are served on gluten-free bread. I sighed with relief after we ordered because I was starving, and now I wasn't going to have to deal with it. 15 minutes later, they called us to let us know they were very sorry, but they were completely out of gluten-free bread.
At that point, I didn't care if we got a nice anniversary meal. I just wanted to eat, so I went to the kitchen to make the turkey my husband had said was in the refrigerator. It wasn't there. It was quickly located in the freezer--frozen solid. All of our meat was frozen, our cupboards were fairly bare (except for a million gluten-free baking mixes and flour), and we didn't even have lunch meat to make a sandwich. My pathetic back-up meal when I'm in a total pinch has become crackers, cheese, and possibly lunchmeat. We had no crackers.
Neither one of us was dressed to leave the house, but we decided we would order take-out from Outback and brave the cold temps to pick it up. Unfortunately, they closed at 9:00 and it was 9:05. Every other restaurant that had safe gluten-free takeout available also closed at 9pm.
At that point I wanted to cry. I was starving, I felt like I was going to pass out, and I had no idea what we were going to do. I knew things could be worse and we could have literally had no food or money to even get food if we wanted it, but I was in a hunger frenzy.
We ended up with frozen hot dogs that had been in our freezer since our rehearsal dinner. I'm pretty sure they had soy in them because they wound up making me sick (my soy reaction is brain fog, horrendous gas, etc), but I have no idea because we didn't have their original packaging and I hadn't originally planned on eating them. The leftover hot dogs were supposed to be for last minute meals for my step-son because what kid doesn't like hot dogs.
It's been two days so I can laugh at how much I overreacted, but it also taught me a lesson. I like to think I'm very good at staying positive about the gluten-free diet. I think a lot of people overreact far too often, but this situation brought me back down to earth. It's been a while since I was in a panic over what I was going to eat because I'm normally so well prepared. I was definitely humbled.
"Ain't it a blessing to do what you wanna do..." We can't always do what we want to do. BUT, we can choose to want to do those things that will keep us prepared. We can choose to arm ourselves with knowledge to make the best of the gluten-free diet so we don't get sick. We can choose to keep our own homes stocked with a minimum of food so there is at least something to eat unlike what I did ;)
It seemed so insignificant to others, but gaining the recognition and status of being a sport had huge implications. My high school was ahead of its time in giving the Dance Team the status of "sport" rather than "activity" right from the start. The football team confirmed we deserved that status when they were completely incapable of completing a full dance team practice after we breezed through one of their football practices.
Back to the quote. "Ain't it a blessing to do what you wanna do." One of the biggest struggles with Celiac Disease is simply not being able to do what you want to do unless you change your viewpoint. We can't just run to McDonalds for a quick meal or order delivery from any restaurant that delivers. We can't go to any gathering that includes food and eat whatever we want without asking a million questions, and even then, we often can't eat anything.
The other day was our 6 month wedding anniversary. We were both busy trying to get stuff done all day, and when it came to the end of the day and time to eat dinner, neither of us wanted to cook. We decided to order takeout from a local pizza place that is very good about avoiding cross contamination for their sandwiches that are served on gluten-free bread. I sighed with relief after we ordered because I was starving, and now I wasn't going to have to deal with it. 15 minutes later, they called us to let us know they were very sorry, but they were completely out of gluten-free bread.
At that point, I didn't care if we got a nice anniversary meal. I just wanted to eat, so I went to the kitchen to make the turkey my husband had said was in the refrigerator. It wasn't there. It was quickly located in the freezer--frozen solid. All of our meat was frozen, our cupboards were fairly bare (except for a million gluten-free baking mixes and flour), and we didn't even have lunch meat to make a sandwich. My pathetic back-up meal when I'm in a total pinch has become crackers, cheese, and possibly lunchmeat. We had no crackers.
Neither one of us was dressed to leave the house, but we decided we would order take-out from Outback and brave the cold temps to pick it up. Unfortunately, they closed at 9:00 and it was 9:05. Every other restaurant that had safe gluten-free takeout available also closed at 9pm.
At that point I wanted to cry. I was starving, I felt like I was going to pass out, and I had no idea what we were going to do. I knew things could be worse and we could have literally had no food or money to even get food if we wanted it, but I was in a hunger frenzy.
We ended up with frozen hot dogs that had been in our freezer since our rehearsal dinner. I'm pretty sure they had soy in them because they wound up making me sick (my soy reaction is brain fog, horrendous gas, etc), but I have no idea because we didn't have their original packaging and I hadn't originally planned on eating them. The leftover hot dogs were supposed to be for last minute meals for my step-son because what kid doesn't like hot dogs.
It's been two days so I can laugh at how much I overreacted, but it also taught me a lesson. I like to think I'm very good at staying positive about the gluten-free diet. I think a lot of people overreact far too often, but this situation brought me back down to earth. It's been a while since I was in a panic over what I was going to eat because I'm normally so well prepared. I was definitely humbled.
"Ain't it a blessing to do what you wanna do..." We can't always do what we want to do. BUT, we can choose to want to do those things that will keep us prepared. We can choose to arm ourselves with knowledge to make the best of the gluten-free diet so we don't get sick. We can choose to keep our own homes stocked with a minimum of food so there is at least something to eat unlike what I did ;)
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Thankful on Thanksgiving 2013
For those of you who don't get sick and tired of people droning on and on about the things they have to be thankful for...
I'm thankful that I didn't really plan Thanksgiving this year. I have a turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, frozen veggies and I guess I'm just going to wing the rest. I may become one of those crazies that winds up at the store Thanksgiving morning, but I'm thankful that I've come to a point in my gluten-free life that I don't have to plan everything.
I'm thankful for the year I was able to make Thanksgiving dinner for all 20+ members of my immediate and extended family. It may have meant packing up and transporting every single pot, pan, serving tray, stirring spoon, mixer, etc, etc, etc that I might possibly need to ensure I didn't cross contaminate the meal with my parents "gluteny" items, but it was worth it.
I'm thankful that I made the stupid decision to move 8 hours away from the closest person I knew 10 years ago for a guy I hardly knew (the move took place the day after Thanksgiving). I may have later regretted that choice more than any other choice I had made in my life, but that decision set everything in motion for me to meet my husband.
I'm thankful for my husband who has never once complained about the necessity of my gluten-free diet. He may tease me that he would have been perfectly fine eating gluten the rest of his life (he doesn't feel better off gluten, but he gets really sick if he eats it now), but he thinks I'm worth it.
I'm thankful for technology which has allowed me to feel closer to my family even when I can't spend the holidays with them. The ability to do video chats still amazes me.
I'm thankful that I've been so incredibly busy at work that I didn't have time to blog for the last two months. I'm also thankful that things have finally slowed down enough for me write almost as much as I want in the upcoming months.
Finally, although I'm thankful for a million other things, I'm thankful that I'm learning to be less wordy which makes it obvious I need to end this now with a big thank you to all of my readers!
What are you thankful for this year?
I'm thankful that I didn't really plan Thanksgiving this year. I have a turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, frozen veggies and I guess I'm just going to wing the rest. I may become one of those crazies that winds up at the store Thanksgiving morning, but I'm thankful that I've come to a point in my gluten-free life that I don't have to plan everything.
I'm thankful for the year I was able to make Thanksgiving dinner for all 20+ members of my immediate and extended family. It may have meant packing up and transporting every single pot, pan, serving tray, stirring spoon, mixer, etc, etc, etc that I might possibly need to ensure I didn't cross contaminate the meal with my parents "gluteny" items, but it was worth it.
I'm thankful that I made the stupid decision to move 8 hours away from the closest person I knew 10 years ago for a guy I hardly knew (the move took place the day after Thanksgiving). I may have later regretted that choice more than any other choice I had made in my life, but that decision set everything in motion for me to meet my husband.
I'm thankful for my husband who has never once complained about the necessity of my gluten-free diet. He may tease me that he would have been perfectly fine eating gluten the rest of his life (he doesn't feel better off gluten, but he gets really sick if he eats it now), but he thinks I'm worth it.
I'm thankful for technology which has allowed me to feel closer to my family even when I can't spend the holidays with them. The ability to do video chats still amazes me.
I'm thankful that I've been so incredibly busy at work that I didn't have time to blog for the last two months. I'm also thankful that things have finally slowed down enough for me write almost as much as I want in the upcoming months.
Finally, although I'm thankful for a million other things, I'm thankful that I'm learning to be less wordy which makes it obvious I need to end this now with a big thank you to all of my readers!
What are you thankful for this year?
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Recipes I Need to Try
I'm constantly coming across recipes that I absolutely want to try, so I decided to start a post where I can keep a log of them. I plan to update this post with the date I found the recipe and then the date I tried the recipe (and hopefully wrote a post about it).
9/18/13
The first recipe I found is from Udi's facebook page. I would say Maple Glazed Banana Donuts sounds like an AMAZING way to test out the donut pans we got as a wedding gift. Would any of my readers like to try to beat me to the punch and try this recipe before I get around to it?
12/11/13
These cookies look absolutely amazing, and I cannot wait to try them. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies... the name of them speaks for itself. It's a regular recipe, but I plan on converting by using 1-2-3 Gluten Free Multi Purpose Flour Mix.
12/11/13
These cookies look absolutely amazing, and I cannot wait to try them. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies... the name of them speaks for itself. It's a regular recipe, but I plan on converting by using 1-2-3 Gluten Free Multi Purpose Flour Mix.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
What if Celiac Disease Research Started Over...
Imagine everything we knew about Celiac Disease was erased. Imagine we were starting over fresh. All preconceived notions about the cause, the symptoms, etc, etc, etc were gone. Would we discover something new and manage to go further in research or would we come to the same conclusions as we currently have?
I recently heard that there is no study confirming that Celiac Disease is typically "triggered" by a traumatic event. I have no idea where I heard it originally or where the information keeps coming from, but I've always thought it was common knowledge that those with the gene for Celiac Disease have it triggered by a stressful/traumatic event such as a pregnancy, car accident, a time of extreme stress, etc. I was shocked to read that they were looking into this because I had always assumed that had already been done.
Another example of something I thought had been confirmed is the concept that those with untreated Celiac Disease are more at risk for intestinal lymphoma. I recall this seeming to be "common knowledge" when I was first diagnosed, but through the years it seemed to be something that less and less people knew about. Recently, this article was published that was shocking to the Celiac Disease community. Intestinal lymphoma is much more common in those with untreated Celiac Disease. When I first read the article, I assumed a bunch of idiots did the study because this should be common knowledge. As time went on, I discovered very few of those I know with Celiac Disease had any knowledge of this. So where did I hear this and why did I think it was common knowledge when no one else seemed to have a clue. Did I do a study in a past life? Doubtful.
I'd like to revisit this idea of starting research over, but I'd love to hear what you think to point me in the right direction of where I should go with it. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think we are being held back by our current knowledge or do you think our current knowledge is necessary to continue moving forward?
I recently heard that there is no study confirming that Celiac Disease is typically "triggered" by a traumatic event. I have no idea where I heard it originally or where the information keeps coming from, but I've always thought it was common knowledge that those with the gene for Celiac Disease have it triggered by a stressful/traumatic event such as a pregnancy, car accident, a time of extreme stress, etc. I was shocked to read that they were looking into this because I had always assumed that had already been done.
Another example of something I thought had been confirmed is the concept that those with untreated Celiac Disease are more at risk for intestinal lymphoma. I recall this seeming to be "common knowledge" when I was first diagnosed, but through the years it seemed to be something that less and less people knew about. Recently, this article was published that was shocking to the Celiac Disease community. Intestinal lymphoma is much more common in those with untreated Celiac Disease. When I first read the article, I assumed a bunch of idiots did the study because this should be common knowledge. As time went on, I discovered very few of those I know with Celiac Disease had any knowledge of this. So where did I hear this and why did I think it was common knowledge when no one else seemed to have a clue. Did I do a study in a past life? Doubtful.
I'd like to revisit this idea of starting research over, but I'd love to hear what you think to point me in the right direction of where I should go with it. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think we are being held back by our current knowledge or do you think our current knowledge is necessary to continue moving forward?
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Vices and Throwing Caution to the Wind
I have a problem. My problem is that I am thoroughly incapable of walking by cotton candy without purchasing it. The good news is that cotton candy is typically gluten-free. I appreciate this. I have no actual basis for this statement except that I've never seen cotton candy that contained gluten, but I'm gonna stick by that statement anyway.
