What's the harm in gluten?

This post was inspired by a comment that a classmate made on my blog. I know it was just an assignment but it made me realize that not everyone knows about celiac disease. Prepare to be informed.

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is marked by an intolerance to gluten. Gluten includes wheat, rye, barley and triticale. When those with the disease ingest gluten, a toxic reaction damages their small intestine and nutrients cannot be absorbed by the body. Damage to the small intestine can be deadly and there is no known cure. Celiac disease is inherited and life-long. A surprising one out of 133 people in the United States have celiac disease.

The Symptoms

Those who suffer from this unfortunate disease can experience quite a range of symptoms. The most common symptoms are migranes, intestinal pain and discomfort, "leaky gut," nausea and vomiting, weakness, and weight loss. For a full list, visit the Celiac Disease Foundation website. It is also possible to not feel any symptoms and not be aware of the disease until a flare-up.

Diagnosis

If someone is experiencing these symptoms, they may have several tests done to diagnose Celiac Disease. Doctors will test blood for antibodies that indicate celiac disease. In order to take an accurate test, a patient must have been eating gluten-free for the past 4 weeks. The only way to lessen the pain of celiac disease is to eliminate all forms of gluten, for life.

If you or a loved one are suffering from these symptoms, please get tested NOW.

For more information, visit www.celiac.org

"The Foodie Awards"

In spirit of the ending of award season 2011, I will award my favorite gluten-free & dairy-free brands among several categories. Since my diagnosis six years ago, I have become quite the critic among emerging brands in the gluten-free market. The categories include: Best bread, Best pasta, Best Cookie, Best Cracker and Best Bagel.

BEST BREAD: Udi's

Available in White, Multigrain and Cinnamon Raisin

Udi's gluten-free products are new front-runners for taste, quality and bargain for gluten-free bread. Yes, a loaf of bread is around 6 or 7 dollars but it's worth every penny to finally have a delicious sandwich that doesn't taste like cardboard.

BEST PASTA: Schar Tagliatelle

Available in Spaghetti, Fusilli, Penne, Multigrain Penne and Anellini

This pasta is a staple in my diet. I keep atleast two boxes in my kitchen for a quick and delicious meal. Tagliatelle is my favorite noodle shape but all of them are tasty. It takes about 6-9 minutes to cook and tastes great without needing to be masked by sauce.

BEST COOKIE: Kinnikinnick Montana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Runner Up: Kinnikinnick KinniToos Sandwich Creme Cookies

These are my absolute favorite gluten-free cookies. In fact, I love all of Kinnikinnick's cookies. Kinnitoos are my second favorite because they taste almost the same as regular gluten-filled Oreos and come in both vanilla and chocolate. Check out their whole cookie section online because they are hard to find in stores. Worth the shipping cost!

BEST CRACKER: Blue Diamond Pecan Nut Thins

Available in Almond, Hazelnut, BBQ, Sea Salt, Smokehouse, Cheddar Cheese and Country Ranch

Not only are there many varieties of these crackers but all of the ones I've tasted (or am allowed to taste because of my milk allergy) are filled with flavor. They can be eaten plain or with hummus (my favorite), salsa or guacamole, you name it! Most food stores carry these crackers but the Blue Diamond website has a locator to find the closest retailer.

BEST BAGEL: Udi's

Available in Plain, Whole Grain and Cinnamon Raisin

Once again, Udi's wins hands-down. Before these came on the gluten-free market, I hadn't found any edible bagels. They stay soft and don't need to be toasted (shocker)! I use my dairy-free cream cheese or peanut butter on top and it makes an easy breakfast.

You've probably noticed that I didn't award a Best Pizza. This is because I have yet to find a good pre-packaged pizza that is both gluten and dairy free. Most people swear by Amy's frozen pizzas, but they don't sit right with me. I'll make another post once I discover a brand I am partial to.

Happy pain-free eating!

No More Stadium Starvation

A friend of mine sent me this photo, taken at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, home of the 76ers. It's amazing how much has changed in the last few years. When I was first diagnosed, there was no bread I could eat that didn't taste like cardboard and rip up my mouth, let alone public places that were aware of the gluten-free lifestyle. If I knew I was going to a sporting event I prepared for hours without substance and ended up buying overpriced soda to curb my hunger.

The Nationals stadium in D.C. where I'm from has a gluten-free concession stand. It carries Redbridge (gf beer) and $15 salads with nothing on them. It's a let-down. All we want are some boardwalk fries! It really pays to live where Celiac disease is common. The Coors stadium in Colorado has gluten-free sandwiches and hamburgers- unfair. Now I'm not even a sports fan, but there's nothing I enjoy more than eating some delicious allergen-free food. And now with Spring coming and baseball season starting, plan plan ahead.

Some tips for those who aren't lucky enough to live in an accommodating area:
Sneak In Food- Most places will let you pass with snacks if you tell them you have dietary restrictions, as long as you don't have bottled water
If you have to buy, go plain - Ask for a burger or chicken without the bun and make sure you tell them exactly what your restrictions are
Ask questions - This is something I'm not very good at because I'm shy, but if they don't understand what you're saying then forget it. The effects aren't worth it.

More posts to come :)

Pain-Free Road Trips

I just got back from a road trip from my condo in Florida to my house in Virginia. It took 2 days and many boring hours staring into space...we decided that driving is only worth it if we are going to be at the condo for more than 2 weeks. It's just too much of a pain. Hence my post title.

