How to make a sandwich...with food allergies

No corn.  No gluten.  The first thing to go, without a backward glance, was sandwiches.  Bread is chock full of both those items, in fact...since wheat and yeast and salt make up the gist of most sandwich bread recipes, it seemed impossible to ever find a substitute, beyond rice cakes that is. 
However, life went on.  I didn't really look backwards. 
At least, not until Bumblebee passed the peanut challenge.  Something about peanut butter simply begs for a sandwich.  It's good on a spoon.  It's divine dipped in chocolate.  But it's better on bread. 
The trouble is that most yeast is grown on corn.  I really didn't even want to go there.  And experimenting with a yeast dough using only flours I, personally, am safe consuming seemed simply overwhelming.  It's not like I had a lot of experience with what it's supposed to look like.  And if I screwed up with expensive flours...well.  Lets just say I wasn't anxious for this specific learning experience. 
I'm still not interested in a yeasted dough. 
But, it's been 7 years since I was first diagnosed with corn allergies.  5 or 6 years since I went gluten free and got corn savvy.  I've learned a thing or two about cooking, we have cookies and cake and muffins. 
And so, the corn free, gluten free peanut butter sandwich was born. 
Most people start with a store bought loaf of bread.  Me?  I start with a cup of water.  I beat in a few eggs.  Add my preferred blend of rice and tapioca flours, some sugar and oil, and a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg.  Bake.  Slice.  Smear with peanut butter and...yum. 
It's not that healthy.  There's an awful lot of sugar and carb content.  But, it sure is satisfying. 

Real Food

Recently, struggling to come up with food for Bumblebee, I couldn't help but wonder when we got to this point.  And was immediately assaulted by the memory of sitting in a professionals office, discussing Bumblebee's reluctance to attend school and food issues and being told that she shouldn't be expected to eat the veggies and whole grains I make, since she doesn't have Celiac Disease she deserves "real food".  And an interview with a nutritionist shortly after I was diagnosed with both Celiac Disease and Corn Allergy, tearfully explaining that there was NOTHING I could eat, and the kids needed food too...and being told that I couldn't deprive them of "real food". 
Each time I was on overload, so I nodded, blinked away any tears threatening to fall, and agreed that my limited diet was intolerable for kids. 
But I never thought to step back, narrow my eyes and ask what exactly they considered "Real Food"?  What, exactly, is wrong with a gluten free diet that makes people think of it as "fake" food?  Rice bread isn't any less valid than wheat bread...it just tastes different.  Rice pasta, again, simply has a different texture and taste than 'regular' pasta.  It's not fake.  It's just made from a different grain.
Looking through gluten-free cookbooks always makes me shake my head.  While I am in need of inspiration for nightly meals, I find that specific cookbooks for gluten free foods have a distinct focus on baking.  Breads, cakes, cookies.  Carbs.  Of which we, as a society, get way too many of to begin with.
Real food.  Is it cake?  Pizza?  Macaroni?  And when did it get that way? 
I look at last night's meal (which was a sort of quiche-filling poured over leftover pasta.  Not gourmet, but tasty and chock full of spinach and pepper and onion, as well as protein from eggs)  I wonder what ever possessed me to think that serving cereal or a sandwich to Bumblebee was somehow superior?  A valid choice if she doesn't like the meal, sure.  But more appropriate because it's "real" and has gluten and/or dairy plus corn? 
What's happened to our priorities? 
I'm exaggerating a bit.  I've never really thought a sandwich was "superior" to the rest of the meal.  But there's been that nugget of guilt.  Poor Bumblebee.  Poor Mr. Violets.  They have to put up with fake food, when they could be eating...GLUTEN. 
Well, the guilt is ending (er, well, okay...by ending I mean 'being hidden away and ignored to the best of my ability') right now. 
Tonight's meal is rice and beans with salad.  It's a meal offered on dozens of restaurant menus, and enjoyed by thousands of households in the american continents.  Plural.  There's nothing fake about it, even if I only serve avocado and no cheese or sour cream.  In fact, I believe some would find it even more traditional that way. 
Real food isn't about gluten, or dairy, or any other allergen.  It's about food.  It's about seeing your food, knowing where it came from, and enjoying it.  It's about food that's approachable.  Simple.  Nourishing.  It's the opposite of what you'd pull out of the Star Trek Enterprise holo-replicator mechanism.  It's the good chocolate.  (you know, the only kind I can safely eat that costs a fortune)  It's old fashioned oats or Quinoa flakes.  It's pure cane sugar.  It's water instead of Kool Aid.  It's food that formed on a farm, not in a laboratory, and grew from seeds that weren't GM.  (at least, in my opinion) 
Real food is a recurring theme on allergy boards.  Missing, wishing, dreaming of "real food".  But food without allergens IS real.  It's valid.  It's tasty.  It's nourishing because of what IS in it, not lacking because of what's not. 
And you know what?  In many ways, it CAN be superior to the so called "real" of the Standard American Diet.  Real Food is often gluten free.  Why shouldn't it be? 

