This week was a disappointing one as a Celiac. I have gotten comfortable with the grocery store and wasn’t diligent about checking labels.  As a result I spent $10 on food that I can’t eat.  In this case, it was a package of frozen shrimp scampi that was not clear on the type of food starch or yeast extract and corn meal processed on the same equipment as wheat.  The scampi was thrown out, but thankfully I can donate the corn meal to my local food bank.

Let my mistake help you on your path to stay gluten free.  Take the few minutes to read your labels.  Be safe and eat well.

One of our favorite summer treats is Rita’s Water Ice, and I am a huge fan of the Gelati made with vanilla custard and a fruit flavored ice.  You can imagine how pleased I was to find that many of their products are gluten free.  A little bit of common sense will steer you in the right direction, i.e. no Birthday Cake or Fudge Brownie, but they do have a copy of the allergen information in the store.

Here is a link to the latest chart.  It is very thorough and covers wheat, soy, milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish and shellfish.  No, they do not currently offer any fish flavored products, they just detail the allergen information very well.

http://www.ritasice.com/uploads/documents/Allergen_Chart03.13.09.pdf

If you’ve checked a food label lately, you have seen High Fructose Corn Syrup in more products than  you might imagine.  That lead me to find this information uncomfortable.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html

http://www.grist.org/article/Some-heavy-metal-with-that-sweet-roll-/

I was going to post an article about some gluten free corn dogs we had picked up a few weeks ago, but in pulling up the name in a web search, found out they were by no means gluten free.  That lead me to this article by the Chicago Tribune about Allergen threats in foods.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-allergens-storygallery,0,5158411.storygallery

What is the most disturbing part about all of this is how many food recalls occur because of hidden allergens and are not reported to the public.  Even reading labels isn’t enough to be safe.  For those of you with severe allergies, please take care of yourself and be careful with what you eat.

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.