Here are some of my ideas to make road trips with allergies pain-FREE:
1. BRING A COOLER- you cannot make it on a long car trip without a cold cooler full of drinks incase you're thirsty and don't want to get raped at a truck stop. It is also very handy if you want to bring safe lunchmeats to avoid fatty highway eateries (There is a McDonald's at every single exit down 95).
2. BRING ROOM TEMPERATURE BREAD- Who wants to eat a bland burger that tastes like the floor without a bready cover up? Sometimes you have to eat just to eat, no matter how terrible it tastes. I brought my own Schar rolls...but ran out way too soon. I also suggest bringing some small packs of peanut butter, just incase you can't find anywhere safe to eat.
3. PACK SNACKS THAT CAN BE DEFROSTED AND STILL HAVE TASTE- I bought gf/df frozen chocolate chip muffins from Publix that were meant to defrost naturally. This came in handy in the car despite the chocolate chips melting all over the place.
4. IF YOU MUST EAT OUT, STOP AT A CHICK FIL-A, RUBY TUESDAY or OUTBACK- These were the best options for me during the trip. Chick Fil-A has gf fries (thank god!) and Ruby Tuesday, although the servers were a bit stupid and slow, was very careful with serving me. I ordered turkey sliders without the bun and mentioned I was allergic to wheat...his immediate response was "Oh but the buns are not wheat buns...they're white." I almost said HOW STUPID ARE YOU? but I politely said, no I can't have ANY type of bread. Outback has a gluten-free menu and was very helpful serving me sides without butter.
5. FREE BREAKFASTS AT HOTELS ARE A BIG NO-NO- We stayed at a Comfort Suites on the way down which pleased my dad because of the "great deal" since it included "a free continental breakfast." Ummm I don't know the definition of a continental breakfast exactly, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't include premade flattened egg circles, hard-boiled eggs that taste like rubber, and only low-fat milk with bready carbs only. Of course, we were in the south so I shouldn't have expected anything else.
6. IF YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SERVER IS SAYING (for example, has a thick Southern accent) DON'T TRUST THEM- Sure eggs don't have dairy in them....because butter isn't dairy according to half of the places that serve eggs. Excuse but what is butter then? Magic milky bars that come from buttercups? How about you GET AN EDUCATION. Oh and asking for soy milk in your chai at Starbucks in North Carolina apparently means I want non-fat. And what the hell does "turn leff" mean?

Okay enough ranting for the day...and off to my next trip to Pennsylvania and New Jersey! Expect more complaints to come....

Singer Island

It's mid-summer which means it's the best time of the year. Fruit! I can drink a smoothie without being chilled to the bone and shivering in a corner. And I mean a real smoothie with fresh fruit not frozen ice blocks with a hint of fruit plus a shit ton of milk. Now I haven't had milk for atleast 4 years, except by accident, but I know what a smoothie with milk tastes like...fake! I'm a bit prejudiced...but I wouldn't change my diet for anything. If I got tested and they said I could go back on wheat and dairy, I wouldn't. It's gotten to the point that thinking about eating a piece of real pizza could make me throw up by itself.

Now to explore where I am currently, which is Singer Island, Florida. It's basically West Palm Beach or Palm Beach Gardens, but my condo is on the island and we have to go over a bridge to get to mainland. We've eaten in restaurants for dinner every night and here is a rundown of the places we've been.

Habitat Cafe, Singer Island- Tiny little place next to Publix. Small menu with mostly sandwiches, bready items, breakfast. I abhore this place. Their salads taste bad, they served me buttery eggs and lied about it even though I could TASTE the dairy in it. This time I brought my own Schar bun (but forgot to toast it) and just ordered plain turkey sandwich without the bread. The turkey had some sort of spice on it that sucked and the bread fell apart all over the plate (my fault). Wait staff isn't too friendly and didn't even flinch when I told her about my allergies.

Fiorellas, Boynton Beach- This is an italian restaurant in Boynton Beach, near my grandparents house. It made me love Italian food again! I always hate going there because the restaurants are disgusting and cheap, but after finding this place I don't mind. They have delicious gluten free penne and spaghetti, though I recommend the penne. They even have lasagna but of course I can't have it. It's one of the biggest gf menus I've ever seen.

Pizza Fusion, Palm Beach Gardens- This place is AMAZING. Not only do they have gluten free pizza that tastes great, but they have vegan soy cheese and gf/df brownies! I got mine with mushrooms and peppers, my favorite. No matter how full I am I always get a brownie because they are the size of my face and taste like heaven. If you get one, make sure to ask them to heat it up for you. It tastes the best when the chocolate chips inside are melty.

Kona Grill, Cityplace in West Palm Beach- I love this place because it's Asian AND it has a gf menu. Unfortunately the selection isn't too huge and I always get sushi. The edamame is delicious and generously salted though! I was served a sauce with my sushi that the waitress claimed was gluten free, but it was in a Kikkoman bottle which kinda freaked me out. I wasn't about to take that risk. Sushi was tasty but I wish they used less tempura in their roll selection.

Spoto's Oakwood Grill, Palm Beach Gardens- I just ate there 2 hours ago and remembered it being better the last time, and it's overpriced. I ordered the Cedar Plank Salmon but they had to leave the sauce off and I got a sweet potato instead of the rice pilaf. It was very bland fish for a cedar plank. Not sure I'd go back.

Has anyone ever been to a Publix Greenwise? It's the Disney world of health food! I even thought it was better than Whole Foods. They had my favorite brand of bagels, Udi's. And basically anything I would normally eat at home and more. I found chocolate chip muffins that are delish.

Recipe of the Day:

GFDF Quick Smores
4 Kinnickinnick Smore crackers
1/2 cup of Peanut Butter & Company Dark Chocolate Dreams PB or PB of your choice
4 large Jetpuff marshmallows

Add a dollup of PB to each cracker
Top with 1 marshmallow per cracker (may break cracker in half)
Put in the microwave for 30 seconds MAX
Enjoy!
WARNING: Very messy...you will probably drool everywhere so a bib might help.


--This is my first post...we'll see how often I keep up with this.--