(no subject)
The journey to being gluten free has been bumpy to say the least. I have found out I am lucky. Had I tried to do this ten years ago, I would have had to have learned every single gluten containing food enhancer, binder and additive. However, most major food companies are good to label foods that contain one of the big allergens: milk, soy, wheat, corn, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, and peanuts. It made it so much easier to go through the fridge and the cabinets and mark everything that contains gluten. If you look, everything I can't eat is marked with a giant G on top in black magic marker.
It's been interesting to see the differences even between brands. Cocktail sauce is a good example. The Walmart house brand contains gluten, but the Kraft brand does not. I have learned most fat free or low fat products contain gluten, even if the normal version does not, especially dairy products. The only lower fat product I've found that consistently doesn't have gluten is lower fat cream cheese. That is, of course, because it's not really cream cheese, but Neufchâtel, (also known as Farmer's Cheese)another cheese that tastes similar, but is lower fat. I personally use it because I prefer the taste.
I've been at this now for about 10 days, and I feel better. The rash I have that the doctor suspected was caused by the gluten intolerance had cleared up significantly, from my legs, arms, torso and hands to just my hands, and Friday I actually felt so good I cleaned the house, did all the laundry and put away summer clothes. I admit, it was a bit of a manic episode, but still, I haven't been that productive in six months.
As well as I have been doing, I managed to get "glutened" (as the celiacs call it) the other night. My family has a Friday night tradition of getting fried fish or shrimp for dinner. Since fried is out, I ordered Cajun grilled shrimp and a baked potato. The shrimp was heavily seasoned, and I have a feeling that either the seasoning or perhaps cross contamination from the grill got me. Within 2 hours, I was clawing at my legs, and had a horrible headache. Needless to say, I am just going to go buy a big bag of frozen shrimp and boil my own on Friday nights. I'm STILL recovering today.
It's been interesting to see the differences even between brands. Cocktail sauce is a good example. The Walmart house brand contains gluten, but the Kraft brand does not. I have learned most fat free or low fat products contain gluten, even if the normal version does not, especially dairy products. The only lower fat product I've found that consistently doesn't have gluten is lower fat cream cheese. That is, of course, because it's not really cream cheese, but Neufchâtel, (also known as Farmer's Cheese)another cheese that tastes similar, but is lower fat. I personally use it because I prefer the taste.
I've been at this now for about 10 days, and I feel better. The rash I have that the doctor suspected was caused by the gluten intolerance had cleared up significantly, from my legs, arms, torso and hands to just my hands, and Friday I actually felt so good I cleaned the house, did all the laundry and put away summer clothes. I admit, it was a bit of a manic episode, but still, I haven't been that productive in six months.
As well as I have been doing, I managed to get "glutened" (as the celiacs call it) the other night. My family has a Friday night tradition of getting fried fish or shrimp for dinner. Since fried is out, I ordered Cajun grilled shrimp and a baked potato. The shrimp was heavily seasoned, and I have a feeling that either the seasoning or perhaps cross contamination from the grill got me. Within 2 hours, I was clawing at my legs, and had a horrible headache. Needless to say, I am just going to go buy a big bag of frozen shrimp and boil my own on Friday nights. I'm STILL recovering today.