So back to my problem. It's been a problem since I was an adult and could choose to purchase my own cotton candy whenever I damn well pleased. I have no idea if it comes from my parents saying no when I would ask for cotton candy when I was a child because I don't remember asking for it. I have no idea if I asked or if the answer was yes or no when/if I did ask. All I know is when I see cotton candy, I MUST HAVE IT.
I remember looking at the food stand with trepidation the first time I saw one of those glorious pink or blue bags in the window after I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I thought for sure they somehow threw wheat in there, but I was somewhat hopeful because I had worked at a cotton candy stand when I was in high school, and I was pretty sure it was just sugar and flavoring. I walked up to the window and tried to read the ingredients through the glass.
Success!!! Normally I look in my trusty Grocery Shopping Guide that is ALWAYS in my purse, and then proceed to call the manufacturer if it's one of the few items that is not listed, but I knew it wouldn't be in there because fair food isn't listed. I decided to throw caution to the wind and purchase it without confirming any information.
I of course finished the entire bag by myself within half an hour. Each time since that first, I've always read the ingredients through the window, and then bounced around in line like an excited little kid as I awaited that first bite of sugary goodness. My husband thinks it's hilarious and cute, but he appreciates that I am nice enough to actually share some with him considering I've never shared my precious cotton candy before.
Within the last year, I noticed one of these on the grocery store shelf:
This isn't the exact one, but I was ecstatic! Could I really purchase cotton candy whenever I wanted? That question was answered with a joyous "YES!" while on our honeymoon. That was when I found this on the convenience store shelf at the resort:
Part of me doesn't feel right buying this glorious treat in a package because it should be reserved for special events, but the other part pretty much says, "Who cares??? It's cotton candy!" My only issue with this pre-packaged stuff now is that I'm now seeing the prepackaged stuff at outdoor events rather than seeing the fresh bagged stuff. It's only been once so far, but I fear it will become the norm. The time I saw it pre-packaged was at the fireworks display this last 4th of July. I saw the food stands and told my husband I HAD to go check. Sure enough, they had cotton candy, but it was in a large tub. It made me a little sad that I wasn't getting fresh bagged cotton candy or better yet, cotton candy on a stick, but I was still getting cotton candy so I was ok.
So where does this seemingly meaningless topic come from? Yesterday, I was at Sam's Club getting company supplies when I saw this:
That's right! An 8-pack of cotton candy. (I apologize for the mess in the background, and I apologize for the fact that one tub is missing and another was empty--I gave one to my boss and I ate the other the second I got back to my office.)
I actually thought twice about this purchase because I would have to run two transactions at the register in order to keep business expenses separate from personal expenses, but I didn't care. I HAD TO HAVE IT. However, when I got back to my office, it occurred to me that I had never checked the ingredients. I quickly checked, and I'll even let you see for yourselves:
I would call "sugar, artificial and natural flavors, artificial colors (including FD&C red 40, blue 1)" a success except for those ever frustrating "flavors" which could possibly be derived from gluten.
Once again, I threw caution to the wind and dug in.
When I got home, my husband told me that he has the best wife ever. How many wives come home with an 8 pack of cotton candy? I suppose I am pretty cool.
So, to all my readers out there. Is there any product that causes you to throw caution to the wind? I've heard multiple accounts of people saying they flat out knowingly consume gluten for a lot of things, so is that the case for you, or are you like me and you don't put a certain product through the normal "process" of confirming it is gluten free prior to consuming it? I realize I'm not exactly being a big risk taker with cotton candy, but I find it interesting that there is anything that gets past my normal research process because I am so incredibly careful.
So back to my problem. It's been a problem since I was an adult and could choose to purchase my own cotton candy whenever I damn well pleased. I have no idea if it comes from my parents saying no when I would ask for cotton candy when I was a child because I don't remember asking for it. I have no idea if I asked or if the answer was yes or no when/if I did ask. All I know is when I see cotton candy, I MUST HAVE IT.
I remember looking at the food stand with trepidation the first time I saw one of those glorious pink or blue bags in the window after I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I thought for sure they somehow threw wheat in there, but I was somewhat hopeful because I had worked at a cotton candy stand when I was in high school, and I was pretty sure it was just sugar and flavoring. I walked up to the window and tried to read the ingredients through the glass.
Success!!! Normally I look in my trusty Grocery Shopping Guide that is ALWAYS in my purse, and then proceed to call the manufacturer if it's one of the few items that is not listed, but I knew it wouldn't be in there because fair food isn't listed. I decided to throw caution to the wind and purchase it without confirming any information.
I of course finished the entire bag by myself within half an hour. Each time since that first, I've always read the ingredients through the window, and then bounced around in line like an excited little kid as I awaited that first bite of sugary goodness. My husband thinks it's hilarious and cute, but he appreciates that I am nice enough to actually share some with him considering I've never shared my precious cotton candy before.
Within the last year, I noticed one of these on the grocery store shelf:
This isn't the exact one, but I was ecstatic! Could I really purchase cotton candy whenever I wanted? That question was answered with a joyous "YES!" while on our honeymoon. That was when I found this on the convenience store shelf at the resort:
Part of me doesn't feel right buying this glorious treat in a package because it should be reserved for special events, but the other part pretty much says, "Who cares??? It's cotton candy!" My only issue with this pre-packaged stuff now is that I'm now seeing the prepackaged stuff at outdoor events rather than seeing the fresh bagged stuff. It's only been once so far, but I fear it will become the norm. The time I saw it pre-packaged was at the fireworks display this last 4th of July. I saw the food stands and told my husband I HAD to go check. Sure enough, they had cotton candy, but it was in a large tub. It made me a little sad that I wasn't getting fresh bagged cotton candy or better yet, cotton candy on a stick, but I was still getting cotton candy so I was ok.
So where does this seemingly meaningless topic come from? Yesterday, I was at Sam's Club getting company supplies when I saw this:
That's right! An 8-pack of cotton candy. (I apologize for the mess in the background, and I apologize for the fact that one tub is missing and another was empty--I gave one to my boss and I ate the other the second I got back to my office.)
I actually thought twice about this purchase because I would have to run two transactions at the register in order to keep business expenses separate from personal expenses, but I didn't care. I HAD TO HAVE IT. However, when I got back to my office, it occurred to me that I had never checked the ingredients. I quickly checked, and I'll even let you see for yourselves:
I would call "sugar, artificial and natural flavors, artificial colors (including FD&C red 40, blue 1)" a success except for those ever frustrating "flavors" which could possibly be derived from gluten.
Once again, I threw caution to the wind and dug in.
When I got home, my husband told me that he has the best wife ever. How many wives come home with an 8 pack of cotton candy? I suppose I am pretty cool.
So, to all my readers out there. Is there any product that causes you to throw caution to the wind? I've heard multiple accounts of people saying they flat out knowingly consume gluten for a lot of things, so is that the case for you, or are you like me and you don't put a certain product through the normal "process" of confirming it is gluten free prior to consuming it? I realize I'm not exactly being a big risk taker with cotton candy, but I find it interesting that there is anything that gets past my normal research process because I am so incredibly careful.
Good Intentions Gone Wrong? Gluten-Removed Beer
A friend of mine shared this blog with me a while back. It's the story of a man who meets someone who is on a gluten-free diet, but has been unable to find a gluten-free beer that they can truly enjoy. He is a home brewer, so he sets out on a quest to make a great tasting gluten-free beer.
While I appreciate the extensive amount of research he did on how to use substitutions for barley and still create a great tasting product, but he made one VERY large mistake. He used malted oats. I would be perfectly fine with the use of certified gluten-free oats, but he doesn't once mention going to the trouble of finding them. This leads me to believe he incorrectly assumes that wheat, barley, and rye are the only gluten-containing products.
Why do I bring this up? There is currently a lot of controversy regarding various "gluten-removed" beers such as Omission. The largest issue at hand is whether or not they can label this type of beer as "gluten-free." My personal opinion is that I don't understand why they want the gluten-free label. What is wrong with using full disclosure and informing consumers that their product is made with gluten-containing grains and processed to remove the gluten? That is what the Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) currently requires. I understand that they will lose some customers who could possibly safely drink their beer, but the alternative is giving consumers the (possibly) false impression that the product is safe when it is not.
If you'd you like to read a thorough (and somewhat long) description about this issue, click here. The link gives a much clearer understanding of what effect the current FDA labeling law has on gluten-removed beers.
The issue at hand is that there is no scientifically proven method of testing a product that has been processed to remove gluten in the manner that gluten-removed beers are. The most common method of testing products for gluten is the ELISA R5 test. Unfortunately, this test is meant to test for the whole protein. The process of removing gluten from beer includes adding an enzyme that breaks the gluten protein down into fragments and these fragments are supposedly removed. The ELISA test is unable to detect gluten fragments that could cause a reaction. The way I see it, there could easily be enough "fragments" that go undetected to cause horrendous reactions for those sensitive to gluten.
I have not been successful in finding the article, but I once read an article describing the testing of multiple regular and gluten-free beers. In this test, a few of the regular beers tested as gluten-free. Why? Because the tests are unreliable when it comes to testing this type of product.
I realize that business owners main purpose is to make money. I would hope that the manufacturers of Omission truly believe this product is safe even if their desire to make more money is clouding their vision. Considering the long term repercussions of consuming gluten when you have Celiac Disease, I hope they will soon discover that they are doing the right thing by not labeling their product as gluten-free until a scientifically proven test proves one way or the other. (I highly doubt their product will test as gluten free considering the number of individuals who have gotten sick consuming their product.)
It seems that just as the home brewer I mentioned originally had good intentions, lack of knowledge and stubbornness can easily cause good intentions to go wrong.
What are your thoughts on gluten-removed beer?
While I appreciate the extensive amount of research he did on how to use substitutions for barley and still create a great tasting product, but he made one VERY large mistake. He used malted oats. I would be perfectly fine with the use of certified gluten-free oats, but he doesn't once mention going to the trouble of finding them. This leads me to believe he incorrectly assumes that wheat, barley, and rye are the only gluten-containing products.
Why do I bring this up? There is currently a lot of controversy regarding various "gluten-removed" beers such as Omission. The largest issue at hand is whether or not they can label this type of beer as "gluten-free." My personal opinion is that I don't understand why they want the gluten-free label. What is wrong with using full disclosure and informing consumers that their product is made with gluten-containing grains and processed to remove the gluten? That is what the Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) currently requires. I understand that they will lose some customers who could possibly safely drink their beer, but the alternative is giving consumers the (possibly) false impression that the product is safe when it is not.
If you'd you like to read a thorough (and somewhat long) description about this issue, click here. The link gives a much clearer understanding of what effect the current FDA labeling law has on gluten-removed beers.
The issue at hand is that there is no scientifically proven method of testing a product that has been processed to remove gluten in the manner that gluten-removed beers are. The most common method of testing products for gluten is the ELISA R5 test. Unfortunately, this test is meant to test for the whole protein. The process of removing gluten from beer includes adding an enzyme that breaks the gluten protein down into fragments and these fragments are supposedly removed. The ELISA test is unable to detect gluten fragments that could cause a reaction. The way I see it, there could easily be enough "fragments" that go undetected to cause horrendous reactions for those sensitive to gluten.
I have not been successful in finding the article, but I once read an article describing the testing of multiple regular and gluten-free beers. In this test, a few of the regular beers tested as gluten-free. Why? Because the tests are unreliable when it comes to testing this type of product.
I realize that business owners main purpose is to make money. I would hope that the manufacturers of Omission truly believe this product is safe even if their desire to make more money is clouding their vision. Considering the long term repercussions of consuming gluten when you have Celiac Disease, I hope they will soon discover that they are doing the right thing by not labeling their product as gluten-free until a scientifically proven test proves one way or the other. (I highly doubt their product will test as gluten free considering the number of individuals who have gotten sick consuming their product.)
It seems that just as the home brewer I mentioned originally had good intentions, lack of knowledge and stubbornness can easily cause good intentions to go wrong.
What are your thoughts on gluten-removed beer?
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Product Review: 1-2-3 Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour
Yay for my first product review! I have quite a few products waiting in the wings, but I've always wanted the Multi-Purpose Flour from 1-2-3 Gluten Free to be my first because I LOVE it sooooo much.
