A Diet Dilemma
December 1st, 2011
Ok, I just like an exaggerated title to draw your attention.
Hi guys! Miss me?
(That is my knee that my chin is resting on, in case you were curious.)
I’ve missed you. And I’m not really in the middle of some HUGE dilemma.
But I am going through some significant dietary changes right now. Last week I was at the Dr’s and she told me that she’s 99% sure that I have Celiac’s disease. I have known for many, many years that wheat does not agree with me and have dabbled in a gluten free diet a few times. So hearing this, I was not in the least bit surprised. However, she did tell me that the best way to diagnose Celiac’s is by a biopsy and that biopsy is not that accurate. She said since I know I don’t feel good when I eat wheat and I exhibit a lot of the classic symptoms of Celiac’s, I shouldn’t bother with the biopsy and just switch to a gluten-free diet. (I’m not saying that everyone wondering if they have Celiac’s should skip this test, I’m just saying that is the advice the Dr. told me and I happened to follow it.)
SO, she told me this the day before Thanksgiving and which lead to some interesting Thanksgiving meals (I wasn’t going to tell my mother in law that I couldn’t eat the wonderful vegetarian stuffing she made just for me…).
You’re wondering what the dilemma is? Well there is one biggie: whenever I switch to gluten free, I drop weight and I don’t really have a lot of weight to drop in the first place. It’s just that my munching ceases and I don’t have a lot of gluten-free snacks as back ups.
I’m looking for your help as I begin to fill my gluten-free pantry.
What items are must-haves for gluten free baking?
What are some delicious snacks I should look for?
And most importantly…
WHAT ABOUT BEER?!!!???!!!
Ok, that’s another exaggeration, but I still need a beer replacement.
The other thing on my mind regarding my diet is vegetarianism. Meat grosses me out, which is why I don’t eat it. I’ve been toying with the idea of introducing it back into my diet though. Ideally, I’d like to eat a vegetarian diet 90% of the time, gluten free 100% (<–that’s not really optional), and allow that extra 10% for whenever I’m out to eat or at people’s houses and vegetarian food isn’t available. I haven’t had any meat in about 4 years, and the truth is that now I’m simply scared of it.
Basically, I just want to get over my fear of meat to give my now-strict diet a little bit more room to breathe. I just don’t want to be afraid to consume meat, either knowingly or not.
So what do you think I should do to start to get over this fear of meat?
And on a positive note: the Dr. said that when my digestive system heals from the damage gluten has done, I should notice that I’m able to handle more lactose-laden foods. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!!!!
Did you get all of that? Let’s recap–
What items are must-haves for gluten free baking?
What are some delicious snacks I should look for?
What are some gluten-free beers ?
So what do you think I should do to start to get over this fear of meat?
Ok, it’s time for the Pens vs. the Caps. This will be a crazy good game! LET’S GO PENS!
(Source)
P.S. My little brother started a #25daysofGrinchmas on Twitter. Each day you tweet a line from the 2000 version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” I am already laughing at the lines that people are tweeting. Please join us and the laughter and DON’T FORGET TO USE THE HASHTAG!
Categories: Uncategorized
Abby, this picture just made my week!
That game made my week!
Couldn’t agree more
Hmmm. I don’t know much about gluten-free diets, so I can’t offer you much but the best of luck. I can imagine changing up your diet seems daunting, so that’s not fun. But I bet once you get into a good groove, you’ll benefit by not only feeling better, but having a better understanding of your body and what it can handle. Good luck!
Thank you!!! I’m working on it.
While I sit here in the library procrastinating on studying the renal system….I was so happy to see another post from you
It helps me feel caught up on your life-even when I do a really bad job of actually staying caught up on people’s lives in Pittsburgh.
Anyways, one of my friends has to eat a gluten-free diet (I might have mentioned her at some point), and I’ll ask her if she has suggestions. One thing she did find she could eat was lots and lots of chocolate
Hahaha. But, she really snacks all the time-so I’ll see what some of her munchies are (and she barely uses the pre-packaged “gluten-free” foods). There’s a few really good cookie recipes that are gluten-free and she found one brand of beer that is gluten-free that is sold somewhere in Pittsburgh (i’ll ask her about that as well). Oh yeah, and she decided not to be vegetarian anymore as well-because she knew that being completely gluten-free and a vegetarian (and with you, if you are cutting out most dairy at least at first-this is probably especially true!)…that it is incredibly difficult to make sure you are getting adequate nutrition, calories, vitamins, etc.
