Sarcastic Celiac

Honey, vanilla, cinnamon roasted almonds

2012-02-10T15:51:00.004-05:00

Yes, just as good as it sounds!!

Why didn't I think of this before? I eat almonds, I eat honey, how about honey roasted almonds??

Duh. Guess I was just too busy surviving the first couple months of motherhood with a cranky baby :)

I'm still perfecting the implementation of the yummy idea. After all, almost every recipe I looked at instructed one to sprinkle the almonds with sugar after glazing.

Fail!

So I tried a couple things. Here is the mess in my kitchen as I tried. Along with Sophie la girafe, little K's best friend. First, I tried covering 1 cup of almonds with a glaze of:

1 T. melted coconut oil
1 T. honey
several sprinkles cinnamon
1 glug vanilla
few shakes sea salt

I put in a 350 degree oven for probably 10 minutes. It got almost beyond the point of caramelization. To the point of burning. And very little glaze actually stuck to the nuts...

Trying again...

This time, I roasted first for 10 minutes on 350, then glazed in a pan. It worked a little better. Same basic recipe, just 1 T. of water added to the mix.

I brought glaze to a boil over medium heat, then added almonds and stirred for about 5 minutes. At this point, it seems like all the recipes say "until the mixture is completely absorbed". Umm... that didn't really happen... So I just dumped them out after probably 7-8 minutes onto some parchment to cool.

Of course, I had to eat some before they cooled. My house smelled like that kiosk of yummy nuttiness in the mall where you walk past and your mouth waters...

Good, but sticky.

I'll let you know when I figure out how to do this. In the meantime, I'm going to go eat more sticky almonds!!

SC

Update: I just didn't cook them long enough. I eventually put the sticky ones back in the pan, watched veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery carefully, and took them out just before being burned! You can tell because the glaze becomes less stringy, and the sound is more buzzy than bubbly. Very scientific, I know... I can't stop eating them. Well, I could, but why??

Crack Pot

2012-02-09T15:00:00.005-05:00

No, it's not what it sounds like...

I use my Crock Pot every waking hour. Ok, maybe not that constantly, but it sure seems like it.

Imagine my dismay, therefore, when I see a miniscule white vein running down the side of the black ceramic crock. I tried to convince myself it was just leftover chicken slime that wouldn't scrub off.

Of course, the next time I used it (which was actually immediately after washing...), it cracked down the middle. I'm guessing it would have been in two pieces if I had let it go any longer. Insert sad face here.

Luckily, I am a pack rat. I still had my ancient (albeit smaller) Crock Pot with the broken switch thingy (the correct word escapes me). So, I figured out how to turn it on by grasping on tightly with a potholder over my hand, and voila! Back in business!

I'm still planning to buy another larger slow cooker, just haven't been anywhere to look for one. Guess I could order online. Was thinking about spending beaucoup bucks on a nice one, but it looks like those are just as burdened with troubles as the cheap-o ones. So, until I find a new one, the little one will have to suffice.

So what do I do with said Crock Pot that keeps it forever plugging away on my counter?

Let's see, mostly chicken stock. Lately, though, I've tried two new things that have gone over pretty well.

Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa

and

Slow Cooker Applesauce

Both from fellow bloggers, but who actually blog regularly and take pictures and other such helpful things!

The quinoa recipe was a nice change from the two other foods I've been eating as of late. It was more soupy than I envisioned, but was still yummy! I used the dark meat from a cut up chicken while using the chicken breasts for tasteless stir-fry. I would recommend it!

The applesauce seemed like a great idea, and it was! It was easy, as it doesn't require laboring over the apples for a long time (no peeling, slicing thinly, etc.). It smelled GREAT, though at 4:30 this morning, I was a little worried it might burn. I put a little water in just to ease my mind and went back to sleep. (For 20 minutes until little K woke up for pre-breakfast...)

It turned out a tad soupy, but that's what I get for needlessly putting water in there. It tasted REALLY good, especially for using out-of-season grocery store apples. Can't wait to try it this fall with some flavorful apples!!

So now comes the real question from this cheapskate: is it cheaper than pre-made applesauce?? Though the flavor is vastly superior, I'm wondering... Meijer carries some that lists only "organic apples" as ingredients, and I've tolerated it just fine! It is about $2.50 a jar for about 3 cups. I used up most of a bag of organic apples that was, I believe, $4. I think I got a little more than 3 cups.

Sadly, I think the yummy homemade stuff is more expensive! Still a great idea for fall, though.

Will keep in mind. Ok, enough boringness.

SC

So, about those tomatoes...

2012-02-04T13:11:00.003-05:00

When will I ever learn??

You know, I cut things out of my diet for a reason. I don't just look at a particular food one day and think "Hey, maybe as a unique sort of torture, I'm going to deprive myself of that!"

So you would think that I would be extremely cautious about adding things back into my diet that I knew had caused problems. Not so.

I plan to do a post on breastfeeding myths sometime. I know I could have benefited from some just practical, real-world advice. I only did a little reading before little K's birth, and it all seemed too oversimplified. Um, yeah. Right on...

I digress. I promise this is related... On to the tomato story. So, poor lil K suffered from painful gas and what I'm going to call "silent reflux" for awhile. Like months on end, awhile. And I was too:
stupid?
stubborn?
sleep-deprived?
to really figure out the cause. As you know, I already have pretty limited choices for food. I wasn't about to limit it even more.

I started giving her probiotics after a couple weeks. That helped. Duh. Another post on that.

I stopped dairy when she was about 2 weeks old, too. Mostly because the studies of "colicky" babies and probiotics had both groups on a dairy-free diet.

I finally realized after a couple months that the reflux was a problem and causing lots of crankiness and trouble sleeping, so I cut out citrus, chocolate, and tomatoes. Happiness resulted. (Well, for the most part.)

Last week, I thought I'd give some cooked tomatoes another try. Didn't seem like so much of a problem at first, so I continued to eat the leftover spaghetti sauce. (More on my current eating habits later). Lil K started to get cranky with teething pain. Ok, not that weird.

Then the inconsolable crying started. The not being able to lay her down without bloodcurdling screams. The flashbacks to the first couple months of her life. The banging of my head against a wall.

Tomatoes?? Yep. I ate the last of them Wednesday afternoon, right before this whole thing dawned on me.

You would think, given the horrendous issues I've had with nightshades, that I would be wary of them in the first place.

Mommy fail.

By now, Saturday afternoon, she's still having some issues with sleeping through naptime and getting overtired/cranky, but that is not unusual. Other than that, she's happy, sleeping normally at night, and laying down to sleep or play with no problems.

Hallelujah. Beware the tomatoes.

(P.S. I consumed some chocolate around the same time, which was also a bad idea. But that just seemed to make her extremely hyper and have trouble sleeping. Will have to try an independent test again later...)

(P.P.S. I wanted to include a picture with this post. I really wanted to take a can of tomato juice and bang it up, put some ketchup around it to make it look like a tomato can had been murdered... but I don't have that kind of time. Nice thought, though :) )

Really?

2012-01-31T14:36:00.002-05:00

So I'm considering getting back into blogging. Though, as I type this, I have a very cranky 5-month-old whining at my side. Nothing seems to help except chewing on something constantly. I'm bouncing the bouncy chair with my foot, feeling guilty for "ignoring" her. (I have this complex about having to constantly be directly paying attention to her while she is awake, which is another post for another time.)

Apparently, teeth are quite annoying and painful.

So, I may or may not be reentering the blog-o-sphere (Is that really a word??). Reasons I would like to:

1. I like to write. Not necessarily for anyone else's benefit, but just because I like to. Unfortunately, many a journal have been started and subsequently eaten by dust bunnies for lunch. Maybe a blog would do it...

2. I like to share my experiences. Okay, maybe oversharing might be the word. I have nothing to hide; therefore, I sometimes go into more detail than many would care to hear. Plus, something about being a healthcare professional just kind of makes you not care if you talk about "taboo" subjects like poop or something.

I also have a lot of experiences that might be helpful for someone else to hear about, especially when it comes to food and such. And some baby stuff. I'm clearly an expert now...

Reasons why blogging may not be such a good idea:

1. See #2 above. Oversharing could be an issue. Though I may be blunt when writing, I'm also quite non-confrontational. Wouldn't want to offend people, start arguments, or (heaven forbid!) invite criticism.

Okay, that's really two things. This numbering thing is keeping my thoughts so organized... yet another reason not to blog right there? Stream of consciousness?

I could potentially dip into so many different topics, with no particular rhyme or reason as to why.

2. See intro. Said baby takes up just a little bit of my time, though I'm feeling much better than in previous months, thank you.

(Now I'm back after a hiatus that involved a poo-splosion, some silly songs, breastfeeding, and the beginnings of a nap... maybe...)

3. Ok, enough about why I shouldn't continue a blog. Here goes nothing. If you don't like it, don't read it. But if you want to read it, hope you enjoy!

For Realz...

2011-11-29T10:22:00.002-05:00

I have a baby. Sometimes, that doesn't even still seem real. I'm a mom. Crazy stuff!!

Due to the above facts, no time for blogging. Even less than before. This whole crazy diet thing and small babies don't really jive too well together. No time.

I spend all my time taking warm baths and sipping hot chocolate, reading a good novel, holding my quiet, always happy little one, etc. Riiiiiight.

I have done some research, though, that I will share sometime when life lets me breathe for a minute. (All together now- Riiiiight.)

Little girl is doing pretty well, FYI. She does seem to have some tummy troubles, but has gotten a LOT better with no dairy for me and probiotics for both of us. Plus, just growing up a little has helped.

She's pretty daggone cute. Not like I'm biased or anything.

Off to take a shower for the first time in a few days. Ick.

Trial and Error

2011-08-07T21:31:00.002-04:00

I've been going along pretty well with my modified diet. Basically still all whole foods and SCD/GAPS legal except (and it's a BIG except) some Tinkyada pasta and Kinnikinnick pizza crusts. They don't seem to bother me more than anything else.

Until, I tried making a cake. I even used a mostly GAPS-friendly recipe. I'd been fighting a craving for chocolate cake for so long... I just finally had to do it. So I made it with coconut flour (which was new), honey (???), baking powder (most likely a no-no), coconut milk, obviously safe cocoa powder, and butter. I think that's about all.

Can't for the life of me figure out what exactly it was. I know lots and lots of ppl who use the traditional Clabber Girl baking powder with no probs. Don't think it was the cornstarch in it, as the pizza crusts I eat have corn. They apparently don't share lines in processing.

I had more of the Thai Kitchen coconut milk a few days later with no probs.

The honey was a weird one. It is dark honey I got from a local producer. It tastes fine, but I've suspected it before and thus put it in the back of the cabinet... But how would honey bee a problem?? (har-dee-har)

Got the coconut flour from Tropical Traditions. Appears to be as safe as you can get, gluten-wise.

Don't think it's just the coconut, since the milk has been fine since.

Anyway, have been dwelling on this for awhile now. Just need to think through all the possibilities.

Only other confounding factors: my awesome friends threw me a little baby shower last weekend. I ate some watermelon that one friend had cut up, although she said she was incredibly careful about CC. I also drank some Naked juice. Says GF, but does have natural flavors. I have wondered about it before. Can't just be from drinking juice, as I typically have some sort of juice about every day.

Hmm... just looked at the Naked juice site. Looks like there is shared production with a product that contains wheatgrass... interesting...

Perhaps my poor little cake is not to blame??

Too scared to take the rest out of the freezer and try it again. No matter how good it was. I was miserable, super hormonal (after all, I am about 9 months pregnant), and so beyond exhausted after last weekend that I vowed not to rock the boat again. At least til after SC Junior is here.

I will not eat cake, I will not eat cake, I will not eat cake.

SC

I once was lost...

2011-05-01T14:59:00.003-04:00

but I'm back. Well, back as much as I was here before, which isn't much. Too much cooking to do! Oh, and there's this whole thing called work, too.

Ok, world, I think I'm ready to admit it for posterity. In case you didn't figure it out, your favorite sarcastic celiac is preggo.

Yep. One month of my new diet and BAM!! Oops.

I stuck with the "SCD/GAPS/pas de nightshades diet" for about a month after I was expecting, then had to give it up. Why?

Because sometimes, meat makes a preggers person want to throw up. And broccoli has a distinctive flavor of Mr. Clean. (not kidding). There was something about chicken, especially dark meat, that smelled like rot.