I actually love all of the products from 1-2-3 Gluten Free, but I chose the Multi-Purpose Flour because of its versatility. It is an honest cup for cup substitute for regular recipes. I also like it because if I want brownies, I don't need a brownie mix, I just need a brownie recipe. If I want a chocolate cake, I don't need a chocolate cake mix, I just need a chocolate cake recipe. If I want biscuits, I don't need a biscuit mix, I just need a biscuit recipe. You get the idea. But...if you're looking for any of those mixes--they make them too, and they're true to their name. The mixes are actually as easy as 1-2-3. I still laugh out loud when I think about the first time I used one of these mixes (it was the Sweet Goodness Pan Bars). I literally said "Wow! That was easy," aloud, and then I proceeded to reread the directions because I couldn't possibly be done already. I was wrong--I was done. (I'm also fairly certain I ate the whole pan in one sitting which is not an easy feat because these mixes make about twice as much as regular gluten-free mixes.)
The best part about this flour is that it is the only fortified gluten-free multi-purpose flour on the market today. You know how everyone is always saying that you should only go on a gluten-free diet if absolutely necessary because you're missing out on all sorts of nutrients that gluten-containing foods naturally have? This helps with that for those of us who chose or require a gluten-free diet.
Just like all of the other products, this flour mix is made in a dedicated gluten-free facility, and it is certified gluten-free through the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). It is also free of the top 8 allergens.
I've also had excellent luck using substitutions for dairy & soy while still using regular recipes that weren't originally intended to be gluten-free.
I haven't tried it yet, but the new boxes now say "Recipe for Angel Food Cake on the back!" After seeing this on the website, I noticed that the boxes I have already have the recipe on the back--I've just never noticed. I am and always have been in love with angel food cake. Every year for my birthday, my grandma would make me an angel food cake for my birthday, and then douse it in strawberries. I've only had angel food cake once since being diagnosed, and I actually made it myself (this experience made me that much more grateful for all of the effort my grandma went to in order to make me one each year--if you've made one, you know what I'm talking about--whipping those eggs isn't easy. I didn't have anything more than a hand mixer at the time, and she never had anything more than a hand mixer.)
I'm not sure I could possibly name all of the recipes I've done using this flour mix, but I've tried multiple brownie and cake/cupcake recipes, and they've all turned out great. I've actually been on a quest to find a recipe that didn't work well, but I haven't succeeded. There was one brownie recipe that was just kind of "eh," but I guess the gluten-containing counterpart is just kind of "eh" also.
I could go on and on gushing about how great this company and this product is, but I'll just say one more thing: this is the flour mix I planned on using for cupcakes for my wedding until I finally found a bakery to make me an actual wedding cake. I wouldn't have even considered making my own cupcakes if this wasn't available because while I like other mixes, I know this one is ALWAYS reliable. While I didn't use it for the cupcakes, I did use it for the brownies at our rehearsal dinner, and my favorite question was asked multiple times: "These are gluten-free???"
If you'd like to head on over to their website, click here.
If you'd like to read more about the fortified gluten-free flour mix, click here.
If you've tried 1-2-3 Gluten-Free products or this mix, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
I actually love all of the products from 1-2-3 Gluten Free, but I chose the Multi-Purpose Flour because of its versatility. It is an honest cup for cup substitute for regular recipes. I also like it because if I want brownies, I don't need a brownie mix, I just need a brownie recipe. If I want a chocolate cake, I don't need a chocolate cake mix, I just need a chocolate cake recipe. If I want biscuits, I don't need a biscuit mix, I just need a biscuit recipe. You get the idea. But...if you're looking for any of those mixes--they make them too, and they're true to their name. The mixes are actually as easy as 1-2-3. I still laugh out loud when I think about the first time I used one of these mixes (it was the Sweet Goodness Pan Bars). I literally said "Wow! That was easy," aloud, and then I proceeded to reread the directions because I couldn't possibly be done already. I was wrong--I was done. (I'm also fairly certain I ate the whole pan in one sitting which is not an easy feat because these mixes make about twice as much as regular gluten-free mixes.)
The best part about this flour is that it is the only fortified gluten-free multi-purpose flour on the market today. You know how everyone is always saying that you should only go on a gluten-free diet if absolutely necessary because you're missing out on all sorts of nutrients that gluten-containing foods naturally have? This helps with that for those of us who chose or require a gluten-free diet.
Just like all of the other products, this flour mix is made in a dedicated gluten-free facility, and it is certified gluten-free through the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). It is also free of the top 8 allergens.
I've also had excellent luck using substitutions for dairy & soy while still using regular recipes that weren't originally intended to be gluten-free.
I haven't tried it yet, but the new boxes now say "Recipe for Angel Food Cake on the back!" After seeing this on the website, I noticed that the boxes I have already have the recipe on the back--I've just never noticed. I am and always have been in love with angel food cake. Every year for my birthday, my grandma would make me an angel food cake for my birthday, and then douse it in strawberries. I've only had angel food cake once since being diagnosed, and I actually made it myself (this experience made me that much more grateful for all of the effort my grandma went to in order to make me one each year--if you've made one, you know what I'm talking about--whipping those eggs isn't easy. I didn't have anything more than a hand mixer at the time, and she never had anything more than a hand mixer.)
I'm not sure I could possibly name all of the recipes I've done using this flour mix, but I've tried multiple brownie and cake/cupcake recipes, and they've all turned out great. I've actually been on a quest to find a recipe that didn't work well, but I haven't succeeded. There was one brownie recipe that was just kind of "eh," but I guess the gluten-containing counterpart is just kind of "eh" also.
I could go on and on gushing about how great this company and this product is, but I'll just say one more thing: this is the flour mix I planned on using for cupcakes for my wedding until I finally found a bakery to make me an actual wedding cake. I wouldn't have even considered making my own cupcakes if this wasn't available because while I like other mixes, I know this one is ALWAYS reliable. While I didn't use it for the cupcakes, I did use it for the brownies at our rehearsal dinner, and my favorite question was asked multiple times: "These are gluten-free???"
If you'd like to head on over to their website, click here.
If you'd like to read more about the fortified gluten-free flour mix, click here.
If you've tried 1-2-3 Gluten-Free products or this mix, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.
Friday, August 2, 2013
FDA Gluten-Free Labeling Has Passed!
It seems crazy that just the other day, I was talking about the proposed FDA ruling for defining "gluten-free" for food labeling. I say that because the FDA finally ruled.... today.
You can read the FDA article here. In short, they are requiring that the product be free of wheat, barley, and rye (but not oats), and be able to test under 20ppm gluten. (ppm stands for parts per million and seems to be the most common standard worldwide)
I knew what they were planning, but I am still a little bit disappointed. Not for the same reason as it seems everyone else is upset though (I'll talk about that later). I would really prefer that manufacturers be required to disclose all forms of gluten on ingredient labels the same way they're required to disclose wheat and the other top 8 allergens. Why you ask? Because if that way all gluten-free products would be easy to find.
This new labeling law only pertains to those companies that want to state "gluten-free" on their products. According to the FDA, companies have until August 5, 2014 to ensure no products are mislabeled according to the guidelines. My fear is that many companies will worry that they aren't following the guidelines correctly, and they will remove "gluten-free" from their labels. When that happens, there will be no way to tell if the product is gluten-free besides calling the manufacturer to see if they will clearly label all forms of gluten or find another product.
The most common complaint I'm hearing is that others feel the 20ppm guideline is far too high. I see the point in that, but it seems there is a misconception that a 20ppm limit magically causes all products that state gluten-free on the label to have that amount of gluten in them. 20ppm is the limit people. It's kind of like a speed limit. If the speed limit is 55mph, that doesn't mean everyone is going to travel that speed. It doesn't force you to travel that speed. Some people will travel 45mph, and others will travel 65mph. For the purposes of my example, those traveling 65mph will receive a ticket. Those traveling 45mph will be ignored. Translate that to this gluten-free guideline, and any product containing 20ppm gluten and UNDER can be labeled gluten-free. Any product containing over 20ppm is in violation with the FDA and subject to regulatory action if they state gluten-free on the label.
Hopefully I'm not completely wrong, but my assumption is that the majority of products bearing the gluten-free claim actually contain 0ppm gluten. If the product is carefully grown away from gluten, and then manufactured in a dedicated gluten-free facility, it is highly unlikely that a new FDA standard will magically cause that product to now contain ANY gluten.
If I play devil's advocate, I will admit that I completely understand the worry that 20ppm is too high for some people. For all I know, it is too high for me, but if I switch from devil's advocate back to reality (I hope this is the reality anyway), most companies are not going to clean their equipment and manufacture their product in hopes that they can make it just under the 20ppm threshold--they are going to manufacture with the intent of the product containing 0ppm gluten.
I'm incredibly careful about what I consume, and I always worry that something could be cross contaminated. I completely understand the worry about this threshold being too high, but I guess I'm just over all the complaining that makes the assumption that this new ruling will CAUSE products to contain gluten that they did not previously contain.
Someone please raise a debate with me if you disagree about how this whole thing will play out because I yearn to understand why people suddenly seem so... well, I'll let you insert your own adjective there. ;) If you really want to raise a stink about the amount of gluten, why don't you go google the FDA standard for the threshold for rat feces in our food. Totally not the same thing, but ya know, I had to go there.
You can read the FDA article here. In short, they are requiring that the product be free of wheat, barley, and rye (but not oats), and be able to test under 20ppm gluten. (ppm stands for parts per million and seems to be the most common standard worldwide)
I knew what they were planning, but I am still a little bit disappointed. Not for the same reason as it seems everyone else is upset though (I'll talk about that later). I would really prefer that manufacturers be required to disclose all forms of gluten on ingredient labels the same way they're required to disclose wheat and the other top 8 allergens. Why you ask? Because if that way all gluten-free products would be easy to find.
This new labeling law only pertains to those companies that want to state "gluten-free" on their products. According to the FDA, companies have until August 5, 2014 to ensure no products are mislabeled according to the guidelines. My fear is that many companies will worry that they aren't following the guidelines correctly, and they will remove "gluten-free" from their labels. When that happens, there will be no way to tell if the product is gluten-free besides calling the manufacturer to see if they will clearly label all forms of gluten or find another product.
The most common complaint I'm hearing is that others feel the 20ppm guideline is far too high. I see the point in that, but it seems there is a misconception that a 20ppm limit magically causes all products that state gluten-free on the label to have that amount of gluten in them. 20ppm is the limit people. It's kind of like a speed limit. If the speed limit is 55mph, that doesn't mean everyone is going to travel that speed. It doesn't force you to travel that speed. Some people will travel 45mph, and others will travel 65mph. For the purposes of my example, those traveling 65mph will receive a ticket. Those traveling 45mph will be ignored. Translate that to this gluten-free guideline, and any product containing 20ppm gluten and UNDER can be labeled gluten-free. Any product containing over 20ppm is in violation with the FDA and subject to regulatory action if they state gluten-free on the label.
Hopefully I'm not completely wrong, but my assumption is that the majority of products bearing the gluten-free claim actually contain 0ppm gluten. If the product is carefully grown away from gluten, and then manufactured in a dedicated gluten-free facility, it is highly unlikely that a new FDA standard will magically cause that product to now contain ANY gluten.
If I play devil's advocate, I will admit that I completely understand the worry that 20ppm is too high for some people. For all I know, it is too high for me, but if I switch from devil's advocate back to reality (I hope this is the reality anyway), most companies are not going to clean their equipment and manufacture their product in hopes that they can make it just under the 20ppm threshold--they are going to manufacture with the intent of the product containing 0ppm gluten.
I'm incredibly careful about what I consume, and I always worry that something could be cross contaminated. I completely understand the worry about this threshold being too high, but I guess I'm just over all the complaining that makes the assumption that this new ruling will CAUSE products to contain gluten that they did not previously contain.
Someone please raise a debate with me if you disagree about how this whole thing will play out because I yearn to understand why people suddenly seem so... well, I'll let you insert your own adjective there. ;) If you really want to raise a stink about the amount of gluten, why don't you go google the FDA standard for the threshold for rat feces in our food. Totally not the same thing, but ya know, I had to go there.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Gluten Free Labeling Law
I'm not sure where to start on this one because it seems most people are all over the place with their knowledge of the PROPOSED gluten-free labeling law. Why did I put "proposed" in all capital letters? Because I wanted to catch your attention, and I want to alert the unaware that there currently is no labeling law regarding gluten.