My suggestion in order to start eating meat is to start out with dishes where the meat is mixed in and you don’t really notice it. Things like chili with mostly beans but a little bit of ground beef, or soups/stews that have some meat in them. That way you aren’t staring at a hunk of meat on a plate. Also-just distract yourself while you eat it, have a fun meal with friends, and it isn’t as bad. The couple times i’ve eaten meat this past year-that is how i’ve done it…just forced myself to start taking bites, focus on conversations and what else is going on–and eventually the feeling of being scared that you are going to gag or get really grossed out by it, starts to fade.
That may have been TMI–hahaha, but hope some of it helps
Ahhh I will try!!! It freaks me out, but when I look a food with meat in it, I think “that looks good.” But when it comes to eating it, I can’t do it! I’ll try to be in situations when I don’t have to think about. I think i’ll also try taking bites of Dave’s meals just as an introduction. Thanks for the comment–definitely not TMI! I miss you! We need to catch up!
I’m assuming you’ve probably heard of Celiac Teen (http://www.celiacteen.com/) already, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about her recipes in the food blogosphere
Also, Denise Baird from our small group (blonde with the two little girls) eats GF, so she might be a good person to connect wth. I hope the transition isn’t too difficult for you!
I haven’t heard of the Celiac Teen! I will check that out! Thanks for letting me know about Denise, too! I will talk with her!
I’m not gluten free or strictly veg so I don’t have any specific advice for you boo! However, I do believe that everyone’s body/diet is a journey with ups and downs and it takes a while to figure out what’s right for us. Be patient and don’t get discouraged!
PS – awesome game last night, no?
GO PENS! And Matt COoke took an elbow to the head and Carlson isn’t even MEETING with Shanahan. Ridiculous. Shanahan hates Matt Cooke.
I’ve heard that good gluten-free beers are very hard to come by and that wine becomes your fast friend
I will keep my eyes out for a good one though, I love a good beer research.
Good luck with the transition. A good friend of mine went gluten free after finding out she had celiac’s disease and she says it’s been pretty easy. Most restaurants have gluten free options now a days and the grocery stores are full of alternative products!
<3
Thanks, Kacy!!!
Abby quinoa flour is a very versatile substitute for baking. I have a good recipe for gluten free banana bread that I can send you. Good luck.
Thanks, Koelle! I will look for it. I’d love the recipe if you have time to send it to me!
Hey Abby! I’m sorry to hear about your diet dilemma. I wasn’t eating meat for a long time but when I found out I was pregnant (yep!) my baby said GIVE ME MEAT! I started with chicken in the crock pot because it turns out juicy, tender and has no strange texture that would gross me out (like steak – still can’t eat that). I’m still stuck at chicken, but am willing to try more as long as I’m not too skeeved by the idea. Put a jar of salsa in there w/ the chick and you can’t go wrong.
AHHH YEAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!
If you don’t already read her blog, check out Ashley at http://edibleperspective.com/. I don’t think she’s completely gluten-free, but she eats very very little gluten for similar reasons as you. And she loves beer, so she’s been able to find beers that are okay, I think. Otherwise, you could always just start drinking buckets of vodka (I believe Cold River is gluten-free).
I love Ashley! She’s a good friend of mine
i have used some of her recipes and they are always delicious! I’ll definitely ask her about beer. Thanks for the reminder!
Most of your “better” gluten free beer options will probably be sorghum beers. My husband just made one for work, it wasn’t the best but there are some people out there doing a better job. I guess you could get into making your own GF beer?
Dave brews his own, so I’ll put in a special request!! Thanks
My mom was diagnosed with Celiac when I was four (as in…she gets violently ill and sometimes we end up in the ER since she’s also diabetic and her blood sugars drop since she can’t keep anything down!), so I’ve been around her eating habits my entire life. And that was back when they didn’t have all these fancy breads and she ate rice cake sandwiches. Many grocery stores have gluten free aisles with tons of pastas and breads and bagels and snacks. The pretzels are supposed to be pretty good. I haven’t done much gluten free baking (because it’s hard and expensive!), but they have lots of mixes and stuff now…even Bisquick makes a gluten free mix! Plus, there are lots of snacks out there that don’t involve gluten to begin with, so that’s a perk. Good luck! The beer part would make me really sad.
