Mainstream comanies labeling their gluten free items

This morning while I was grocery shopping, I really started taking note of some of the mainstream companies and how they label gluten free items. I specifically noticed General Mills and Progresso Soups. Easy labeling makes t very easy for someone else to buy something for me and know that it won't hurt me. When I shop, I use the "Is It Gluten Free?" app on my iPhone, which I love. But if someone else, like my mom, sees a good deal on Fruit Rill Ups or soup she knows I like, she picks up a couple for me.

It seems like gluten intolerance and Celiac are becoming more mainstream and larger food companies are starting to pay attention to those of us affected.

I just wanted to put a public thank you out here on the internet, to General Mills, Progresso and all the other "regular" food companies putting a small gluten free label on your gluten free foods. Its very much noticed and appreciated!!

Blending In

One of my biggest challenges so far has been assimilating into regular, gluten-filled culture and not sticking ot like a sore thumb when I go out to eat. So far, I've successfully eaten out at In N Out (bless them!) and BJs Restaurant & Brewery with no issues. I've UNsuccessfully eaten at Pizza Fusion, but that's a whole other topic and post.

It can be quite a challenge to get things so under control, to know the gluten free options so well that no one would ever guess that you couldn't eat it. I was out to lunch with some out of town clients and they were telling me of a friend of theirs who is gluten free and she's been gluten free for so long that unless you already knew, you'd have no idea! She just blends in so well and knows her stuff because she's been doing it so long that no one takes a second glance. I want to be like that! I know it will come with time, patience and experience, but gosh darn it, I want to be an expert now! lol

Does anyone else feel overwhelmed with trying to fit in like this?

Foodsavers are awesome!

FoodSavers. Are. Awesome.

Half of my battles in being gluten free are because of the huge batch sizes of the really good recipes I keep finding. I just can't eat that much food all on my own. Luckily, I remembered I had a little-used FoodSaver sitting in my cabinet. DUH!

I broke it out this weekend after buying 8 chicken breasts when Henry's had a sale on some organic chicken. It's awesome. I froze most of the breasts individually, but froze some in pairs for larger recipes. No freezer burn, and it lasts months longer than if I had just placed them in a Ziplock. Buying bulk is the way to go if you like saving money over the long run and the FoodSaver is helping me do that. Totally worth the purchase price!

Costochondritis and gluten

Costochondritis. Its an icky, icky thing to have. Basically its an inflammation of the cartilage between your ribs. Sounds like no biggie, right? WRONG.

Costo is EXTREMELY painful. It feels like a heart attack all the time. Its very panic-inducing which makes it worse. IT SUCKS.

I got costo back in October, when I was really ramping up training for a half marathon. I thought I was dying but my doc diagnosed the costo and put me on some pain meds & anti inflammatories. I was miserable. I couldn't run anymore, I couldn't do any exercise really. I couldn't lift a gallon of milk and I needed help grocery shopping. Heck, I got sore after sitting in my chair at work all day or sleeping in a weird position. It was the worst.

Anyways, one of the places I found that brought me comfort, hope and reassurance that I wasn't alone was Lucy's costochondritis blog. Poor girl has been suffering for over 3 YEARS with costo.

What does this have to do with gluten? Well a few weeks ago, she came across a possible reason for her costo. Yup, Celiac. Lucy went gluten free and is the original reason I even suspected I had Celiac. The good news today is that she got her test results back and she DOES have Celiac-and a reason for all her pain. Bloggers know that you get attached to someone who writes a blog you follow regularly. I'm so happy for her. :)

Hopefully this helps anyone out there who has costochondritis and is looking for help or a cure. Go to your doc and get a Celiac test! You never know, you might just find a cure!

Frustration!

Going to the doctor is frustrating sometimes. As I've mentioned before, I had gone to 2 different doctors last year and they weren't the least bit interested in helping me aside from telling me I had a "virus." Well I went to another doctor today just to check some dizziness I've been having with the gluten withdrawal and he basically wrote me off. I asked for some food allergy/intolerance testing and he flat out refused.

I'm so sick of the "big box" doctors writing off food allergies. And my research on celiac forums shows much of the same. So many people are having huge issues getting diagnosed and are being pumped full of all kinds of other drugs that the doctors are prescribing for conditions the patients don't really have.

Please don't misunderstand me...I love and appreciate doctors and have all the respect for them. Heck, chances are in my life I'll need them to save my life. But there seems to be some sort of huge disconnect between doctors and recognizing food sensitivities.

