Check out the Gluten Intolerance Group’s Annual Conference in Minneapolis.

The Annual GIG Conference is in full swing in Minneapolis. Come on by!

 Go to the GIG Website!

Plenty of great information available at the Annual GIG Conference!

 

 

 

 

 

• Simply Hot Dogs and Black-Eyed Peas Simply Hot Dogs and Black-Eyed Peas   This is so simple and wonderful because it is gluten-free, it is affordable, and it can be ready in about 9 minutes. Ingredients: One 14 ounce can of Black-Eyed Peas * (Read label to be sure Black-Eyed Peas are G-F).  One can find several lists of......
• Gluten-Free Energy Diet (part 2): Energy Levels with Celiac Disease and Its Partner, Gluten-Sensitivity (Part 2)   OK, I'm back.  I have a little more energy now.   One can roll around the Internet and find others talking about this issue.  At Celiac.com there has been a discussion about whether or not Energy Drinks are Gluten-Free. At the same site in a different space is a discussion......
• Being Alert to How Ones Culture Promotes Gluten Use Might Help One Attain Gluten-Free Simplicity 10. Being Alert to How Ones Culture Promotes Gluten Use Might Help One Attain Gluten-Free Simplicity.   Does your culture promote the use of gluten?  If so, how? My culture (Southeastern U.S.A., Umpteenth generation, of Scottish/Irish/English descent origin) promotes gluten in a big way.  For my people, what is a dinner......
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Are these guys Gluten-Free?

Check it out!
Read the story.

• Way #25: Getting Really Curious When Ones Gluten-Exposure Symptoms Appear Might Help One More Readily Attain Gluten-Free Simplicity 25. Getting Really Curious When Ones Gluten-Exposure Symptoms Appear Might Help One More Readily Attain Gluten-Free Simplicity.   Do you know your Gluten-Exposure symptoms yet?  This is a fair question in that one is NOT being graded and as a bonus, it will hopefully encourage one to begin defining ones......
• G-F Flash! Recipe for Gluten-Free Double Cheese Grits   I found an easily  adaptable recipe for Gluten-Free Double Cheese Grits at the website: "Tales from the Oven: Good Food Recipes from the Lunch Pail". [/caption] Among other ingredients, the recipe calls for:  quick grits shredded Cheddar cheese grated Parmesan cheese   Each of these items can be commonly......
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• Simply Hot Dogs and Black-Eyed Peas Simply Hot Dogs and Black-Eyed Peas   This is so simple and wonderful because it is gluten-free, it is affordable, and it can be ready in about 9 minutes. Ingredients: One 14 ounce can of Black-Eyed Peas * (Read label to be sure Black-Eyed Peas are G-F).  One can find several lists of......
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Get the recipe!!!

You gonna like this! (c.2010, wtb)

• Forgiving Might Help one Attain Gluten-Free Simplicity 6. Humility, Forgiveness, and Grace Might Help one Attain Gluten-Free Simplicity.   On my journey toward Gluten-Free Simplicity I have frequently hesitated -- if not downright sabotaged myself -- during periods while recovering from a gluten relapse.  I have blamed myself, my family, anonymous waiters, waitresses, snack-food manufacturers ...  you name......
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• Gluten-Free Rice Chex Crust Chewy Apple Bake Gluten-Free Rice Chex Crust Chewy Apple Bake This is a wonderful Dessert for Anyone, but particularly for people who need a Gluten-Free Diet. (Makes 4 to 6 Servings) [/caption] Ingredients: 4    Granny Smith Apples (peeled and sliced in thin 1/4 inch wedges). 1/4 Cup Margarine or Unsalted Butter. * 2 Tablespoons......
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What looks like Fire, may only be a really cool Sunset. (c.2009, wtb)

  So for me when it came to the Doctor’s Gluten speech.  I had lots of emotional reactions.  Even for years following my diagnosis.  Did you?

