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.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Back to where I started.
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.
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.
Friday, October 2, 2009
I'm on a roll. No, not a dinner roll.
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.
...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.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Warning! Jennie-O Turkey Sausage
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!
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!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Day 1
Here's the food breakdown for today. (and yes, I do snack all day)
B- smoothie with:
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...)-
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!
B- smoothie with:
- frozen bananas, strawberries, and blackberries
- Stonyfield blueberry yogurt
- some natural PB
- a splash of Simply Orange with mango.
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.
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...
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.
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.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Still Failing
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 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.
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