Plus, there was one day when I just hadn't eaten enough, and I got a terrible migraine aura. Freaked me out entirely. It had been awhile since the last one (years), so I was wondering if I was having a stroke... luckily, I figured it out before rushing to the ER, but not til after scaring my husband to death. The carrots and an orange I'd eaten that afternoon just hadn't cut it.

So that's when I started eating bad things like pasta, potatoes, tomatoes, even some sugar. I still stuck to whole foods as much as possible. The first trimester was basically me fighting cravings for things that I was unwilling to chance. I did give in to the chocolate chip cookies at one point though. (See previous post)

We're working on week 23 at this point, just for a frame of reference. The cravings/aversions aren't as bad. Things seem to be going ok other than the residual fatigue. (That I was JUST starting to get rid of by doing my diet... sigh...).

So anyway, I may post meal ideas and what I'm eating at the moment. I'll warn you though, it may have nothing to do with GAPS/SCD, and it may include nightshades. In fact, cooked tomatoes don't seem to bother me too much, so I've been doing a LOT of pizza and pasta. With cheese.

Well, that's my story. I'm sticking to it. Have a great week!

SC

I'm still here

2011-02-04T18:53:00.002-05:00

Fell off the face of the earth for a month or so, but for good reason. I'll fill you in on the details in the future...

Not really doing SCD/GAPS anymore, due to the good reason alluded to above. Trying to stay away from more processed stuff, but gave in a few times. The nice part is that whatever healing I achieved over the two months on SCD must have helped with some of the insults! I still get somewhat sick with new foods, but I can't always tell what to attribute it to. Kinda feel like I'm back at square one.

I'll stop being cryptic soon, I promise. BTW- French Meadow Bakery chocolate cookies are super. Kinda ripped my gut apart, but totally worth it. Major potato starch-ness on my previously nightshade free guts?

What am I eating??

2011-01-09T14:25:00.000-05:00

List of foods I eat (don't worry, it's short):

Meat/Seafood: Pastured chicken, grass-fed beef, wild salmon, tilapia, shrimp (no preservatives, so have to peel/devein myself)
Non-starchy vegetables: asparagus, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spring mix, spinach
Fruit: apples, very ripe bananas, kiwi, pomegranate, mandarins, berries
Yogurt: 24-hour SCD yogurt, made with starter and whole milk (usually organic, but really no proven benefit to organic milk... may try raw milk sometime although would kill the bugs in it anyway with yogurt)
Coffee and tea: as previously mentioned, trying to get off of these.

List of things I take:

Florastor. Haven't tried other brands yet. S. boulardii does really seem to help though, more than anything else I've tried so far, although that isn't saying much.
Occasional multivitamin from Freeda
Occasional vitamin D 5000 units from Freeda, taken with a meal to help with absorption. FYI- I read a study not long ago about levels improving significantly just by changing the administration time to the largest or fattiest meal of the day. My 25-OH level was 26 at last check, so borderline low or low depending on who you talk to.
That's really it. I don't do drugs. Even my last few headaches, I've just toughed out. Which sucks beyond belief, but I just didn't want to screw up my gut healing.

Meal options:

Typically- a piece of fish and a vegetable
Cabbage wraps- either make these into tacos with ground beef, or with shredded jerk chicken, either one dipped in a yogurt/lime juice sauce
Chicken soup of some sort

"Recipes":

I throw a whole chicken in the crock pot. I let it cook for awhile, depending on when I put it in. I then take the meat off and save it, throwing the carcass back into the pot with the juicy goodness. I add an onion, some carrots and celery, garlic, a bay leaf, some rosemary, 1 tsp salt. Fill it up to the top with water. I then put it on high and let it simmer for 4-6 hours, it takes a while to get to a simmer. Strain, and make soup! Or just sip for breakfast! (Or poach an egg in it if you are lucky enough to eat eggs). I do this about once a week. Chickens are expensive!

Marinate some shrimp in EVOO, lemon juice, garlic, shallot, and some spices (usu. chili powder, cumin, salt, a touch of honey, or use the fish grill/broil spice mix) along with some cooked spaghetti squash. Saute until shrimp are cooked through.

Use lettuce leaves or cabbage (put into boiling water for a minute or so to soften) as wraps for shredded chicken or ground beef. Dip in plain yogurt as described above. Not too bad. Messy though.

That's about it for now. Getting tired of it after two months on the diet already... but trying to stick it out. Definitely have noticed an improvement.

Defining the problem

2010-12-30T19:00:00.000-05:00

That's what I've been trying to do for 3.5 years now- define the problem and fix it. I feel like I'm getting closer, but nowhere near hope of being healthy. Here are the things I can't tolerate right now and theories as to why.

Just to clarify- I don't have GI issues anymore. Any residual issues have cleared up since starting SCD. In fact, some days I try to have a little more fiber to help things along now, if you're picking up what I'm laying down... never really bothered me too much GI-wise, but it is still nice to not have the occasional issues!

On with the list:

1. Nuts

Have tried these a few times since they are such a staple on the SCD. No dice. Tried soaking and dehydrating. Same story. Like I alluded to in my previous post, almonds in super small amounts make me so tired I can barely stand it. I read this page on the Celiac Sprue Association website. It seems pretty well-established that Celiacs have problems with yeast and mold.

No flippin' kidding. It was good to see this in print from a relatively reliable source. Now the big question is how to fix the problem.

2. Eggs

This one hurts. Another SCD staple. Had been without them for a few weeks and I guess was feeling brave one day. I get pastured chicken from a local producer, and I also got my eggs from them. Didn't seem to go too bad at first. Soon after, they experienced a shortage of their regular eggs and the only ones I could get were soy-free.

So basically what that means, and what was confirmed with the chicken people last week, is that the soy-free feed contains more oats and maybe even wheat. Super fail. I had thought of this, but tried to ignore it. I don't know why I do that, my intentional ignorance only ends up hurting me in the end!!

Anyway, maybe sometime I will see if I can find eggs with GF feed. Seems crazy, but would be interesting since soooo many of us have issues with eggs. Would also be more careful with starting with small amounts of yolk and moving up from there.

3. Cheese, vinegar, and alcohol

Basically, same idea as the whole mold/yeast thing. I have known for quite awhile that these products caused severe reactions. I was always trying to figure out if it was actually gluten, or just a reaction to the food itself.

When I came across this article, I found it very interesting!! To oversimplify, there are amino acid sequences in the cell wall of candida albicans that correlate to sequences in gliadin protein. Hence, the authors postulate that there could be a relationship between candida and Celiac. They, of course, suggest further exploration of this topic, but I can't find anything more recent than the article published in 2003.

I feel like I could have a lot more to say on this topic, but I don't want to go on and on about something I have very little evidence to prove. It sounds like I have classic candida-type symptoms. Severe fatigue, flushing, worse brain fog, skin rash, intense hunger, headaches, memory issues, etc. All are worse with yeasty or moldy foods. Fail.

4. Nightshades

Not all nightshades are SCD legal. But even the legal ones I'm not doing. I would feel horrible after eating potatoes (heart pounding, dizzy, esophageal spasm, other various weird stuff), I also was repulsed by the thought of tomatoes (esp. raw) when I used to like them. Trusting the body on this one. Never ate eggplant anyway.

I do still use spices derived from peppers. I FINALLY found some spices I at least seem to tolerate. Great place, not bad prices if you order enough to get free shipping. Not the most convenient, but I love their spice blends. Try some poultry seasoning blend rubbed under the skin of a chicken in the Crock Pot, stuff it with some onions and an orange. I also use a lot of the fish grill and broil on some cheap-o tilapia. Yum!!

Ok, now the big questions are: how long can I maintain my diet without these SCD-legal options? And possibly having to cut out tea and coffee in the middle of the butt-freezing winter?! I don't know. I've only recently started craving "normal" food again, and it's getting more depressing to fight every day. It's not an issue of willpower, more of attitude. I'm going to be a very chilly grouch without my morning decaf. Maybe we'll start that part next week... Might have to try to cope with some hot water in the AM.

I've read that caffeine and certain substances in tea and coffee kill off good bacteria and promotes candida. Extra Fail.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Long overdue update

2010-12-18T21:09:00.002-05:00

SCD since November 1st, have tried a few things on and off. Here is my current list:

NO:

nightshades (except in spices)
eggs (even free-range, organic feed, not GF feed though... has some oats, possibly wheat)
nuts (had a bite of soaked, dehydrated almonds on Thursday, promptly took a 2-hour nap)
vinegar
cheese
alcohol

WITH:

tea (as of this week, from the girl who roasts my coffee)
coffee (mostly decaf now, but I'm afraid she may have accidentally given me full caff this week... crazy hungry and felt weird for past 3 days!)

Sooo... the big question is.... am I getting anywhere?

Yes and no. Modest ups, somewhat less dramatic downs. Some days I have hope. Some days, I feel like I've been hanging out so much at Square One that I should consider redecorating.

I've identified issues beyond the simple flora imbalance. Well, it all obviously relates, but I have a serious mold/yeast issues that I only recently identified more clearly. Getting my bacterial flora back in balance will only help get that back in balance.

Still working on figuring out exactly how to "break the vicious cycle" since almost 2 months trying to do SCD and slowly introduce SCD-legal stuff hasn't really done a whole stinkin' lot. (and I realize it will take time, thank you very much for the reminder)

So many things to talk about... things I want to cover here over the next few weeks:

Foods/things I can't tolerate, and theories/info as to why
Probiotics (product choice is confusing as heck, even from a pharmacist's perspective)
Things I actually can eat!
Coping with having NO TIME to do anything but work and cook (hence, poor blogging follow-up skills)
Any new or interesting connections/information/articles I happen to find

Apology for the multiple uses of parentheses. (I seem to like adding comments as afterthoughts)

Here's to moving forward! Maybe I'll even get funky and try adding some pictures to liven things up a bit :)

A New Approach

2010-11-08T20:18:00.002-05:00

I thought that I had read just about everything about Celiac Disease. What I didn't know was that my health problems went beyond our Western medicine knowledge of CD. Well, I guess you could say that I did know that deep down, but I didn't know where to even start with that dilemma.

I finally decided to start looking into more "alternative" answers to my symptoms, since the gluten-free thing just wasn't cutting it. The more research I did, the more different aspects of my symptoms seemed to make sense.

The first issue I looked into was Candida. I only knew of it in the context of severe infections, sepsis, etc., or the ever-popular vaginal infection. I know how to treat that. Makes sense to my drug-oriented mind. The remedies, though, seemed pretty far out. No one would tell you exactly what was in the "Super Duper Awesome Candida Remedy" for 3 easy payments of $49.95... not only am I a cheapskate, but also a cheapskate pharmacist who will never take anything she doesn't know what it is and how it works. So that option was out, but I also know there had to be something more.

Enter the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I started looking into this after being on a probiotic that seemed to help but certainly wasn't the entire answer (saccharomyces boulardii). Pretty extensively researched and published, I might add, especially for an OTC supplement. Sweet.

Anyway, the SCD. Much of this made sense. I was, however, quite concerned that the most recent study cited in Elaine Gottschall's book Breaking the Vicious Cycle (the "revised" version) was from 1992. I know I'm in a vicious cycle, that much is obvious!! But I kept thinking... there has got to be more we have learned in that timeframe... in fact, some of the most robust and widely accepted data on the benefits of probiotics have been published since then. Not sure what to think at this point, but open to trying just about anything. How much more restrictive can it be beyond what I'm already doing?!

During this time is when I also figured out the nightshade problem. Ugh, don't get me started on how I tried to avoid this conclusion for a looooong time. The thought of trying SCD AND no nightshades?? Crazy.

I happened upon a website that discussed the GAPS diet (Gut And Psychology Syndrome). It is basically SCD on steroids. (Or not on steroids, since it may help with IBD... heh heh heh...)

It was developed by an actual MD, Natasha Campbell McBride to help with her son's autism. makes sense similar to SCD. Actually, it is almost hard to distinguish it from SCD. It is somewhat more modern of a program. So basically it is what I was looking for, someone took the SCD and continued running with it.

The issue with GAPS are some of the things it wants you to do on the intro diet, like raw egg yolks. I'm sorry, but I just can't do that. Not to mention that I wasn't able to tolerate eggs a few weeks ago. Maybe someday, I will try eggs again...

SO: what am I not eating now?? Gluten free, grain free, soy free, legume free, nightshade free, dairy free (except for homemade SCD yogurt), sugar free, egg free, nut free.

