Living Gluten-Free Due to Celiac Disease or For Your General Health is Not the End of the World

My husband had been suffering from stomach and intestinal ailments since he was a child. He also experienced on-going rashes on his arms. He was given creams and ointments to treat the rashes for several years to no avail. It wasn't until a few years ago that he had a severe stomach ailment that lasted over a week which forced him to visit a walk in clinic. They told him to take some Pepto Bismol, sent him home with the instructions that if it lasted up to the 10th day to return.
What a joke. Finally, he saw another doctor who took the time to read his medical chart and history before his visit. Without yet physically examining him, he told my husband he was allergic to gluten. My husband was 30 years old at the time and didn't believe him because he had seen many doctors throughout the years that never mentioned anything of the like. The doctor insisted on proving it to him and sent him for a blood test. The results were off the charts.
After the diagnosis, I panicked. To be honest, I didn't even know what gluten was. I asked my husband what foods contain gluten. Being sarcastic he replied, "Um, seemingly EVERYTHING!" I thought, "Oh, great. I just really learned how to cook and now I have to learn all over again."
Bye-bye bread, pasta, ice cream, pancakes, and even domestic beer!
Well, I panicked for nothing. I took the time to learn about gluten, foods, ingredients, etc. and within a few weeks, I had it down pat. Don't get me wrong, I still have to read labels and sometimes research an ingredient I don't recognize. It doesn't take much time and it is worth it for my husbands' health. Luckily, he is Asymptomatic, so if by chance he does ingest a small trace of gluten, the most that happens is stomach upset or a slight rash, if that. For others, it may be more severe.

Celiac Disease (CD) is a digestive disorder that does not allow the body to absorb the protein (Gluten) from foods. It is being diagnosed more often than in past years because food allergies are becoming more recognized by doctors and their patients. It is also being publicized more frequently and awareness of food allergies has been studied more intensely. Celiac Disease and other food allergies have been overlooked quite often until now. It was not uncommon to receive an improper diagnosis of psoriasis or excema for a relentless skin rash. Stomach upsets could be written off to the flu, food poisoning, lactose intolerance, etc. because Celiac Disease can cause those same types of symptoms. CD is a lifelong disorder found in people (who often inherit it) and are genetically susceptible. When someone with undiagnosed CD continues to consume gluten in their diet, over time, the toxins cause damage to the lining of the small intestine which can cause cancer. This damage can obviously not be seen but it also causes the rash to surface on the skin. The skin rashes people get on the outside is what is also happening on the inside. Damage can also be caused to the small bowel even if the person does not experience any related symptoms. People who have CD also report symptoms of diarrhea, stomach pain and bloating, skin rashes usually along the arms, excessive gas, fatigue and weight loss. The sooner the diagnosis, the faster you can heal your body inside
and out.

Live Free! Live Gluten-Free & Feel Better!

It is not recommended to start a gluten free diet until you are properly diagnosed with an allergy, CD or DH. It can alter your test results if gluten has been eliminated from your diet and make it harder to receive an accurate reading. A diagnosis may also be made by your doctor advising you to rid gluten from your diet and then after a period of time, reintroduce gluten. Don't start a GF diet without a doctors supervision.

Living Gluten-Free For Dummies
(For Dummies
(Health & Fitness))

Since CD and other food allergies are becoming more well-known, more and more companies in the food industry are adjusting to accommodate their patrons and consumers. Restaurants are starting to get on the bandwagon by creating Gluten-Free menus. A few I like are Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's and Bonefish Grill. More products on the grocery store shelves are volunteering to label items "Gluten-Free" to make it easier on the consumer. Specialty stores and many health food stores now provide certain sections for food allergy safe products. This makes it much easier and faster for customers to shop.

Foods must contain ingredients and nutritional values by law, however, they are not required to label Gluten free, Dairy free, Wheat free, etc. It is, in my opinion, better for the company to increase their sales by adding alert labels. It can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating having to read each ingredient found in a product label; especially when one is new to the special diet. Keep in mind that if a product states, "Wheat free" it doesn't mean gluten free. Check the label. Hopefully, with growing publicity and awareness of food allergies, more companies and restaurants will adhere to the needs of consumers. Maybe it will eventually become a law. Wouldn't that be great?

You need to be on alert for such ingredients as hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), textures vegetable protein (TVP) and gluten stabilizers. There are other small print ingredients to avoid which may be marked as additives. Examples include hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), malts, preservatives, starches (including modified starch or modified food starch), vegetable gum cereal grains, colorings, emulsifiers, excipients, flavorings and vinegar unless it is clearly labeled distilled. When filling any prescription, you need to ask your pharmacist if the medication is gluten free. There are certain capsules and other things in medications that may contain gluten even if the medication itself does not. This is the same for OTC vitamins and supplements.
Check all soaps, detergents (including laundry and body soaps), shampoos, topical creams and lotions.
Again, when in doubt, go without!

I work from home (for now) and have a home, husband, dog and baby to care for. I don't have too much time to cook but I have found many simple GF recipes that are tasty and don't take too much prep time. Some recipes I use are regular ones in which I have substituted with GF ingredients. I have even fed them to friends who never even knew the food was GF. These tips can also save you money!
Most often, I prefer to convert regular flour with millet flour but there are many others to choose from. Try flax, pea, potato, rice, sago or sorghum. You can also substitute bread crumbs with any made from starches such as corn, potato, tapioca or arrowroot. There are special pre-made GF bread crumb products available, too. Beware of cooking sprays that contain grain alcohol and canola oil and vegetable oils that don't fully list all ingredients and sources. Most cooking oils such as olive, peanut, safflower, sunflower, vegetable and hydrogenated ones are safe. Read all soy sauce labels. LaChoy is GF.

Chicken with Garlic and Vegetables
Prep: 10 min, Cook: 15 min.

2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. unsalted butter
1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 medium leek, washed, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup recipe-ready crushed tomatoes

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté chicken breasts 4-5 minutes per side, turning occasionally, until chicken is opaque throughout. Transfer to a platter and keep warm. Add carrots to skillet and sauté over medium heat 1 minute. Add leek, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté another minute. Stir in tomatoes and any juices from platter. Simmer 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve vegetables over chicken.


Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Chops One of my favs!
Prep & Cook Time: about 30 minutes total

3 cloves fresh or canned garlic
2 TBS light brown sugar
2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
2 TBS butter, divided
¼ cup red cooking wine

Crush garlic with a garlic press (or use canned garlic.) Stir in brown sugar and steak seasoning and blend.
Preheat large saute pan on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Place pork slices in bowl and press into mixture. Do this for both sides.
Place 1 tablespoon butter into pan, add pork and cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until well-browned. (Internal temperature should reach 160 degrees)
Remove pork from pan. Stir in wine and 1 tablespoon butter; simmer for 1 minute stirring continually.
Serve wine sauce draped over pork. YUMM-AYY!