  I can admit it… YES, sometimes I got issues with authority.  Even if their rulings are really in my own best interest…  How bout you?  If you did could you admit it?  I get even more riled up when it is regarding something I love and I am used to like Cakes, lots of bread with every meal etc… That’s not to mention those hidden sources of Gluten.  And in short, this resistance leads to lots of self-destruction for me.

  Allowing anyone (especially an Authority Figure) tell me “NO MORE” of anything, is hard for me to do.  But once I admitted this to myself, I could more readily reverse my self-destructive tendencies — and my perverse need to spite the authorities.

  Then, I  could start to heal.

  It is frustrating though, with or without authority issues… to be told you cannot do this or your can no longer eat that.  Yes it is!  And at the moment it may seem like  ones world has now been severely limited.

  But I found that when I opened my mind, and I got real curious about other cultures that were NOT necessarily wheat-based there was hope.  Particularly cultures with in climates other than U.S. climates, I found cuisines (e.g., Mexican, Asian, Indian etc…) that I could enjoy, with lots of choices.

  I had to admit to myself that there is a whole world out there.  This world is full of great food ideas.  And sooo sooo soooooo many of them are naturally Gluten-Free.

  I just had to let go of the resistance and get on a more open-minded pathway.

  I started to experiment a lot and I found that there are bountiful options available to me.  Sure, there are always the various newly developed wheat-substitute/fake items.  And I praise those kitchen adventurers who are seeking to make items that used to be made with wheat — without wheat.  More power to them!  I do that too.

  But as I let go of trying to replicate U.S.-type wheat-based items (like Wonder Bread, Cheerios or Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup).   And I have to say again, “those gals and guys who work hard in their kitchens to replicate typically gluten-filled foods without Gluten are angels — they really are”.  But my kitchen ain’t got one of them these days.  So I got to find alternatives.

  I started to explore other cultures.  And I was truly learning – not just about food either!!! 

  As the Gluten-Free Girl will tell you, there is a life beyond Wonder Bread — even though I really did love that stuff.

  Try new foods.  Try new cultures.  Think about climate and how it effects food choices.  Think about centuries of climate influencing food choices and the unlimited bounty of cuisine choices that can create.

  I tried to let go of those boundaries that kept me within a certain mindset of what is -, and is not NORMAL food.

  Give it a shot.  You might discover a whole new world.

* Helpful Hint/Notes:

• This article in Wikipedia about Staple Foods and this one on Tradiational Diets and Culture might be helpful.
• Also check out the various hyperlinks in this article in order to learn more.

: : : : : : : : : : :

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Gluten-Free Green Bean, Ham, Cheese and Corn Chex Casserole

Yummie! Gluten-Free Corn Chex Casserole (c.2009, wtb)

(Feeds 3-to-4 hungry People.  Ideal for the day after Thanksgiving!)

Ingedients:

• Use an 8 or 9 inch casserole dish.
• 3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter. *
• 4 Cups of Gluten-Free Corn Chex. *
• 1 Can of drained Green Beans. *
• 1 Cup of Diced Ham. * (Use less ham if it is a strong version such as “Smithfield”)
• 1 Tablespoon of Diced White Onion.
• 1 Tablespoon of Diced Green Pepper.
• 3 Fresh Eggs.
• 1/2 Cup of Milk.
• 1 Cup of Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese. *
• Salt, White Pepper, Garlic Salt, Black Pepper, Ground Sage, and Paprika.

 Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, fahrenheit.
2. Dice vegitables and place with butter in casserole dish into the oven for about 5 minutes.
3. In large mixing bowl, combine Corn Chex, Green Beans, Ham, and Vegetables with Butter.
4. In small bowl combine eggs, milk, grated cheese and spices (Sprinkle with each spice as if to taste).
5. Stir up each set of ingredients combinations.
6. Combine both ingredients into the large mixing bowl.
7. Stir and poor into the Casserole Dish.
8. Sprinkle top with Paprika.
9. Bake at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.

 * Be sure to use Gluten-Free Brands of these Ingredients.

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 Gluten-Free Turkey Search!!!

Tired of Walking Everywhere Looking for the Gluten-Free Turkey? (c.2009, wtb)

Click here for a Listing of Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Turkies.