SO: what am I actually eating?? Today, I had yogurt and pomegranate, coffee with honey, chicken and cabbage soup, beef roast with carrots, tilapia with zucchini noodle pesto (and parm... still waiting on the verdict for that one...), and apple cider.

Sounds like a lot of work, huh? It has been. This is only my second week doing my version of SCD/GAPS. But honestly, it is not much harder than the great lengths I was going to before. Now, I'm just hoping I have something to show for it and start healing!!

I'm committed for a month. Probably not enough time to evaluate, but that's all I can manage at the moment. I'll keep you posted. Pun intended.

Factual Update

2010-09-08T21:13:00.002-04:00

update for the food list:

No more yogurt, no more chocolate chips. Too many variables, and the yogurt seemed to be hit or miss. Sad, because it was an easy source of protein.

No more paper towels from work. Made a pretty distinct connection. Didn't know there could be gluten in paper towels. Now I know.

Tried eggs for awhile. Seemed ok. Got another batch of them from a different store. Now I'm not sure. Back off of them.

Tried almonds, pecans, and raw sunflower seeds from Nuts Online. Seemed ok, but again, still having some problems. Back off them til I figure it out.

My dishwasher (4 months old) is making funny noises. More loud and grinding than funny, I guess, especially considering my dependence on it. I've been advised not to use it until the repair guy comes Friday. Sigh.

Good news, I started getting boxes of organic produce again. I also keep hoping that there is a chicken in my future.... if we can ever get a time coordinated to pick one up from our friend who raises chickens. Been trying for almost two months now.

Also tried the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. Very interesting that there is a lot of literature supporting its use in various diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (mostly UC). Nothing with Celiac specifically, but it is worth a shot, especially since I've been semi buying into the whole candida theory of late. I'm looking for another GF product for this, as buying Florastor is kicking my wallet in the gut. It seems to be helping, but I'm never sure due to the many variables I'm dealing with. Funny how I just happened across this stuff, I had never heard of it.

That's pretty much the update. I hope, someday, when I'm not spending every waking moment cooking boring, bland food, that I will post some fun things. Like ideas or recipes. But right now, I'm just working on getting better.

I'm trying...

2010-08-08T21:42:00.002-04:00

I'm down to a pretty sparse list of foods at the moment. Funny how my husband is eating lots of fast food and losing weight. Anywho, here is my list for posterity.

Breakfast:

coffee- just Great Value brand from Walmart, French roast and decaf mixed. Always promise myself to slowly increase the ratio of decaf to caff...
sugar- 1 tsp., I forget the brand, something about Florida and it is the "natural" sugar stuff, whatever that really means...
yogurt- Stonyfield Farm organic blueberry yogurt, GFCO certified. (Note: tried the vanilla flavor last weekend and started to feel symptoms within about 30 minutes... emailed the company but they didn't give me any useful info about their flavoring. Except that it does contain alcohol (didn't give source). No way!! Still recovering...)
sometimes fruit

List of other foods from last few weeks:

potatoes
tomatoes
cheese- Sargento sharp cheddar shredded or mozzarella string cheese. Tried shredded mozz last week on some pasta. Either the cheese or the ceramic dish I baked it in was a problem. Not fun.
plain yogurt- Stonyfield
butter- usually Meijer brand
fresh or frozen salmon- Depends on where it is on sale...
frozen tilapia- Meijer
olive oil
sea salt- Morton's and McCormick's
garlic
shallot
broccoli
asparagus
green beans
cucumbers
avocado
carrots
fresh fruit
salad mix of some sort, usually mixed greens or spinach, organic if on sale
Tinkyada pasta- usually eaten as mac and cheese with sauce: butter, touch of milk, touch of pasta water, and Sargento cheese OR have recently been making pasta sauce from fresh tomatoes, garlic, shallots, EVOO, fresh basil, and sea salt
Rice- lately seem to do better with white instead of brown (??), usually get Riceland brand
Enjoy Life chocolate chips- straight out of the bag, can't seem to risk baking anymore
All I ever drink is water besides my AM coffee.

Only other thing of which I partake are vitamins. I take vitamin D3 1000-2000 IUs daily and had been taking a multi on and off, both Freeda's. (Now going to be off due to what I think was a niacin-induced migraine yesterday... no other good explanation, was soon after normal food and decided to be "healthy" and take vitamin... Was horrible!!! Took a "nap" on the bathroom floor next to the waiting toilet, and thankfully went away after about 2 hours. Was supposed to be at lake in sun with friends. Epic fail.)

I find it very weird that my main source of protein is dairy. I would not have expected to be doing somewhat better with that as a large part of my diet. Would love to try nuts, but too scared. (Thought PB was ok, was wrong. Never did ask company if shared lines, etc. Should do.) Also beans. Have been burned too many times in the past. (To clarify, not the beans that burned, but me...)

What other sources of protein are possible?? With no chicken, beef, pork, eggs, legumes, nuts, or soy?

Might try ordering some nuts and beans online from places suggested on the Celiac.com forums. Too cheap at present, but might get up the nerve to shell out the cash once I've had enough with current hunger.

The Chicken Debacle

2010-07-30T19:10:00.002-04:00

I'm a little bit of a wimp.

After weeks of being pescetarian, I decided to go to the farmer's market and get me some free-range, corn-fed yard bird to try. I had tried some a couple weeks back, but the results were basically inconclusive. I suspected there was another gluten culprit at the time.

I was planning my first foray into homemade chicken stock this weekend. Conventional grocery store chicken has been identified as problematic of late, so I had to go out of my way (after lots of internet research) to get some chicken that could possibly be ok.

So I go ask to buy a chicken, and (stupidly) say "Yes, I would like it cut up. Thank you." So the dude whips the chicken out of the cooler with his bare hand and slaps it up on the scale. No paper, no nothing. Tells, me what it weighs, I think ok, it is toward the end of the day, maybe he had already cleaned off the scale...

He proceeds to cut the chicken into pieces, again with bare hands, using a cutting board and knife that had just been sitting out on the counter. Not sure how long they had been there or what they were used on before (at this point, while writing this, I'm so ashamed of myself for keeping my mouth shut)

He dumps it into a plastic bag, then retrieves the outer bag for it, again, without washing his hands. I can only imagine the salmonella slime on that bag.

And I paid this man and said thank you. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??

I spent $7.00 on a chicken. That I can't eat. Heck, that people without cross-contamination issues shouldn't eat.

Ugh.

A word to the wise. The meek shall inherit expensive, possibly dirty chicken.

Blog Fail (and other assorted thoughts)

2010-07-24T21:54:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile, I know.

If I want to give this blog thing a fair go, I need a little more commitment.

But all I do is cook. And clean up the kitchen. Then cook. Then clean. Then work. Then cook. Then clean. Then work...... you get the idea...

I've spent the last week or so being pescetarian. Funny enough, pretty much all meat is a problem. I'm looking into finding some more "natural" stuff, but it is taking awhile (ironic choice of the word natural, given my distaste for the myriad definitions of the word and ubiquitous use on food labels).

Have been doing better in general, but I had a sucky week on vacation. Not sure why exactly, but something about eating Larabars every day totally created a problem. Felt better after I stopped eating them! Scary though, they were one of my safe products! I'm still investigating why they are problematic. I need to get some for real GF nuts and make sure nuts are ok. But I don't trust nuts, been sick from them too many times. PB today was ok. Might order some from nutsonline.com, but it is so expensive with shipping! Maybe once Publisher's Clearing House comes with my check. Hey, a girl can dream.

I tried eating beans for some protein. Felt awful, not like you usually do with beans (if you catch my drift), but just felt sick and repulsed by the thought of eating more of them. And I love beans...

I've mentioned it before, but I really need to learn to trust my body a little more. If it tells me not to eat leftovers of something, or if something sounds disgusting, I need to NOT eat it.

Some days, I feel like I might be making progress. Other days, I lose the ability to hope that I will ever feel normal (using that term loosely). I'm still tired, still with DH, although the other stuff seems to wax and wane somewhat unpredictably. Drank some wine the other night, was sick for 3 days. Weird. Usually if I have sulfite issues, the sx are gone within hours, so I'm not sure what to think.

I've been living on potatoes, which seem to be the only thing I want to eat and settle my stomach. Until tonight, when they upset it. Ugh.

Peace out. I'm done trying to figure it out for now. Says the girl whose every waking thought (almost) is about figuring out what to eat...

Crazy Bread.

2010-05-04T18:41:00.002-04:00

Remember eating crazy bread from Little Caesar's?? It's crazy all right. Random thought of the day...

Recently moved, don't have reliable internet at the new digs, so forgive me if I become even more AWOL.

So, what else have I learned in the meantime?

1. Don't eat M&Ms. Sorry.

Differential: M&Ms, McCormick garlic powder- NOT the gourmet line (everyone swears up and down it's ok, but they do for M&Ms too), or Sutter Home chenin blanc, which I've had without consequence before.

That's what I get for going mainstream for a day, I guess... Chocolate itself seems to be fine, as my coconut chocolate Larabars and Enjoy Life chocolate chips both fared just fine!

2. Sadly, on another chocolate note: No Betty Crocker brownies. Insert sad face here.

Differential: the brownies (which contain chocolate chips of uncertain origin, though the mix is produced in a dedicated facility), another McCormick product- chili powder- and this WAS the gourmet line, which I hear is possibly produced in a dedicated facility??

I can find basically NO info on anyone else with a BC mix reaction. The timing was pretty obvious. Fortunately, or unfortunately, my husband was willing to eat the rest of them. Which is great that they won't go to waste, but also means they are good enough for gluten-eaters!!

I spent Sunday in the worst fog I've had in quite awhile, and I haven't been well for over a week in the last few years. I couldn't think, couldn't talk, could barely function. It was awful. I am definitely starting to feel better today, though I'm sure it will be slow progress as usual!

In other news, tTG was still high, but not super high. Only 23, I'm told! So that is an improvement, but still reflects the horrible Rice Chips saga of late. Anti-endomysial was negative. I'm still waiting on an actual copy of my labs so I can evaluate them myself as well.

Over and out.

Dumb, Da-dumb-dumb

2010-04-20T17:59:00.005-04:00

Please note that the following statements only apply to me and may not apply to your specific situation or some other CYA statement as such. Consult your doctor or healthcare provider before reading, because your doctor knows the ins and outs of cross-contamination at every company and whether the products are appropriate for you, yada, yada.

Things I've learned in the past week:

1. Don't eat Lundberg Rice Chips unless you aren't very sensitive. (Now I'm going to get scathing emails from their marketing people... but I'll refer them to the forums at celiac.com for more info.) I finally figured this out after I had nothing to eat for an entire afternoon and evening but these and an apple.

I know I might be intolerant of fructose, but seriously, chips=death. I actually made the connection over the past few weeks, it was only too obvious looking back, only to be confirmed by numerous people on the forums. Sigh. Goodbye, salsa.

2. Don't restock your spice cabinet until you know the spices are absolutely safe. For example, I could have sworn that I had seen a GF claim for Simply Organic spices on their website awhile back when I first discovered their cake mix (Pumpkin cake... Mmmm...). I made a mental note to buy some if I ever came across them. I bought three different spices the other day- chili powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper.

I made beef stew in my Crock Pot last night and it needed some flavor, so I threw in a handful of each. I also threw in some questionable bay leaves (I thought- it's a leaf. How much can you really process it?).

You know where I'm going with this, right? I was SO tired immediately after eating it for lunch today. Part of that may have been from the 5 gallons of blood I had drawn today (taking bets on my tTG antibody, I'm guessing high!), but that doesn't cause fatigue AND DH... Crap-ola.

So I emailed them today and got your typical email back, which I will post here for your reference. Who knows whether it was actually their stuff or the dumb bay leaves. Either way, I have a huge container of beef stew sitting in my fridge, awaiting rot, and nothing to eat for lunch tomorrow. What a crock. (heh, heh)

Thank you for your inquiry. Frontier is not an allergen free facility, thus
we do not state that any of our products are allergen free. We follow
strict GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) to minimize the potential for
cross-contamination, but do not test for the presence of allergens in our
final products.
Gluten is present in our facility, so we are not able to state positively
that our products are gluten-free. We do have full ingredient disclosure on
our products.

