Hey guys. I've had a bunch of people ask questions and talk with me about gluten intolerance and the blog lately. I am by no means an "expert" but I have figured out a few things over the last year. I thought I'd do a post with some helpful information about gluten intolerance and Celiac as well as some gluten free foods that are worth looking for. If you don't care anything about it... feel free to leave now... but... maybe somebody can find this useful.
First things first. Check out this article. Sometimes I feel like being "gluten free" puts me in a funny category. A category that people don't really understand. " You don't eat things with flour? What? Why "can't" you have a beer?" I was at a liquor store (sorry Dadio) in LR this summer and asked the guy at the counter what kinds of gluten free beer they had. He gave me this crazy look and said, "Yuck. Why do you want gluten free beer? Are you on a diet or something?" Hmmm. Not exactly.
I think it weirds people out a little bit when you suddenly don't eat/drink the same things anymore. It messes with your mind a little bit too. You kinda wonder if its "all in your head" but then you make the insainly stupid horrible very bad mistake of eating a cream cheese stuffed pretzel and you realize it is most definitely not in your head. Its in your stomach, actually. And your body does whatever it can to get. it out. But.. that's another story for another day. Its a good one though... parent teacher conferences... going home at lunch and pretty much passing out... throwing up in a cup in my room. Oh yeah. Fun times.
Anyway, the whole "gluten free" thing isn't a fad for a lot of people. Its amazing how much better I feel and I didn't even truly realize that I felt "bad." That weird pain in my stomach is gone. Those mouth ulcers I would get every month or so are gone. And lets just be real here... other sorts of digestive/stomach problems are no more. Seriously though.. read that article. It has some good points about being diagnosed "later in life" and the similarities between "gluten intolerance" and full blown Celiac.
Let's get to the good stuff... food!
Ahhh. Udi's gluten free bread. Thank you, Lord for this bread. Besides the fact that the loaf is smaller than a normal loaf, you can't really tell much of a difference. The last time I checked (about 2 months ago) the two Whole Foods in Atlanta by my house didn't carry this. I may or may not have convinced my momma and my husband to bring me back bread from LR. I found out last week that Publix carries this in the frozen section. Score!
Nature's Own just came out with a gluten free bread as well. It comes in extra-fiber white and mulit-grain. Personally, I like the multi-grain better. Its a little softer. This bread isn't as good as Udi's but it isn't bad. Especially toasted. This is convenient in that I can get it at my regular Kroger.
Next up in the "things you must go buy now" category would be the hamburger buns from Canyon Bakehouse. Amazing! Soft and chewy and pretty much exactly like a "real" hamburger bun. I haven't look in Atlanta for these yet because my freezer is still stocked but I imagine you can get them at Whole Foods. The only downside is that the package only comes with four and they are kinda expensive... but worth it!
These bagels are really good. Especially with a little bit (or a lot) of cream cheese and a cup of coffee. You should be able to get these at Kroger in the frozen "healthy/nature" section. Catch them on sale and stock up!
Hopefully, this helps some of you who are trying out the gluten free thing. Please let me know if you have any questions. Good luck and feel better!
thank you Kaci, this helps A LOT!!!!
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