At this time, the FDA requires that companies clearly disclose it if their products contain any of the "top 8 allergens." These include milk, wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and soy. If you've ever heard of FALCPA otherwise known as the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, that's what this is. Although some individuals always seem to think that wheat=gluten, it does not. Gluten can also come in the form of barley, rye, and the always controversial oats. At this time, companies are not required to disclose the presence of barley, rye, or oats. Malt vinegar, which is derived from barley, could simply be listed as "vinegar."
So back to the "proposed" labeling law. Part of the FALCPA law required that the FDA establish standards for labeling products gluten-free. Many people believe that the lives of those on a gluten free diet will magically become easier when this law is passed/goes into effect. The problem with the law is right in the law itself:
In the rule, the FDA defines a product as “gluten free” if it does not contain the following: wheat, rye, barley, or any hybrid of these grains; ingredients such as wheat flour that have not been processed to remove gluten; or any item made up of more than 20 parts per million of gluten.
So what's the problem? Did you see anywhere in that short statement that companies will be required to disclose barley and rye? No. The law only affects those companies that want to state "gluten-free" on the label. It also says nothing about oats. It will also scare more companies away from labeling their products as gluten-free.
The good news is that companies will not be able to to label their products as gluten-free if they are not because it will be against the law to do so. At this time, there is no standard, so a company can label their products gluten-free even if they're aware that they are not. It's not ethical to do so, but there is little chance of any legal action (although the gluten-free community tends to be a very strong community, and I've heard of companies going out of business for doing such things).
I think this is a huge step forward for the gluten-free community once the law goes into effect, but we still have a long way to go. I dream of a day when I can easily read an ingredient label. I don't expect companies to state the actual word "gluten" in the ingredient list, but I would like to know that I'm safe to eat something when a product contains ingredients such as vinegar, natural flavors, coloring, etc. I admire companies that will clearly disclose all gluten ingredients in ways such as "natural flavors (barley)..." and I wish all companies would do this.
What is your opinion on the proposed legislation? If you would change it, what do you wish it would say? I'd love to hear a "best-case scenario" along with a realistic scenario.
At this time, the FDA requires that companies clearly disclose it if their products contain any of the "top 8 allergens." These include milk, wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and soy. If you've ever heard of FALCPA otherwise known as the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, that's what this is. Although some individuals always seem to think that wheat=gluten, it does not. Gluten can also come in the form of barley, rye, and the always controversial oats. At this time, companies are not required to disclose the presence of barley, rye, or oats. Malt vinegar, which is derived from barley, could simply be listed as "vinegar."
So back to the "proposed" labeling law. Part of the FALCPA law required that the FDA establish standards for labeling products gluten-free. Many people believe that the lives of those on a gluten free diet will magically become easier when this law is passed/goes into effect. The problem with the law is right in the law itself:
In the rule, the FDA defines a product as “gluten free” if it does not contain the following: wheat, rye, barley, or any hybrid of these grains; ingredients such as wheat flour that have not been processed to remove gluten; or any item made up of more than 20 parts per million of gluten.
So what's the problem? Did you see anywhere in that short statement that companies will be required to disclose barley and rye? No. The law only affects those companies that want to state "gluten-free" on the label. It also says nothing about oats. It will also scare more companies away from labeling their products as gluten-free.
The good news is that companies will not be able to to label their products as gluten-free if they are not because it will be against the law to do so. At this time, there is no standard, so a company can label their products gluten-free even if they're aware that they are not. It's not ethical to do so, but there is little chance of any legal action (although the gluten-free community tends to be a very strong community, and I've heard of companies going out of business for doing such things).
I think this is a huge step forward for the gluten-free community once the law goes into effect, but we still have a long way to go. I dream of a day when I can easily read an ingredient label. I don't expect companies to state the actual word "gluten" in the ingredient list, but I would like to know that I'm safe to eat something when a product contains ingredients such as vinegar, natural flavors, coloring, etc. I admire companies that will clearly disclose all gluten ingredients in ways such as "natural flavors (barley)..." and I wish all companies would do this.
What is your opinion on the proposed legislation? If you would change it, what do you wish it would say? I'd love to hear a "best-case scenario" along with a realistic scenario.
Monday, July 1, 2013
When ingredients change...
The gluten-free world has been getting better and better ever since I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease over 5 years ago. New products are constantly being introduced, and existing products are changing their ingredients to remove gluten. Manufacturing practices are changing to eliminate the possibility of cross contamination.
Questions? Comments?.... I'd love to hear from you.
Until now...
In the past month, I keep coming across information stating products I previously enjoyed are no longer gluten-free. Other manufacturers seem to be taking the cowardly route and they are now stating that they can't guarantee their product is gluten-free because they don't know where the ingredients come from.
Example 1: Advil Liqui-Gels
I used this product prior to going on a gluten-free diet, and I was incredibly relieved to find out it was gluten-free after my diagnosis. Tablet pain relievers often contain gluten as a binder, so it made sense that a liqui-gel wouldn't have the need for gluten. Until now. I don't even remember how I came across the information, but the other day, someone posted a link about this product. http://www.advil.com/faqs?
In case you don't want to click the link, it says:
In case you don't want to click the link, it says:
Advil® Liqui-Gels® and Advil® Migraine and contain a wheat derivative, and are not gluten-free. You should check with your doctor if you have any concerns about taking this product.
I haven't done additional research to see if the generic versions are still gluten-free, but I have to admit I'm bummed that a product I've relied on for at least 10 years pre and post gluten-free is no longer safe for me to use.
Example 2: Kraft
When I first was diagnosed, Kraft was named as one of those brands with exemplary labeling practices, and I knew I could always rely on the ingredient label rather than needing to call the manufacturer. That is no longer the case, which is extremely frustrating considering it is such a large company, and my opinion is that they should somewhat be setting the standard for how things are done and show other companies that it can be done. I heard someone questioned one of their products that I had always relied on as gluten-free, and they were informed that it was not considered by Kraft to be gluten-free.
I decided to do my own research and call them. The call didn't go well. I've worked in customer service, so I always do my best to be upbeat and polite because I realize they don't make the decisions, but this one was tough. I asked if the product was gluten-free, and the response was that Kraft does not consider it to be gluten-free. I was advised that any product that contains "spices, flavorings, or coloring" is not gluten-free because they don't know how their suppliers produce these ingredients and it is proprietary information.
Often times, I am told that I need to call the manufacturer with the UPC each time I'm going to purchase a product so they can determine which manufacturing facility it was made in and where the ingredients were sourced from. This always ticks me off, and I always inform them that I will simply purchase from another company as I don't have the time to call every time I want to purchase one of their products. On a whim, I asked the Kraft representative if I could call to confirm if I needed to purchase one of their products.
Nope. They flat out don't know. Boo Kraft!
So not only was this one product no longer considered to be gluten-free, but ALL Kraft products are subject to this ridiculous rule of "spices, flavorings or coloring."
So not only was this one product no longer considered to be gluten-free, but ALL Kraft products are subject to this ridiculous rule of "spices, flavorings or coloring."
I do my best to always stay positive about everything gluten-free, so here is my solution: we need to nicely contact these companies to let them know their changes have affected us. The gluten-free community needs to stand together and let companies know that it's not ok to suddenly change their labeling practices. When I voiced my displeasure on Facebook, a few of my friends said that I shouldn't be eating Kraft products anyway because they're full of GMO's, etc, etc, etc. For now, I'd like to focus just on the gluten-free thing though (I will cover my opinion of GMO's in an upcoming blog.) I realize there is a large portion of the population that does not care about GMO's along with a large portion that does.
If you decide to contact Kraft, feel free to call Advil as long as you're on the phone ;)
Contact information for companies:
Kraft: 1-877-535-5666
Advil: 1-800-882-3845
Questions? Comments?.... I'd love to hear from you.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Adventures in Obtaining a Gluten-Free Wedding Cake
Disclaimer: I started writing this weeks before the wedding and never finished it...oops :/
The title of this blog sort of says it all. We just found our wedding cake this last Saturday. Exactly two weeks prior to our wedding date. According to those checklists you can find online, we should have had our cake when we were 6 months out. I excused myself for being late on a lot of things because our engagement was just over 6 months long, so of course I would miss some deadlines.
The title of this blog sort of says it all. We just found our wedding cake this last Saturday. Exactly two weeks prior to our wedding date. According to those checklists you can find online, we should have had our cake when we were 6 months out. I excused myself for being late on a lot of things because our engagement was just over 6 months long, so of course I would miss some deadlines.
I figured I'd write about it in hopes that I could help someone else who goes on the same adventure.
Early on in the planning, I discovered that there are no dedicated gluten-free bakeries in town. I was fairly certain I knew this already, but double checking was important too. There were a few bakeries that I discovered that claimed to do gluten-free wedding cakes, but I was warned against trusting them from individuals who had gotten sick from their products because they were cross contaminated.
About 20 miles from me, there is a gluten-free company that recently started making cupcakes. They have a dedicated gluten-free facility too. When I was down there on business, I decided to check with the owner to see if she could do a wedding cake. She said she would be able to bake a cake, but she doesn't decorate. Another option would be to just use her cupcakes.
At this point, I needed to find a cake decorator, or at the very least, we would at least have cupcakes. A back-up plan was definitely not a bad thing.
After I realized I had a back-up option, I moved on to other wedding tasks which was probably my biggest mistake. This was months ago.
Fast forward to a little over a month ago. I was traveling for work to various gluten-free events. I got the idea in my head that I would use one of my favorite mixes and make cupcakes myself. This way I could make them gluten/dairy/soy/nut free because I was fairly certain my back-up plan cupcakes definitely contained soy and may or may not have contained dairy. My friends told me I was crazy. My fiance just kind of smiled and nodded because he knew if I set my mind to it, I would do it no matter what he said.
I thought my plan was genius. I would bake them ahead of time and freeze them. If I didn't have them ready at least two weeks in advance, then I would go with my back-up plan.
The next week, I was at an event a little over two hours away. I met an employee from a bakery who stopped at my table, so I asked if they did wedding cakes. The answer was yes! He said they had never delivered so far away before, but he could possibly make a day trip with his daughter to visit my city and delivery the cake. He gave me their phone number and instructed me to call on Monday. When I called on Monday, I was told that they were already essentially fully booked for the weekend of my wedding, and my only option would be to pick up the cake myself, but they didn't want us to say where we got it because they didn't think a cake could make it so far in the June heat.
I felt defeated, but I decided to attempt calling another dedicated bakery which was about an hour away. They immediately said they were 100% booked on our date. Crap. Crap. Crap. I suddenly didn't feel like making our own cupcakes anymore, and I was out of options.
I forced myself to move on, and decided I would buy the flour I needed at the next vendor fair I was attending three weeks before the wedding. I got really sick in the middle of the night before the next vendor fair. I forced myself to get up, but I was sure I was going to pass out or vomit, and I almost turned around when I had hardly made it out of town early in the morning to arrive in time to set up. I slowly got a little better, and eventually made it there. I walked around a little after I had set up my table, but then I decided I was better off taking it easy, so I went and bought 6 boxes of flour and went back to my table.
As I sat waiting for the event to start, I noticed there was a bakery across the room. It seemed wrong not to at least try, so I walked over and asked if they did wedding cakes. The answer was yes. I then asked if they could do gluten/dairy/soy/nut free. That answer was also yes. I asked if they were available on my date. Yes again. She gave me her card, and I was instructed to e-mail on Monday. She was located another 45 minutes away in addition to the hour I had already traveled to the event, but it was still an option.
The website showed great looking cakes. They definitely weren't up to the caliber of what I was used to seeing, but I knew if I kept it somewhat simple, then it was going to look amazing. I also worried about what it tasted like because I hadn't been able to try anything. We wound up setting up a tasting because we didn't want to blindly order a cake--especially because the price seemed incredibly inexpensive.
There were a total of four of us that traveled to the tasting although a friend lived nearby so she met myself, my fiance, and his son there. The bakery was based out of the womans home although she did much of the baking in her church because their church kitchen was not used for anything. She had prepared a bowl of buttercream frosting, a bowl of bavarian cream, a chocolate cake, and a vanilla cake. Everything was excellent, and we finished off both cakes and far too much frosting and filling which we simply spooned onto our plates and ate with a spoon. We were sold, and we finally had our cake. The best part was that it was much better than most wedding cakes I've had in my pre-gluten-free days.