Gluten Free idiots

Gee.  Just when you thought things were settling down and the Gluten Free community was getting some respect, a famous chef comes out of the closet with his REAL feelings on the subject. 
I won't repost his full condemnation.  You can read it at ABC.  Or here.  Or here. 
It's obvious this guy has anger management issues. 
But the gist of the post isn't generic anger or irritation.  He's not just angry.  He's mad enough to do something.  And dangerous enough to apparently smile while poisoning anyone with Celiac who walks through his door. 
The worst part is...he seems educated.  He knows what gluten is.  He states that he will reassure gluten free diners that their food is gluten free, and then he will knowingly serve them homemade high-gluten pasta (extra gluten in dough can improve texture), and take their compliments. 
What he doesn't realize is that Celiac disease is not anaphylaxis.  It doesn't strike immediately.  The gluten has to hit the intestines before it does it's damage.  And different people react differently. 
Some might have no symptoms at all.  Some poor bloke could eat weekly at this restaurant, assured that the pasta is gluten free, and die from intestinal cancer.  Because of the damage caused by the gluten he unknowingly ingested.  Others will have their romantic night out spoiled...just about the time they're settling in for a movie, or bed.  Or possibly not until tomorrow morning's early meeting that can't be missed. 

Yes, grains have been a part of the human diet for hundreds of years.  And Celiac has existed for just as long (there are reports in the Bible of wasting diseases that are suspected cases of Celiac disease.  That means it's at least 2000 years old.) 

But the sanity of a gluten free diet isn't the question.  Any individual in America has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  We have the right to protect our lives the way we see fit.  (By pursuing whatever diet...medically proven or fad...that we believe will be most suitable to our needs)  We have the right to CHOOSE what we eat.  Now, we don't have to choose to eat in restaurants.  But, if we do, we have the right to know what exactly they are putting in the food if we choose to ask.  And we have the right to pursue happiness.  Some chef who has decided that a medical diagnosis of Celiac Disease is ridiculous and therefore derails attempts to live a normal life within the constraints of a medically restricted diet interferes with our right to pursue happiness. 
In fact, he could cause irreprable harm.  Not just to a person's health (eventually, there is an exposure that you really don't come back all the way from) but to their psyche.  If he's assuring a gluten free consumer that they received a gluten free meal, while they are developing symptoms, they will blame the symptoms on something else.  Like nerves, or eating out in general (the stress or the airborne particles) or kissing their significant other.  A well placed reaction can lead to a fight between even the most understanding of spouses.  Just because it's disappointing to have well made plans go astray for bathroom access. 

I don't think this man is alone in thinking people following a gluten free diet are "idiots".  (liberal hippie idiots, in fact)  And that's the real danger.  I've seen the poker face that slides over someone's face when I clarify that no, we don't make exceptions for parties.  No, we don't make exceptions for really good pizza or really expensive cookies.  It's all or nothing for our family.  Mr. Violets and Bumblebee eat all the gluten they want outside of the home and ask for no accomodation.  Penguin and I eat none.  At all.  Period. 

The reactions are miserable and it sends the wrong message. Some people think the diet is too restrictive.  I think that it's only restrictive when there are people we can't trust to respect our choices and physical needs.  And statements like the ones made by Chef Cardone make those of us with dietary needs feel that we can't trust others, even ones who seem supportive. 

