Links

 Here are the links to some of my favorite gluten free blogs and sites. I will be updating this post as I become aware of other helpful resources.

Gluten Free Goddess- Tons of recipes and real-life anecdotes about family life and Celiac
Gluten Free Girl- Recipes, and stories of cooking with friends
The Celiac Diva- Make up, info, etc
Gluten Free Make Up Gal- She blogs about make ups that are safe for people with Celiac and translates different looks into GF make up
Celiac.com-Tons of information on Celiac and related topics, plus the Gluten Free Mall where you can order GF products and a forum where you can chat and exchange information with others who are gluten free.
Gluten Free Drugs- An alphabetical list of known gluten free medications
Celiac-disease.com-Articles and references on gluten free living
Celiac.org-Information on Celiac

All about Gluten

Ever heard of Celiac? What about gluten? If you’re reading this, I imagine the answer to at least one of those is yes. But what is it? The National Institutes of Health describes Celiac as “a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley.”

Technical definitions are all well and good, but what, exactly, does that mean for someone with Celiac or an intolerance of gluten?

Simply put, it means a drastic lifestyle change.

If you’re anything like me, the thought of going gluten free has you well and truly terrified. What needs to be cut out? Will there be anything left in your diet? How do you know what to keep away from? What if you screw up? Where do you begin?

First things first: Don’t Panic. This might not be easy, but it is doable. Check out my story for a little inspiration.

Food is one of the main concerns for a beginner in the GF life. There are some obvious ones that you need to cut out, such as:
Bread
Pasta (made with wheat flour)
Pastries
Baked goods
Fried foods (which are often battered with wheat flour)


Some things to check before consuming are:
Barbecue/seasoning sauces
Processed meats
Chips
Condiments


These are things that you wouldn’t normally think of as having wheat in them, but some do, as either fillers or thickeners. Also, for those who have roommates or are trying to decide what to get rid of in the fridge, check your:
Butter
Jams and jellies
Mayonnaise
Icing

If you or someone else used that container and double dipped a crumby knife back into the jar, you’re at risk for a glutening. Drinking after someone who has eaten gluten can also get you sick. Always have a designated pasta strainer and cutting board just for gluten free foods in your kitchen.

In your medicine cabinet, watch out for:
Medications
Toothpaste
Mouth wash
Face wash
Lip products—gentlemen, this is important for your lady friends, as well. You don’t want her kissing you with a mouth covered in gluten.

Items to consider replacing:
Lotions
Cleansers
Shampoos
Shaving creams
All make up
Fragrances/perfumes/colognes
Hair care/styling products
Nail polishes

For some people, gluten in products that touch the skin will cause a dermal reaction. I, for example, break out and get sores that look like blisters. For others, gluten in these items will not affect them at all. In fact, some people who have lived a long time with Celiac or gluten intolerance will flat out deny that gluten in these items do anything to anyone. True enough, the gluten protein is too large to just seep in through your pores. But what about that vitamin D that's supposed to be absorbed by your skin? That is often made from wheat. Also, consider these questions:

How many times in your life have you gotten soap in your mouth while showering? Have you used a hair product (especially hair spray) and then tasted it on your lips after? Ever forgotten your nails were wet, and put a finger in your mouth? Does your make up, especially the powdered stuff, actually stay where it’s supposed to? Do you ever touch your face after putting on lotion? I’ve yet to meet anyone who uses these products and can absolutely guarantee that they don’t get into their bodies. If you are lucky enough to avoid all of these exposures, or to not react to them, more power to you. For the rest of us, gluten free products are a must.

When it comes right down to it, only one person can decide what the right path is, and that's you. Do what makes you feel best. Go with what is most comfortable. Tossing out absolutely everything in your house that contains gluten can be heartbreaking. However, I have made the switch so that the only gluten remaining in my entire house is in a select few cleaning supplies. Excessive? Perhaps. But I feel safe in my own home knowing there's little to no chance of being glutened. That's what's right for me.

What about you? What level of wheatlessness will you be applying to your own life?

My Story

As far back as I can remember, I've had a low level of discomfort, of just not feeling well, at all times. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and placed on a medication to correct the hormone imbalance. I started feeling better, but I still took longer than most to recover from illnesses, and generally didn’t feel quite well.

During college, I did a study abroad program in China. I spent a few months living in Hong Kong and traveling elsewhere in Asia, enjoying the local cuisine. I felt great. I assumed it was simply from the excitement of exploring somewhere new, but then, there’s not much in the way of gluten in Asia.

When I returned to the US, I started to feel ill again pretty quickly. I had a lot of digestive issues—heartburn, upset stomach, nausea, not wanting to eat, and no matter how well I did eat or how much I exercised, I could not lose weight. Needless to say, I found this more than a little frustrating.

Nearly a year went by, but since my symptoms were sporadic and not very severe, it was assumed that they were unrelated. However, one day, while helping a friend shop for her wedding gown, my stomach started cramping so bad that I passed out. That triggered a flurry of tests, and then my doctor called.

“I’m kind of surprised,” she said, “but your blood work came back positive for Celiac.”

I had no idea what that meant. She recommended a gluten free diet, whatever that was. At work that day, I started doing some research. That research, in turn, triggered tears.

Never again eat flour? How was that supposed to work? Everything was made out of flour! I spent a day mourning the loss of brownies and red velvet cake, and then I set to work.

I somehow managed to cut gluten out of my diet. I dropped five pounds in a week, felt fantastic in a matter of days, and I was a lot happier. I was set, right?

Wrong. I went to see a Gastrointestinal doctor, who wanted to do a biopsy to confirm the Celiac diagnosis. To do that, I had to start eating gluten again. That was great for the first week. I ate absolutely everything I had missed when I was gluten free. Around week two, I started to feel not so great. By week six, I was miserable, and so was everyone who lived with me. After the biopsy, my mother told me (in that "I don't mean this to hurt you" way only moms can truly manage), “I hope you stick to the gluten free diet. You’re kind of mean when you don’t.”

Right. Mean, miserable, sick all the time, gaining weight whenever I breathed. I was determined I wasn’t doing the gluten thing ever again.

My mom was a great advocate for me, and went out of her way to find recipes and goodies I could safely eat. At all the family functions, she made sure there were cookies or brownies just for me. What she couldn’t tell me, however, was just how many things I was going to have to avoid.

After a month or two, I made the mistake of ordering a steak with Jack Daniel’s sauce. Within an hour, I was sick. In the following four days that I was ill, I started my research again. Clearly, gluten wasn’t just in baked or battered goods. I also had to watch out for sauces, lip products, everything that could potentially get in my mouth.

It didn’t take long after that for me to start noticing that all of my makeup, hair products, cleansers, etc. that still contained gluten were causing me to break out. I set about the heartbreaking and expensive process of cleansing my house of gluten and replacing everything with GF products. It took time and no small amount of money. While I’m healthier and it was worth it in the end, the time and expense was often discouraging.

The process of learning everything that must be avoided, products that are not only safe but worth the money, and what questions to ask at restaurants, is a very daunting one. It was a process that I navigated mainly on my own, and I made many mistakes along the way. My aim is to provide an all-inclusive resource to anyone going gluten free or continuing to live the life. This blog will contain everything I found useful: product reviews, recipes, links to helpful sites, list of safe products, and any other information I come upon. I’m by no means an expert, but I’m hoping that my experiences can help others in their gluten free journeys.