Delivery would cost a little over $100, but she was also transporting it about 75 miles, so it was 150 round trip. She agreed to delivery at precisely the time the set-up for our reception would happen even though we offered to let her deliver it earlier in the day and let the staff bring it out. She wanted to ensure it didn't need to be moved and that it would look perfect, so she insisted on coming when it wouldn't need to be touched.
**Update: The cake looked and tasted amazing. She brought along each of the 4 individual tiers of the cake and put it together and did the swirl decorating right on site. Most of our guests had no idea it was gluten-free, and everyone said the cake was amazing. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to add one additional tier as the cake went quickly, and many people wanted seconds and didn't get them. I would have gladly paid extra for everyone to have had seconds had I known that was going to happen.
Have you or anyone you know ever needed to find a gluten-free wedding cake? What was your experience?
Early on in the planning, I discovered that there are no dedicated gluten-free bakeries in town. I was fairly certain I knew this already, but double checking was important too. There were a few bakeries that I discovered that claimed to do gluten-free wedding cakes, but I was warned against trusting them from individuals who had gotten sick from their products because they were cross contaminated.
About 20 miles from me, there is a gluten-free company that recently started making cupcakes. They have a dedicated gluten-free facility too. When I was down there on business, I decided to check with the owner to see if she could do a wedding cake. She said she would be able to bake a cake, but she doesn't decorate. Another option would be to just use her cupcakes.
At this point, I needed to find a cake decorator, or at the very least, we would at least have cupcakes. A back-up plan was definitely not a bad thing.
After I realized I had a back-up option, I moved on to other wedding tasks which was probably my biggest mistake. This was months ago.
Fast forward to a little over a month ago. I was traveling for work to various gluten-free events. I got the idea in my head that I would use one of my favorite mixes and make cupcakes myself. This way I could make them gluten/dairy/soy/nut free because I was fairly certain my back-up plan cupcakes definitely contained soy and may or may not have contained dairy. My friends told me I was crazy. My fiance just kind of smiled and nodded because he knew if I set my mind to it, I would do it no matter what he said.
I thought my plan was genius. I would bake them ahead of time and freeze them. If I didn't have them ready at least two weeks in advance, then I would go with my back-up plan.
The next week, I was at an event a little over two hours away. I met an employee from a bakery who stopped at my table, so I asked if they did wedding cakes. The answer was yes! He said they had never delivered so far away before, but he could possibly make a day trip with his daughter to visit my city and delivery the cake. He gave me their phone number and instructed me to call on Monday. When I called on Monday, I was told that they were already essentially fully booked for the weekend of my wedding, and my only option would be to pick up the cake myself, but they didn't want us to say where we got it because they didn't think a cake could make it so far in the June heat.
I felt defeated, but I decided to attempt calling another dedicated bakery which was about an hour away. They immediately said they were 100% booked on our date. Crap. Crap. Crap. I suddenly didn't feel like making our own cupcakes anymore, and I was out of options.
I forced myself to move on, and decided I would buy the flour I needed at the next vendor fair I was attending three weeks before the wedding. I got really sick in the middle of the night before the next vendor fair. I forced myself to get up, but I was sure I was going to pass out or vomit, and I almost turned around when I had hardly made it out of town early in the morning to arrive in time to set up. I slowly got a little better, and eventually made it there. I walked around a little after I had set up my table, but then I decided I was better off taking it easy, so I went and bought 6 boxes of flour and went back to my table.
As I sat waiting for the event to start, I noticed there was a bakery across the room. It seemed wrong not to at least try, so I walked over and asked if they did wedding cakes. The answer was yes. I then asked if they could do gluten/dairy/soy/nut free. That answer was also yes. I asked if they were available on my date. Yes again. She gave me her card, and I was instructed to e-mail on Monday. She was located another 45 minutes away in addition to the hour I had already traveled to the event, but it was still an option.
The website showed great looking cakes. They definitely weren't up to the caliber of what I was used to seeing, but I knew if I kept it somewhat simple, then it was going to look amazing. I also worried about what it tasted like because I hadn't been able to try anything. We wound up setting up a tasting because we didn't want to blindly order a cake--especially because the price seemed incredibly inexpensive.
There were a total of four of us that traveled to the tasting although a friend lived nearby so she met myself, my fiance, and his son there. The bakery was based out of the womans home although she did much of the baking in her church because their church kitchen was not used for anything. She had prepared a bowl of buttercream frosting, a bowl of bavarian cream, a chocolate cake, and a vanilla cake. Everything was excellent, and we finished off both cakes and far too much frosting and filling which we simply spooned onto our plates and ate with a spoon. We were sold, and we finally had our cake. The best part was that it was much better than most wedding cakes I've had in my pre-gluten-free days.
Delivery would cost a little over $100, but she was also transporting it about 75 miles, so it was 150 round trip. She agreed to delivery at precisely the time the set-up for our reception would happen even though we offered to let her deliver it earlier in the day and let the staff bring it out. She wanted to ensure it didn't need to be moved and that it would look perfect, so she insisted on coming when it wouldn't need to be touched.
**Update: The cake looked and tasted amazing. She brought along each of the 4 individual tiers of the cake and put it together and did the swirl decorating right on site. Most of our guests had no idea it was gluten-free, and everyone said the cake was amazing. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to add one additional tier as the cake went quickly, and many people wanted seconds and didn't get them. I would have gladly paid extra for everyone to have had seconds had I known that was going to happen.
Have you or anyone you know ever needed to find a gluten-free wedding cake? What was your experience?
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Gluten in the News: Disney's Jessie
Disney messed up. They messed up big time in my opinion. At this point, this story is old news, but if you haven't heard, Disney airs a show called Jessie where they included a few scenes of a child who was on a gluten-free diet being bullied. There has been outrage from both sides. The parents of children with Celiac Disease are outraged that Disney would condone bullying of someone who essentially has a food allergy, and those unfamiliar with the gluten-free diet say that parents are being to thin skinned, and it was just a joke.
I get jokes. I like jokes. I understand when jokes are appropriate. I've been searching my brain for the best example that would help those unfamiliar with the gluten-free diet understand why people are upset. What I came up with would be a paraplegic child in a wheelchair who does not have use of their legs. It's not the perfect example, but it makes sense to me.
In my metaphor, the legs are the reaction to gluten, and the wheelchair is the gluten-free diet. There were two scenes that I saw where the child was being teased. First some background on the show from someone who has seen only a few episodes (not by choice) and done minimal research about the show. The show revolves around Jessie who is a young adult who moved from Texas to New York to pursue her dream of being a singer. She somehow ended up being a nanny for four very well-to-do children (some are adopted). The parents are rarely present, so she is their main care-taker as far as I understand. They live in what seemed to me to be a hotel, but it may have been an apartment building.
In the first scene, there is another child named Stuart who was there to eat breakfast. When their butler offers him the pancakes, he asks if they are gluten-free. The butler responds with a snide response (I think he said "They're glue-free, isn't that close enough?") which everyone laughs at. Jessie explains that Stuart has a few minor dietary requirements, and the list is five pages long.
In the second scene, one of the children throws pancakes at Stuart, so he yells out "aaaaah! Gluten!" Of course everyone laughs.
Back to my metaphor. How would people respond if Stuart were in a wheelchair and he needed to use that wheelchair to get someplace that was not wheelchair accessible and all of the children laughed at him? How would people respond if later on, those same children dumped Stuart out of his wheelchair and everyone laughed? Not the same thing? I think it is.
In the first scene, the children laugh at him because he can't do what they are doing--eating pancakes. He cannot eat pancakes because he will likely suffer from horrible gastrointestinal distress. It's unknown if he actually has Celiac Disease, but it is my opinion that those who have Celiac Disease do not have the choice as to whether or not they will eat gluten. They simply can't do it just like someone in a wheelchair cannot walk. I'll admit that is where my metaphor is the most imperfect, but I'm sure you're following what I mean by it. Bottom line: the children laughed at him because he is different and has a condition that cannot be changed by choice, nor did he choose that condition
In the second scene, they throw pancakes at him. I'm fully aware that in most cases, gluten needs to be ingested to cause a reaction....but....how easy would it be to get crumbs from the pancake in your mouth as they are throwing them at your face? Also, some people do have skin reactions although I'm unfamiliar as to how exactly it works as I do not have topical reactions. The example of someone throwing peanuts at someone with a peanut allergy has been used multiple times, but the issue with that is many people still don't understand the severity of a peanut allergy. Hence my wheelchair example. Would the writers from that show have ever even considered writing a scene where the children dump a child out of a wheelchair?
I really hope not.
I'm really glad Disney chose to pull the episode before it actually aired. From what I read, they generally put new episodes on Video On Demand the week before the show is set to air on the Disney Channel. A mother of two children with Celiac Disease, Amy Raslevich, started a petition at Change.org after her children viewed the episode and became very upset. It is unknown if it was specifically the petition or the reaction overall that caused the show to be pulled, but they pulled it, choosing to air a re-run in it's place.
I don't know that I would be having the same reaction if this were a show centered around adult. I personally think we have a large enough bullying problem, that we don't need kids channels showing children that it's ok and funny to bully someone. Disagree with me if you choose, I firmly believe this is bullying rather than simple teasing.
It proves how self-centered people are if I'm right, but I'm hoping that some of the reaction from the other side of this issue stems from people being upset that they didn't get to see a new episode of their favorite show when they were expecting to see one. Now, rather than learning something positive about the gluten-free diet, they are condemning all those that are on it because they lost something so incredibly important as a new episode of a show because all of us gluten-free folks are being ridiculously insensitive (please note my sarcasm).
I love that the gluten-free community is so strong that we are able to right some wrongs when we come together (as in the show was pulled). I hope that something good comes out of this, but I'm not quite sure what that is yet. My fear is that this situation has further divided the gluten-free community from everyone else due to additional misinformation being spread.
If you would like to read more about this than my opinions, here are some links:
Gluten Dude (includes video of the two scenes)
http://glutendude.com/media/disney-thinks-bullying-a-gluten-free-child-is-funny/
CBS News:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57585388/disney-pulls-jessie-episode-that-makes-fun-of-gluten-free-child/
Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/disney-pulls-jessie-episode-about-gluten-allergies_n_3307231.html?ir=Parents
Google is your friend if you want additional info and don't like these news sources. I apologize I did not have time to find better ones.
And just so you have an idea of why this is such a two-sided issue, here are two comments found on an article about this topic:
I get jokes. I like jokes. I understand when jokes are appropriate. I've been searching my brain for the best example that would help those unfamiliar with the gluten-free diet understand why people are upset. What I came up with would be a paraplegic child in a wheelchair who does not have use of their legs. It's not the perfect example, but it makes sense to me.
In my metaphor, the legs are the reaction to gluten, and the wheelchair is the gluten-free diet. There were two scenes that I saw where the child was being teased. First some background on the show from someone who has seen only a few episodes (not by choice) and done minimal research about the show. The show revolves around Jessie who is a young adult who moved from Texas to New York to pursue her dream of being a singer. She somehow ended up being a nanny for four very well-to-do children (some are adopted). The parents are rarely present, so she is their main care-taker as far as I understand. They live in what seemed to me to be a hotel, but it may have been an apartment building.
In the first scene, there is another child named Stuart who was there to eat breakfast. When their butler offers him the pancakes, he asks if they are gluten-free. The butler responds with a snide response (I think he said "They're glue-free, isn't that close enough?") which everyone laughs at. Jessie explains that Stuart has a few minor dietary requirements, and the list is five pages long.
In the second scene, one of the children throws pancakes at Stuart, so he yells out "aaaaah! Gluten!" Of course everyone laughs.
Back to my metaphor. How would people respond if Stuart were in a wheelchair and he needed to use that wheelchair to get someplace that was not wheelchair accessible and all of the children laughed at him? How would people respond if later on, those same children dumped Stuart out of his wheelchair and everyone laughed? Not the same thing? I think it is.