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  It is important to warn you that while a positive outlook is necessary in this quest for gluten-free simplicity; one needs to be critically informed to carry a bit of skepticism about the possibility of hidden sources of gluten.

It's Amazing what can hide where (c.2009, wtb)

  How can this be.  The most popular belief is that gluten typically comes from wheat, but there are other sources of gluten.  The Internet Health Library site can be helpful as can other sites and sources http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/DietandNutrition/gluten.htm:

  In short, is says:

Gluten is the protein found in wheat. Similar proteins which are harmful to Coeliacs are present in rye, barley and possibly oats. Wheat, rye and barley are therefore excluded from the gluten-free diet. Oats may be allowed for some patients, under careful medical and dietetic supervision.

Under “Hidden Sources of Gluten”, it states:

Gluten is also contained in manufactured and processed foods where wheat flour is commonly used as a processing aid, a binder, a filler or as a carrier for favourings and spices. Contamination with wheat or wheat flour can also occur during cereal production, storage, processing or manufacture.

  So, this would include products that are processed using any of these grains.  Some of these potential products could be:  Vinegar, Salad Dressings, Soy Sauce, Other Sauces, Soups and others.

    In fact, wheat is used in the production of many products, including non-foods according to a recent published article.  Follow this link for more information on that: http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2008/08/20/news/business/doc48ab391e83b5d534866162.txt.

  Any person hoping to attain gluten-free simplicity probably ought to get into the rewarding habit of reading product labels.  And here’s the kicker: The label might not state that the product contains wheat however, the vinegar in the product (such as with some salad dressings) might have been distilled using a gluten yielding grain.

  Get it?  So I know it might sound complex and even more complicating to ask one to not only read product labels, but also to read (into) product labels.  My hope is that once one learns these basic facts though, they will be a few steps closer to G-F Simplicity.

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Way #36: Deal with those Comfort Food Issues in Order to Get Closer to Gluten-Free Simplicity.

  What?  OK… now that’s a bit personal.. don’t ya think?

  May be, … then again… Maybe Not.

Talk about your comfort foods -- Yesssir!!! (c.2009, WTB)

  Really folks.  Seriously now.  According to Wikipedia, Comfort foods are:

“Comfort food is typically inexpensive, uncomplicated, and easy to prepare. Many people turn to comfort food for familiarity, emotional security, or as a special reward. The reasons a dish becomes a comfort food are diverse but often include pleasant associations of childhood[1]. Small children often seem to latch on to a specific food or drink (in a way similar to a security blanket) and will repeatedly request it in high stress situations. Adults eat comfort food for a sense of continuity” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_food .

  So what is your culinary security blanket?  Don’t you have one?  I  got way too many.

  I got “Honeycomb“, a breakfast cereal that came along just in time for me to notice as a child.

  BUT… Its possibly (at least there is a discussion to this leaning) got gluten in it — I think.  Somewhere in this list:

“CORN FLOUR AND BRAN BLEND (CORN FLOUR, WHOLE GRAIN CORN FLOUR, CORN BRAN), SUGAR, WHOLE GRAIN OAT FLOUR, HONEY, SALT, YELLOW 5, BHT ADDED TO PACKAGING MATERIAL TO PRESERVE PRODUCT FRESHNESS. VITAMINS & MINERALS: NIACINAMIDE (B VITAMIN), REDUCED IRON, ZINC OXIDE (SOURCE OF ZINC), VITAMIN B6, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID (B VITAMIN), VITAMIN B12, VITAMIN D”  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeycomb_(cereal)#Ingredients).

  Or perhaps there is a cross-contamination factor involved.

  And of course, there are pancakes and practically any sort of fresh bread(a no brainer).

  Boy have I been depressed over the last decade sometimes feeling as though there were few options.  How could I deal with my need for comfort food when I was grieving or feeling bad?

  I would sometimes just hate the world for days at a time.  This was perhaps a form of necessary “processing”, but I am not sure how productive it is for just anyone.

  Eventually, I got to a point where I finally had a truly clear thought… deep down in this painful area where rationale seldom waxes. 

