Earth To Eats

My First Week Gluten Free

28th July, 2009 - Posted by Scott - 1 Comment

My first week eating gluten free saw a lot of potatoes enter in as the staple of my diet in place of breads and pastas. Mostly my spuds were baked but also mashed, they were covered with cheese, sour cream, butter, and/or dried-beef gravy thickened with masa harina.

Emotionally I am adjusting well. I tried adapting my own gluten free sugar cookie recipe, with masa harina corn flour and corn meal in place of all-purpose flour. They were not what I was hoping for as they tasted like sweetened corn bread and a texture like sand. I will return to my kitchen with a renewed understanding that baked goods are possible, without having to used additives like xanthan or guar gum, as my interest is in making whole foods from simple ingredients.

With some searching gluten free products are easier to find now that I know where to look. Understanding a food label is less mystifying. I start at the bottom of the ingredient list to see if it mentions wheat. If so, it goes right back onto the shelf and I move on to the next product. If not, then the rest of the label gets read for derivatives: food starch, yeast extract, malt vinegar.

Two different things I turn to in a grocery store that eases my quest for safe products are the international section, and to generic brands. Asian and indian cuisine have been favorable when finding good wholesome food without too much junk and many are gluten free, though some are manufactured in plants that process wheat and other allergens, so it is best to still read the label.

The other items I look for are store/house/generic brands. My experience so far is that they have less additives, ingredients with long obfuscating names, and are well labelled.

The important lesson is that even with letters from manufacturers about gluten free products, it is still necessary to read labels because of how formulas can change. The same goes from the information you find on websites, even this one. Though all of us living with Celiac Disease and Gluten Allergies/Intolerances are doing our best to avoid these products and become knowledgable about what is and isn’t safe, manufacturing in our indutrial food system moves rapidly and may not always be up to date. That each of us have different tolerances to gluten and derivative proteins, what may be OK for me could cause a problem for you.

Today I was Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

21st July, 2009 - Posted by Scott - 1 Comment

Today my life was changed in a rather dramatic way.  I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, an immune disorder that causes damage to the small intestine and can lead to digestion issues.

For many years my digestive tract has never been what I would call “normal”, but it was what I was used to.  As my condition worsened in 2004, I made an appointment to talked with my Physician.  At at the time he diagnosed me with IBS and recommended I supplement each meal with fiber, watch for foods that triggered a problem, and cut them out.  I began keeping a food journal and moved to a healthier diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods.

Following his advice nothing seemed to work. Whenever I would have a problem I would look back through the journal, see something out of place, perhaps an order of wings here, or a large order of fries there, cut it out, and still experience problems days later, when I was eating just things that seemed safe.  After a few months of this I talked to my doctor again and  he said “keep trying”.  After more months of trying and no further encouragement, I went back to my old habits, deciding that dealing with the symptoms was something I could handle better than the constant dietary flux.

Fast forward a few years and I am married, have two children, and the symptoms continue to slowly get worse.  Instead of the occasional bout of body disharmony, it became a nearly daily struggle. Trying to balance it with a family was becoming more and more difficult.  As my problem was largely related to sudden onset diarrhea, I  reached the point where I was mapping bathrooms.  Day or night, anywhere within a 30 mile radius of my home I knew where every bathroom was located, which gas stations needed a key, and the hours they were open.

So I made an appointment with my current doctor and we discussed the problem.  She referred me to a Gastroenterologist , Dr Ahmad, who gave me a long list of possible conditions. We also scheduled a colonoscopy, and took some blood for testing.  After the colonoscopy we scheduled a follow up Upper-Endoscopy.

During the Upper Endoscopy biopsies were taken of my small intestine which on testing showed an issue with wheat, as did my blood tests.  These results, combined with my symptoms, lead to my diagnosis of Celiac Disease.  After nearly a decade of issues, I finally had a name to put to my problem.

Now I get to learn what being Gluten Free means.  And there is a lot of information to go with it.

Any questions or thoughts?  Leave a comment.