Grocery budget and food allergies

As any allergy sufferer knows, allergy friendly foods don't come cheap.  The more varied your avoidance list, and the stronger your sensitivity, the more brand loyal you become.  And the most allergy friendly companies are often the ones rarely on sale. 
Luckily, whole foods are healthy foods, and many are relatively the cheap.  Labor intensive, but bank book friendly.  Most people who have dietary restrictions try to balance their diets with fun, packaged preprepared safe foods that might cost exponentially more than the safe counterpart and cheap, healthy, labor intensive ingredients.  Many find themselves "stuck" following a healthier diet that way.
And others are completely price tag blind when it comes to food.
In our house, food is an ongoing struggle. 
There are 4 individuals.  One needs to lose weight, and has no will power.  (well, very little anyways.  But I love him anyway.)  He's the one often taking over food prep or presentation, when I'm not up for it.  One has very few food restrictions; is exceptionally picky, and is a perfect weight.  Two are avoiding gluten (among other things) and need to gain.  One of them is also avoiding corn, in charge of all cooking and budget keeping...and dealing with stomach issues on an ongoing basis. 
Hopefully you can visualize the bones of the problem here...variety and options.  When Bumblebee wants to live off of toast and jam, not only is that not healthy but it takes an extra layer of thought to keep her happy, fed, and the rest of us safe. 
Now, we've done fairly well with budgeting so far.  It's hard...but we figure the trade off is that our expensive meals come to under $15...and for a family our size to eat out is probably at least twice that, depending on where we went and whether the kids drink juice, soda or water. 
However, lately we've slipped a bit.  Mr Violets has been packing more lunches, and picking up odds and ends from the grocery store.  And I've been blissfully ignorant of the potential ramifications.  Until the credit card bill arrived and knocked me off my feet.
This opened a dialogue on what exactly the kids have been finding in their lunches.
And wait a minute...how many loaves of gluten free bread are you buying a week?
It's a miracle we can still make rent.
(Getting angry at your husband for helping out around the house isn't always a good move, by the way.  It raises his hackles and hurts his feelings.) 
Mr Violets' response was that we needed groceries.  He's been running to the store every time Penguin ran out of bread or bagels, he's been making sure we have enough squeezy applesauce in the cupboard (Which, he might add, I don't even buy enough to get through a full week!), he's been the one tossing crackers and green beans and bars into lunch bags.  I should be grateful. 
(Girls?  What happens to those bars?  Wide eyes.  Gulp.  Shift weight from one foot to the other.  Whispers.  "Well, X really likes them.  And so, um, sometimes I take a bite and then...it's already open.  So I don't want to throw it away..." That's enough.  That's okay.  You're not in trouble.) 
So...in the end, we've been spending expensive bagged lunches to school with the girls so they could give away the good stuff.  Grumble. 
I had to take a few steps back to see why Mr. Violets was getting so defensive.  Why couldn't he see that spending a fortune on food was a huge problem? 
"It's just money," he said, "I'll make more." 
And later "If that's what it costs, that's what it costs.  It's a sacrifice we have to make.  We can't let her starve." 
This is where I began to realize we were fighting two different fights. 
To him, the grocery budget is not a budget.  We need food, we buy food.  We buy what the kids will eat, what they want, what we want.  We splurge on candy or cookies.  But basics?  Protein, beans, grains?  Those are free foods.  We buy as many as we "need".  For me to put a limit on something as basic as bread (and casein free cheese) is akin to attacking his ability to provide. 
I was having trouble explaining that I look at the prepackaged options.  I break the meals down into dollars and cents.  Sure, applesauce in a squeeze is fun.  But at a dollar a pop, it isn't an everyday snack food.  It goes into lunches once a week.  So that there are room for other once a week snack foods.  Potato chips, protein bars, yoghurt.  (Coconut yoghurt may taste better than soy but it's nearly twice as much.  Making it a yummy TREAT that happens to be healthy.  Not a necessity.)  We can't consume the cheap calories half their friends are spilling across the lunchtables.  That doesn't mean we can afford the look alike comparisons for our kids to *spill across the lunch table*.  We can afford plenty of options.  Plenty of calories.  Plenty of safe, delicious, healthy food. 
Just not a lot of "normal" cheap and easy fundamentals. 
I may not be expressing myself well.  But the next few months we are tightening the grocery reins, Bumblebee will fuss and scream and our guilt mode will be on high alert as the neighbors tsk and tut about the "poor child whose evil mother starves her" (I feed her.  Food is on the table.  Snacks are in the cupboard.  Even on a budget, there will be appropriate food available to the tearful, tantruming, heartbreaking child who has everyone she meets enchanted.)  Penguin will happily scarf down whatever bits and pieces I come up with, giving vivid descriptions of what's right and wrong with my cooking.  (most of it boiling down to 'a little bit of real cheese and corn...I'm sorry Mommy, but I think something with corn in it would maybe help')  Mr. Violets will endeavor to learn the difference between "fun healthy food" and cheap basics. 
And me...well, I'm going to have to work even harder on this whole meal planning thing.  We have a bit of a plan with tuna casserole on Fridays, and chicken and rice on Tuesdays.  Leftovers Saturday and Wednesday.  But that leaves 3 days.  And a hungry Bumblebee.  (Who will stare at either meal and wait patiently until we're ready to serve her something different.) 

Memories

It's funny how the mind works.
Some deep seated memory can float to the surface, and pieces of a mystery will fall into place, leaving you chuckling to yourself (or smacking yourself in the forehead) but helpless to do anything to change the past.  A memory is simply a memory.
Today's trigger was a family reunion, and my mind quickly drifted back several years, to the same family reunion (with more relatives I was excited about seeing.)  my brother had an earache or some such not-bad, but not-sociable illness, and my dad volunteered to take me.  Afterall, it was his family and he really wanted to visit with them.
We stopped at Subway on the way.  Purchased sandwiches, and I got away with ordering my preferred salad-on-bread...although he insisted on the bread.  We got to the picnic, and he wanted me to sit down and eat.
This made no sense to me.
I was 13 or 14 at the time.  I could not understand why he didn't "get" that eating came at the end of fun.  For me, eating was an End.  I didn't like the beginning it signified.  I'd eat, because I was hungry.  But then I'd feel bloated...my clothes would hurt.  My stomach would whine.  I'd feel itchy, and hot, and nauseous.  Eating was a "Now you curl up in a chair, close your eyes and listen to people tell stories" activity.
Eating meant time to get in the car, and go home, and curl up in bed with the trash can in easy reach.
Eating was social...but it came at the end of socializing for me.  It was the start of a game called "How long can we be civil before giving in to misery this time?"
Looking back, this was the timeframe my Celiac symptoms started kicking in.  That 'healthy' whole wheat bread packed a whollop of gluten.  And it made me cringe because my instincts said bread was bad.  Salad was good.  However, I was losing weight which made my parents want to stuff me full of carbs and ice cream.  It all makes perfect sense, looking back now.
But this memory took place then, before we knew that food could bite back.  So my dad and I arrived, he told me to sit and eat, and I refused.  He was frustrated, disappointed, I knew my behavior was embarrassing him.  But still, I put it off, trying to be polite and feeling utterly confused and frustrated.  To me, everyone had to know what eating felt like and I wanted to go exploring.  Greet some people.  Commune with nature.  Go on an expedition with my cousin.  (I was just barely young enough to pretend we were lost in a forest...we'd both read My Side of the Mountain...and the reunion took place in a campground area so no one had to put up overnight guests.)  Eating would have ruined it all.
It was bad enough they'd made me choke down breakfast. 