However, we have just added a few products (baking mixes) to our line that
are now gluten free.  Our baking mixes are in an area that is enclosed.
The area is scrubbed down before blending and no other products are blended
at the time the baking mixes are being packaged.  They test before and
after blending for the presence of gluten.  The list of mixes are below.

Item #  18933 – Organic Banana Bread Mix
Item #  18934 – Organic Carrot Cake Mix
Item #  18935 – Organic Chai Spice Scone Mix
Item #  18936 – Organic Cocoa Biscotti Mix
Item #  18938 -  Organic Cocoa Cayenne Cupcakes
Item #  18940 -  Organic Fudge Brownie Mix
Item #  18941-  Organic Pancake/Waffle Mix


Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.  If there is anything else we
can assist you with, please let us know. Have a great day !!

Thank You,

Deb Strong
Customer Care

3. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, it probably has something useful to tell you! I always thought that people who said stuff like this were quacks. Honestly.

Something I have learned the hard way- if I don't feel like eating it, DON'T. I have had this happen countless times (ONE glutening, ha ha ha, TWO glutenings, ha ha ha... crash of thunder... maybe I'll enlist The Count's help on this one).

Anyway, I make food and possibly suspect gluten after eating it. I eat the leftovers later and WHAM, I'm instantly re-glutened. Sudden fatigue, even the DH flares in the blink of an eye. It's like my body knows what it just got itself into. I promise it isn't all in my head, either. Sometimes, I do force myself to eat leftovers.

Internal dialogue:

But it can't have gluten in it, I checked all the ingredients!

Sure it can. Have you not heard, all things are possible with Gluten.

But, I made it from scratch!

Did you really? I didn't see you make the chicken broth from scratch.

But, it says GF right on it!

Really? How long have you been doing this? Shouldn't you know better?

But I can't just throw out perfectly good food!

When you feel nauseous just thinking about eating the leftovers, even if they tasted fine, perhaps you should just leave it alone, you cheapskate. Wouldn't you pay $10 and deal with being wasteful to avoid a glutening? Yes? That's what I thought.

[End scene]

Ok, I see you yawning. Need to wrap this up. I am learning. It is just an awkwardly slow, surprisingly painful process. I was starting to feel better as of this AM, but I'm now back to where I was. Ugh. Must stop being dumb. Amen.

Fructose.... Hmm...

2010-04-17T13:50:00.002-04:00

Went to a new doctor this week. Wasn't sure how it would go. Told her most of my story, she wants to do some labwork, it was exactly what I expected, big surprise. The part I didn't expect was that she didn't offer that any of my continued symptoms might be from other food intolerance. I asked whether they may be, and she mentioned (of course) lactose intolerance. Yeah, pretty much figured that one out after ice cream consistently made me quite balloon-like.

The one I wasn't expecting was fructose intolerance. There isn't a whole lot of information to be found, and she certainly didn't offer more info, but it is an interesting prospect. I'm pretty much convinced that I do have issues on and off with lactose, and all the time with soy and high amounts of sulfites, but fructose? How would that possibly manifest?

Looking back, maybe that is why my apple was left in the bottom of my lunch bag every day last week. Or why I have a perfectly good organic pineapple rotting away in my fridge. Or why the thought of a banana makes my stomach churn...

Or something else that I probably shouldn't make public, although I will anyway (pardon the graphic-ness). Why when I run to the bathroom with ED (clearly not erectile dysfunction, but my abbrev. for explosive D) does it often smell like rotten fruit? Seriously, I know that is gross, but I always wondered why?!

Fructose- are we not friends anymore? Do I have to cross yet another perfectly acceptable GF option off my list?

I had a waffle this morning (Thanks, Pamela!) with blueberry "syrup". Seems ok so far... tasted spectacular. I'll post my recipe probably around the time I post my secret easy mac and cheese recipe!

I'll post any good EBM (evidence-based medicine) articles on fructose intolerance as I find them. There must be some if I found out about it at a large teaching hospital.

Hmmm... I say...

Cheater cheater, pumpkin eater

2010-03-25T18:15:00.003-04:00

In case you didn't see my comment on the last post, I have already cheated. Cravings got the best of me, and I had a piece of cake while waiting for my rice and beans to cook. I can't wait til I get back on track so the cravings can take a hike!!

Just putting that out there. Guilty conscience, what??

Felt awful this morning, was a little better by the end of the day. Now I'm just pooped. Might need some coffee to get me through my meeting tonight. Good thing I made a dietary exception for coffee! For now at least, I don't plan on using it when I don't "need" it. I can stop anytime I want. Really, it's not like I'm addicted or anything...

(How many times have I heard that from my patients? and I just smile and know better?)

And yes, I am a pumpkin eater. Usually in cake form. With cream cheese frosting. See previous post on the glories of pumpkin cake.

Did you know that pumpkin is hard to get this year? There was flooding and apparently the pumpkin crop was destroyed. At least that's what they guy at the store told me when I asked where it was (in March. Yeah, I'm cool like that.)

The Gluten Cycle (Record Length Post)

2010-03-24T19:45:00.005-04:00

In riding the gluten rollercoaster and failing at life, I often think that I should "detox" for a while. Absolutely nothing else to eat except fruit, vegetables, rice, and some plain meat. I once did it for about two days (with coffee thrown in there, as I wasn't that committed), and I felt pretty good. Except for the whole hunger thing.

I think I was glutened again today. Just as I should have been at the very start of the upswing after Sunday, I felt it this afternoon. The overwhelming need to close my eyes. Spending two minutes mentally rehearsing how I'm going to get up out of my chair before I find the motivation to do it. The rumbly, grumbly gut feeling. I've noticed that if I get glutened in quick succession (within a couple days), the symptoms are almost instant.

I thought I was being good. I got my produce box last night and promptly roasted some vegetables and grilled some plain chicken. I was ready to go!

So: with that in mind, I've narrowed it down to three possibilities.

1. Nature Made calcium plus vitamin D.

I try to take this often, but I'm your typical non-adherent patient. I took one this morning. Since it is sporadically used, it may have caused many glutenings in the past which I could not pin down.

2. Pacific almond milk.

I know they say "gluten free" and that they have all these allergen-removing cleaning procedures that they do every day. But they still run GF products on the same lines as gluten. Big FAIL. (but I still take the chance of drinking it. So who is really to blame?? ------> arrow pointing at me)

And... the one I most highly suspect...

3. Green tea. I think the brand might be Organic Pure??

I made this at work today. I was tired before it, but I was really tired after it. To the point where I could barely think, move, and function. Then I ran (slowly? and with poor coordination?) to the bathroom.

Would anyone like a half box of green tea bags? I think I'm gonna just bump up the caff in my coffee for the next few days and avoid tea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The other part of the gluten cycle isn't just trying to pinpoint a culprit. It's also dealing with the symptoms. I haven't yet found a good way to solve the problem (obviously, since this happens multiple times weekly...)

I know that I should go on instant detox. The irony is that when I'm glutened, I'm in no state of mind (or body) to deprive myself further.

The carb cravings are crazy. Caffeine is guaranteed to be the only way I'm getting my sorry butt to work tomorrow. I'm so tired, I'm ready to drop, but when I drop, I can't actually sleep well. A glass of wine is the only remedy I've found.

Sometimes, I almost hear my adrenal glands complaining. Hey, crazy lady! What do you think you're doing?? We're already working overtime trying to make up for your massive amounts of inflammation, and now you throw this at us? Chocolate cake? Mac and cheese?? Alcohol??? Caffeine????

You really expect us to calm down and ever get your body back to normal?

The really sad part is when I start arguing back :)

I digress... but the point is- I think I can't detox for a few days because I'm afraid of two things.

1. That it won't work (have had this happen before), and I'll just be glutened again after having put forth that much effort

OR

2. That it will work, and that I will have to eat (or not eat, as it may be) that way for the rest of my life.

It is hard enough to deal with what I'm already dealing with. I can't give up everything. At least not for more than a few days.

So I guess my plan is this. I'll indulge the cravings for a short time. Maybe 1 day. I did bake a chocolate cake (Namaste... mmmm....), can't let it go to waste! Guess I should put it in the freezer. I already had two pieces for supper. Welcome to Glutened Land.

Then, I'm going to plan, plan, plan for a 3-day period of nothing remotely problematic. Except coffee, but I'll sacrifice and drink it black. I will use PB from a jar to eat with my apple for breakfast. But that's about it. Oh, and Larabars.

See how this quickly gets out of hand?? Too many exceptions.

Why did I go into all this detail and post it online? It's accountability, friends. No one wants to hear me moan about my symptoms and plan out my diet in real life, and I certainly don't blame them! So here it is, in black and white. Or gray, or purple, or whatever color my basic blog is now.

Here goes nothing. I'm going to go finish off the almond milk so I'm not tempted to put it in my coffee tomorrow! And put (what's left of) the cake in the freezer... And pack my lunch... And get ready to feel hungry but better starting tomorrow! Here's hoping!

Stinky cheese!!

2010-03-22T20:55:00.003-04:00

So, friends, I have been yet again caught up in the vicious glutening cycle. As such, the crazy carb cravings have been cycling just as viciously. I guess at least I know what to expect, right? (sigh)

The weird thing is- it isn't only carbs, but also cheese. Especially the two together... and not your average mozzarella or co-jack, but the sharp, slightly stinky kind! Sharp cheddar, parm, I could eat entire blocks of it at a time. I'm guessing this could mean a few things: my blood sugar is just wacky and I have a psychological dependence on cheese, that I crave things that are bad for me and full of histamine/tyramine/something common to all my cravings, there is a yeast issue, lots of theories but nothing definitive.

All I care about at this point is satisfying the food cravings and going to sleep. Seriously.

It is impossible for me to stick to a super restrictive diet right after a glutening, partially because of the apathetic funk it puts me in, and partially because my valiant efforts at eating nothing have been for naught. (definition of eating nothing: no gluten, dairy, soy, sulfites, refined sugar, anything out of a box or bottle not produced in a dedicated facility, etc.)

I might as well have had that Biggby caramel marvel that I resisted over the weekend while I had the chance!!

Last night, I had a glass of wine. After work today, I made my infamous mac and cheese. I then ate a Schaer hazelnut chocolate bar. Very nutritious.

So frustrating that every few days when I DO get back on track, I fall off the wagon as soon as I start braving the bumpy climb back up onto it.

If I find anything that works, save complete hibernation, I'll let you know.

So many things to say!

2010-03-02T17:49:00.002-05:00

So little time to blog!

News Highlights:

Mac and cheese. Even if I was committed to going casein-free, I couldn't do it. Solely because of mac and cheese. It gets me every time. Sigh.

I've had to branch out lately with where I get my food. (Usual store was incredibly rude, so I haven't been back, long story). Found a pretty cool organic produce place that makes up boxes every week to pick up at various locations. Also found a local grocery chain that stocks a pretty decent selection of GF stuff.

I think I'm intolerant to bananas and avocados, two things that are always in the produce box. What to do? I used to love them both, but now can hardly look at them without being nauseous. I thought it was unrelated, but then I found out that there can be cross-sensitivity between the two! Never would have called that one.

I ordered some "bulk" items from Amazon. The prices weren't all that much better than in-store, but it is way more convenient for things I buy often. Plus, if I can use my FSA, it makes the record-keeping much easier.

I have written a rant post in my head about GF labeling probably 40 times in the last month. Short version: labeling an item "gluten free" is NOT helping me at this point, but actually making it harder for me to find safe food.

It helps me a lot to check out the forums on Celiac.com. Many times, someone else has reacted to whatever ingredient I might have my evil gluten-eye trained on. If not, then I move on to other suspects.

Also, hearing about other people's gluten-related symptoms is oddly comforting. It's funny when I see in writing those oddball symptoms that I've only recently begun admitting to my husband or my mom. (And they think I'm crazy, which is symptom #211: Going Crazy).

That's about it for the GF News. Now on to chocolate cake...

Sulfites?

2010-01-26T19:51:00.003-05:00

With everything I've been dealing with health-wise in the past few years, I've basically thrown my training in evidence-based medicine out the window. Almost.

I'm looking into anything and everything that could contribute to my symptoms. One that I've known for awhile (but haven't done much about) would be sulfites. I wasn't taking it very seriously, but I had no idea that it can cause various delayed symptoms up to 48 hours after ingestion. I made the connection when my chest tightens up and I get very flushed after a sip of wine, but I never thought it might be causing other issues.

