Many folks in my circles of influence have been asking about this whole gluten-free lifestyle thing that we have going on. I gave a few tips on my Facebook page, and lo and behold they asked for more. Let me take just a few minutes to share some things that we have learned over the past year and a half.
First, it isn’t as bad or as hard as it seems. At first, when faced with eliminating many foods that you love and cherish, this whole living without lifestyle really seems like the end of the world. I grew up in the northern mid-west. We eat lots of carbs, casseroles, and other things that make even the least sensitive Celiac break out in hives. When we found out that most everything that we consumed, we could no longer eat, we were pretty bummed. But then we began to explore the alternatives. Corn tortillas and/or leafy lettuce make excellent substitutes for bread and/or wheat tortillas. If you must have bread, make it yourself. I can count on two hands the number of traditional sandwiches that I have had in the past year or so. It isn’t that big of a deal. However, I can tell you that if we absolutely did not have to do this for the sake of our health, I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have made the switch. A possessed toddler and fatigued and grumpy dad make for a pretty miserable household! You have to make the commitment. A few notes about food stuffs:
- There are tons of products available out there. Some of the best that we have found really are the cheapest. Bob’s Red Mill makes an excellent line of gluten free mixes/flours/meals. These are normally available in most grocery stores and Wal Mart. Betty Crocker also makes some really good cake a cookie mixes. Can’t beat 2.97 for a cake mix!
- Fresh, whole foods really are best. Fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts..you know, that whole food pyramid minus the wheat-y stuff?
- Ancient grains such as quinoa, amaranth, and millet are really head and shoulders above most traditional grains. We really prefer quinoa to even brown rice. It has a bit of a nutty flavor to it, but blends well with most dishes. Brown rice and quinoa together is pretty common in many recipes that I have seen. Get a little adventure!
- About dining out: Many places have a menu for gluten-free selections, just ask. We don’t eat out much because it can be a pain in the neck, but I can tell you that many steakhouses such as Longhorn and Outback have great selections and are willing to help. Fast food is hit-or-miss. McDonald’s: Pretty much can only eat their burgers. Fries are cross contaminated, if not laced with poisonous flour to keep them from sticking. Chicken is out as they have hydrolyzed wheat protein injected. Wendy’s is really pretty good, and I think they have a menu available (on-line if nothing else). Chick-fil-a is paradise: Grilled chicken with no bun and fries. Polynesian sauce = heavenly!
Second, you really don’t need to eat all that junk. We basically arrived at a point where our love affair with food ended. Our situation was a bit different because we couldn’t just buy the gluten-free alternatives (they are $$$$!), so we made due and changed it all up. If you do enough research, you’ll find plenty of ‘junk food’ that is gluten free. My recommendation: Don’t search too hard. I mean, if you’re not going to be able to eat many of the foods that you love, just choose a couple things that you know you can eat and get those for a treat. My choices: Peanut M&Ms and Cool Ranch Doritos. That is pretty much the extent of my junk food.
Finally, get some good resources. The first book that we got about gluten-free living was Living Gluten-Free For Dummies. My wife, Destiny, got this book as a crash course into the living without lifestyle and this book laid a great foundation for our new life. Another book that we recently got is You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free!: 500 Delicious, Foolproof Recipes for Healthy Living.This book is an excellent resource if you want to make some of your own foods, but do not want to buy a lot of special flours. The author gives a lot of excellent ways to use different starches. The pizza crust recipe that she has for using corn starch is hands down the best crust we have eaten to date! Google is also your friend. If I am even remotely suspect of an item’s contents, I Google it. If I can’t find anything on it, then chances are we won’t eat it. Gluten-Free Living for Dummies really is a good resource in that it helps to determine some of the hidden ingredients that we would never have thought twice about. Also, sites like Celiac.org are priceless. The people on there talking about their experiences with different products have been an invaluable resource for our family. These people are generally highly allergic to gluten/wheat/etc and take almost no chances.
The bottom line is this: You have to go from living to eat to eating to live. In our culture, food is a way of life, a way of socializing, a way of comfort. The living without lifestyle can be all of those things, but I honestly believe that a healthy outlook on food is that we really only need it so that we can live. We don’t have to enjoy it, nor does it have to be some grand presentation. Are those things nice, you bet! Necessary, no! When the love affair ends, when you lay food down as an idol, you will view it differently.
I’d love to share dialogue with anyone going through this process. These are just some guidelines that have helped us in our journey and I hope they help you in yours. Feel free to leave a comment or a tip in the tip jar. Oh wait, no tip jar. Comments would be great!