In the first scene, the children laugh at him because he can't do what they are doing--eating pancakes. He cannot eat pancakes because he will likely suffer from horrible gastrointestinal distress. It's unknown if he actually has Celiac Disease, but it is my opinion that those who have Celiac Disease do not have the choice as to whether or not they will eat gluten. They simply can't do it just like someone in a wheelchair cannot walk. I'll admit that is where my metaphor is the most imperfect, but I'm sure you're following what I mean by it. Bottom line: the children laughed at him because he is different and has a condition that cannot be changed by choice, nor did he choose that condition
In the second scene, they throw pancakes at him. I'm fully aware that in most cases, gluten needs to be ingested to cause a reaction....but....how easy would it be to get crumbs from the pancake in your mouth as they are throwing them at your face? Also, some people do have skin reactions although I'm unfamiliar as to how exactly it works as I do not have topical reactions. The example of someone throwing peanuts at someone with a peanut allergy has been used multiple times, but the issue with that is many people still don't understand the severity of a peanut allergy. Hence my wheelchair example. Would the writers from that show have ever even considered writing a scene where the children dump a child out of a wheelchair?
I really hope not.
I'm really glad Disney chose to pull the episode before it actually aired. From what I read, they generally put new episodes on Video On Demand the week before the show is set to air on the Disney Channel. A mother of two children with Celiac Disease, Amy Raslevich, started a petition at Change.org after her children viewed the episode and became very upset. It is unknown if it was specifically the petition or the reaction overall that caused the show to be pulled, but they pulled it, choosing to air a re-run in it's place.
I don't know that I would be having the same reaction if this were a show centered around adult. I personally think we have a large enough bullying problem, that we don't need kids channels showing children that it's ok and funny to bully someone. Disagree with me if you choose, I firmly believe this is bullying rather than simple teasing.
It proves how self-centered people are if I'm right, but I'm hoping that some of the reaction from the other side of this issue stems from people being upset that they didn't get to see a new episode of their favorite show when they were expecting to see one. Now, rather than learning something positive about the gluten-free diet, they are condemning all those that are on it because they lost something so incredibly important as a new episode of a show because all of us gluten-free folks are being ridiculously insensitive (please note my sarcasm).
I love that the gluten-free community is so strong that we are able to right some wrongs when we come together (as in the show was pulled). I hope that something good comes out of this, but I'm not quite sure what that is yet. My fear is that this situation has further divided the gluten-free community from everyone else due to additional misinformation being spread.
If you would like to read more about this than my opinions, here are some links:
Gluten Dude (includes video of the two scenes)
http://glutendude.com/media/disney-thinks-bullying-a-gluten-free-child-is-funny/
CBS News:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57585388/disney-pulls-jessie-episode-that-makes-fun-of-gluten-free-child/
Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/disney-pulls-jessie-episode-about-gluten-allergies_n_3307231.html?ir=Parents
Google is your friend if you want additional info and don't like these news sources. I apologize I did not have time to find better ones.
And just so you have an idea of why this is such a two-sided issue, here are two comments found on an article about this topic:
- Comment by Jack Tor sSeriously, are we so PC now we can’t even make an effing joke about gluten intolerance on a Dinsey channel show? This is unbelievable. People need to lighten up, for chrissakes. It’s a JOKE. Who cares?!
- Jack Tor, I would think the kid who is gluten intolerant or celiac and feels belittled and marginalized would care.One more thing. This isn't something that has never happened with Disney before. I don't have a lot of details, but there was supposed to be an episode of Hannah Montana where a diabetic child was being made fun of for not being able to consume sugar. The exact same thing happened with the show being pulled before it actually aired. In that situation, they reshot some of the scenes and changed the title of the show because it specifically referred to "sugar."
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
When Life Gets Away From You
Eight days ago, I said I was going to do a post a day for Celiac Awareness Month. Yeah... that didn't happen.
In my own defense, and what I will use as my very weak excuse is that I'm getting married in a month. Yay!!! Exactly one month from today, I will be walking down the aisle towards the man I will be spending the rest of my gluten-free life with. The thought of that causes an indescribable feeling of happiness.
So I guess today I will talk about wedding planning. I'm a very relaxed bride compared to what I've seen, but I've also questioned the whole time if I'm too relaxed. With one month to go, we haven't "actually" signed the contract for our reception venue (we know we have it either way, but it's a minor detail we should probably get out of the way), we have someone who can do cupcakes for us but we have no cake, we haven't done our food tasting, our dj doesn't have our list of songs yet, we haven't chosen our flowers, we haven't rented a limo (we want a trolley), etc, etc, etc.
I'll admit I've been frustrated a few times that things aren't taken care of, but ultimately, I figure we have each other (you need someone to marry if you're getting married), we have the church and a pastor, we have the reception venue (even though it's not legal), and we know our caterer can do gluten-free food and a flourless chocolate cake if worst came to worst. Beyond that, everything else is just details, and its unlikely anyone would really notice if anything wasn't completely perfect.
This blog is about gluten-free food, so I'll talk about that for a moment. I was amazed at how easy it was to find a caterer that was able to accommodate a gluten-free event, and I was also amazed at how incredibly hard it has been to find an actual gluten-free wedding cake.
Every single caterer I spoke with didn't even flinch when I said that I needed the entire event to be gluten-free. Most of them simply eliminated the possibility of pasta, subbed in cornstarch where flour would normally be used, and skipped rolls as part of the meal. I think they actually appreciated that we wanted the entire event to be gluten-free because then they know that there is no chance they'll cross contaminate something with something else on our menu.
When it comes to the tasting, we are 99% certain we know what we want, but the tasting is included as part of our cost so I told my fiance we are doing it. He had no problem with getting a "free" meal. Now we just need to find the time to do it.
As for the cake--that is a whole other story, and it's been incredibly frustrating. There are a few local bakeries that do gluten-free items including cakes, but every single one of them is a shared facility. Each one of them seems to have a major cross contamination problem which makes me angry that they're offering items in the first place. I believe they should be incredibly up front that their items are cross contaminated, but they all simply have it in the fine print. How terrible would it be to get glutened on your wedding day?
I started branching out to bakeries that were further away, but I quickly discovered that they aren't able to do it because it's unlikely a cake would travel two hours in June without "melting." I have one more option, but as far as I know, it's essentially a flourless chocolate cake. My caterer can do a flourless chocolate cake, and we really want an actual cake to cut. I have a back-up bakery that is only about 30 miles away that is happy to do cupcakes, but the frosting wouldn't be super fancy. She said she could also do a cake, but she definitely can't decorate a wedding cake--she could only bake it.
I tossed out the idea of myself making the cupcakes and attempt a cake a few weeks ahead of time and then freezing them, but everyone is saying I'm crazy. I figure we have a large chest freezer that is essentially empty right now, and I have a few recipes that freeze well, so why not? My friends and my fiance all still say I'm crazy. I'm not convinced ;)
So that's where I'm at. I have one month to pull this wedding together, so no promises on a post a day, but I promise to try.
The good news is that I am still... Alive Without Gluten ;)
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Receiving Gifts of Food
Pre-diagnosis, I used to love it when people gave me food. Everyone loves free food, right? Wrong. Now I fear it.
Case in point: About a week before Easter, we discovered a box on our front step that said "Perishable." Instead of jumping for joy that we got free food, I froze. It's not like packaged food will hurt me if there is gluten in it, but there is so much more than not being able to eat the food itself. How do I thank someone for their good intentions without hurting their feelings. Do I thank them and lie when I say I'm looking forward to eating it? AUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!
That's how I feel. It probably seems silly to most, but I'm sure others with food allergies understand.
We discovered the box was from my fiance's parents. Oh goody! I potentially get to offend my future in-laws. That sounds like a great time, and I'm totally looking forward to doing something that they will potentially remember about me FOREVER.
Ok, yes, I'm being slightly dramatic, but seriously! Who wants to tick off their in-laws before they're even in-laws.
My fiance didn't have any interest in opening the box (probably because he knew he would probably be told we couldn't eat it anyway). I opened it with slight trepidation. Would I be pleasantly surprised or would I be figuring out who I could regift this to?
There was a note inside from his step-mom explaining that she had heard about this company on the news and noticed they were talking about allergies and gluten-free. The food itself was 3 chocolate Easter bunnies and 2 bags of jelly beans. I had to look it up on the internet to determine if it was in fact "safe" for me or not because the packages didn't say anything about gluten-free on them.
End result: pleasantly surprised.
I love when people "get" it. I fear the day when a family member of his bakes me "gluten-free" cookies and I have to politely turn them down without forever offending them. "But they were made from a gluten-free mix, and I mixed them in the same bowl that I used for all my gluteny stuff, and they were baked on the same pan as my gluteny cookies--how could that possibly get you sick," they will say. Ok, that's not what they will say, but that's what I will be imagining them saying.
So to those of you who have good intentions in giving people with allergies food, I have some advice for you:
1. Make sure you know EXACTLY what you are doing, and don't be offended if they still aren't comfortable eating it.
2. Don't try at all unless you're willing to do it right.
3. Ask the individual for help/advice and/or see if they would like to cook/bake with you (preferably in their kitchen). I would much rather spend a day with someone in my safe kitchen baking all kinds of goodies than question if they were able to avoid cross contamination every step of the way in their kitchen.
How do you handle gifts of food?
Case in point: About a week before Easter, we discovered a box on our front step that said "Perishable." Instead of jumping for joy that we got free food, I froze. It's not like packaged food will hurt me if there is gluten in it, but there is so much more than not being able to eat the food itself. How do I thank someone for their good intentions without hurting their feelings. Do I thank them and lie when I say I'm looking forward to eating it? AUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!
That's how I feel. It probably seems silly to most, but I'm sure others with food allergies understand.
We discovered the box was from my fiance's parents. Oh goody! I potentially get to offend my future in-laws. That sounds like a great time, and I'm totally looking forward to doing something that they will potentially remember about me FOREVER.
Ok, yes, I'm being slightly dramatic, but seriously! Who wants to tick off their in-laws before they're even in-laws.
My fiance didn't have any interest in opening the box (probably because he knew he would probably be told we couldn't eat it anyway). I opened it with slight trepidation. Would I be pleasantly surprised or would I be figuring out who I could regift this to?
There was a note inside from his step-mom explaining that she had heard about this company on the news and noticed they were talking about allergies and gluten-free. The food itself was 3 chocolate Easter bunnies and 2 bags of jelly beans. I had to look it up on the internet to determine if it was in fact "safe" for me or not because the packages didn't say anything about gluten-free on them.
End result: pleasantly surprised.
I love when people "get" it. I fear the day when a family member of his bakes me "gluten-free" cookies and I have to politely turn them down without forever offending them. "But they were made from a gluten-free mix, and I mixed them in the same bowl that I used for all my gluteny stuff, and they were baked on the same pan as my gluteny cookies--how could that possibly get you sick," they will say. Ok, that's not what they will say, but that's what I will be imagining them saying.
So to those of you who have good intentions in giving people with allergies food, I have some advice for you:
1. Make sure you know EXACTLY what you are doing, and don't be offended if they still aren't comfortable eating it.
2. Don't try at all unless you're willing to do it right.
3. Ask the individual for help/advice and/or see if they would like to cook/bake with you (preferably in their kitchen). I would much rather spend a day with someone in my safe kitchen baking all kinds of goodies than question if they were able to avoid cross contamination every step of the way in their kitchen.
How do you handle gifts of food?
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Celiac Disease Awareness Month
I've never been a huge fan of specific times to recognize things because I feel you should recognize them year-round. Celiac Awareness Month is a little bit different in my mind simply because it is a newer "condition" that isn't very well known.
My goal will be to write one post per day in honor of Celiac Awareness Month. How do you plan to spread awareness, and what have you done in the past?
My goal will be to write one post per day in honor of Celiac Awareness Month. How do you plan to spread awareness, and what have you done in the past?
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Positivity
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not always 100% positive about the gluten-free diet, but I would say I manage it about 99% of the time. I have a million other posts planned, but I had to get this written right now.
I spent today at the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo in Schaumburg, IL, so that might be why I'm running on a gluten-high. I'm currently back at my hotel room. I'm watching tv, eating leftover PF Chang, and reading Facebook posts.
The reason for my post is this: I saw a recipe for something I can't even remember at this point. It was one of those recipes that you think, "Wow, that looks good. I need to try that." I continued scrolling through, and it dawned on me that my friend who posted it is on a GF diet, but it was linked from a website that is not GF. I immediately went into conversion mode, decided I could definitely convert the recipe, and then I moved on.