Is this the reason for my constant fatigue, frequent breakouts (when I've never had acne), total brain fog, etc.?

HAVE I BEEN BLAMING GLUTEN ALL THIS TIME FOR SOMETHING UNRELATED??!!

I had a bad feeling I was doing that. Sorry, Gluten.

Actually, no, Gluten. You are certainly guilty of your share of problems. I don't apologize for thinking you are evil.

So what does that mean? No dried fruit, no preserved meats, no wine, and a few other random things to avoid.

On a frugal note: I hate to waste the half bottle of white wine in my fridge. (Repeat after me- my health is worth half a bottle of cheap wine....my health is worth half a bottle of cheap wine...)

I'll keep you posted. Pun intended.

Top 10 Go-to Foods

2010-01-03T19:08:00.004-05:00

So many top 10 lists, must be the in-thing to do at the beginning of a new year!

So- my Top 10 Go-to Foods for being gluten free. Maybe I'll do another Top 10 list later this week... or maybe the top 10 reasons I don't have time to blog??

10. Soup. Have to be careful with the ingredients, as I've had some questionable experiences lately, but you can really make soup out of anything. I guarantee there is a yummy soup waiting for you in your pantry or freezer! Throw a bunch of stuff in a slow cooker and see what happens.

9. Larabars. I've never had a reaction to these. Fruit and nuts. Great to throw in your purse and forget about until you find yourself needing a decent snack. (Not great on a budget, but worth the price)

8. Biggby Coffee. I've been up and down and around with whether to drink it or not because it sometimes makes me feel crazy from the caffeine. Sometimes, I make it half caff. Coffeemate peppermint mocha creamer is pretty awesome, even if it is a little too processed for my typical taste.

7. Smoothies. Frozen fruit is good. I'm weird and like to add some peanut butter, too.

6. Stir-fry. I make a mean beef and broccoli. If I use chicken or shrimp, it usually doesn't taste like much, so I've been sticking to the red meat.

5. Eggs. Easy to boil. Even easier to stick in my lunchbag for a snack.

4. Canned chicken. Works great on a salad with some EVOO/balsamic as dressing.

3. Apples with peanut butter. This is often my breakfast.

2. Pumpkin Cake. Mmmmm. So easy.

1. Mac and cheese. I have a problem. I crave it all the time. So, I whip up a quick batch at least twice a week after work. Not very good warmed up, so I only make as much as I can eat right now. Maybe I'll post my "recipe" sometime. (more like an approximation than a recipe)

Risotto, Take 2

2009-12-01T21:12:00.002-05:00

Yes, it has taken me this long to try again. I'm too lazy to look back right now and see how long it has actually been since my first attempt at risotto, but I know it has been awhile!

I tried adapting this recipe from Ina for my second take. It turned out way better than the first one!! Substitutions: didn't have any shallots, so I threw in some garlic. Bacon not pancetta. Only had pinot grigio. No saffron.

A few tips-- this time, I made sure to cook my bacon until very crispy. Actually, I scorched the first batch... had to redo it. Last time, it got chewy and disgusting, so I also got rid of most of the fat. I know, I know, that's the whole point of bacon... but I can't stand chewy fatness.

It took longer than expected (about 40 minutes) and was al dente. I'm not sure how you do it in 20-30 minutes!

My only gripe with this batch is that it is a little too sweet. I'm not sure whether using a dry wine would have helped. I think the natural sweetness of the squash may be a bigger factor. Regardless, it was pretty darn good.

Pumpkin Cake!!

2009-11-23T19:58:00.004-05:00

I'm really not a carrot cake kind of person, but I somehow picked up this box at the store. Lo and behold, I discovered something wonderful... a recipe for PUMPKIN CAKE!!

It was just as those almost-fall days were approaching: where the temperature is the same, the leaves have only begun to get a tinge of color, and you can only just smell the change starting to happen. It was pumpkin time.

It is a super easy recipe. I whipped it up in minutes!

This is to die for with some cream cheese frosting, which I just made with a half stick of butter and cream cheese, with powdered sugar added until the consistency is right. And a touch of vanilla.

Only downfall? The price. I think I bought it for $4.69 on sale. Ouch! Granted, it is an organic product which typically drives up the price a tad (although less lately overall, it seems).

I did branch out and try the banana bread mix, with which I was less than impressed. Even though I was "careful not to underbake" as the directions warned, and my first slice wasn't too shabby, it soon turned into a gummy glob. I'm not going to say it wasn't my fault (double negative?) but this is not my favorite.

Pumpkin cake is! Time to go make frosting.

Celiac Survival Guide

2009-11-23T19:36:00.003-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, dear readers, I don't often share the sunny outlook that many fellow Celiacs seem to have in common. I often am not feeling well, and that is unfortunately reflected in my posts here.

It is mostly about survival at this point.

Thankfully, I'm not feeling too overly horrible today. Not great, not awful. I celebrated with a new discovery with which I am currently in love: Haagen-Dazs raspberry sorbet.

My history includes a love affair with ice cream. I grew up next to an ice cream factory and store, and I worked there as my first job. The best perk? All the ice cream you could ever want to eat. And I did. I always wondered if I would get sick of it. Not so!

I've been trying to minimize the dairy lately, as I suspect I may not tolerate it so well. I'm going to make exceptions, such as pumpkin cake for Thanksgiving. It just isn't the same without the cream cheese frosting!

Especially when I've recently been glutened, which is about all the time now, ice cream hates me. I love it for about a half hour, and then I'm soon hating it. So is everyone around me.

Hence, sorbet.

ALMOST as good as ice cream! Definitely not a low-cal treat, but super satisfying.

So here is another tip to add to the survival guide. Eat sorbet.

Pomegranates are stellar!

2009-11-17T19:40:00.000-05:00

So I'm still failing at life with the whole gluten thing. I just can't seem to shake it. In the meantime, while I'm trying for the millionth time to come up with hopeful things to think about, I realize how much going GF has forced me to branch out with what I eat.

A few things I didn't eat before GF: pomegranates, asparagus, roasted veggies, rice noodles, it's almost hard to remember now that they are such staples in my pantry. I can't believe I was missing out on pomegranates! I've had one every night since they appeared in the grocery store a couple weeks ago. Love.

So what have I eaten lately? I made baked spaghetti last night and had it again for lunch and tonight. Something is bothering me- last time I made it I thought it was the sauce. This time, I used Tinkyada spaghetti, Dei Fratelli sauce, and Kraft cheese. That's all. Maybe it's the cheese. I did have half a glass of Barefoot Riesling last night. I had salad for lunch, too. Organicville sun-dried tomato dressing. I doubt that my apple and peanut butter breakfast was an issue. I haven't even been drinking coffee!! Just green tea.

I'm having coffee tomorrow morning.

Still riding the coaster.

2009-11-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

I love roller coasters. If you've never been to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, it is totally worth the trip! Favorites- Raptor and Millenium Force. Seriously awesome.

I don't like the gluten roller coaster. It stinks. I think I'm on the upswing again after something got me on Friday. Hard to tell, at that time I was recovering from my poor choice last Monday (hot chocolate at an awesome cafe... could tell almost immediately it was a problem).

My current rants after going to the store today- I'm already sick of the retail Christmas push. Seriously, it isn't even Thanksgiving yet. It started before Halloween. I love Christmastime, but it gets more and more commercial every year, earlier and earlier. It takes some of the joy out of it for me to see it on TV and hear the music in the stores, and to know that it is all a ploy to get me to support the retail economy. Joy to the World, the sales have come... or however the song goes...

On a completely unrelated note, food labeling and marketing bugs me. Please define "all natural." I have had so many people say to me, "Oh- it says it is natural. It can't hurt me!" Granted, this is usually said about herbals or dietary supplements, but the idea goes for food, too. There is no FDA definition of what natural means.

I could put my toenail clippings in a jar and label it "all natural." Ok, maybe not, just a thought (albeit a graphic one).

I'll be useful in my next post, I promise. What to write about... my discovery of easy-peasy GF pumpkin cake? With cream cheese frosting? Maybe.

Back to where I started.

2009-11-04T21:55:00.001-05:00

I feel like crap.

Why, you may ask? Gluten has something to do with it, but it is not the only one to blame. Of course, perhaps if it were not for gluten, my immune system would do its normal immunity thing... just a thought.

My poor body is juggling a recent glutening, a reaction to the H1N1 vaccine (lymphadenopathy, same as with last year's vaccine. Yes, I hear you saying "I told you so."), fighting a cold from my coworker, and what I think was food poisoning at lunch today. That was a trip and a half (to the bathroom). Darn shrimp.

Needless to say, I am a bit run-down.

On another note, I received an email from a nice person at Jennie-O explaining their GF status. I'll post it here. My comment for this post, which I relayed in my reply, is that I feel like I'm in a situation where "fool me once, shame on you..." applies since I suspected it twice within a short time. I also have found that I have been sorely disappointed when trusting labels. Do with it what you will, dear readers. All four of you.

First, I would like to thank you for being a loyal customer and advocate of our products. I wanted to clarify that Jennie-O Turkey Store® hot Italian turkey sausage does not contain any wheat, rye, barley, triticale (a wheat hybrid) or oats. This is a gluten-free product that is safe for you and your readers to consume.

I also wanted to assure you that we require all suppliers to list out every ingredient, including possible allergenic ingredients or ingredients that are known to cause a reaction in sensitive individuals. We understand the frustration of trying to find gluten-free products, and we only want to make it easier for you and others affected by Celiac disease. We also hope, with this explanation, you might give Jennie-O Turkey® products a second chance. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I’d be happy to provide further explanation, if needed. Have a great day.

I also mentioned that I'll just let my husband eat it. It seriously is good stuff, I'm just wary.

I'm on a roll. No, not a dinner roll.

2009-10-02T20:27:00.001-04:00

May I have a drumroll, please?

...I think I have officially gone an entire week and a half with no glutenings. I hesitate to even write this down, as I'm afraid the evil gluten monster will immediately show up at my door, knock me down, laugh in a sinister fashion, and say "I told you so!"

The skin on my fingers where I usually have DH blisters is starting to heal. There have been a couple of times where it has gotten a bit red and I've been apprehensive, but it isn't painful. It's weird to just have almost-normal skin there!

I was being super careful, but I then got caught up by some nasty flu-bug and couldn't tell which end was up. I stayed at my parents' house for the course of it, which provided myriad opportunities for cross-contamination. I'm pretty sure I was glutened. I was almost too sick to notice.

Being on the upswing, I HAVE to be careful what risks I take. I've been working a lot and have been stressing a bit much in the last few weeks about various subjects, so it's often hard to tell whether I'm tired from lack of sleep or potential gluten. Or both. The weird part is, I've noticed that being glutened is a different kind of tired. Both make it hard to get out of bed in the morning and both make my brain a bit foggy, but it is different. I can't really explain it.

On a random note- I also can't explain why after only two days without coffee last weekend and miraculously no headaches (thank you, green tea!) that my coffee made me CRAZY on Monday. It was almost like I hadn't been absorbing the caffeine in the past, and then WOWSA! Tachycardia! No attention span! Haven't felt like that in quite a while. I had to back it off, which was sad because I am in love with my strong morning coffee.

I'm going out of town tomorrow to take a big test. It is an all day thing, so I'm hoping there won't be too much drama come lunchtime!! (Yes, that's a lunchbox. No, I did not hide equations for reference in my string cheese.) And yes, I am currently procrastinating about my final review of material. Great idea when my estimated time of departure is at about 5:30 AM.

Anyway, just sharing the good news... I hope... Crossing your fingers makes it hard to type.

Warning! Jennie-O Turkey Sausage

2009-09-21T14:39:00.000-04:00

Here's my first column under the Warning! heading.

It involves one of my former favorite ingredients, Jennie-O hot Italian turkey sausage. Loved the stuff, made it at least once a week in various forms... I now suspect glutening. Twice.

The first time, I thought it was a fluke. I had made it into sausage patties, serving mine plain and my hubbie's on a bun. (This was when I kept obviously gluten-y things in my kitchen, a thing of the past!) I blamed the bun, even though I was super careful with it, didn't touch it, and washed my hands a billion and a half times.

I don't think it was the bun. The next time we ate the sausage, I used my tried-and-true recipe of sausage, broccoli, and Tinkyada spaghetti in a garlic chili broth. Mmmm... until I got sick. I was stumped until I remembered "the bun incident."

Bun, indeed...

