Eliminating Gluten... Starting with Your kitchen

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease on a morning before work. I felt so lost and confused on what I could and couldn’t eat and I had to go straight to work. I remember having a drug rep lunch that day and I had a sandwich and removed the bun, and I didn’t understand why I was so sick the rest of the day at work? Boy did I have SO much to learn! Getting rid of gluten is hard enough, I didn't know anything about cross contaimination at that time....

That weekend I went to the library, rented over ten books and decided the first place to go gluten free was my kitchen…. 

I started in my pantry.

-          Out went pretty much my entire pantry, it was bare! Pastas, bread crumbs, cereals, crackers, granola bars, flour, etc.

-          Then onto my spice cabinet where I went through and got rid of all of the pre-mixed spice packages including taco seasonings, onion soup packet mixes, etc.

-          Refrigerator- all my marinades, dressings, BBQ sauces 

That was the easy part! Then came all the scrubbing & cleaning! And scrubbing again!  

Eliminating gluten is more than just eliminating gluten foods….  Like I said earlier Cross Contamination is equally important to eliminate and understand.  

-          All shared condiments must be avoided. (ex. Mayo, peanut butter, jams, etc)  

o    Either have duplicate containers for the celiac person or make sure the non-celiacs always dip the container each time with a clean knife. Brandon and I find it easier to have separate condiments.

-          If you are going to have something with gluten in it; it is better to put the “Gluten containing foods” on the bottom shelf of the pantry or refrigerator. That way if the gluten free crumbs fall it will be onto the gluten containing food and not the other way around.

-          Buy a new toaster for gluten free bread and products only.

-          Buy new Tupperware. Plastic can scratch easily and then scratches can harbor minute amounts of gluten no matter how carefully you scrub! I replaced all my Tupperware and it is used specifically for gluten free goods. Anything with gluten in it must go into a glass container.

-          Clean out your oven!

-          Replace your plastic cutting boards, plastic spatulas, and colander.

 

 

The amount of gluten that can make you sick is microscopic, and gluten seems to have a way of spreading itself around. Remember, gluten is a protein- and gluey proteins are almost impossible to eradicate because they are sticky. There’s a reason that wheat is used in wallpaper paste, adhesives, and drywall compound!  (glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com)

 

A great resouce that I would recommend to anyone going gluten free or for anyone trying to understand the gluten free world,  is Elisabeth Hesselbeck's The G Free Diet, a gluten free survival guide.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

So What Can I Eat?

Going gluten free is confusing at first. Keep it simple! Focus on whole, naturally gluten-free foods.

· Say YES to fresh produce! All vegetables and fruits are gluten free!!

 

· PLAIN meat, chicken, eggs, fish are all naturally gluten free

o WATCH OUT FOR ADDED BROTHS, SEASONINGS, AND MARINADES 

· Starches: Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Rice, Risotto, Quinoa, Polenta

o Watch out for pre-cooked, instant or flavored processed rice in boxes these are most likely NOT Gluten-Free

 

· Dairy: Some Celiacs have to give up Lactose fortunately I do not!

o Yogurt-Plain yogurt is gluten free. Be careful with fruit flavored yogurts

o Most cheeses are gluten free. Watch out for additives, fillers, and flavorings

· Alcohol:

o Wine is naturally Gluten Free!!

o Gluten free beer is available! (More on my beer tasting later!)

o Potato vodkas, unflavored rums, and tequila are naturally gluten free.

 

Aside from the obvious “forbidden foods” (breads, breadcrumbs, rolls, muffins, bagels, donuts, croissants, cereal, pizza, fried food, beer, crackers, pretzels, cookies, cake, brownies, pie crust, etc.) I personally advise saying no to processed goods, mixes, packaged seasonings, dressings.

To sum it up avoid anything with ingredients that you can barely pronounce! My aunt through marriage who is also a Celiac advised me to buy nothing with more than 8 ingredients on the ingredient list.

But most of all- Enjoy your new lifestyle and have fun with it! This is your new way of life! At first, you may be upset and think what is fun about giving up all the foods you love? But here is the thing… After getting rid of your life long enemy, gluten, you are going to feel more energetic, focused, happy and finally healthy!

 

 

What is Gluten?

glu·ten: a substance present in cereal grains, esp. wheat, that is responsible or the elastic texture of dough

Gluten is the protein found in the grains: wheat, rye, and barley. Oats also contain gluten due to cross contamination in processing so you much purchase Gluten Free Oats.

 

Gluten is SNEAKY!
Hidden gluten can be found in: gravy, broth, bouillon, soy sauce, marinades, salad dressings, cured meats, sausage, hot dogs, burgers, herb cheeses, blue cheese, canned and prepared soups, tomato paste, sweeteners, confectioner’s and brown sugar, beverages, flavored coffees, herbal tea, flavored or spiced nuts, jerky, flavored yogurts, puddings, chocolate chips, cocoa, flavored vinegar, cooking wines, wine coolers, some ice cream and frozen desserts.  Always read the labels. Call the manufacture.