Oh my gosh. Living off rice cakes… that sounds horrible! I went to the health food store last night and got some basics.. I hope they are good! Next thing I need to find is good beer!
oh you sound like me about 4 years ago! i have tons of GF resources, even beer! The trick is to stick to whole foods and natural GF grains. like brown rice, quinoa, potatoes, etc. I like to make GF bread and freeze it too! There are tons of good brands if you want to spend a little more t first to adjust. Udi’s makes a great GF bread and so does Rudi’s. THey can send you a free coupon to try it out first. Read ALL ingredients because even a jar of peanuts can have wheat flour in it.
This helps!
http://www.celiac.com/categories/Safe-Gluten%252dFree-Food-List-%7B47%7D-Unsafe-Foods-%26amp%3B-Ingredients/
email me ANYTIME!!!!
oh and betty crocker has a cheap GF cookie and cake mix. its pretty good!
THANKS! I saw some Betty Crocker stuff last night, but stuck with PAmela’s mixes. That’s what my Dr. suggest since she uses it as a replacement in all of her baking. I will try Betty Crocker though because it’s cheaper!! I need to find a place nearby that carries Udi’s.. I hear great things about them. I’ll see about that coupon. Thank you SOOOO much for all of your help!
Apparently we have some catching up to do!! I thought going GF might make me lose weight, because I am a big fan of bread. However, it didn’t at all. I still get in a LOT of carbs and have found ways to make delicious GF treats. Udi’s does make the BEST GF bread [specially the millet chia bread] but it’s expensive and so so small. I don’t rely on it, but eat that when I am in need of a quick toast + eggs comfort meal, or if I’m feeling sick. GF bread just doesn’t have much nutritional value to it, but the UDI’s bread is the best. Tortilla chips are still a GO and with guacamole are a great, filling snack option. Toasted corn tortillas are great instead of flour, and the GF brown rice tortillas take a minute to get used to, but when you broil them they are awesome! We should catch up soon and I can give you a lot more info! For some reallllllly odd reason, my stomach is 100% fine with beer. So weird!
Thanks, Ashley!!!! I’ve been buying some more ingredients so I can make more of the food on your blog. I’ve never made a recipe of yours that I didn’t like. I’m going to try out Udi’s. I hear nothing but good things about them. I may be ok with beer, but I’m scared to find out!! Let’s catch up soon! I miss you!
Hi Abby. I went GF after some similar problems. I was actually losing weight eating gluten since it was making me sick and when I switched I managed to be able to maintain a healthy weight and feel better than ever.
As far as the beer goes, there’s Red Bridge, and that’s all I really know.
Finding a good GF bread is a trial and error process, as is the entire gluten-free eating thing. A lot of restaurants now cater to GF diets and have GF options. If you’re looking for a burger, you can bring your own bun to a restaurant or wherever or ask for it “protein style” (which is just wrapped in lettuce – check and make sure this restaurant does it, though).
Bob’s Red Mill has a LOT of GF flowers ranging from almond to coconut to rice to all-purpose. There’s plenty of recipes for GF treats online, too.
I’m not going to lie: going GF is hard at first. It can be really, really frustrating. But as long as you are feeling better, it will be worth it.
GF snacks I mainly just stick to yogurt and fruit, fruit w/ peanut butter, edamame, etc.
anyways feel free to email if you need advice/support/brand names of delicious things
Thank you for the suggestions! Truly, reading comments like yours make it seem so much more doable (i know it is doable, I just had a minor meltdown when I realized I could hardly eat ANYTHING I was used to). I really appreciate you taking the time to comment with suggestions! So helpful!
I am not GF but I just have weird eating issues. So I tend to panic when it comes time to eat, literally!
Maybe if you are trying to start eating meat again, eat it pre-made like eat out so you don’t have to deal with cooking it?
You better figure those issues out, girl! Eating should be fun!
ahh I’m so sorry about the Celiac diagnosis…it is not fun
about 1.5 years ago I began to drop a lot of weight from my already thin body and my doctors told me I had celiac…I didn’t get the biopsy either, and switched to Gluten-free…more weightless, and even more tiredness was the result. BUT that was because I did not seek carb replacements, I just cut them out. Now a days there are so so so many delicious gluten-free choices, go down the natural-food isle of any grocery store and grab EVERYTHING!! hehe!
*see how you feel after a while, then get a biopsy,I promise it’s not that bad!
after a year of feeling so sad without my lover Mr. Wheat, I got a biopsy and found out I do not have Chron’s, instead I have Hyperthyroid
***sorry! right as I was pushing send I saw that I wrote Chron’s instead of Celiac (the other autoimmune my Dr. thought I had!)…sorry for such a long post!!
~I hope your week is off to a great start! xoxo!