my earliest memories of being constantly sick to my stomach are to around 4 or 5 years old. my mom confirmed it was more like 2/2 - 3 years old.
lactose intolerance is often a secondary sign of celiac. this type of lactose intolerance is often "temporary" and the person will "outgrow" the intolerance.
the summer i turned 9, my stomach symptoms became so bad that i lost 1/3 of my body weight because i was constantly sick and could eat nothing. the doctor, alarmed by the weight loss, said "lactose intolerance" and all dairy was removed from my diet except for the addition of sweet acidophilous milk which helped to heal and restore the digestive track. episodes of being sick decreased from daily to perhaps once or twice a week, and were chalked up to hidden dairy.
no diagnostics for the lactose intolerance was ever done because i was too sick at the time to handle the test. i remember the doctor's words being "we don't want to kill her." the improvement from diet alone was enough for the diagnosis to stick, and i was mostly dairy free through high school, slowly starting to let myself slip in college.
stomach upsets and "incidents" continued, but i just chalked it up to being my body. now i don't wonder if this wasn't a big sign of celiac.
add to that sign that my mother has always had the same problem, and "iffy" stomach. my dad talks about incidents of IBS, and how IBS runs on his side of the family.
i'm seeing a different genetic connection right now.
and today is the company cook-out at lunch, with food being catered in. i don't think i'm going to bother going down. hot dogs? nope. hamburger with no bun? can't be sure there isn't fller in the patties. sides? what's in the dressing. . . . easier to eat the lunch i brought.
ah, i meant to do this last week. last week's cooking adventures including the zucchini bread recipes i posted, and grilled chicken breast, quinoa pasta and a ginger-tamari sauce.
the zucchini bread is not quite enough for a loaf pan, and doesn't rise too high. but despite the short stature of the slices, they were incredibly filling. the change of flour is nice - it doesn't have a raw taste to it, which i have always noticed with wheat flour cooking. and there was this hint of a crispiness to each bite, that i can always assume is the rice flour. it was as if there were crushed rice krispies in there somewhere, giving a very subtle hint to taste and texture.
this week, lunch will be homemade baked beans*, and a quinoa salad:
1 c. quinoa
2 c. chicken stock
rinse and cook per directions.
i then chunked and sauted the remaining zuchini i had in some olive oil. in a large bowl i mixed up oile oil and red vinegar, adding 2 cloves of garlic, minced, and salt, papper, cumin, and herbs de provence. to this i added chopped up green onions, a green pepper, and two tomatoes. added the now colled zuchini, tossed, and added the cooled quinoa. i dressed it with a bit more olive oil, salt, pepper and the juice of whole lemon. toss well and chill
it. is. scrumtous!
i have my next bring-to-a-party dish.
~~~~~~~~~~~
* and upon meeting up with Bob again friday night at Whole Foods, i decided to do them with a mix of navy beans and adzuki beans, which he suggested as they are known as a "healing food" for those with celiac. he also assured me that my local WF bulk food area was safe for me to peruse for beans and rice.
from Bob's Red Mill (home of all my new flowers and mixes!)
1/3 cup Canola Oil
2/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
2 large Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1-3/4 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1-1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1/2 tsp. Salt
1-1/2 cups Banana, mashed
1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup Raisins (Unsulfured)
Serves 10.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
(per serving)
Calories 310, Calories from Fat 120, Total Fat 13g, Saturated Fat 1.5g, Cholesterol 40mg, Sodium 230mg, Total Carbohydrate 46g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 19g, Protein 5g.
a link from Kraft Foods on how they label their foods regarding gluten:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/health/articles/gluten_free_0623031.pdf
also, helpful information on lactose intollerance:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/HealthyLiving/articles/lactosesensitive.htm
this is one of my all time favorite comfort food (and i have no money for groceries!) foods. i serve it over basmati rice.
1 c. yellow split peas (toor dal)
3 c water
1 tsp sea salt
1 chopped yellow onion (small to medium)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained*
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil**
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp Garam Masala
wash peas and soak in water for 10 minutes. drain, rinse and place in a medium saucepan with salt and 1/2 of the onion. bring to a boil and reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the peas are tender (about 45 minutes).
while the peas are cooking, heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the remaining onion with garlic and Garam Masala over medium hear, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden and add the diced tomatoes to heat through (10-15 minutes).
add the onion mixture t the peas, stirring to combine. simmer 10 minutes r so to blend flavors
*"flavored" tomatoes with garlic or spices added work fine
**you can use ghee is you have access
from Arrowhead Mills
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 c organic brown rice flour
1/4 c. potato flour2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 c raisins
or is it all in my head? no need or caffeine yesterday, and my tummy seemed to be in good form which was so strange that i actually noticed a lack of cramps and ickiness.
