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Permalink Reply by Georgie on October 15, 2009 at 11:46pm

Hey Suzanne... I've been gluten-free since March. And I was just thinking the other day that this will be my first Thanksgiving and Xmas without wheat. I know I'm in the minority here....but I like fruitcake. I'm going to give it a go and make my first fruitcake ever.....gluten-free! :)

*sigh* I know how you feel about changing your diet. At first you feel like it's a challenge you can take on....and then it's frustrating....and then you just cave in and do it. I joined a support group in my area and that helped. I've also done lots of reading....whatever the library has, I've read it. Here is one well-done blog that I check from time to time: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/ Shauna has also written a book and I highly recommend it. I also really liked Elizabeth Hasselbeck's book. It really helped me fine tune my journey....from changing my hair products, make-up, body lotion....etc. She had good word lists that demonstrated how wheat is hidden in things we use every day. Her webpage is: http://www.gfreediet.com/

I've been happy with the decision to go GF. Honestly, restaurants are very catering to people who need to eat GF. My local supermarket has just gone nuts and now really incorporates products for people with food allergies. There are lots of cracker and cookie substitutes out there and you just have to taste them until you find what you like. I don't mind eating my hamburgers wrapped in lettuce anymore. I can eat my hot-dog just fine without a bun. GF is a good way to get creative. I like to take corn tortilla wraps and toast them in the toaster oven until crispy and then spread hummus on top. I'm glad that I can eat Mexican still.....and sushi kind of....only with wheat-free soy sauce. That being said, it's Chinese food that I miss the most. My husband is Chinese and we like to go out to eat with his parents...and honestly there is very little I can have on the menu. It's the soy sauce. There are Chinese restaurants out there that can cook GF, like PF Changs.....but my inlaws don't eat there!! I guess I'll have to treat myself sometime.

Overall, I have felt so much better. I didn't really have very obvious symptoms before this all began. In a nutshell it was that I have Hashimoto's (low/erratic thyroid), the AA, anemia and a dairy allergy. It was all of these things, particularly the anemia and dairy allergy that led us to the conclusion that gluten was a problem for me.

So now I feel soooooo much better. Fatigue gone; hair growing in and staying on head; protruding stomach has disappeared; acne cleared up; and I lost 10 lbs. :)

It seems that there are now quite a few of us here at AW that are Celiac. Perhaps we need to form a group?

Let me know if I can answer any questions. Hang in there. There have only been success stories from people who have gone GF. You are on your way!

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Currier on October 16, 2009 at 12:13am

Hi Georgie,

What blasphemy,,,,a hamburger wrapped in lettuce? *gasp* :) Luckily, I have a PF Changs close by. Which grocery chain do you go to? I haven't even started the switchover yet. I'm just trying to educate myself.

Did you ever get any type of hives? How did the doctors confirm that it was Celiac?

I've got a lot of auto-immune diseases in my family, on my Moms side: Lupus, Crohns, Thyroid problems and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I've had all the tests and the chromosonal tests point towards Lupus, but, thats not enough to positively diagnose the disease. I have been poked, prodded and tested for allergies and I'm allergic to the majority of the molds tested, so I've cut back on most cheeses and mushrooms to see if I can find any that I can eat. Now, the doctors are saying Celiac, but, they still think its Lupus also. So, its a worldwind. But, it will work out.

I just have one question, is there any GF bread that tastes good?

I will check out the blog and web page and I think a group would be a good idea, if there are enough people.

Thanks for the message, I appreciate it. Feeling a little less "lost in space"

Thanks
Suzanne

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Permalink Reply by Georgie on October 16, 2009 at 1:18pm

Oh, I know, about the hamburger!! Red Robin does a good job of a hamburger wrapped in lettuce and they make their fries GF as well as long as you let them know. A hamburger in lettuce can be a little messy...but definitely tasty.

I never got hives. For me it was all about the autoimmune cluster theory. If you have 1 or 2, you probably have another. Thyroid, AA...and then when I had blood-work and an allergy test done it revealed the anemia, dairy allergy and a high antibody count from my thyroid. I felt awful, barely able to function...I looked terrible, even though I slept enough at night....I mean, it wasn't like I had to get up with a newborn anymore!! And that being said, I have 2 daughters 4 and 7 and my husband travels for work a lot.....so it was not an option for me to ever take naps during the day or stop doing what had to be done, even when I was exhausted.

As for GF bread.....well, they aren't the same...unless you find a bakery near you and get it fresh and it eat it fast! I haven't gone the breadmaker route yet, but someone else I know has. She told me that the bread is best eaten within 3 days because otherwise, it crumbles and falls apart. From time to time I get the brown rice bread at Trader Joe's.....and toasted I find it acceptable. Other brands I've tried in the freezer section all smell weird to me. I don't like them. The Trader Joe's bread spoils very easily. Keep it in the fridge. I've tried bakery GF bread here in Portland and it's nice....but it's across town.

If you like brownies, Trader Joe's brownie mix is awesome. I swear. It's good stuff. I use a pancake mix from www.pamelasproducts.com and I like it a lot. Betty Crocker has a GF chocolate chip cookie mix and it's good. Chex cereal is lovely. Pretty much anything Glutino I also am happy with: http://www.glutino.com/ They have good crackers and oreo type cookies.

My local supermarket is http://www.lambsmarkets.net/Freefrom/default.aspx here in Oregon. They've done a really good job at stocking their store with products I can eat and that taste good. Although, that being said, the best rule of thumb when shopping in any supermarket is to stay on the outer perimeter. Produce, meat, fish, nuts, eggs.... You'll always find something to eat.

I'm glad you feel a little less lost. I'm just happy that GF is becoming more mainstream and better understood. I can't imagine what people used to have to do and how they suffered before a diagnosis was made. GF is all about substituting, not giving up. :)

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Permalink Reply by Suzanne Currier on October 16, 2009 at 8:29pm

Hi,

I just bought some rice loaf, its ahhh ok. I did toast it and put some butter and jam on it, that was a lot better. Its not your neighborhood bakery bread, but, its ok. I will just have to do things a bit differently. I bought some gf bread mix, I will try that after this loaf is gone.

Thanks for your input, its going to be a interesting road.

:)

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Permalink Reply by Georgie on October 27, 2009 at 12:16am

Hey Suzanne,

How's it going so far? I hope everything is ok...

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