Beware the turkey sausage, GF buddies. I'm terribly sad to lose this as an ingredient, but I think I've learned my lesson. Next up- probably a lesson in making my own sausage.

So long, Jennie-O. You were a good friend until you turned on me, backstabber!

Day 1

2009-09-16T20:44:00.000-04:00

Here's the food breakdown for today. (and yes, I do snack all day)

B- smoothie with:

frozen bananas, strawberries, and blackberries
Stonyfield blueberry yogurt
some natural PB
a splash of Simply Orange with mango.

Weird combo, I know, but I like the PB&J flavor of it. May I also mention that I love Stonyfield yogurt. Too expensive, but not too sweet and not too tangy!

Morning snack- apple with PB and honey

L- leftover chicken and rice noodle stuff (posted prior). I've felt funky the last couple times I've eaten this recipe, so I'm not sure which component is the culprit. I used Dynasty Maifun, Mizkan rice vinegar, and San J wheat-free tamari. Everything else is pretty much whole foods. I've looked to see if anyone else has had issues with these products, and I can't find anything. Maybe it's something else.

Afternoon snacks (more like pre-dinner...)-

snow peapods
a nectarine
Sargento lite string cheese along with some cut up cherry tomatoes from the farmers market!
I also broke down and had a small bag of Smartfood popcorn.

Speaking of Smartfood, a Lays product, I have trusted Lays for awhile. I'm not sure if I do now. Sure, they have a GF list. They also have a huge disclaimer at the bottom (CYA) that says that they use gluten on the same lines as the supposedly GF lines. I've heard of enough people playing roulette with Lays products (50/50 chance of getting sick...) that I vowed to avoid them to figure out what is secretly glutening me. I cracked today.

D- This was a new one for me- Mrs. Leeper's corn/vegetable pasta with a touch of butter, EVOO, and parm. I don't necessarily recommend it. The pasta fell apart at al dente. I wasn't expecting my combo to taste like much, but it was even more bland than I anticipated. It did satisfy my carb craving, however.

I may just have to break down and have a half glass of wine. My current favorite is Sutter Home's Chenin Blanc. Sometimes, even small amounts of wine make me flush. Darn sulfites! I do need to continue researching wine/gluten safety. I don't know enough about the process to know where the problems arise...

Day 1 is done!

What to post, what to post...

2009-09-16T20:29:00.000-04:00

I have so many Celiac-related topics that endlessly swirl around in my foggy little head that I find it ironic when I'd like to write a useful, thought out post and all I can come up with is uhh....

I need a theme.

I've thought about "What I ate today" for a few reasons- it would help me keep track of what I eat, maybe give out some ideas of real-life Celiac eating, and mostly help me determine what keeps glutening me (unless it is from my kitchen, which I'm starting to suspect sometimes...)

I've also thought about writing some medically applicable articles for lay Celiacs, like decoding Celiac-related journal articles, especially about upcoming ideas for drug treatment. That sounds like a lot of work-related work. No time right now.

I've also thought about recipes, but lots of people do that, and I'm not a cook. I throw stuff in a pan and hope it turns out edible!

I'm realizing more and more how much the GF diet (mostly lack thereof) affects every aspect of my life. I think it would help me to blog about that. Maybe you can relate.

So- in conclusion, this blog is going to be a random buffet of posts just like it has been.

Still Failing

2009-09-10T21:08:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile. I'm still failing at staying un-glutened for more than a week. I start to feel good, then it's back down the spiral we go.

I have learned that just because it says gluten free, it is not always to be trusted. (I should have known that before.) I was starting to feel decent last week until I had a craving for baked spaghetti. Ok, I thought, why not? I have some Tinkyada pasta, I'll buy some sauce and cheese and make some! Pretty simple, right? 3 ingredients.

Beware Classico sweet basil sauce, oh gluten-free friend. Only after I immediately became ill when eating it did I think to look it up online. According to quite a few people on the celiac.com boards, I am NOT the only one who has had a problem. Beware the sauce. (Yes, it says GF right on the label.)

On another note- how is it possible to be instantly nauseous when ingesting gluten unknowingly? It wasn't until the next day that I suspected a gluten reaction. I've had this happen multiple times. I think I'm sick or I waited too long to eat or I'm stressed out or something, only to find out that it was gluten. There isn't even time for it to reach my duodenum! Go figure.

I'm not sure what to do anymore. I felt it again tonight, only not as severe. I now have some DH to prove it. I've got to figure out what else I'm reacting to. Yikes.

I'm hoping that someday, this site will serve as more than just my gripe fest. I want it to be hopeful and cheerful and full of life and inspiration! I guess we'll all just have to wait impatiently in negativity until I somehow get my act together.

Sorry.

I just don't get it.

2009-07-06T13:31:00.000-04:00

Here comes another gluten-related lament. I can't seem to go for longer than a week without getting glutened. I'm about ready to stop eating altogether for awhile. (OK, maybe not, but the thought has crossed my foggy, tired mind!)

I start to wonder- how often does this happen to other Celiacs? Is everyone as sensitive as I am? I have been restricting myself more and more, and it doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.

Here's my current list of things that could have glutened me:

The "GF" potluck at work for my last day (big contender)
The frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts I bought with "glucose solids" on the label. Poor quality, wish I would have read the label before I bought them. Not sure if I trust whatever they inject!
The 4th of July meal at a friend's house, where I helped make everything, looked up every ingredient online (like the Hormel chili with beans), and doubled-washed the pans and utensils
Breyer's natural vanilla ice cream from the milkshakes we made yesterday. I actually just ate some 5 minutes ago. What was I thinking?! I thought I already learned my lesson about vinegar and alcohol...
My latte last Friday from the only coffee shop I trust

It is so hard to tell once I get in the vicious glutening cycle. Since I have almost constant symptoms and they take at least two weeks to go away, I can't figure out when exactly I get glutened.

I guess I'm back to only food from my own home that is made from scratch. No ice cream if it has vanilla extract. Nothing with unidentifiable vinegar. Packing my lunch with no further prep at other people's houses. No processed foods.

I feel like I'm crazy for having to be so careful.

I also feel crazy for posting this online. The only way this post would be helpful to anyone is if they needed to relate!

News!

2009-06-28T18:20:00.000-04:00

Newsflashes for the month:

We're moving. If I wasn't bad enough about posting before, it will probably be even worse now for awhile. Or maybe it will be better since I have a couple weeks off while we move? Who knows.

The awesome people at my old job got me a bread machine! I'm eagerly anticipating the first loaf, which should be ready in 2:48. I know it will take some tweaking to accommodate the GF-ness, but I'm so excited to try it! I also learned that there are a ton of GF bread machine recipes out there and that I don't think I had the exact ingredient list needed for any of them. Here's hoping my educated guessing works out!

I'll post my findings about my newfangled invention once I eat the results. Can't wait!

Two years in, and I'm still learning (tangential post about soy)

2009-05-06T12:36:00.000-04:00

Next month will mark two years since my Celiac diagnosis.

I still have a lot to learn!

I am as of yet unsuccessful in staying away from glutenation for longer than a couple weeks, even if I'm extremely vigilant. My list of choices continues to grow smaller as I add potential sources of contamination to the list... (which now includes PF Chang's with a question mark?!?!)

Besides trying (and often failing) to avoid gluten, I've also learned a few other things to minimize- dairy and soy. I was extremely lactose intolerant when I first went GF, but in my quest to not go completely nuts with my gluten deprivation, I continued to eat large amounts of dairy as I cut out the gluten.

Once I made the realization that I'd need to cut down the dairy for awhile, I thought that soy was the answer.

Wrong answer! I think soy milk dislikes me even more than dairy milk. If I'm going to deal with the GI consequences, I'll gladly take a tall glass of cow's milk. Cookies on the side, please!

I realized a few minutes ago that I ate a meal with tofu in it for lunch. I've been wondering why some of these frozen meals and I didn't agree... duh. I guess I know for the future!

Soy is a very interesting food. I've read a few books and articles about it, trying to separate fact from hype. It leaves me with a few questions:

1. Who first tasted a soy bean (especially mature beans, not edamame), and thought hmmm.... this is rather tasty. Let's make it into food! ?

If you've ever eaten a soybean out of the field, you know what I'm talking about- nasty bitterness! The soy products that we consume have been so processed that they become a tasteless shadow of their former selves for good measure- they taste pretty bad. Should we really be eating something that we have to beat into processed submission in order to make it acceptably palatable?

2. Are soy phytoestrogens a good idea to consume?

I've read studies about the link between various endocrine disorders and heavy soy consumption, including soy formula. They make a lot of sense. They are also somewhat scary when you consider that soy is considered a safe and healthy food.

These phytoestrogens are why menopausal women use soy supplements for symptom relief. They are also how some menopausal women that I know developed terrible "IBS" while taking such supplements...

3. Why does every single somewhat processed food product contain soy lecithin?

It really contains such small amounts of phytoestrogens that it is pretty much negligible in that respect, but seriously- what did we put in food before there was soy lecithin? Did we live an un-emulsified existence?

So in conclusion, Finally!- you say, I can't totally poo-poo the idea of soy (pardon the pun), but I know how my gut reacts. I'm going to stay away as much as possible.

Usefulness! Chicken Noodles with Peanut Sauce

2009-04-14T19:39:00.000-04:00

I'm inspired to be somewhat useful here instead of my recent lamenting. So here comes my new favorite meal: a twist on a recipe in Danna Korn's Living Gluten-Free for Dummies, the perfect book for people like me :) I tried the recipe for Steak and Peanut Pepper Pasta and have since changed beef to chicken, used different pasta and veggies etc... the sauce is pretty much the same.

Chicken Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Chop chicken into bite size pieces. I used 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. That's what I had in the freezer.

Make sauce/marinade:

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
4 T. GF soy sauce
4 T. peanut butter (I used natural PB, the kind that is just ground up peanuts. Novel idea.)
2 T. fresh cilantro
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 t. crushed red pepper

Blend together until smooth (no need to chop if you're gonna throw it all in the blender anyway). Use part as a marinade if you have time. Save the rest for sauce.

Cook chicken. I believe saute would be the correct term, but I'm not sure. So I'll go with: stick it in a skillet on the stove, turn up heat, and stir occasionally until done.

Soften some rice noodles (Mai Fun), use your judgment as to how many. I'm bad at that part.

Add some thinly sliced/chopped veggies. I personally like broccoli, carrots, and cabbage. I cheated this time and bought broccoli slaw mix. It was really good.

Mix the above together. Eat. Yum.

This is a very out-of-the-ordinary recipe for me. I'm pretty traditional. Once I got over the fact that it was a pretty unique flavor, I fell in love with an easy recipe. It's made even easier if you make lots of sauce and freeze it.

Enjoy!

Renewing my vows...

2009-04-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

I did it again. I ate food that other people, in their kindness, prepared with me in mind. Now I'm paying for it.

I am so tired of taking tiny risks and dealing with the huge consequences.

In response to this, I am renewing my vows to Gluten Freedom. I feel as though I need to define my commitment, though long-term, by setting some short-term goals. I post this for my own benefit... So for the next two weeks:

I will only eat food that I have made myself or have personally supervised its preparation by someone who understands cross-contamination. (Like my mom!)
If there is any question in my mind, I will err on the side of caution.
I will not take risks because "I already feel terrible- what more can it hurt?"
I will eat fresh fruits and vegetables.
I will cut out as many dairy products as possible, as I know that they particularly bother me post-glutening.
I will also avoid soy with the exception of tamari. I like soy, but it does not return the sentiment.
I will exercise despite my fatigue.
I will get as much sleep as possible.

Now, I just have a few hurdles to address for the above, the first being the conference I'll be attending next week. The people in charge have graciously offered me a meal card that would request gluten free meals. How much do I trust this? Am I willing to put my health into the hands of strangers? How difficult will it be to take all my own food and eat out of a hotel room for three days? Can I do a little bit of both? (like use my own food as a back-up in case I don't trust the food?) I see snack bars in my future...

To achieve #7, I need to go to bed. Good night.

Getting Glutened

2009-04-09T21:47:00.000-04:00

What to do, what to do?!

You know that sinking feeling you get when you realize you just got glutened? It's terrible. I feel the effects of a mild glutening for weeks.

In the last almost 2 years since my celiac diagnosis, I have had a total of about 3 weeks where I have felt like my old self. Those weeks were amazing. I was a believer in the GF diet.