It was a little while later when the true impact of what had happened dawned on me. I spoke with people all day long that were super happy to be trying a wide variety of gluten-free products, but who continually complained about how hard the diet is. Am I at the point where I take my knowledge for granted? How is it that so many other people think the diet is so incredibly hard when there are others who struggle even after doing it longer than myself?
I guess that's why I feel Alive Without Gluten. I'm going to ponder on that and work on ways to help others through my posts because I'd prefer everyone requiring a gluten-free diet also feels Alive Without Gluten. There's no reason everyone can't feel this way ;)
I spent today at the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo in Schaumburg, IL, so that might be why I'm running on a gluten-high. I'm currently back at my hotel room. I'm watching tv, eating leftover PF Chang, and reading Facebook posts.
The reason for my post is this: I saw a recipe for something I can't even remember at this point. It was one of those recipes that you think, "Wow, that looks good. I need to try that." I continued scrolling through, and it dawned on me that my friend who posted it is on a GF diet, but it was linked from a website that is not GF. I immediately went into conversion mode, decided I could definitely convert the recipe, and then I moved on.
It was a little while later when the true impact of what had happened dawned on me. I spoke with people all day long that were super happy to be trying a wide variety of gluten-free products, but who continually complained about how hard the diet is. Am I at the point where I take my knowledge for granted? How is it that so many other people think the diet is so incredibly hard when there are others who struggle even after doing it longer than myself?
I guess that's why I feel Alive Without Gluten. I'm going to ponder on that and work on ways to help others through my posts because I'd prefer everyone requiring a gluten-free diet also feels Alive Without Gluten. There's no reason everyone can't feel this way ;)
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Progress After Diagnosis
It only took me a few days to notice a difference in how I felt. This was incredibly exciting because I had thought for sure I was dying. After a few weeks, I felt like a whole new person. I look back at pictures of myself, and I'm shocked at how I looked. No wonder people thought I definitely had to be anorexic or bulimic. I definitely looked the part.
Like I said before, I went the route of eliminating all food until I was 100% sure it was gluten-free. This didn't do a lot for variety in my diet, but it did help to ensure I didn't eat something I shouldn't by mistake. It also helped me to start gaining weight.
My birthday was about a week after I changed my diet, and I immediately wished I had waited. I knew there were gluten-free cake mixes out there, but the last thing I wanted to do was take the time to bake a cake and have it taste disgusting. It wasn't unusual to skip cake on my birthday, but there was something about not having the option that depressed me. I hadn't researched eating out yet, so I was shocked when my boyfriends parents took us out for breakfast for my birthday and I had to come to the realization that eating out would not be easy. I don't know if my meal had been safe or not as it was too early for me to truly have a reaction, but I wouldn't be surprised if my food had been contaminated.
I immediately began doing some research when we got home from breakfast because my boyfriend wanted to take me out for dinner, and I wanted to make sure it was easier to order. I discovered higher end restaurants tend to be safer, so we went to a higher end restaurant that was still within his budget. I wound up getting a steak with no seasoning and a plain baked potato. It was good, but it was also something I could have easily made myself at home.
He hadn't gotten me a gift yet, so he said we could go shopping after dinner and I could pick something out. After two disappointing experiences in dining out, I knew exactly what I wanted. We went to Kohls, and I picked out a new electric mixer and a food processor. It was time I learned to cook and bake, and these two items would help me to do that.
It would be another number of months before I really started to explore cooking, and years before I discovered how enjoyable I find my time in the kitchen to be. It was also months later before I attempted to eat out again. My boyfriend had no interest in going out to eat with me because he found my questions to be embarrassing. My next attempt after my birthday was with his mother, and it was excellent. I had found that most Outback Steakhouse locations did a very good job with accommodating those on a gluten-free diet. I later discovered that I had gotten lucky with an excellent waiter on my first trip to Outback, but that good experience gave me the courage to attempt eating out occasionally. I also learned the importance of rewarding good waitstaff and requesting them by name whenever I dine there.
About a year after changing my diet, I went to a gluten-free vendor fair in Chicago. I met up with some people who frequented an online gluten-free forum, and for the first time I didn't feel quite as alone as I had before. For two days, I stuffed myself with excellent gluten-free food, learned a lot of great information from the speakers, and I got a bunch of great samples to bring home.
About six months after changing my diet, it seemed like I was having symptoms again, but there was something different about it. At an appointment with my OB/GYN, I suddenly burst out crying for no reason when I was explaining some of my newer symptoms. He suggested I see a psychologist. I was somewhat shocked by the suggestion, but he explained that individuals can go through a grieving process after adopting a gluten-free diet because they've lost something important to them. He also said that my behavior was starting to border on agoraphobia, and the thought of being too afraid to ever leave my house was enough to get me to make an appointment that same day.
In therapy, I discovered that my "relapse" wasn't actually caused by gluten. I had spent over 10 years of my life afraid to go places, especially if I didn't know where the restrooms were. Stress and anxiety were causing my diarrhea and stomachaches. I was so afraid of getting sick, that I was making myself sick. My psychologist was able to help me work through the grief and my fear of leaving my house.
So that was my first year. What was your first gluten-free year like?
So that was my first year. What was your first gluten-free year like?
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Making it up as you go....
You know those days when you desperately need to go grocery shopping, but you also need to eat before you go? Quick and easy meals aren't nearly as abundant in the gluten-free world. Gone are the days when you swing through the McDonalds drive-thru on your way to the grocery store. There are fast food restaurants that supposedly have gluten-free options, but I'd rather be safe with my food consumption, and there is no way I'm going to trust a 16-year-old to care enough to prepare my food carefully. Popping a frozen pizza into the oven isn't an easy option either because there aren't any cheap frozen gluten-free pizzas (gluten-free pizza exists, it's just expensive).
Today was one of those days when the cupboards were incredibly bare. I've been meaning to do actual meal planning to ensure we are staying within our budget, and because I prefer to eat good tasting meals. I also have a strong dislike for the "what's for dinner" game.
Today, I was forced to throw together a couple random things and hope it would turn out. I first spotted a can of crushed tomatoes. We also had some gluten-free pasta in the cupboard, but I would prefer to eat pasta with actual tomato sauce, so that was out. I then spotted some beans that were about to expire. Cannellini, Dark Red Kidney, and Black beans to be specific. I originally figured I'd make something similar to chili even though I much prefer chili with meat, and I also prefer it to be made in the slow-cooker. After I drained the beans, and had everything in the pan, I decided it needed something more.
Without measuring, I just sort of dumped some rice in there, and figured I would heat it on medium until it was boiling, and then cover it and cook it on simmer for 20 minutes, which is how you would cook rice. As it was heating up to a boil, I noticed it kept sticking to the bottom of the pan as I stirred, but I was sort of stuck with it at that point. There wasn't anything I could do to change it, so I figured I might as well continue and hope it turned out.
When the 20 minutes were up, I took the cover off, and as I stirred, it seemed it might just have turned out ok. I grabbed some random spices (oregano, celery salt, and onion salt), and added them for flavor.
Once it was in bowls, I decided it would go better as sort of a dip for chips, so I grabbed some tortilla chips and stuck them in the side of the bowl.
This is what I ended up with:
The best thing about this meal is that it is naturally gluten-free. There are brands of beans, tortilla chips, rice, and tomatoes that are not gluten-free, but the majority of them are gluten-free. (My point is that this is a meal that didn't require specialty gluten-free items like pasta or bread.)
I also figured out that the ingredients probably cost us about $5, and there is approximately enough for 8 servings--talk about cheap! It worked so well, that I plan to always keep a can of crushed tomatoes in the house. We already keep the house stocked with rice and beans because they are cheap ingredients, and they can be added to or made as a side for multiple meals. I definitely need to experiment with different spice combinations, but I'm very satisfied with what we got the first time around.
Today was one of those days when the cupboards were incredibly bare. I've been meaning to do actual meal planning to ensure we are staying within our budget, and because I prefer to eat good tasting meals. I also have a strong dislike for the "what's for dinner" game.
Today, I was forced to throw together a couple random things and hope it would turn out. I first spotted a can of crushed tomatoes. We also had some gluten-free pasta in the cupboard, but I would prefer to eat pasta with actual tomato sauce, so that was out. I then spotted some beans that were about to expire. Cannellini, Dark Red Kidney, and Black beans to be specific. I originally figured I'd make something similar to chili even though I much prefer chili with meat, and I also prefer it to be made in the slow-cooker. After I drained the beans, and had everything in the pan, I decided it needed something more.
Without measuring, I just sort of dumped some rice in there, and figured I would heat it on medium until it was boiling, and then cover it and cook it on simmer for 20 minutes, which is how you would cook rice. As it was heating up to a boil, I noticed it kept sticking to the bottom of the pan as I stirred, but I was sort of stuck with it at that point. There wasn't anything I could do to change it, so I figured I might as well continue and hope it turned out.
When the 20 minutes were up, I took the cover off, and as I stirred, it seemed it might just have turned out ok. I grabbed some random spices (oregano, celery salt, and onion salt), and added them for flavor.
Once it was in bowls, I decided it would go better as sort of a dip for chips, so I grabbed some tortilla chips and stuck them in the side of the bowl.
This is what I ended up with:
Altogether, I think it took about 30 minutes to make, which isn't too bad considering I was able to do some laundry and other miscellaneous tasks while it sat covered and simmering for 20 minutes.
My fiance told me it could have used some salt, and I agreed. I had planned on adding salt after the other spices, but for some reason I got the salt out of the spice cabinet but failed to actually pour some into the pot.
The best thing about this meal is that it is naturally gluten-free. There are brands of beans, tortilla chips, rice, and tomatoes that are not gluten-free, but the majority of them are gluten-free. (My point is that this is a meal that didn't require specialty gluten-free items like pasta or bread.)
I also figured out that the ingredients probably cost us about $5, and there is approximately enough for 8 servings--talk about cheap! It worked so well, that I plan to always keep a can of crushed tomatoes in the house. We already keep the house stocked with rice and beans because they are cheap ingredients, and they can be added to or made as a side for multiple meals. I definitely need to experiment with different spice combinations, but I'm very satisfied with what we got the first time around.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Gluten-Free Beer and Line Dancing
About a month ago, a friend of mine started doing line dance lessons at a local bar. We desperately needed a night out, and we were going to go to dance lessons before our wedding anyway (have I mentioned I'm engaged?), so we figured we would check it out. My friend knew we were coming, and she is on a gluten-free diet also, although she does not drink beer. She asked me which beer I would prefer, and I essentially gave her a list of every gluten-free beer (except the ones that remove the gluten--I'll talk about those later) and said she could get whichever one was the most convenient.
The first week, there weren't many people there, but she had successfully gotten Redbridge Gluten-Free beer into the bar. At $3 a bottle, I thought it was a great deal. She said she had gotten a case for us, and we were responsible for finishing it off. I figured we could easily finish off a 6-pack in a night or two (we're not big drinkers). I soon found out a case was an actual case--as in 24 bottles as opposed to 6 bottles. That might take a bit longer.
I quickly figured out my fiance cannot dance. He sort of has rhythm, but for the most part, he just can't dance. Lucky for him, I'm not marrying him for his dancing skills. Despite his inability to dance well, he actually tries, which makes me love him even more.
The second week there were even less people there. In between group line dance lessons, she took the time to start teaching us the two-step. We probably spent half the night practicing. I was actually looking like I absolutely knew what I was doing for the line dances, while he continued to struggle.
We missed lessons last week because we were both sick, but we made an extra effort to make it out tonight--we have a whole case of beer to go through, so we have to show up ;)
There were about the same number of people tonight as there was the first night. We arrived late, so we missed the initial lessons, but lucky for him, we showed up in time to actually do the dances without the lessons...or not lucky for him...
My point is that I'm incredibly thankful there is gluten-free beer out there. I think we've gone through 14 of the 24 bottles at this point. I know I never would have paid attention to how much beer a bar had left prior to requiring a gluten-free diet, but despite paying attention to how much is left, there is something incredibly "normal" about going to a bar and drinking a beer out of a bottle.
