PLEASE DON'T FEED THE CELIAC

Why do people feel they have to feed me? Offer me food? Go out of their way to make sure I have something to eat?

One thing I hate about this world is that it's food based. Go to someone's house and they offer you coffee, cookies, or lunch. Sometimes I wonder if they really want to eat cookies and my visit is the excuse to get a treat for themselves. With other people, it's their mission. I explain about Celiac Disease and tell them not to worry about me. I either bring my own food or wait till I get home. Still they persist.

"It's okay, I checked," they say.

I quietly assure them it's okay and still they push. I'll try, "I'm not hungry," or "I ate before I came," but short of pushing food in my face they keep at it. "Take just a bite, I want you to try it."

Politely I try to change the subject and sometimes this works. Like distracting a dog from a bone.

What I really want to do is scream. I want to get up in their face and yell, "No means no! I don't want your freakin' food and I'm not eating any of that sh*t! One crumb can take me down for three days and I'm not going there just to please you with your one bite nonsense! DON'T FEED THE CELIAC!"

Whew! Too bad good manners prevents me from doing that. 

And what was your worst food moment?

Celiac and Weight Gain...

When first confronted with a doctor who said to me, "Could be Celiac Disease but those people are really thin, so it's not that." I believed him. What did I know? What did anyone know about Celiac Disease ten years ago?

So I began going gluten free to see if it helped and it did. Long story short, the doc now thinks I'm Celiac but to get an accurate test I'd have to go back to eating gluten which makes me sick for days.

One thing I noticed when I went gluten free was that I felt deprived. There were now so many things I couldn't eat. No cookies off the shelf, no crusty Italian bread with dinner, no Life cereal. :(

Sucks.

When I found cookies or breads on the health food store shelf I bought them all up and ate to my hearts content. After all, everyone else had so much to choose from and what did I have? An expensive trip to the Health food store and limited choices. Why shouldn't I get to have some enjoyment with food?

Oh the humanity! Oh the pounds!

Most GF food is not low cal. In fact its more high in fat than its glutenous counter parts. And it all lands on the hips and thighs. Before realizing why my pants were getting tighter I'd simply buy another size. After all, I'm Celiac; weigh is good, right?  And I deserve to enjoy food no matter what!

Wrong. A healthy weight is good....we know that, but using this disease to eat to excess was a good excuse.

It took time but gradually I came to realize that GF food needed portion control just like everything else. More salads and meat, less breads, pastas and cookies. It was a learning curve that gave me more curves but I'm fighting my way back down.
Lesson learned. GF food has calories too. Sometimes too many.

Ending the Year with a Vent

Some grocery stores put the gluten free food mixed in with the glutenous food in the main aisles.  Gee thanks, I think as I wander up and down the rows reading labels of anything I think could be an edible possibility. I get to go through tons of stuff I can't eat, stuff that will make me sicker than a dog, to find the one package of something gluten free. Really? Did you think it was a good idea to tease a Celiac like this? Would it have been so much trouble to just put it all in one place? A place where I didn't have to look at crusty Italian bread, Ding Dongs and pasta?

Sometimes I tell people what I can and can't eat and they are horrified. "I couldn't live like that!" they declare.

Are you kidding me? Spend three days holding onto the block of cement that takes up the space where your stomach used to be and you'll find out how quickly you can live gluten free. It doesn't take rocket science to realize that the days of pain came from the direct ingestion of the rye bread you had for lunch on Tuesday.

Sometimes when the living facts of this disease get to me and I'm met with a supermarket manager who tells me their stuff is mixed in the aisles I can't help but retort, "Who's bright idea was that?"

Sorry, I've been a  (miss) diagnosed Celiac for ten years, but sometimes  it still gets me. Usually when I'm tired and cranky. The only thing that keeps me going is the fact that I'm one of the lucky ones. I know about gluten and it's affect on my body. Not all Celiacs are diagnosed. Some are in denial. I'm lucky enough to know where the danger lies. I count that as a blessing.

Vent over.

Here's to a Happy and Healthy, Gluten Free New Year!
Stay well, stay happy.

Arbor Mist....is it safe???

I've been drinking Arbor Mist for a while and feeling okay most of the time. Sometimes something is getting to me and I can't figure it out. Sometimes it's hard to tell if this is a gluten reaction or some other kind of flu bug.
I usually have Arbor Mist on weekends and I've been blaming my Monday morning bloat on whatever else I ingested on the weekend. But then I was at a picnic and someone told me that Arbor Mist wasn't GF and she had a letter at home to prove it.
In a panic I race home to check with the company. The response I get was that they didn't add gluten ingredients.
Hmmmmm....
So I emailed the head of my Celiac Support group and asked. She thought it was, but now she's going to recheck to make sure.
I'm waiting...
Anyone else drink Arbor Mist?

Great Gluten Free Website

Check out this great GF website: Be Free For Me.
They are running a contest to win a great GF book and stuff so go check it out.
We need all the help we can get.
They also have an email thing that can send you a great happy thought for the day. I signed up!

Wheat! Gluten! Alert!

WHEAT ALLERGY ALERT
December 7, 2009

College Inn is recalling “College Inn® No MSG Chicken Broth” due to undeclared wheat.

The product was distributed nationwide.

The 14 ½-oz. cans are mislabeled “No MSG” and bear any “best by date” with UPC 2400032230.

Consumers may return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may call (800) 552-7684 or visit www.CollegeInn.com.

New Gluten Free Website! Check it out New Jersey!

I've been wandering aimlessly around the web and happened upon a GREAT website for all us New Jersey Celiacs.
Check out www.myglutenfreenj.com

This site lists all the places in New Jersey to get gluten free food! Restaurants! Health food stores!

It also has a gluten free alcohol page! Whoo hooo!