Thursday, February 16, 2012

{GLUTEN FREE and still sewing at the machine}}

Over the holidays I found out I needed to be gluten free.  I don't have celiac, but I do have a gluten intolerance.  I am so much happier now that I know what's going on.

I do some research on what all has gluten in it so I could avoid it.  You wouldn't believe all the stuff that has gluten in it...like almost everything I like to eat. 

I have had to come up with new ways to make my favorite dishes and even look into making new dishes to eat.  One of my favorite indulgences is bread.  Any kind of baguette, ciabata, french bread.  You name it, I love to eat it.  Sadly, the few gluten free bread mixes I have found to use just aren't doing it for me.  They just don't have the texture that bread with gluten has...nor the taste.  But I eat it anyway because I have to.

Suprisingly Wal Mart and Whole Foods as well as Target have a great gluten free section.  Everything from past, to cake mixes, cookie mixes, pancake mixes.  You name it, I have found it.  They are a little more pricey, but when I have a taste for cookies, pancakes or pasta, they do the trick.

Another down side...well, not totally a down side, but a wee bit of a bummer is that we can't eat out anymore.  Pizza has gluten in it.  Chineses food, if breaded has gluten in it and even hamburgers have gluten in the buns.  Ugggh!  It's been hard adjusting, but I have been making the changes.  One of the things I read on http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ is that you can't cheat and maybe have some gluten here and there.  For me, I know I can't it really bothers my intestines, so I stay away from it.  She also suggests ridding your pantry of anything with gluten in it.  Last weekend I did just that. The only thing with gluten in there is cereal for my hubs and the kids.  I can't deprive them of that.  : )

I am still enjoying sewing on my machine and hope to have a finshed...or almost finished quilt to show you next week.
Happy Thursday!
CherylPin It Now!

4 comments:

Helen said...

I too am working at being, not only gluten free, but grain free since the first of the year. I have had some brown rice, but that's it so far. Like you say, there are so many things I love to eat that are breaded or just not right for me. I hope to add some grains back in soon. Like your family, my husband enjoys all the breads, tortillas, etc that I can't.

Sue said...

O.K., this is just too weird. Just this morning I decided to cut way back on my bread/grain intake. I feel fine but I know I need to cut back on the pretzels, breads, etc. You know, the yummy stuff. And here I see your post! Going to the Goddess site for ideas and inspiration. Happy to hear this change helped you feel better!

Esther said...

If you travel or go to a new restaurant, you may want to check out the Food & Travel Translation Cards at SelectWisely.com My allergy is different than yours, but the cards have been a life saver when traveling abroad. I always keep an English card in my purse for use at home. It takes longer to grocery shop because we have to read all labels but is worth it to keep staying healthy.

Gen said...

before I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia they put me on a gluten free diet and back in 2007 there was NOTHING and I do mean nothing gluten free in any of my grocery stores in my area we had to travel 2 hours to a little store a nurse opened up that sold gluten free food. and the prices OH MY one loaf of bread was 7 bucks. Some of the gluten free food was good others not so much there are cakes etc made gluten free they were yummy. Sorry to hear you have to endure that it's not fun at all so many things you'll miss but you'll find new things to replace them although i havent found a substitute for chocolate yet i've been chocolate free for 6 years now and oh how I miss it! LOL There are many gluten free blogs now that may help you in your quest in finding new foods. Be well my friend, glad you know the root of your problems now that is the hardest part.