My dad was smart.  He didn't get into a big blow out fight with me.  He didn't turn it into a battle of wills, or let this disagreement turn into a showdown in front of his entire family.  He simply let go and said if I wanted to go hungry I could go hungry.
And as I recall I was perfectly happy until I got hungry.
At which point I learned that my beloved salad-on-bread had been disposed of because mayo doesn't keep.  And food time was over, so most was packed up and put away.  You don't get dessert until you eat lunch...and my lunch was gone. 

I remember feeling confused, betrayed, hungry.  And the look I got from my dad confused me further.  He'd won, he was right.  But so was I, in my mind.  Eating would have destroyed the afternoon of fun.  Why on Earth were people chatting it up after eating?  How could they stomach a game of volleyball with a whirlwind in their bellies?  Were grownups some sort of masochists who thrived on abdominal discontent or did they have some magic spell I didn't know about?

I'm sure I was rotten to me dad for the rest of the afternoon, and pouted all the way home.  I know I was tired and cranky.  Now I know that I was missing a piece of the puzzle...the piece that says you aren't supposed to feel like you're exploding two bites into dinner.  A satisfying meal shouldn't leave you wanting to curl up and sleep it off so you don't have to pay attention to each step of digestion.  But then...then I thought I was normal.
My parents were missing the piece of how food made me feel.  They assumed I simply didn't want to sit still long enough to swallow.  They thought I might be concerned about calories (hence the bread, and the bowls of ice cream I consumed under watchful eyes).  They thought it was a teenage rebel thing.  And probably there was some teenage attitude.  I'm certain I was a handful.
But now I know that it wasn't all teenage angst.  I had Celiac Disease.  I have Celiac Disease.  I still hesitate to eat before socializing, it's just an ingrained, learned behavior.  I'm still startled to notice when I don't feel rotten after eating.  I still think "Oh, rats, I just ate!" when the kids or my husband want to go out on the spur of a moment.  There's so much more to food intolerances than we know.  And when they begin early, there's this added dimension of not having a normal baseline to guide symptoms by.
I found an old diary from when I was 9.  It had all of 5 entries in it.  One read "Got my allergy shots today.  Read a book.  Threw up in kitchen and went to bed early.  Wrote in diary.  Going to sleep."
Hmmm.  Another said I felt sick after dinner and went to bed.  I wish I'd kept a better record of how often those allergy shots made me sick, because that seems like another piece of the puzzle. 

Meanwhile, memories will continue to arise...revealing more of how undiagnosed food intolerances have affected my life and who I am.  And Dad...I'm really sorry I was so rotten to you that day.  I wanted what you wanted, to enjoy the picnic and the company.  We just had different ideas on how to make that happen.

Living the Mixed Kitchen Life

Tonight, I ,anaged to get dinner on the table somewhere around the time that 3 of us were hungry.  It was nothing fancy.  Simply rice pasta (courtesy of Trader Joe's), and a scramble of eggs with carmelized onion and a few greens of varying kinds for those who wanted and could eat them. 
Bumblebee ate early, and was requested next door, where I offered to walk her. 
"Don't poison my dinner," I teasingly warned Penguin and my dear husband. 
Amidst their protests that they love me, would never poison me, did I even have to remind them? I headed out the door with Bumblebee, gave her a kiss, told her when to return and to be good, and returned home. 

Writing the prior paragraph took longer than the entire process. 
However, when I stepped into the kitchen, Penguin was staring at her plate and my husband was at the sink.  My place was empty. 
"What happened?" I queried, trying to see the joke in the matter and thinking that it really looked like my dish in the sink that was being furiously scrubbed. 
Dh turned and gave me the look that I deserved to give him. 
"One thing.  You asked me to do one little thing.  And I couldn't do it!"
"I was only gone two minutes!" I exclaimed, more confused than upset.
"I know!" 
At this point Penguin couldn't help bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation (and probably scared that her parents were going to start a full fledged fight at the dinner table)  And confessed that they'd poisoned my plate accidentally. 
Apparently he reached across the table to help Penguin pour some sauce, and a small amount splashed onto my plate. 
If we were a normal household, I'd have had a sprinkle of undesired flavoring, and ignored it. 
But with food allergies?  It meant an extra plate and eating tomorrow's leftovers. 
Dh was really upset with himself, but like I told him...better to acknowledge the error and not make me sick (I might have suspected eggs!  Or onion!  Or the cheaper TJ pasta!  Or heaven forbid the handful of chocolate chips I treated myself to after dinner) 
It disturbs us because neither of us like the message we send our kids when a crumb, or a drop, of something unintentional happens to land in an unexpected area.  But, the kids aren't satisfied on a corn free diet, and my husband doesn't really want to restrict his diet that far.  And asking makes me feel bad. 
So, we'll continue to be supervigilant.  I'll try not to lose my temper when accidents happen (I try...And this time there was plenty to eat so I really wasn't upset!)  And he'll have to forgive himself when things do.  The real point is that we need to continue to be aware and avert disaster. 

Baking free

No gluten.  No dairy.  No corn. 
After 4-5 years, you'd think I had this down.  But no, I still manage to burn a batch of cookies by doing something dumb, like not thinking. 

So here are a few of my lessons learned the hard way: 

Turn the oven down.  This is the one I get caught on most frequently.  I go into autopilot and turn the oven up to 350*.  Casseroles still cook at 350*.  Cookies and cake go in at 325*. 