Http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

 

How to read a food label:
I admit it. My first trip to the grocery store after being diagnosed was depressing. I spent over 2 hours reading the ingredient lists and felt so overwhelmed and discouraged.
I knew I needed a strategy.... After having celiac disease for 3 months, reading other blogs, and consulting with a nutritionist I realized it is not that bad...
 

First things first: Reading labels is a way of life when you have Celiac disease.

Under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, which went into effect in 2006, requires manufactures to use plain language when listing priority allergens, and to declare all allergens either in the ingredient list, or in a “Contains” statement at the end of the list. The word “WHEAT” must be clearly stated on the food label. This act encompasses wheat, but not other sources of gluten.

There are 6 key words to look for when reading a food label:

·         Wheat

·         Rye

·         Barely

·         Malt

·         Brewer’s Yeast

·         Oats (unless they are specifically labeled gluten free)

 

*According to my nutritionist:

• Since wheat has to be declared and barley and rye almost always are declared, natural flavor, natural flavoring, and flavors are generally considered gluten free


• If a product states made in a facility that contains wheat, the product is safe for patients with Celiac Disease.

* When first becoming a Celiac reading a food label can be overwhelming but it gets easier the more you read them. I downloaded a free app on my iphone, ShopWell and use it to verify if a product is gluten free.




 

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi (tiny finger-like projections) of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.

Celiac disease is triggered by consumption of the protein called gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging (chopping or blunting) the villi of the small intestine. When the villi become damaged, it allows for gluten to enter the blood stream and attack normal healthy tissue; in addition the body is unable to absorb nutrients which can lead to malnourishment.What does this mean? Essentially the body is attacking itself every time a person with Celiac Disease consumes gluten.

Left untreated, people with celiac disease can develop further complications such as other autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, infertility, thyroid disease, and cancer.

cookitallergyfree.com


Most Common Celiac Symptoms:

• Abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, gas, anemia, vitamin deficiencies depression, joint pain, sores in mouth, hair loss, fatigue, numbness and tingling, dry skin, infertility, headaches, and weight loss

Interesting Celiac Disease Facts:

• 1 in out of every 133 Americans has Celiac Disease or 3 million American
• The National Institutes of Health shows the prevalence of celiac disease to other well-known conditions as follows:
• Epilepsy affects 2.8 millon
• Crohns and Ulcerative Colitis affects 500,000 Americans
• Multiple Sclerosis affects 33,000
• Celiac Disease is hereditary so all first degree relatives should be screened.
• 95% of all Celiacs are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions
• 6-10 years is the average time a person waits to correctly be diagnosed in the US
• There is NO Pharmaceutical cures for Celiac Disease
• A strict gluten free diet is the only treatment for Celiac Disease
• 1/8 of a teaspoon or 1/1000 of gluten can damage the intestional villi
• It can take 2-3 years for adults to have completely healed villi

Information from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (www.celiaccentral.org)

My Celiac Diagnosis

I first learned about Celiac Disease during PA school but had no idea that I had been suffering with it for years.....

I don't think I could even tell you a day that I felt good. Being fatigued with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and cramps was my "normal." I was told numerous times my symptoms were probably due to "stress and IBS." My entire life I have experienced bloating after every meal. Only thing is, I had no idea that this wasn’t normal. I thought everyone felt bloated after they ate.

Then I went off to college and graduate school living my healthy 100% whole wheat diet! The more 100% whole wheat bread, cereals & pastas the better. That is when my symptoms started to intensify (not to mention all the beer I was drinking!). I had abdominal pain every day. This led to numerous tests, an abdominal ultrasound, and a HIDA scan to assess the function of my gallbladder. (A HIDA scan is a nuclear medicine tests that watched my gallbladder fill up and contract) My HIDA scan came back as abnormal with a decreased ejection fraction of 7%. (A normal ejection fraction is >35%) So finally a diagnosis! A dysfunctional gallbladder. So no more fried, fatty, foods! Easy enough! My symptoms didn't improve but I had a diagnosis and a reason for the pain.

I graduated PA school and moved to Baltimore, MD where I eventually met my husband, Brandon. I remember our first date we went to a local brewery and had delicious pumpkin beer then went to see a movie together that I slept the whole way through! I could never lay on the couch with him and not fall asleep. I was always so tired.

We were married in June, 2012 and after our honeymoon my GI symptoms got worse along with my fatigue. I had bruises all over my body, my hair was falling out, and I started waking up numerous times in the middle of the night with heartburn. I went to see my primary care provider who said I was depressed!

I was getting significantly worse and Brandon was really worried. We decided it was time for me to see a GI specialist. I called around to numerous GI doctors  and was fortunate to find a brand new (and amazing!!) GI doctor in the Baltimore area who could see me the next day! When I was telling him my symptoms he said that I needed to have an Upper Endoscopy as soon as possible.

I had the procedure on the following Monday morning. I remember leaving the gym three days later and having several missed calls from my GI doctor. I was nervous to listen to my voicemail because I knew something was wrong. That's when I got the news that I have Celiac Disease and I have to go on a lifelong gluten free diet....