Unfortunately, I feel like I alternate getting glutened and getting sick. It seems like as soon as I start recovering from gluten, I come down with the latest fad virus. As soon as those symptoms go away, I'm back to being glutened. I wonder if they are related?

Maybe I'm willing to take more risks with food when I feel better?

I wish I knew of something constructive to do when I get that glutened feeling. I mostly just make sure I have plenty of coffee on hand to help me survive the next many mornings.

Easter is going to be interesting. I'm about a week post suspected glutening and 3 days post virus. I REALLY don't want to take any chances, but I'm not very good at telling people no-- especially when they have gone out of their way to (try to) meet my dietary needs.

Sorry for the downer post. I'm sure other sensitive celiacs can relate. I don't know how much more careful about being GF I can be unless I sit at home and constantly munch on fresh vegetables... Now there's an idea!

My Friend, P.F. Chang

2009-03-14T20:16:00.000-04:00

Apparently, I'm on the once-a-month posting plan.

Life is busy.

I'm having a blog identity crisis.

I don't write recipes, so I can't be one of those cool GF recipe blogs. I also haven't baked in a really long time (like since my last post with the yummy cookie pics).

I somehow find myself talking about Celiac all the time, but yet I don't feel like I have enough useful tips and information to share with the blog world.

So I guess, since I've been away from home all week (and way too close to PF Chang's), I'll consider this post a tribute to PF Chang's.

For those of you who are not lucky enough to have one near you, PF Chang's is a national chain upscale Chinese restaurant. "China Bistro" if you will. It is also one of the very few places that I feel comfortable eating and have not yet had a suspicion that I've been poisoned.

You walk in and ask for a gluten-free menu, and they hand you a GF menu. You then order off said menu. They bring you food. You eat it (with gusto). Then you are not sick.

Seriously, it is such a HUGE relief, especially for people like me who are uber-sensitive to gluten. I get giddy when I think about it!

I have eaten there or at Pei Wei (the carryout version) 3 times in the past week. I'll mention again that I was not home and I was staying with friends, so I do have some semblance of an excuse because I had to figure out some way to eat while there.

A few of my favorite things:
GF lettuce wraps- they are pretty much famous for them
Chang's spicy chicken- the definition of spicy often varies, but kind of like sweet and sour chicken with a kick
Singapore street noodles-thin rice noodles with chicken and shrimp
Flourless chocolate dome- more fudge than cake, not really worth the price unless it is your birthday or you really want a chocolate fix!

I know I sound like a salesperson, but no, I have no stake in the company. But, mental note, maybe I should...

Top Five things I did wrong as a newbie Celiac

2009-02-16T19:47:00.000-05:00

I ran across a post at Gluten Free Mommy's website that detailed her top 10 silly mistakes she has made on the GF diet. Of course, it got me to thinking about my own Top 10. Except right now I think it is more of a Top 5, partly because I'm intimidated by coming up with 10 somewhat useful experiences to share. So here goes. (Note- this may be subject to future editing)

1. Distillation- I already mentioned distillation and how it is not my friend. I remember doing distillation in chem lab more than a few times. Gluten should not survive the process. However- I was led to believe that any distilled product (i.e. alcohol or vinegar) is ok.

Not so, says the small intestine! Was that vodka really triple-distilled? Does Frank of Frank's Red Hot want to explain to me how the addition of hot sauce to my meal caused a severe gluten reaction? BBQ sauce is a whole 'nother topic.

2. Cross-contamination- basically, me thinking that cross-contamination is less of a risk than it really is. I remember reading my first bits of GF info online. I thought most of these people were nuts (apologies... I now see the error of my judgmental ways).

How could it be possible for something in such small amounts that you can't even see to poison a person and cause weeks of distress?! Come on, lighten up! WRONG. Example: Chipotle. Nuff said.

3. GF Definitions- "gluten free" on a label does not always mean gluten free. In fact, the FDA does not yet have an official definition of how many parts per million of gluten are acceptable in a product labeled GF. Personally, it is my opinion that because different people have different thresholds for the amount of gluten they can tolerate, GF SHOULD MEAN ABSOLUTELY GF!!

Of course, I am a tad biased because I know I am very sensitive. But seriously- how can anyone ever be sure about what a product's gluten status is if there is a ppm allowance? (label it as totally, absolutely, without a doubt, 100% GF?)

4. Coffee at church, coffee at my parents' house, anywhere but home- I would never have expected this one. I Love coffee. Yes, that is a capital L. I would not have made it through school without it.

The weird part was when I started noticing that almost any coffee except what I made at home went right through my system, if you catch my drift. I also started feeling glutened every time I would go visit my fam for the weekend. They have one of those sweet Gevalia coffee makers that they give you free if you sign up to get coffee delivered. Unfortunately, it took literally until a couple months ago for me to realize that Gevalia's flavored coffees are considered to contain gluten. Ugh. Contamination right there. No wonder I always felt awesome after I made French press coffee, not the drip stuff.

Same thing goes for church. God bless the people who serve in the coffee ministry! I'll be sticking to tea...

5. Underestimating the mental/emotional impact of being GF- There is a distinct feeling of relief that comes with a Celiac diagnosis. There is something physically wrong! I'm not crazy! There is an easy fix! (Or so I thought at first).

Our culture revolves around food. Many cultures do. How many times do you go out with friends for anything besides a meal and/or drinks? Our family gatherings are always situated around a meal.

We didn't eat out much before the diagnosis just because we didn't have the money. We still don't have the money, but it's hard to completely avoid going out to eat. I don't unless it is one of the restaurants where I know I can eat safely (and I can count them on one hand).

Try going on vacation and not getting glutened.

As wonderful as it is to know what caused my symptoms and how to fix it, I don't think I give myself enough credit for the emotional toll that it takes. I'm grateful that I can be healthy now. I genuinely laugh at jokes about my eating habits. I try to make light of the situation, but it sometimes really weighs on me. I feel like I talk about it too much, but maybe that's what I need to do to deal with being different and inconvenienced. And sometimes- I just REALLY don't feel like cooking.

That being said, this whole experience of going GF has taught me a alot about myself and the people I'm around. I'm indebted to those who have taken the time to send me an email with a gluten-free recipe they came across, or my coworker who made a flourless chocolate cake for my birthday, or my boss who brought me a bag of GF chocolate chip cookies when she knew everyone else was getting free pizza for lunch.

Long story not-so-short, I need to cut myself a break every once in awhile and admit that being GF is not always easy and that sometimes it really gets old. Then I need to regroup, be grateful for the awesome people in my life who try to make it better, and realize yet again that this is my chance for the first time in my 20-some-odd-year lifetime to be truly healthy.

Who needs a recipe?

2009-01-24T17:30:00.000-05:00

In the last week or so, I've come to a realization. I am not a stellar cook, but I knew that already. I've always followed recipes as to-the-letter as possible (while passing on the onions!). Guess what- I don't really need recipes.

I would spend a lot of time searching for the perfect recipe- gluten free, with the ingredients I had on hand, with the taste I was looking for. This week, I made cookies. I don't do a lot of baking anymore, partially because I don't like my oven in my new place. I'm also not home much. Put them together, and the desire to bake is at a minimum. My waistline and my arteries probably aren't complaining...

Baking cookies used to be like therapy for me. In grad school, if I had a big exam or if I was stressed about a project, I would bake cookies. There was something calming about it. I had a kind of rough week this week, so I baked cookies. I really wanted white chocolate chip cranberry cookies. I couldn't find an appropriate recipe. What to do?

I used a chocolate chip cookie recipe, cut in half. I replaced the evil wheat flour with a random mixture of whatever GF flours I had on hand, plus a teaspoon of xanthan gum- the GF baker's best friend. (Now, given the nature of GF flours, this might not always work, but I got lucky). They would have been perfect if not for my weird oven. They were a little too brown on the bottom, but still incredibly yummy. I can't resist them.

Going along with this newly found freedom from recipes, I made soup today. It was definitely a "freezing outside need soup" kind of day. I put in a bunch of stuff I had on hand, according to what sounded good. I ended up with a sort of Italian chicken stew. It hit the spot! I ate this over some gluten free pasta. It was even better the next day.

If memory serves me correctly, it was a combo of:

bite size pieces of cooked chicken breast
frozen spinach
1 can of diced tomatoes with garlic and basil
1 can of great northern white beans
1 can of light kidney beans
chicken broth
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
parmesan cheese to top

My last experiment was a batch of chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips. Mmmm. Don't even have a pic of those. I ate them too quickly.

So I guess I'll keep up this whole recipe experimentation thing whenever I can. It's really fun until I emerge from the enormous mess in my teensy kitchen. I wonder what's next...

Thanks, but no thanks

2009-01-22T19:02:00.000-05:00

So the eating out part of the GF diet: it kinda sucks. And by kinda, I mean really.

It's just something you have to learn to deal with. Or avoid. I've vacillated among a few different approaches.

At first, I actually tried to explain myself and CD to restaurant staff. Ha. I live out in the Midwest Boonies. While it is more likely to find someone who has actually seen a wheat field, people are still pretty darn clueless about gluten in food.

Then I tried just eating at selected places, ordering the safest thing I could find.

Now I'm to the point where it is going to be a place that has an obvious, officially-printed gluten free menu AND a clear understanding of cross contamination. (PF Chang's anyone? That place will cause me to go broke. Mmmm... super kudos to them)

I got glutened last weekend from Chipotle. Now, I love their food and the fact that they are very forthcoming about allergen information. However, walking into that place feels a little like walking into a casino... high-stakes gambling about to begin. The process there just screams contamination. Now I've gambled there several times and come out ok, but there have been times that have left me wondering.

There was no wondering last weekend, if you catch my drift. I woke up Saturday morning feeling like I got run over by a bus. I spent a little time in the ladies' room. I'm just starting today to be able to make it through the day with only two cups of coffee. My dermatitis herpetiformis blisters that appeared are just starting to calm down. The sores in my mouth are starting to heal. Thank God. (I don't say that in vain, I am truly thankful)

So what is the point of this post? Really, there are two.

1. Watch out for places like Chipotle and Qdoba. I figured they were too good to be true. Even if they change their gloves, how many glutened gloves were already reaching into that cheese?

2. I happened to email Applebee's about gluten because someone was going to bring food into work and wondered if there was anything there I could eat. I got pretty much the answer that I expected, and I wanted to post it here. Needless to say, I will continue to avoid Applebee's like the plague. On a positive note, at least they don't claim to be able to meet my dietary needs and then disappoint.

Thank you for your recent request for a list of
gluten-free menu items available at Applebee's.
Due to the frequency in which we change our
menus, as well as the small risk of cross-
contamination, we can not provide the list you
requested. The health and safety of our guests
is simply too important to risk sharing inaccurate
or outdated nutritional information.
 
You may call us at 888-59APPLE and a Guest
Relations Coordinator can work with specific
requests regarding any of the FDA's Top 8
Allergens (milk, soy, wheat, eggs, shellfish,
fish, treenut and peanut) that may be contained
in our core menu items.  You can reach us between
7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday
and 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Friday, central standard time.
 
 
Sincerely,
 
Adam L.
Guest Relations Coordinator II

Right. Like I'm really going to even think about eating there.
Totally not worth it.

Be careful out there, GF friends, it's a dangerous world.

Random musings of the Celiac

2009-01-13T20:25:00.000-05:00

-I should be used to this whole gluten-free thing by now.

-I don't typically miss gluten. I remember how I felt... Still do every couple weeks if I let my guard down one tiny bit...

-Sometimes, I miss my mom's sugar cookies. They are the best sugary substance in the world. Hard to replicate in the GF realm.

-CD diagnosis is overwhelming. There should be a counseling session between a newly diagnosed Celiac and an older, wiser one (preferably non-wacky and knows what they are talking about...) for every new diagnosis. Much better than sending you out the door of the doctor's office, still reeling, with nothing but the internet at your disposal. And a note scrawled that you should see a dietitian. Which your insurance won't cover unless you've just been diagnosed with diabetes. And who ask you for information on gluten when you talk to them. (Disclaimer- there are some awesome dietitians out there. I work with some. Just wish I knew them a couple years ago!)

-CD should be taken more seriously. Complications are dire. I have a friend who, at 24, has degenerative changes in her spine that cause her a lot of pain. I've had a few issues myself. I think I'm having more. It's scary.