Cream the sugar with the eggs, not the fat.  Something about gluten free foods reduces the structural stability of the finished product.  Beating the eggs with sugar helps to build the framework that gluten would otherwise offer. 

To help things rise, beat the eggs in a liquid.  I have no idea why this works.  But if I measure out the liquid first, then beat in the eggs, then fold the dry mix in, I get nice floofy pancakes instead of creamy crepes. No baking soda required (which, in turn, means no sugar is necessary.  The batter isn't sweet, but it isn't bitter either.) 

Use a smaller container.  There just isn't the same stability in gluten free cooking.  Especially when you don't have butter.  (or margarine)  Smaller containers offer the batter something to climb up against, to cling to, to push on.  Whatever the mechanism, they are less likely to come out of the oven with a dense, flat cake. 

Extra grease or parchment paper is a must.  GF goodies stick, and crumble.  Loosen them ASAP, too.

Chill the dough.  Cookies spread less and really are easier to work with if you take the time to toss the dough into the fridge for half of an hour.  (Yes, I still skip this step a lot.  And I get a lot of well-done cookies to show for it.)

Use spices for flavor.  Nutmeg and cinnamon add a nice touch to just about anything sweet, especially when you don't have vanilla.  Using brown sugar instead of white addsd more depth of flavor, too.

Don't expect your creations to mimic Mrs. Field's famous cookies.  Just be happy that they are sweet and satisfying, especially if you can't handle the gums.  

Me:  Bumblebee, you can't live on cereal and crackers forever.
Bumblebee:  I can if I don't get a gluten allergy. 
Penguin:  Mommy, I'm scared that she will!  She eats so much gluten, and if she does, then what WILL she eat? 
Bumblebee:  I'll eat apples the rest of my life. 

At least she's got a plan?

The Gluten Free Fad

For the past few years the gluten free bubble has been filling, quickly.  There's been increased demand for Gluten free foods, awareness has skyrocketed, and offerings increased.
People have used to gluten free diet to lose weight, treat autism, improve depression, and cure a range of digestive issues.  Some even latched onto it as the next great health phenomenon.  Gluten free was to the 2000's as granola was to the 70's.

But research shows, or claims to show, that the fad is slowly fading.  The masses find a strict gluten free diet difficult to adhere to, and the concept of 'simply' removing a dietary mainstay is proving not so simple.  Choosing gluten free products can be confusing and frustrating.  Substitutions that are high in fat and starches and artificial substances are gumming up the "healthy, natural" niche that gluten free used to fall in.
It makes sense that people who found success in the GF lifestyle because they were opting for whole foods, rather than prepackaged calories, are now finding that a whole food diet including some gluten grains is perfectly acceptable for them, in fact may work better than one full of gluten free pastries.  For those who jumped on the bandwagon simply because it was a bandwagon, the next new trend is coming (whatever it is) and they'll happily leave gluten free labels by the wayside.  And those who were buying gluten free simply because of the China dog food scandal are relaxing, realizing that gluten as an additive and gluten as a naturally occurring substance are two very different things.

Meanwhile, those who are gluten free out of medical necessity are both revelling in the widened selection in the marketplace, brought about by the gluten free trend, and wading through the increased muddy definitions of "gluten free".  When it was just a health requirement, the concept was relatively easy.  Either it was gluten free, or not.  Products that took the time to proclaim themselves gluten free were generally aware of the concerns and requirements.  Products that were naturally gluten free were, well, naturally gluten free.

Times have changed.  Food producers recognize that the general masses, the majority of individuals that they are trying to appeal to, don't care if their gluten free food is tested or not.  They don't care about cross contamination.  So they are adjusting their packaging or recipes accordingly.  The savvy gluten free eater needs to discriminate between gluten free food, and food that doesn't contain gluten ingredients but may have been exposed to some flour sediment.  (Which contains gluten)  This brings about a lot of debates.  "That's not gluten free!"  "Oh, but it is!"

No wonder the gluten free fad is fading.  For the sake of ease, and variety, a person following any diet for medical reasons needs to not only understand their own dietary restrictions, but the reasons surrounding why different people might follow a similar diet.  And how strict they need to be.  Unless you see clear, definitive results and have a supportive network of friends and family, a restrictive diet is too confining.  And the complications and expense simply aren't worth it for the sake of a fad. 

The flip side is that the fad reputation gives those of us following the diet religiously for the sake of their own health a bad name.  Those following the fad can cheat, and even give up.  Those of us who need to be strict, need to be strict.  Which is hard on the host as well as the guest or customer.  Hopefully as the fad fades, awareness will continue to increase, and we will get truth in labeling...not just a few isolated ingredients deemed dangerous by the government, but any ingredient...because the statistically insignificant strict, picky eaters count. 

Planning a Gluten Free Birthday Party

It's that time of year again.  The crazies set in, and on top of all the science experiments, girl scout cookies, homework, classes, and "finally, the big holidays are over, let's put as much focus as we can on the little ones" projects...we have two birthdays to celebrate!

With food allergies and chronic health woes, the birthday parties are more challenging than one might suspect!  Once upon a time, we started birthday talk with "What will we serve?"  We dreamt of cake, we agonized over appetizers.  Now...the food aspect can quickly overwhelm us.  What will we serve?  What will the guests be willing to eat?  How will it taste?  How much will it cost?  Do we dare even try to feed them?  (And should we warn them about the grapeseed oil and tapioca starch?)

