Celiac Disease, Gluten Free and Frustrated

When CVS called me saying if I went through their drugs by mail program for my prescription I repeatedly said I'm Celiac you cannot, cannot, cannot substitute this medication. (thyroid) I need the name brand. Other generic brands contain GLUTEN and will make me sick.

So yesterday in the mail I get the generic drug. WTF! Do they not speak English?

So I call saying I have to return this drug, I will get sick if I take it. I repeat that I stated this to your representative over and over again.They say they have no record of that.

My blood starts to heat as i realize I've been scammed by CVS.

Now, I have to pay for this, can't take it and have to go purchase the correct prescription. CVS says this is fair because they called my doctor and spoke to some Nurse Practioner, whom I've never even met before, and she approved it. I said did you not see the note that said I COULD NOT TAKE THIS BECAUSE I HAVE CELIAC DISEASE? They said it didn't matter. they faxed over a note and the doctor's office approved it. I said when I gave specific instructions that I could not take this drug why was I not called regarding this? They said they had no record of that.

Excuse me but  CVS SUCKS!  I'm now going to look up the CEO of CVS and send them a letter. I believe they have a handful of idiots working for them. Total disregard for patients safety. Disregarding the Americans with Disability laws.

Snacks for Celiacs

There are many options for Celiac snacks, but most newly diagnosed people don't see them. I'm not talking about the gluten free versions of cakes, cookies and other goodies.

Think healthy!

Yogurt
Veggies; carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, olives
Nuts
Cereal
Humus and GF crackers
Popcorn
Energy bars (Think Thin, lara bars, some Balance bars)
Fruit; apples, bananas, grapes, berries

My favorite snacks? Yogurt with a banana cut up and mixed in. GF pretzels with humus dip, and apples with peanut butter.

Think outside the box. Make a snack of a couple of rolled pieces of gluten free cold cuts and some carrot sticks dipped in salsa or humus. Tortilla chips, a sprinkle of shredded cheese and salsa (nuke 1 min). Left over veggies from last night's dinner? Sprinkle on a little salad dressing and enjoy. Grill a portabella mushroom - Yum!

Think of what comes from nature, not man. I have a saying; If man made it, don't eat it.
I call this the God diet. Only eat things that God put on the earth. No, that wasn't Twinkies.

Get creative, have fun and explore new foods. Never had a mango? That's your next snack! Don't know how to roll a summer roll? Google it! New tastes are waiting for you to wet your pallet.
Go get 'em!

Gluten Free Drugs & the Sick Celiac

I've been down with a bad cold all week. Headache, congestion, sneezing, coughing, fever...miserable.

So I figured this would be a good time to review our gluten free drug list.
I spent most nights on Niquil. (liquid only) This stuff usually knocks me out and I'm foggy until noon the next day, but it does K-O the symptoms so I can get some rest.  Dayquil tablets (not liquid) are supposed to be GF too, but I don't get any help from that stuff.  Then its hot tea with honey, soup and crackers and lots of sleep.

If you need information on any drugs go here: Gluten Free Drugs
They list everything by category so when you need something it's easy to find. If its not on this list, I won't use it. I've even shared this list with my doctors so they can help other patients.
;-)

Gluten Free Toaster Pastry!

I'm excited!!! A Gluten Free version of the Pop Tart is here!!! I've been waiting for this forever!
Sorry about all the exclamation marks...but I'm excited!
These yummy little toaster cakes are flaky, fairly low in fat and very flavorful. Right now I only see the Apple Cinnamon flavor but I'm going to email them and ask for blueberry.
Check out Glutino's GLUTEN FREE toaster pastry!

Celiac Disease Desserts

In my never ending quest to protect my Celiac Gut and still enjoy ice cream, I emailed Turkey Hill. I do eat Turkey Hill frozen Yogurt and was pretty sure it was Gluten free but I always go back and check every now and then. You never know when a recipe will change. I used to love the Peach Melba but I can't find it anymore. I'm hoping its a seasonal item and it will come back. 

I was impressed with Turkey Hills quick and concise answer. I'm even more impressed with the handful of coupons that arrived in the mail today. 
Yay Turkey Hill! They nice peeps!

So here's the answer from Turkey Hill. Enjoy! 

Dear Aimless,

Thank you for contacting Turkey Hill Dairy. We appreciate your comments and interest in our company and products.
We understand that more and more consumers are being diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Therefore, we work with our suppliers to obtain gluten-free extracts and modified food starches. At this time, all of our extracts are gluten-free. We also use corn and tapioca modified food starches, both of which are also gluten-free.