SO. I will be conducting my own elimination diet to figure out anything else I'm having issues with. I have a feeling it may be eggs, and perhaps dairy. We'll see. A friend recommended the Center for Health & Wellbeing in Hillcrest for food intolerance testing, but as they don't take my insurance, I'm going to have to wait a little bit before I can go.

Again, I'm not trying to diss doctors but more wishing they had a better understanding of food issues than they seem to. Seems good celiac doctors are hard to find!

Weddings and being gluten free

If you missed my first post, I am a wedding photographer in San Diego. I was thinking today about the vendor meals we usually get. How can I know if they are gluten free? Do I ask the bride and groom to go through a hassle to make sure my meal is GF? Can I really trust the food I'm given? SO many questions!

At weddings I'm on my feet anywhere from 6-10 or more hours at a time with one food break...a Lara Bar just won't do the trick. lol I need a full meal to sustain myself and I'm confused and overwhelmed with how to make sure I get a good GF menu.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'm glad to hear them! In the meantime, I'm going to try out Betty Crocker's gluten free yellow cake mix later today...I'll post a review afterwards. :)

Withdrawal

My goodness, this gluten free thing is a roller coaster, isn't it?

I hit my 2 week gluten free mark yesterday. Awesome, right? Well, not if you're addicted to gluten!

About a week and a half in, I started noticing some of my symptoms were coming back at random times. WHHHAAAATTTTT???? I freaked out and wondered if this whole gluten free experiment was doomed to fail and if I should just stuff my face with yummy gluten filled treats again.

Turns out, there's such a thing as gluten withdrawal. Yes, I'm serious! It sounds silly but according to my research gluten can sometimes act as an opiate as far as how it affects your mind, and can be as strong as heroin or morphine! Whoa! So naturally, when you eliminate the gluten from your diet, you take away the opiate effect it has on your brain and withdrawal symptoms begin.

An article I found about withdrawal symptoms says, "Withdrawal after stopping wheat or milk products can be painful, exhausting, and depressing, with weakness, anger, and brain fog."

Dangerous Grain by Ron Hoggan says, "The addictive nature of gluten is often overlooked. For some, the first days and weeks of following a gluten-free diet are characterized by food cravings, disorientation, irritability, sleepiness, depression, mental fogginess, fatigue, and/or shortness of breath."

Isn't this what I was trying to avoid in the first place by going gluten free? lol

The conclusion I've come to is that if this gluten stuff is bad enough to cause such crazy withdrawal symptoms, it sure as heck can't be good for you, celiac or not. So while I'm glad I'm getting this out of my system, this still sucks in the meantime!

Mexican food and the candy sitting on my desk

As I sat at my parents' kitchen table on Tuesday for my brother's birthday dinner I found myself jealous....and a little angry. Apparently anger is one of the 5 stages of grief. And boy am I ever grieving about my lost food. I can't say how badly I wanted to chomp into the burrito sitting across from me while on my plate lay a skimpy home made bean and cheese burrito on a white corn tortilla. Not the same, I tell you. Not the same.

Fast forward to today and my boss dropping a huge box of fundraiser candy on my desk just waiting for people to purchase and consume. Aside from the fact that they cost money I don't have/want to spend, I got to thinking about how not being able to eat them was actually a blessing. I'm not able to put that nasty high fructose corn syrup-filled, sugar laden, calorie packed junk in my body thanks to being gluten free. Sure, there's tons of gluten free food that is bad for you, but that's not in my immediate circle right now and this candy is.

All of a sudden I'm happy to be gluten free. All it takes is a simple change in attitude! :)

Does anyone else have any similar stories?

My first thought: AHHHHH!!!!!

When I first really looked into what gluten free living was all about, I admit I freaked out a little bit. I live in San Diego, aka: delicious Mexican food capital of the US. I LOVE Mexican food, for reals. I could eat burritos for the rest of my life if I had to. When I realized I would no longer be able to just run to the Mexican food place down the street on a whim because I felt like it, I panicked. I couldn't go pick up a sub sandwich. I couldn't eat much at Sonic. Or any other number of greasy fast food places in and around my immediate work area. What was I going to do???

Fortunately, I regained my sense of composure and thought this through. If I couldn't eat at any of these places, maybe I could finally get over my weight loss hump I've been stuck in as well as generally stay away from all the awful food I was putting in my body. If I felt better too, well that was just a bonus.

Its almost been 2 weeks now and I'm doing okay. Tonight will be a test however: its my brother;s 20th birthday and what does he ask for for dinner? You got it. Mexican food. We'll see how I handle watching my entire family scarf down yummy burritos, rolled tacos and chimmichangas while I sit with my cheese, refried beans and corn tortillas. (Not a corn tortilla fan) that I brought from home. Wish me luck!