Nevermind all that.  We've found a much better approach.  The kids have informed me that they hate the food aspect of parties.  They never even liked "real" cake that much anyways, and even though it makes their friends crazy, their friends don't care much about cake they only expect it because cake and birthday parties are synonymous.  With that in mind, we now start our plans with a theme.  This year, Bumblebee chose a garden theme.  Of course, her birthday's in March and one year it threatened to snow for the first time in over 20 years...so this was just another excuse for us to pull out the creativity caps and plan a birthday party to remember!
The first step is to design invitations.  She wanted to hand out invitations this year, instead of just emailing them.  So we pulled out my scrapbooking papers, and traced out hexagons, added petals and cut them out.  She wrote the party details on each petal, with a big "It's a Party!" in the middle, and we folded the petals down to a pretty flower packet.
We started the party with a craft.  She didn't like the planters we found in our price range, and the birdhouse kits didn't look very practical.  But she fell in love with the little "Everything Grows with Love" signs, and then I stumbled on some bug themed magnets on clearance at Target.  Cost: $6 for 2 crafts for a dozen kids.  (Plus extra glue and paintbrushes)
After crafts, it was time to really get the kids excited.  Besides, our favorite part of any birthday party we throw is the treasure hunt.  (and who doesn't like hidden treasure?)  I told the girls that I'd invited a garden fairy to give them some treasures, but she couldn't be found.  She'd left a note leading them to the first clue...which was another note.  All in all, there were 12 clues...leading them around the house and neighborhood in search of Gardenia.  The final note apologized for missing them, but there was a fairy emergency and told them that the treasure could be found in the rose garden.  Since it hadn't been there earlier in the hunt...it had a nice, magical touch.  The treasure was a little gardening kit and jumprope, and this was the big party expenditure.  (Actually, it was again quite inexpensive...I believe the treasure cost was around $16 total.)
The hunt left everyone starving.  The food was definitely not your classic party fare, but we had planned a little carrot patch out of hummus dip which was deemed adorable and although the kids didn't eat much hummus, the carrots and even a few heads of broccoli vanished.  We also put out some sunny orange slices and apple wedges, which disappeared in a hurry.
The highlight, of course, was the cake.  Instead of a "regular" cake, Bumblebee designed little loaf cakes frosted with chocolate glaze and decorated with lollipop flowers, a pinwheel and a dye free gummy worm.  The cakes were a little well done around the edges, and denser than the kids were used to.  But there were no complaints...and the gummy worms won lots of brownie points (Thank you surfsweets!)
At this point the kids were good to go, and would have been perfectly happy to be set loose in the yard for the last 15 minutes or so.  However, Bumblebee had wanted to play a few games so we rallied the guests. First, we played Pass The Flower, which consists of kids sitting in a circle and passing a fabric flower to the sound of Disney tunes.  The person left holding the flower when the music stops is "out". 
Then we played a unique party game that we called "Seed, sun, flower"  We chose a caller (birthday Bumblebee) and she called commands.  On Seed, they crouched; on Sun the stretched like a flower to the sun and on "Flower" they hopped as if being picked.  This seemed to be the favorite, and half the guests wanted to keep playing when I suggested that they take the jumpropes outside if they wanted any outside time before parents arrived.

The best news is the kids were all dragged away protesting.  The sign of a truly successful party: no one wants to go home! 

Is Gluten Free really Healthier?

The new "fad diet"; Gluten free! Is it really healthier?

There seems to be a lot of confusion. Whole foods offers healthy options. Whole foods offers organic produce. Whole foods offers eco friendly products. Whole Foods also offers Gluten Free goodies. Therefore; gluten free is healthy for everyone, right?

Well, maybe. But simply eating gluten free products isn't necessarily healthy for anyone (Celiac patients included!)

As we've covered before, gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats. For people with Celiac Disease, it causes an immune response which damages the intestines. This is serious...without the little villi in your intestinal walls, you don't digest your food properly. Which means, you can get malnourished.

Some people are simple sensitive to gluten. And with all the research going on, some people wonder if gluten is good for anyone. Others are concerned because a gluten free diet appears limiting. Could it possibly be safe to give up wheat?

The thing is, our society relies too heavily on grains. It's not unusual for the typical American to eat a bowl of wheat cereal with some toast, snack on a bagel, eat a sandwich for lunch, some pizza and salad with croutons for dinner, wash it down with a handful of cookies and call it a relatively rounded diet. In fact, they just ate several days' worth of gluten (and corn) with a bit of veggie and meat thrown in for flavor.

If you eat the typical American fare, and simply substitute your bread for a gluten free variety your pocketbook is going to take a serious hit. Your body won't thank you much, either. Gluten free baking relies on a variety of starches and sugars to create an acceptable mouthfeel, and please our tastebuds. In some ways, a slice of gluten free white bread isn't nearly as healthy as a slice of whole grain wheat. (Unless you have Celiac Disease, of course, in which case the whole grain wheat is equivalent to eating arsenic. Don't do it.)

However, a healthy diet can be gluten free. Vegetables are gluten free. Potatoes, meats, eggs and fruit are gluten free. You can eat a varied diet, a rainbow of nutrients, without touching a grain of gluten. A gluten free diet that involves a variety of nutrients, from a plethora of sources, is perfectly healthy.