We list our allergens on our labels. Below the ingredients, you will see a CONTAINS: statement. If the product contains gluten, wheat will be listed. Wheat is the only ingredient we use that contains gluten. Therefore, the ice creams containing cake and cookie pieces will contain gluten. All of our drink products are gluten-free.

You can also find our gluten information on our website. Please visit http://www.turkeyhill.com and click on the "Our Products" link. Click on the product category you are interested in (i.e. Frozen Desserts). Then click on the product line you are interested in (i.e. Premium Ice Cream). The individual flavors will be listed. Click the flavor name link to view the complete nutrition facts. The gluten and wheat information is listed at the bottom under the "Contains" statement or "Additional Info".
We have a number of Frozen Yogurt's and No Sugar Added Ice Creams that are fat free. This information can be found while viewing our product line on our website http://www.turkeyhill.com.

Thanks for taking time to contact us. In appreciation, we will be sending you a follow-up letter and coupons. We appreciate your comments and thank you for choosing Turkey Hill.

Sincerely,
TURKEY HILL DAIRY

A Celiac Vegetarian Day

I've eased into Vegetarianism slowly. Previous diet experience had me rushing head first into the Eat Clean program and I'm ashamed to admit, I crashed. I did great for almost a week and then life happened and I cheated a little, then a little more, and then forgetaboutit!

I'm caught between wanting to be a Vegan or just going Vegetarian. Its a tough choice. Which is healthier? Which one will I be able to sustain for life? I'm going Vegetarian for now. Once I get this nailed down I'll consider the Vegan aspect. I think as a Celiac our choices are a bit limited anyway and I wonder why I want to limit it even more? From everything I've read I think a plant based diet is healthier.

So here's my typical day as a Vegetarian so far;

Breakfast;
Coffee with Vanilla Coffeemate
Udi's gluten free bagel with humus
Orange

Snack:
Banana or Yogurt or other fruit-I cut up the fruit and stir it into the yogurt.

Lunch:
Salad with Romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, shredded carrots, olives, dressing
Nuts (I buy a couple different kinds and mix them together)

Dinner;
Spaghetti with sauce with kidney beans and Parmesan

That was yesterday. I vary this from day to day. I still need  a vegetarian cookbook because I'm a lousy cook! I need to learn how to be a creative vegetarian in the kitchen so I don't get bored.

So far, I don't miss meat at all. Feel pretty good and I'm sleeping well.

Bagel Shopping

Celiac Disease sometimes limits our choices. Bagels used to be a Sunday morning favorite but once I went gluten free that changed. No more bagels for me :-(
Then companies like Udi's and Against the Grain stepped up to bring back this Sunday morning treat; the bagel. Yay!
But no.
If you're from New Jersey you know there isn't a bagel anywhere in the country that tastes like a Jersey bagel. We Jerseyans think it must be all the chemicals in the water, but who really knows for sure? Either way, anyone who wants to sell a Jerseyan a bagel better know the rules.

Bagels should be dense, easy to slice for toasting and come in many flavors. Texture is the key here. Don't serve a mushy, empty shell of a bread like donut to me! Yes, there is a big difference in what a bagel should taste like and what bread tastes like.

Of all the bagels I've tried so far Udi's is my favorite. Against the Grain a close second. So let's compare.

Udi's has 320 calories but is a slightly bigger bagel.
10g of fat
48 carbs (necessary info for diabetics)
3g fiber
8g Protein.
I like the texture and consistency of the Udi's bagel because its denser, like a real bagel. Still kind of bread-like but not too bad. The outer crust toasts nicely and it's easy to spread your favorite condiment on it. I prefer humus but because of the dense nature of this bagel it won't tear or collapse into itself if you slather on firmer things like butter or cream cheese. Udi's has no dairy but does contain egg whites.

Against the Grain Bagels would be my second choice mostly because the inside of the bagel is more airy and when cut in half to toast sometimes tends to be almost empty inside. Still tastes good but not dense like a real glutenous bagel. This leaves something to desire when spreading condiments. However when I'm craving peanut butter I use one of these bagels and you can fill the hollow crevices with gobs of peanut butter. Yum!
250 calories (but smaller than an Udi's bagel)
13g fat
28 carbs (better choice for diabetics)
trace of fiber
5g protein.
The package of Against the Grain I found at Shop Rite was Sesame. I don't know if this made a difference in the ingredients beyond adding Sesame (no seeds seen anywhere), but it had Eggs, Milk and Mozzarella cheese. I'm not sure why they have Mozzarella cheese in a bagel but this could explain why it's very soft and more airy than Udi's.