   My thought was like this… OK…

1. If all my old comforts have Gluten in them, and
2. I cannot eat Gluten because it makes me feel UN-comfortable, and
3. There are reasonable alternatively attractive substances out there,
4. I just need to find NEW COMFORT FOODS that contain NO GLUTEN.

  So I have started trying to do that. 

  It is a challenge, but it is a much healthier quest (if not just a natural progression from) than/that point where I was just enveloped in grief, anger, and yes… some self pity.

  What are your new Gluten-Free Comfort Foods?

  I will let you know as I identify mine.  Surely as I move along this path, I am getting closer to Gluten-Free Simplicity.

: : : : : : : : : : :

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Some Positive Affirmations

(Gluten-Free!!!)

  Over the years, I have found and shared many benefits of positive affirmations.  I also like them with perhaps a slight accent of humor and even reality.  I have often found that this sort of exercise can be really fun for friends, family and others who although they are just perfect, they might be feeling down today.

Few things are as affirming as the way the Sky, Clouds, Mountains and Landscape blend into each other on a Fall day in the Rockies (c.2009, WTB)

  But first and foremost, I find them helpful for me…. because I deserve it!!!

Here are a few I can now share with you:

1. Though I may be feeling fatigued and even seem lazy right now; I am a precious person of magnificent potential.
2. I am a genuinely caring and considerate person even though my irritable moods have occasionally made me appear otherwise.
3. My mind, body and reputation have all suffered the continuous assaults and pains of Celiac Disease, other related ailments, and the struggles of trying to go Gluten-Free.  Nonetheless, I am a vibrant being with a nice body, a sound mind, and good character.

  So, these are just a few positive affirmations that are good for me as I look in my mirror and sincerely convince myself of their validity. 

  I hope that if you try my affirmations, they can be good for you too.  And if you have some affirmations to share, please feel free.

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This is the question that a typical person with Gluten intolerance is possibly asking her/his self from the time they know which restaurant they are going to be eating in tonight, to the time that they leave that establishment.

When a place has a “Gluten-Free Menu” or items that they advertise as “Gluten-Free”, a person with such a medical condition is still going to probably be a bit cautious. That is, until they know with whom they are dealing and just what they are getting.

Heading out into a Gluten-Free Sunset for a Meal doesn't have to be Foggy (c.2009, WTB)

With whom are you dealing?

Well, there are big chains that are beginning massive advertising campaigns claiming that they serve some “Gluten-Free items” and that is all well and good. At the same time, one can sometimes get a pretty scary feeling when entering such an establishment and asking a question about such an item, and the server is not at all versed on the terms “Gluten” or “Celiac”.

I guess in cases where the item is fully automated and totally hands off from the time it leaves the corporate big house to the time it is served to you, then perhaps it can be assumed to be truly “gluten-free”. But then who really wants to eat something that mechanized. I mean, even at the fastest, fast-food joints, the folks in the back at least bless your entree with a pickle or something prior to serving it.

And then there is the problem that one often encounters in massive chain operations where the consumer gets an item that is supposedly “Gluten-Free”, yet the item is served with a brand of ketchup or mayo or dressing that is known to contain gluten. Then one nudges up to the counter-server to ask about this and is met with an “I don’t know” or “If you cannot eat wheat, can you eat white bread instead?”

In fact I was at one of those “Have it your way” burger chains the other day and ordered a Double _____ “with everything except the bun”; and the counter guy, savvy as he was — and polite — whistled back, “One Double ______, Low Carb!” OK… so I didn’t say a word. I was delighted that at least he was trying…. but does “Low Carb” necessarily mean “Gluten-Free”… I don’t think soooooooooo.

Part II of With Whom are You Dealing?

OK, so then there are those wonderful mom-and-pop places that just seem to be perfect, and they are trying their best to serve their Gluten-Free-Needy customers a wonderful item and they do….. Except, they get a little touchy when one asks… nicely, “Hey, this steak is like…. mulllahhhh wonderful!!! But can you tell me…. is it marinated?” (yes)… “OK… and I love it tooo……. but how bout… , Does that marinate include any items that might contain gluten???”