However, like most diets, its easy to follow an unhealthy version. And too many people look for the easy way out. Eating gluten free convenience items, which have been altered to be gluten free, is no different than eating regular convenience foods all the time. Except that most gluten free foods aren't enriched with synthetic vitamins to make them look a little healthier.

In other words, turning a dish gluten free doesn't "healthy it up". Leaving an ingredient out of a meal does not improve it's health content in and of itself. But there are a myriad of healthy, whole food menus that don't include gluten (Or dairy, or corn. At least, in their natural state). Since grains are a relatively recent addition to the human diet, real food can naturally be gluten free. And tasty too.

I know my diet is far from ideal. My goal is simply healthIER. Not genuinely healthy. In this society, it would be pretty difficult to reach that lofty ambition.

What we DO eat

Sometimes it seems as if we get caught up in the complicated labrynth of foods. We focus on what we CAN'T eat. Pizza. Ice cream. Corn chips. Those big chocolate chip cookies from Trader Joes. Frozen dinners. Nothing like a trip to a crowded grocery store to make one wish to wallow in self pity.

It's time to take a moment and count our food blessings.

Top 10 foods that I (and the rest of my family) can eat in moderation without regrets.

10. Baked Apples: And who doesn't like a brown sugar and cinnamon topped baked apple? Just because I rarely get around to making them...well, that just makes them all the more special.

9. Trader Joe's applesauce: No one in my family will actually eat this out of the jar (except on latkes, where applesauce belongs) But, it's corn free. Which means that when I want to bake anything that needs a little extra acid, or fruity flavor, or a touch less fat, I don't have to start by peeling apples to simmer for a homemade version. You can imagine how giddy the storebought variety made me the first time I realized this freedom!

8. Onions: Yeah, I know. Not raw, not by themselves. But just about any dish that begins with a few onions, lightly sauteed in grapeseed oil, makes mouths water. :-)

7. Ginger: Candied ginger to be exact. Baked into muffins, cookies or eaten out of hand, it settles the stomach and satisfies my sweet tooth. (okay, fine, so the kids aren't overly fond of it. But, technically, they can eat it. And I love it.)

6. Peas. Yes, I know, kids are supposed to hate peas. But they're green, I can eat them, and the kids love to smother them in margarine. Once they're on their own plate, that corny junk won't hurt me. I can eat them plain, and they satisfy that "not rice" craving. And it feels good to serve veggies to ALL of us. At one time. With only one pot to wash.

5. Dagoba Chocolate bars: Okay, so different members of the family need to eat different varieties. The point is...it's candy. And it's sinful. And it doesn't hurt (well, it pinches the checkbook a bit)

4. Sweet Potatoes: Roasted or fried, a special treat I'm simply forced to indulge in, since I can't eat prepackaged fries, oven potatoes or even chips.

3. Chebe Bread: The garlic and onion variety is to die for, even if you CAN eat gluten.

2. Tinkyada Spaghetti: Just like real s'getti. But better.

And number one, the best, most wonderful food that we have on our collective plate: Homemade Chocolate Chip cookies. Enjoy Life chocolate chips and ener-G rice flour sure do make up for a lot.

And now I'm off to pre-heat the oven...

Science Fair Fun

Third, fourth and fifth graders in my daughter's school are required to do "proper" science projects. Most anyone who has kids knows what this really means. It's code-speak for "Parents, get ready to stress out!"

My inlaws have some great pictures of my husband at Penguin's age. He's sitting at a table, looking increasingly bored as the montage continues. His dad is sitting beside him, fiddling with wires and screws while his big brother occasionally takes part.

We've decided not to let the same thing happen in our house.

That doesn't mean that science fair is easy. In fact, it might be even harder when I can't just take care of some part of the project that needs to get done...I have to walk Penguin through it while her sister whines that it just isn't fair. But, it gets done (Whether it gets done "right" or "well" or "the way I'd have done it" is a different story. I'm learning to let go of my image of right, and let her do it her way. If nothing else, at least the judges can tell it was obviously done by a kid.)

Anyways, she chose an interesting subject this year. One that I was eager to help participate in. She wanted to do something that would help tie in food allergies; although obviously food allergies are not exactly a scientific experiment a young girl can design. She settled on recreating a project that was referenced on Delphi's Celiac Disease Support group about a year ago. In that project, high school students borrowed colanders and such from gluten eaters and tested them for the presence of starch using iodine.

We didn't want to collect colanders. We also didn't want gluten in the house. Our final design involved using wooden spoons to make rice (although rice does not contain gluten, it's a starchy grain. The starch would show up if present. If the spoons are holding grains, they'll hold flour. And flour has starch AND gluten.) She settled on the unpretentious question "Is there a way to wash all the starch off of a spoon?" She tested by making rice (Er, having Mom make rice and then stir it thoroughly with a spoon) Testing the spoon as a "control". Yep, it was starchy. She rinsed all the rice off the spoon. Still starchy, which surprised her a little.

The big one was the final test of washing it with soap and water. To our surprise, there was still small amounts of starchy purple flecks floating around in the water. No matter how well we washed the spoon, we still could find bits of starch in that water. This means that nutritionists and those crazy, zealous gluten haters are right...you do, indeed, need to dispose of your old glutened wooden spoons after going gluten free. Starch remains, and where there are bits of flour (starch) there is gluten (protein).