I still remember the first time I had a drink out of a bottle after switching to a gluten-free diet. I was at a bar with co-workers when a friend of mine from out of state called. She said she was at a a bar drinking Woodchuck Cider and noticed it said gluten-free right on the label. She was VERY excited about finding this, and she told me that I would probably be able to find it in a bar in my town. One of my co-workers heard me talking, and when I got off the phone, they informed me that the bar we were at carried Woodchuck Cider. The night ended with me drinking too many and getting a ride home which meant walking to work the next day. Thankfully that was only a little over a mile. What can I say, I was excited.
I'm all about those things that make me feel "normal." Getting a beer in a bottle at the bar ranks at the top of the list. Ordering a burger WITH a gluten-free bun is way up there too.
We normally never go out on Friday nights. We're doing our best to save for our wedding, so nights out are few and far between. Our original plan was to only go the first night for line dance lessons, but we had so much fun, we chose to downgrade our cable package to the lowest package instead so we would have the money to go out once a week.
I'm tempted to re-read this and post this tomorrow because I've consumed three beers tonight, but I'm going to trust my (future) readers won't judge me too much for not making the best sense when slightly inebriated ;)
Friday, March 22, 2013
Baking Therapy
I was in a horrid mood this afternoon. One of those horrid moods where you wish you had a punching bag to work off the frustration, but you know you're too clumsy and weak for it to work and you'd wind up hurting yourself in the process. ;)
A friend of mine had posted a recipe for a brownie mix that you can pre-make and it supposedly only costs $.30/mix. It wasn't a gluten-free recipe, so I asked if it would convert, and I was told it should with any gluten-free all-purpose flour.
What do the two have to do with each other you ask? Sometimes baking is therapeutic for me. I have to be in the right kind of bad mood, but when I am, there is something about baking that calms me. I feared a failed recipe would really send me over the edge, but I decided to attempt it anyway. I happened to have all the ingredients necessary (sugar, flour, baking powder, cocoa, vanilla, eggs, oil, and salt).
I began to calm down as I measured the dry ingredients. I worked my way into my own little world as I cracked the eggs. I smiled as I poured the batter into the pan.
After I put the pan in the oven, I looked around the kitchen and suddenly had the urge to clean. By time the brownies were done, I had emptied and reloaded the dishwasher, and I had tilapia in a glass dish ready to bake it. As the brownies cooled and the tilapia cooked, I started wiping down the outside of the fridge and stove.
I laugh now because this never would have worked before I went on a gluten-free diet. What exactly is therapeutic about dumping a boxed mix into a bowl and adding some eggs and oil? Not much if you ask me. I think part of it is age and maturity (what young person thinks cleaning is therapeutic?), but a lot of it is being required to slow down. Losing the convenience of...well...convenience, causes one to appreciate things more. I appreciate the process, and the outcome, and everything in between.
In case you want to try it, this is the recipe I used:
1 Cup Sugar1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour1/3 Cup Cocoa1/4 tsp Salt1/4 tsp Baking PowderStore mix in plastic bags or mason jars.At Baking Time Add: 2 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
The purpose of the recipe is to pre-make the mix, and then just add the wet ingredients when you want brownies rather than purchasing a mix and adding the wet ingredients. The only modification I made was using 2 teaspoons of vanilla which was recommended by a (expert when it comes to gluten-free baking) friend of mine. I used Jules Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour and Hershey's Cocoa, but I plan on trying different flours in the future to see if it makes a difference.
They didn't turn turn out excellent, but I also started eating them when they were still very warm. They taste great, but they didn't want to stay together and they have a little more of a cake consistency then a brownie consistency. Here's a picture of the pan of brownies and an individual one:
I also promise I normally take much better pictures. These are "I'm in a bad mood, you're lucky I took a picture at all" pictures ;)
p.s. Writing also calms me.
A friend of mine had posted a recipe for a brownie mix that you can pre-make and it supposedly only costs $.30/mix. It wasn't a gluten-free recipe, so I asked if it would convert, and I was told it should with any gluten-free all-purpose flour.
What do the two have to do with each other you ask? Sometimes baking is therapeutic for me. I have to be in the right kind of bad mood, but when I am, there is something about baking that calms me. I feared a failed recipe would really send me over the edge, but I decided to attempt it anyway. I happened to have all the ingredients necessary (sugar, flour, baking powder, cocoa, vanilla, eggs, oil, and salt).
I began to calm down as I measured the dry ingredients. I worked my way into my own little world as I cracked the eggs. I smiled as I poured the batter into the pan.
After I put the pan in the oven, I looked around the kitchen and suddenly had the urge to clean. By time the brownies were done, I had emptied and reloaded the dishwasher, and I had tilapia in a glass dish ready to bake it. As the brownies cooled and the tilapia cooked, I started wiping down the outside of the fridge and stove.
I laugh now because this never would have worked before I went on a gluten-free diet. What exactly is therapeutic about dumping a boxed mix into a bowl and adding some eggs and oil? Not much if you ask me. I think part of it is age and maturity (what young person thinks cleaning is therapeutic?), but a lot of it is being required to slow down. Losing the convenience of...well...convenience, causes one to appreciate things more. I appreciate the process, and the outcome, and everything in between.
In case you want to try it, this is the recipe I used:
1 Cup Sugar1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour1/3 Cup Cocoa1/4 tsp Salt1/4 tsp Baking PowderStore mix in plastic bags or mason jars.At Baking Time Add: 2 Eggs, 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla. Bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes in an 8x8 or 9x9 pan.
The purpose of the recipe is to pre-make the mix, and then just add the wet ingredients when you want brownies rather than purchasing a mix and adding the wet ingredients. The only modification I made was using 2 teaspoons of vanilla which was recommended by a (expert when it comes to gluten-free baking) friend of mine. I used Jules Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour and Hershey's Cocoa, but I plan on trying different flours in the future to see if it makes a difference.
They didn't turn turn out excellent, but I also started eating them when they were still very warm. They taste great, but they didn't want to stay together and they have a little more of a cake consistency then a brownie consistency. Here's a picture of the pan of brownies and an individual one:
I also promise I normally take much better pictures. These are "I'm in a bad mood, you're lucky I took a picture at all" pictures ;)
p.s. Writing also calms me.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The Beginning
I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease on March 27, 2008. I went 100% gluten free on March 30th, 2008. I would have done it immediately, but at the time, I only had Thursdays and Sundays off from work, and I didn't have time to go grocery shopping on Friday or Saturday, and NOTHING in my house was gluten-free. I went grocery shopping on the 30th before breakfast because I wanted my first day to be a full day of gluten-free food. I had a general idea of what I could and couldn't eat, and I had a general idea of what ingredients to look out for. My plan was to eliminate everything until I was 100% sure it was "safe."
I spent two hours at the grocery store, and at this point, I wish I had taken a picture of my shopping cart because I'd love to see exactly how far I've come so I can prove to others that it does get easier. I had hardly filled the bottom of the cart, but I was emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. I knew I didn't have enough food to get me through the week, but I just couldn't be in the store any longer. It took all of my willpower to actually go to the checkout line rather just leaving the cart and going home with nothing.
As I made my way to the checkout line, my boyfriend called. He said he needed milk. I told him I was just about to get in the checkout line, and I really needed to leave. He insisted I go get milk anyway. He didn't understand. I didn't understand. The bottom line was I knew I would crumple into a ball crying my eyes out if I needed to spend one extra second in that grocery store. My eyes began to burn as I tried to explain why it was just too much for me to turn my cart around and go all the way to the back of the store to get him a gallon of milk. He insisted I would turn around if it was something for myself. I insisted I would explain when I got home.
I left the store without milk. I also fell apart once I was in the safety of my car. How in the world was I going to do this? I couldn't cry every time I went grocery shopping. I also couldn't leave the grocery store with such little food or I would starve.
I wish I could remember what I had bought that first shopping trip. I know I had chicken, eggs, and potatoes, but I'm not sure what else. Rice Chex came out with their gluten-free version soon after I was diagnosed, and you would have thought I won the lottery the first time I found a box. I originally ate eggs for breakfast each morning, but that was soon replaced by Rice Chex. I had met with a dietitian who said I needed to consume something like 3,000-3,500 calories each day in order to get myself to a decent weight. I don't remember much from my appointment, but I do remember wanting to cry when it seemed I would have to eat 24/7 in order to consume that many calories. I also remember it wouldn't be an option to simply eat dry Chex like I had been doing. I needed to eat two bowls of Chex with soy milk (I'm lactose intolerant) AND I needed to add at least three tablespoons of sugar to help out with calorie intake.
It wasn't long before I figured out the "perfect" plan. I ate my Rice Chex with soy milk and sugar for breakfast, potatoes and chicken for lunch, and potatoes and chicken for dinner. I had Enjoy Life soft cookies for snacks, and I was sure to consume at least 2-3 cans of Ensure for extra calories and nutrition. At one point I discovered Sweet Baby Ray's Bbq sauce was gluten-free, so I began adding that to my chicken. It wasn't the most flavorful diet, but I was eating, and I was feeling a million times better.
Occasionally, I would eat other things, but it was easy to bake a weeks worth of chicken and potatoes and portion it out for my meals for the week each Sunday. This lasted at least 3 months before I started rotating a few other things into my diet. It was also about that point that I discovered I was having some symptoms again. The symptoms seemed to coincide with me drinking Ensure or having my cereal with soy milk. I later found out that it is very common to become intolerant to a food if you consume it too often. I guess 5 or 6 servings of soy milk was too much ;)
So that was my start. I usually hear about how people take a good 6-12 months to really master the gluten-free diet. I knew one person who couldn't figure out why it seemed like she was getting glutened occasionally only to figure out that Rice Krispies and Hormel Chili w/o Beans were not gluten-free. I didn't like the idea of being unsure, and getting sick as a result, and I'm proud to say that there weren't any instances of me eating something, and later finding out that I should not have consumed it. Then again, I also dealt with an incredibly boring diet for a very long time.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Welcome to Alive Without Gluten
In the 5 years since my diagnosis of Celiac Disease, I have learned to cook, bake, be prepared and truly love the food I eat. Prior to my diagnosis, I was a fast food kind of girl. I never learned how to cook, and it didn't matter what I ate. I was always severely underweight, and I because fast food was such a large part of my diet I tried eating McDonalds every day for 30 days long before the movie Supersize Me came out--except I didn't gain an ounce. I also tried other crazy things like eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's every day for 30 days, but that didn't work either.
Little did I know that if I were to cut one (not-so) simple thing out of my diet, I would learn what it felt like to feel "normal." Little did I know that my bones were slowly deteriorating, my teeth were falling apart, and my body was essentially passing everything I ate through it without digesting anything. I thought it was "normal" to sleep 10-12 hours a day and still feel tired. I thought my doctors were right when they said I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and that I should eat more bread and crackers when my stomach was upset. I feared the inevitable stomachache that would send me rushing to the bathroom I would get each time I ate because I had been accused of being bulimic far too many times.
The last 5 years has taught me amazing things. I still don't like it, but I'll risk offending someone when I need to stand up for myself and insist I am not willing to eat food that could possibly make me sick. I didn't only learn to cook, I learned I love to cook. I also learned that cooking and baking from scratch is much more enjoyable than making a cake from a box or making hamburger helper will ever be. I've learned to enjoy the little things in life whether that is wasting an hour with my pets or going to a restaurant and getting to safely eat a cheeseburger on a BUN with a gluten-free bottle of beer to wash it down.
Little did I know that if I were to cut one (not-so) simple thing out of my diet, I would learn what it felt like to feel "normal." Little did I know that my bones were slowly deteriorating, my teeth were falling apart, and my body was essentially passing everything I ate through it without digesting anything. I thought it was "normal" to sleep 10-12 hours a day and still feel tired. I thought my doctors were right when they said I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and that I should eat more bread and crackers when my stomach was upset. I feared the inevitable stomachache that would send me rushing to the bathroom I would get each time I ate because I had been accused of being bulimic far too many times.
The last 5 years has taught me amazing things. I still don't like it, but I'll risk offending someone when I need to stand up for myself and insist I am not willing to eat food that could possibly make me sick. I didn't only learn to cook, I learned I love to cook. I also learned that cooking and baking from scratch is much more enjoyable than making a cake from a box or making hamburger helper will ever be. I've learned to enjoy the little things in life whether that is wasting an hour with my pets or going to a restaurant and getting to safely eat a cheeseburger on a BUN with a gluten-free bottle of beer to wash it down.
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