Their first defense (and unfortunately it is often a defense — which it does not need to be) is. “Well that’s Jenny’s Secret Recipe and I cannot divulge…” So you explain to the waiter about the Gluten-Free thingee, while at the same time, he is wondering why his establishment actually cares about such “food preferences” and he goes back to consult with the Chef… Jenny…. or Jenny’s daughter or somebody close enough to know the secret.

Of course she gives him a list of the ingredients in the marinate because as the Chef, she is somewhat aware that the Gluten thing is in her face more and more every day now…

The Waiter returns to the table and says, “The ingredients are some herbs and spices, vinegar, mayo, beer (cannot tell you what kind), sugar, a (not-to-be-named) steak sauce, an anonymous fruit juice, and tomato paste.” “Nope, nothing in there could contain Gluten.. so, you are home free.”

“Now can you please cut into your steak and tell me if it is done to your liking?”

At this point, it is kind of hard to tell the guy……. the waiter about how almost every ingredient he mentioned could contain gluten, depending on which brand they use etc… (e.g., Gluten can be in some brands of vinegar, mayo, beer, confectioners sugar, some steak sauces, some fruit juices, and in tomato paste).

I’m Backing Off Now…

So with tons of years in food service under my belt, I say with some firmness that in every establishment, there should be at least one person who cares about this “Gluten issue”. Food service people are people too and they are typically underpaid, overworked and they have to deal constantly with social situations where they clothes smell more like their fryer grease than like the cologne that they splashed on this morning. This is a hard life. So some slack is warranted.

At the same time, as an over-educated person with years of Celiac Disease under my belt (literally un-der my-belt), I can say that this life too is difficult and unfair and some slack is definitely warranted.

So How can We Meet In the Middle?

I am not sure what the solution is going to be.

I am certain that there are two things that cannot be helpful:

1. I do not think that half-hearted “Gluten-Free” menu and advertising overhauls in corporate America are going to do anything but aggravate the situation UNLESS… and I said, “UNLESS!!!”, those same corporate bosses are willing to also act consistently in terms of training ALL involved staff and also sincerely analyzing recipes and inventoried product brands to see that only “Gluten-Free” product makes its way to the consumer’s table. This is an expensive undertaking and I would be surprised if even the majority of those touting “Our New Gluten-Free Menu” are taking it as seriously as all this.
2. and, at the same time: I am certain that nothing really gets solved when a person in need of a Gluten-Free meal gets visibly angry about what she/he is served and then takes out 100% of that anger on the extremely low-level staff-person who served it to them. Yes, I think ALL staff are or should be responsible in such cases, but if a person is a teenager making minimum wage and has not ever even been reasonably briefed on the “New Gluten-Free Items” thingee… then I think it is management who is in the wrong; not the line worker.

So this morning, I was going to write up a list of what kinds of dishes on restaurant menus that say they are “Gluten-Free” are likely to be safe, versus which ones are probably not. I could not write that yet because I think these types of problems — as listed above — are much grander and much more significant at this time.

Surely, I will put together a list of “probably safe” and “possibly not” Gluten-Free “safe” menu items soon. And I will publish it. But for now, I think the “Safe” thing to do would be for America’s Corporate Bosses to wax sincerely about the “Gluten-Free” issue or NOT wax at all. And I think that those of us who sometimes have emotional rants in our empty dining enjoyment quests that sometimes lead to “Gluten-Free” starvation — oh… and I have been there many times too.. — should also think next time before we blast an unsuspecting cashier the local “Minute Burger Joint”.

What do you think?

 Read what others have said about this issue:

• Gluten-Free Dining Out: Is It Safe?
• Gluten-Free Restaurant Dining: Tips for Safe Gluten-Free Restaurant Meals
• How to Tell if a “Gluten-Free Menu” is Truly Gluten-Free
• Keeping Celiac Guests Safe: Gluten-Free Food Guidelines
• Safe and Unsafe Gluten-Free Food Lists

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