-German gluten-free chocolate is really yummy. And it is labeled GF! Granted, the words are in German, but you can get the idea. Every Celiac should have a wonderful German friend who sends them boxes of goodies at Christmastime!

-Insurance companies are annoying. I don't know how the majority of patients work with them. I have a hard enough time as a health care professional taking care of my patients' insurance issues, much less my own personal ones. I spent sooooooooooooooo much time on the phone in the last few days to no avail trying to get a medication covered for a patient with a genetic clotting disorder. If the patient doesn't receive it, she could have a blood clot and die. Or not be able to have the surgery she needs. Or pay hundreds of dollars a day out of pocket even when she has prescription insurance. That's not right.

-I think that's it for now. Thanks for listening.

Risotto, Take 1

2009-01-08T21:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I tried.

Risotto is a tricky thing. I knew that going into it, but I tried anyway. I made the bacon spinach risotto from Gluten Free Girl's blog. It deserved a big "eh, not-so-hot" rating. Mostly my fault, I think. I undercooked it just a tad. And my bacon never crisped up (I think it was drowning in butter instead...).

All in all, I ate it. And I think I know how to do better next time. We'll call it a learning experience :)

I did, however, make some pretty darn good soup a la Rachael Ray. Check this recipe out! We don't have fancy things like broccoli rabe around here, so I put in some spinach and some broccoli and it turned out quite nicely. I used my favorite Jennie-O hot italian turkey sausage
(as mentioned in a previous post). It was swell! Highly recommended!

Quick post. Italian Sausage. Yum.

2008-11-18T22:25:00.001-05:00

o
Well, I promised a meal idea. A month later, here it is. Things are a little nuts around here, which means all the more reason for a quick easy meal combo!

I based this on a meal I had with GF pasta at Biaggi's. It was amazing! This didn't compare, but it was close enough to be quite satisfying. The first time, I made it with spaghetti noodles, but I've used whatever GF noodles I've had on hand (like spirals in the pic). The spaghetti actually turned out better, I think it absorbed more of the broth/sauce.

Basically, this is:
hot Italian turkey sausage
broccoli
pasta
garlic chili broth: which I made by combining some minced garlic, chicken broth, a little chili powder, and some crushed red pepper

I browned the sausage, then added the broth and broccoli and let it simmer a bit. I then added the al dente pasta.

I know it is simple, and it isn't a real recipe per se, but it tasted good. And different. I also just recently made an adapted Rachael Ray recipe for italian sausage meatballs stuffed with fresh mozzarella using the same kind of turkey sausage. No pics, we ate it too fast, and the kitchen was too much of a mess when I was done.

I think this is my new favorite ingredient! Jennie-O and Honeysuckle White are both gluten-free. Check them out!

I'm still here

2008-10-21T19:48:00.001-04:00

Planning a new post sometime, I promise. Just busy. (Aren't we all)

It'll include my latest yummy meal idea, I hope you won't be disappointed!

Name That Substance

2008-09-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

What is that, you ask?

Well, I'm not a chef and certainly not a photographer, but this was my attempt tonight at something akin to sorbet.

I tried to follow a recipe and put some frozen fruit, water, and a touch of honey into the blender/food processor (ok, it's a Magic Bullet, but I didn't really want to admit that I own something sold on an infomercial...). It kinda worked, but was so thick that the blades just stuck or spun most of the time. I added a splash of OJ and it seemed to blend better, but then ended up a tad soupy. I could have refrozen it, but I just couldn't wait to eat it.

So this is my contribution for those hmmm... I need something to eat that's GF, that doesn't take forever, and that isn't horrible for me... moments.

I also make a lot of smoothies. We usually end up with some too-ripe bananas sitting around. So before they go completely rotten, I peel them, throw them in a freezer bag, and stuff them in the freezer. Other frozen fruit isn't cheap, but if you watch for a sale it isn't too horrible to stock up.

The nice thing about smoothies is how little effort they require to make:

1. Throw stuff in a cup. Doesn't really matter how much. Bananas, frozen berries, frozen peaches, some plain yogurt, and a little OJ to keep things flowing. Heck, a little PB might be interesting.
2. Blend.
3. Find the box of neon bendy straws stuck in the back of the cabinet.
4. Have a nice healthy breakfast or dessert.

Discovering Real Food

2008-09-24T20:45:00.000-04:00

I credit having to go gluten free for making me aware of what is in my food and how it is produced. Man, I had no idea. Even growing up in farm country, I didn't think about it a whole lot.

I ate well growing up. Mom was a pretty good cook, and we ate about like your average American family in the 90s. I didn't usually think too hard about where the food came from, as long as it was there, it tasted ok, and I could scarf it down before band practice (or wherever else I was rushing to back in those days). There were a lot of Subway pizza subs...

Since I've been forced to scrutinize every ding dang detail of every bite of food that enters my mouth, I've realized how much CRAP I've eaten in my lifetime. America is fat?! No way! I've actually lost most of my taste for processed, preserved foods.

I made a GF rice mix yesterday that contained MSG precursors in the ingredients- disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate. I didn't see that when I bought it, it said GF so I grabbed. Anyway, the rice could have tasted decent, but it tasted so much like flavor enhancer that it was hard to tell what the original flavor was supposed to be. Ick.

It seems like the less I eat processed food, the more undesirable it gets. Funny how I used to crave things that repulse me now, even foods that would have been GF. Fast food of any sort makes me feel like I have metabolic syndrome just by looking at it. No thanks.

It's like I've finally realized that real food has nutrients. It tastes good in its own element, without having to doctor it up and save it for later with soy lecithin, methylparaben, or PGPR.

This also means I need to relearn how to cook. Yikes.

That said, I have to admit that I did have to stop by the store on my way home yesterday to buy a chocolate bar. Overly sweet, overly creamy milk chocolate. And I've eaten a lot of it. Not the most appropriate timing for such a post...

I need to go brush my teeth now.

My rocky relationship (with Walmart)

2008-08-29T21:36:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been dealing with a serious love/hate relationship with Walmart for awhile now.

The first time I brought home some random Walmart brand item and it said to me those two beautiful words...

Gluten Free...

in big, bold white letters on the label, it was love at first sight. I vowed to shop there forever, even though I object to Walmart taking over the world (or at least the retail world).

But then I tried doing my grocery shopping Walmart for real. After all, it is the only place on my way home from work. And it is supposedly "Super". It had the potential to be my saving grace as I'm rushing home from another 10-11 hour day.

Sure, they do a great job of labeling their generic Walmart brand items. Being the cheapskate that I am, I love being able to buy the off-brand with the confidence that my swiss cheese does not contain gluten. Or my frozen fruit. Or my peanut butter. Or especially my pizza sauce.

BUT (you knew this was coming eventually, right?)
There is no GF bread to toast with the cheese. No Enjoy Life bagels to slather the peanut butter on. (And yes, I like to dangle my participles). No pizza crust to slather with the GF sauce. I've pretty much gotten used to an existence without GF replacement products. I never have been much of a sandwich eater. There are certain products, however, that are worth the extra time, money, and effort to add to my GF repertoire. More on that some other time.

It would just be nice if I could get them at the same store as everything else. The other chain grocery stores in my area at least have a meager GF section. Way to go, Meijer and Kroger. Some Nut Thins, Mrs. Leeper's (a new and exciting discovery), a thin assortment of pastas, selected Enjoy Life products, they are at least trying. Some even carry the kinnikinnick pizza crusts for the low price of an arm and a leg.

Grocery shopping falls pretty far down the list after a long day at work. I'm sure you can relate. We get by for as looooooong as possible before going to the store. I get tired of making individual lists for individual stores and individual trips.

Meal planning is complicated enough, shopping has been improving over the last year. Walmart needs to put that second foot firmly on the bandwagon and start carrying some allergy-friendly products.

Maybe then, Walmart will actually take over the world.

My, how things change.

2008-08-23T19:46:00.000-04:00

I've only been diagnosed for a little over a year. What a year it has been! So much research, trial and error, and watching things change for the gluten-free community- usually in a good way.

The percentage of people with dumbfounded looks on their faces when I say that I can't eat gluten has decreased. Availability of gluten-free replacement products (more on that some other time) has definitely improved. Labeling has finally started becoming decipherable for the most part. Things are getting better, my friend.

I read a journal article the other day on anxiety and depression in the Celiac patient. The article found that the anxiety symptoms typically resolve with a GF diet, but that some of the depression usually lingers. No kidding. Almost anyone would be depressed from time to time when you have to constantly evaluate, re-evaluate, and pray about every bite that enters your mouth. Granted, things look up when you start to feel better, but it still has its moments of regret, envy, and just plain annoyance.

I'm finding less and less reasons to be annoyed as I investigate my GF options for products, restaurants, bakeries.... One of which, revealing my general location in the world, I visited for the first time today. Even though it is nowhere near being close enough to me to be convenient, I had been planning my trip for awhile now. It seems too good to be true, and then there it is: Gluten-Free Heave n. Well, that's not really the name, but it could be. Seriously, you have to check it out if you ever get the chance. Anybody else have something similar in their area??

I had choices of what I wanted to indulge in. Brownie? Cookie? Bread? (Of course, I went for all three...) I ate something that someone else made. It was absolutely delicious. There was no evaluation, no envy of anyone else but myself, and annoyance wasn't even on the radar screen.

It was a beautiful day. Funny how food can do that!

Distillation is not my friend.

2008-08-14T20:28:00.001-04:00

I mentioned before that I can be wrong. And boy, have I been.

One glaring example- distilled vinegar and alcohol.

Being the internet-savvy Celiac that I am, that most of us have to be in this day and age, I find a lot of information. I'm sure you do too. Isn't it nice that all sources are always in perfect agreement as to what is safe for you to eat and what isn't?

On a side note- are you really going to trust what sexychick69 tells you on that obscure message board?!

Don't trust everything you read. Even from a reputable source. Many places say that gluten reactions from distilled vinegar or distilled alcohol (ex. vanilla extract, some liquors) can't be possible because the gluten molecule is too large to make it through the distillation process. Makes sense, right?

I preached that one myself for awhile. All the while, still being sick and being consistently poisoned. I finally made a connection when I would notice a gluten reaction every Saturday for a few weeks. I cut out the Friday night cocktail- no reaction. Hmmm... what was that about distilled vodka being perfectly safe for all Celiacs?

I also made my own version of Easy Mac. Except without the mac, using instant rice. And with a lot less Easy, too. To spice it up, I added a splash of my favorite taco sauce with unidentified distilled vinegar in it. As much as I loved my cheesy, spicy Easy Rice for lunch, I always knew there was something wrong with it. Should've listened to my guts' loud protests...

Take home message: try things for yourself. Don't think that something can't make you sick just because someone else says it's impossible. Logically, yes- gluten shouldn't be able to get into distilled products. I took enough chemistry to know that.

But I've noticed fewer reactions when I'm careful to avoid vinegar and alcohol products of questionable origin. I think it's been a significant key to my slow but steady recovery.

Now if only I hadn't put that hot sauce on my dinner...

I'll name names later. (Frank, you've got it coming, buddy!)

Welcome All Celiacs!

2008-08-14T20:06:00.001-04:00

I hope you feel welcome at my new blog, Sarcastic Celiac. If you're visiting here, you probably know as well as I do that the gluten-free "lifestyle" (to be politically correct) isn't always a bed of roses. Definitely more to it than meets the eye.

That's where this blog comes in. Real experiences from a real person who is really trying to be real. A place for tips and tricks, myth debunk-ification (yes, that's now a word), and maybe some humor?!

Note: sometimes it's hard to find humor in gluten. (Yesterday, I didn't find it so humorous on my way to the Ladies' Room). BUT I'll try to keep things on the lighter side.

A little about me: you already know that I'm female. Unless you think that I like to spy in the Ladies' Room like Dwight Schrute... Moving on...

I've been diagnosed by tTG antibody and EGD with biopsy for over a year now. Doesn't mean it's gotten easier per se, but I've sure learned a lot along the way.

I have degrees in pharmacy and chemistry. Therefore, I sometimes know what I'm talking about when it comes to medical jargon, research, etc. from my own experiences and in trying to educate others (doing presentations and writing articles related to Celiac and other intolerances). However, I might be wrong sometimes- more on this later.

Comments are welcome, but screened. No overtly mean people. Granted, the internet is hardly the place for my sarcasm... I anticipate a few misunderstandings... so get out that uncontaminated salt shaker of yours- you might need a few grains along the way.