Intriguingly, the prior experiment that this was based on showed that items like colanders could be cleaned thoroughly enough for there to be no remaining starch. It makes use wonder if one of the experiments was done incorrectly (we did find that it was easier to see results when we stirred the water and transferred 2 TBS to a small, clear bowl before adding iodine. This necessitated less iodine to see starch in the control.) Or if wooden utensils just had more big pores for starch to hide out in. Obviously...as a kitchen test done by a 10 year old with a sketchy (at best) understanding of what she was doing, the experiment bears repeating again and again. But, she did prove that there's good reason to investigate the issue. And that the zealots have merit.

Just for fun we tested some clean spoons from other kitchens, and they had bits of purply starch in them, too.

I really think this could apply across the board to other allergies as well...can nut protein hide out in wood? Dairy? Obviously, I won't use my spoon to cook for my friend's rice-allergic son. But I will still use it for safe recipes...after all, studies show that germs just don't live as long on wood as they do on plastic. And I'd rather have flecks of old rice that germs!

My daughter's a hero; or...It's okay to break into your own house.

Sometimes in parenthood; you find yourself encouraging the strangest behavior.

Today was one of those times. We finally arrived home from school; laden down with backpacks, undelivered girl scout cookies and a science fair backboard. While balancing these items in my arms and hollering for the girls to please lock the car when they finally manage to get themselves extracted...I realized that the gate simply wasn't going to open.

I pushed. I prodded. I jiggled the chain. The chain was loose. In fact; it was only attached to my end of the pulley. Which meant, the 6 foot fence was locked up tight.

What to do?

I did what any good parent would do. I sent my 10 year old up there to investigate. She willingly climbed the wall next to the gate, and then balked. It's a long ways down.

But, there was no choice. I was not in climbing clothes. She's young, she's spry, and she was going to do it. I called encouraging remarks and walked along the wall with my hand out to steady her (my side was cement, the other side was grass and clover.) I tried to get her to let herself down onto one of the lawnchairs, but it was a no go. She would have jumped into the raised bed (filled with bermuda grass) but someone (probably me) left a garden claw sticking up out of it.

Finally she managed to maneuver herself down along the other side of the fence, repeating "I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared" as her sister repeated the same refrain...but adding in "We're going to get in trouble!"

The men at the gas station nearby were amused. Or confused. I'm not sure which.

My exasperated "You're allowed to break into your own house!" was met with chuckles.

And then she was down, and manipulated the latch, and we were in.

"I'm a hero!" she proclaimed.

Yup. She's a hero. And I'm proud to say very unlikely to ever embark in a career of criminal activity.

The Gluten Conundrum

I find myself writing this out over and over and over. So here goes, in my blog, where I can later cut and paste or just link it. :-)

The evil of gluten:

With most food allergies, as I've learned, the gial is to track them down. The best tool for this is a food diary (to help note trends) and an elimination diet followed by food challenges. (The challenges are vital because you do not want to live in unnecessary fear, nor do you want a diet that is too restrictive.)

However (!!!) Gluten does not follow the same food allergy rule. If you suspect gluten is the root of your health issues (and increasing evidence links it with arthritis, weight gain, autism, asthma, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and any other dx that leaves a dr proudly smiling and reassuring you that while there is no treatment, you aren't dying.) then you have more to do than 'simply' cut it out of your diet, note symptoms, and challenge it.

You see, gluten intolerance could be Celiac Disease. And Celiac Disease, while easy to manage, is important to diagnose properly. People with Celiac experience intestinal damage when they ingest even small amounts of gluten. And; they may experience damage without correlating symptoms. In other words...when you "challenge" gluten, you might find that you can "tolerate" small amounts. But those small amounts that don't cause symptoms can flatten your intestinal villi, and leave you malnourished; setting you up for a host of serious conditions down the road.

So, before going gluten free it's a really good idea to go to the doctor, discuss the idea with him and insist on a blood test first. Request a FULL celiac panel, not just the TTG. This will guide your decision on whether to follow up with a GI, or get a biopsy, or just give gluten free a go. This is particularly important with children...they are less likely to continue the diet in their teen and adult years without a proper diagnosis. But, if they aren't thriving and gluten is impacting growth, it's better for them to be healthy and gluten free than wait around for enough damage to occur for a diagnosis to be made. Only you, in conjunction with a good doctor, can know what's best for your particular situation.

It doesn't hurt to go gluten free. It can be a healthy, well balanced diet. Many cultures have a traditionally low gluten or gluten free diet. But once you do give up gluten, the intestines will start to heal. When the antibodies are no longer active, it will be impossible for a doctor to definitively dx Celiac Disease. While you don't need a doctor's permission to eat gluten free; you may need that note for college, or kid's camp, or employment reasons, or if you're ever hospitalized or need long term care and they aren't keen on a special needs diet. And adding gluten back in can create symptoms before damage is severe enough to detect. Or, it can cause damage without symptoms...leading you to believe you're cured until you collapse.

If you go gluten free, and then challenge it without symptoms, it is important to regularly monitor your antibodies with blood tests. If you do develop Celiac damage; you want to catch it as early as possible.

Also...if wheat, rye, barley or oats seem to cause rashes or shortness of breath, contact your dr. This could be a traditional IgE mediated allergy; and challenging it on your own at home could be dangerous. IgE allergies can be tested with a blood RAST or skin prick test; and an educated guess made as to the potential severity of reaction.