my diet for this week goes something like this:
bfast:
peanut butter smoothie (sliken tofu, organic pb, banana, GF vanilla soy milk)
stoneyfield yogurt
midmorning:
1/2 larabar** with all the water i can drink
lunch:
grilled chicken breast with quinoa pasta
made extra marinade to create sauce for pasta - GF tamari, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger and honey
cucumber salad (chunked and marinated in rice vinegar,red wine vinegar, slat, pepper and various herbs)
afternoon:
1/2 larabar
pre-workout snack:
2 slices fat-free cheese
piece of fruit
dinner:
romaine with GF giner dressing
handful or corn chips
blueberries for dessert
i've stopped obsession on calories, fat grams, points, and everything else, and am simpy eating GF as i need. my body can't go loner than 3/12 hours without something in it, thus the constan snacking, and smaller meals. but yes, doable quite easily.
** larabars. oh, my!! i am running, not walking to buy these in bulk! i've never been a fan or supplement bars, granola bars, anything bars, but these are little pieces of heaven!
from Arrowhead Mills
1 can green chiles, diced
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 c. Organic Brown Rice Flour
1/2 c. potato starch flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 c. milk
2 eggs, separated
Preheat over to 350. Mix green chiles and onions with cheese. Layer mixture on bottom of an 8x8x2 casserole dish. Mix dry ingredients together well. Add the milk and egg yolks, mixing only until moistened. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour mixture over green chiles mixture. Swirls a knife through mixtures to mix lightly. Bake for 40 minutes. serves 6-8
(found in an old [i.e. 1994!] message index while searching for quinoa recipes)
1 c quinoa
1 tsp butter
8 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed),diced
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic,minced
2c water
pinch of cayenne pepper ,
2Tbsp chopped fresh parsley ,
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Place quinoa in a fine-meshed sieve and rinse under warm running water for
1 min. Set aside.
Heat butter in a heavy, med. saucepan over med. heat. Add tomatoes,
shallots and garlic and saute for 3-5 mins, or till shallots are softened.
Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Stir quinoa and cayenne, return
to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30 mins,
or until liquid is absorbed. Let sit for 5 mins, and fluff grains with a
fork to separate. Stir in fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Serves : 4
behold the beginnings of my new gluten-free
pantry. it's a very empty pantry right now because i've already
cleared out four large grocery bags of 'no more' foods. i've
taken one down to my parents (which i'm not convinced is a good idea,
because i think they have shown signs of needing to go GF as well), and
the others to check with robin and her family and they rest to the food
bank.
and i still have probably another 6 bags i could fill with soups and
couscous mixes and all the other stuff lurking in other areas of the
kitchen.
as always, i love my local whole foods. there is a reason i
drive a 1/2 hour out of the way to go there every week. last
night it took me over an hour to shop with my list of what to get, what
to look out foron the food labels, and just larning to read the shelves
entirely differently and find where everything is. luckily, early
on in the aking aisle i met Bob by stoping him to ask if they had the
Chébé bread mix (which the Chébé website said this locale did
carry). he thought itsounded familiar, and wewent on a hunt
around the whol store to see if it was hidden someplace non-sensical
considering it should be with teh other bread mixes. alog the
way, Bob stopped to point out the various spots where gluten-free
products were nested together. there is a huge aray of GF pizza
crusts alone -- including frozen dough which will be likely what i'll
use until i figure out a good recipe on my own.
Bob also provided mewith review of various items, and offered to
inspect my basket so far. he wasconcerned the quinoa speghetti i
picked up wasn't the bast choice because of the corn. "it isn't
as forgiving." turns out Bob's wife has celiac, and he eats GF
with her as well. he was a super help, and spent about 15 minutes
with me touring the store and making suggestions. he then
suggested i head back to the info desk and ask for the printout of all
the GF products the providence store carried.
and the staff at the desk was also super helpful, giving reviews for
the best brownie mixes, and reminding me to check out the WF
gluten-free bakery section on the freezer aisle. the GF kicthens
for WF prepared food is up and running!! it is a great selection
of allergen free foods, in all sorts of yummy things, including one
staple for everyones diet: chocolate chip cookies. gluten,
egg, dairy and nut free.
needless to say, shoping was completely over budget, but i feel like
i'm setting up a new house with all this stuff i need to get. i
never did find the Chébé bread mix i wanted, but i did find their
frozen breadsticks. WF said they would hold aside some of the
bread mix for me with the next order that came in.
i'm also holding on to last nights recipt so i can check out to see
if i can save anything with buying some of the flours and mixes in bulk
from amazon.com. their GF section is also really great, but i
have noticed on their organic food that they can't beat the price at WF
already.
and all this for doing this change-over in "baby-steps". i
think going cold turkey would absolutely break me. and my bank
account!
