Firestone restaurant in Woodstock GA offering gourmet pizza! photo by Jeff Martin In 2004, after years of unexplained illness, a doctor finally asked me the question that led to a diagnosis.
“in the last few years of illness, has there ever been a time when you felt well?” I thought about it and answered “when I was on the Atkins diet.”
He said, “I have an idea, let’s run one more test.” I had been tested for years for so many ailments, anomalies, and diseases, so I was hopeful but not really expecting an answer. The doctor seemed reassuring and then a week later, the nurse called and said “You have Celiac Disease.” I looked at my husband after I got off the phone and we both said to each other, “what is Celiac Disease?”
From knowing nothing about the disease in 2004 to happily living gluten free for eight years, I have created a gluten free lifestyle that works for me. I started with scouring the internet for an understanding of the disease and how to deal with it. Sights like Celiac.com helped and friends and family started buying gluten free cook books. It came down to some simple changes:
1. I made a list of all the things I could eat without worrying about it: unprocessed vegetables or fruit from the grocery or farmstand, organic chicken or beef, water, tea, basic black coffee, milk, hard cheese, eggs, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper, and rice or rice flour homemade items. The first week I lived on organic baked chicken and steamed broccoli and lost five pounds.
2. I made a list of the most likely gluten sources (from the obvious like pizza, bread, pasta, most fast foodand gravy) and catch words to look for in ingredients lists like wheat gluten, barley, and rye, and avoided boxed items and anything with chemicals for the most part. Corn is not a gluten but some cornmeal contains glutens by including wheat flour. Same for chicken stock and boullion cubes, so I read the labels on everything.
3. I became familiar with and began to avoid other odd things that might contain gluten like licorice, beer, gum, mixed drinks, meat rubs, spices, imitation crab, soy sauce, canned whip cream, some of the mixes for specialty coffees and most fast foods which may contain fillers or are cross contaminated by the oil used for both gf and non gf.
4. My family learned about cross contamination of gluten free items through reactions to food that had been deep fried in oil that had been used for gluten containing items. At home it was through the toaster or peanutbutter jar after someone else had made a sandwich so we started writing gluten free on the untampered with or putting the no symbol on contaminated items.
5. When I finally decided to try to eat out, I found it was best to frequent a few known places at first. Most restaurants were not familiar with gluten free diets. Basically I avoid fried food, breaded or rubbed food, pasta, bread, sauces, and places that serve prepackaged items. In the states, I eat a salad at places like O Charlies and Longhorns without croutons and a plain steak or salmon explaining to cook my food separate without added stuff other than olive oil and salt and pepper. At Japanese I get the Rainbow Roll with King crab or chef choice fish to sub for the imitation crab. At Jimmy Johns I get the tuna unwich with regular chips and have tried others, all gluten free as an unwich. For Mexican I get a chicken enchilada without red sauce on a corn tortilla and get some pico di gallo for flavor. I can have most vanilla icecream in better restaurants or creme brulee for dessert. Many restaurants have gluten free menus available for the asking and I can eat out without fearing getting sick. I type in "gluten free" and my favorite fast food places in a pinch to see what is recomended by other gluten free folks or the restaurants. I started eating the "egg mcmuffin no muffin" and black coffee from McDonalds this way. My favorite gluten free offerings are from Firestone in Woodstock, GA, the best gluten free pizza I have had!
6. I have a list of favorite items I keep in my fridge and pantry such as Philadelphia cream cheese, Daisy sour cream, almond milk, eggs, organic spinach, various cut up fruits and veggies, Paul Newmans Sweet Vidalia Onion dressing, Smuckers strawberry jam, 100% orange juice, brown rice, walnuts, gluten free pasta and a jar of Newmans spaghetti sauce, Sargento's cheeses, hummus, gluten free crackers, hormel pepperoni, Tamari to sub for soy sauce, Pamela's gluten free flours, and organic chicken.
7. Finally, I don't lick stamps or envelopes, collect gluten free recipes, and take my gluten free offerings to parties, so I will always have something I can eat which can help the host feel more comfortable too.
Livin' gluten free and fabulous,
Kim
about the author
to share this post with photo, click on title and choose facebook or other icon
“in the last few years of illness, has there ever been a time when you felt well?” I thought about it and answered “when I was on the Atkins diet.”
He said, “I have an idea, let’s run one more test.” I had been tested for years for so many ailments, anomalies, and diseases, so I was hopeful but not really expecting an answer. The doctor seemed reassuring and then a week later, the nurse called and said “You have Celiac Disease.” I looked at my husband after I got off the phone and we both said to each other, “what is Celiac Disease?”
From knowing nothing about the disease in 2004 to happily living gluten free for eight years, I have created a gluten free lifestyle that works for me. I started with scouring the internet for an understanding of the disease and how to deal with it. Sights like Celiac.com helped and friends and family started buying gluten free cook books. It came down to some simple changes:
1. I made a list of all the things I could eat without worrying about it: unprocessed vegetables or fruit from the grocery or farmstand, organic chicken or beef, water, tea, basic black coffee, milk, hard cheese, eggs, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper, and rice or rice flour homemade items. The first week I lived on organic baked chicken and steamed broccoli and lost five pounds.
2. I made a list of the most likely gluten sources (from the obvious like pizza, bread, pasta, most fast foodand gravy) and catch words to look for in ingredients lists like wheat gluten, barley, and rye, and avoided boxed items and anything with chemicals for the most part. Corn is not a gluten but some cornmeal contains glutens by including wheat flour. Same for chicken stock and boullion cubes, so I read the labels on everything.
3. I became familiar with and began to avoid other odd things that might contain gluten like licorice, beer, gum, mixed drinks, meat rubs, spices, imitation crab, soy sauce, canned whip cream, some of the mixes for specialty coffees and most fast foods which may contain fillers or are cross contaminated by the oil used for both gf and non gf.
4. My family learned about cross contamination of gluten free items through reactions to food that had been deep fried in oil that had been used for gluten containing items. At home it was through the toaster or peanutbutter jar after someone else had made a sandwich so we started writing gluten free on the untampered with or putting the no symbol on contaminated items.
5. When I finally decided to try to eat out, I found it was best to frequent a few known places at first. Most restaurants were not familiar with gluten free diets. Basically I avoid fried food, breaded or rubbed food, pasta, bread, sauces, and places that serve prepackaged items. In the states, I eat a salad at places like O Charlies and Longhorns without croutons and a plain steak or salmon explaining to cook my food separate without added stuff other than olive oil and salt and pepper. At Japanese I get the Rainbow Roll with King crab or chef choice fish to sub for the imitation crab. At Jimmy Johns I get the tuna unwich with regular chips and have tried others, all gluten free as an unwich. For Mexican I get a chicken enchilada without red sauce on a corn tortilla and get some pico di gallo for flavor. I can have most vanilla icecream in better restaurants or creme brulee for dessert. Many restaurants have gluten free menus available for the asking and I can eat out without fearing getting sick. I type in "gluten free" and my favorite fast food places in a pinch to see what is recomended by other gluten free folks or the restaurants. I started eating the "egg mcmuffin no muffin" and black coffee from McDonalds this way. My favorite gluten free offerings are from Firestone in Woodstock, GA, the best gluten free pizza I have had!
6. I have a list of favorite items I keep in my fridge and pantry such as Philadelphia cream cheese, Daisy sour cream, almond milk, eggs, organic spinach, various cut up fruits and veggies, Paul Newmans Sweet Vidalia Onion dressing, Smuckers strawberry jam, 100% orange juice, brown rice, walnuts, gluten free pasta and a jar of Newmans spaghetti sauce, Sargento's cheeses, hummus, gluten free crackers, hormel pepperoni, Tamari to sub for soy sauce, Pamela's gluten free flours, and organic chicken.
7. Finally, I don't lick stamps or envelopes, collect gluten free recipes, and take my gluten free offerings to parties, so I will always have something I can eat which can help the host feel more comfortable too.
Livin' gluten free and fabulous,
Kim
about the author
to share this post with photo, click on title and choose facebook or other icon
