I know there's been some mention of eating gluten free. Going GF is one of the best decisions I have ever made! I feel so much healthier. My stomach and I get along much better. It's still not great because I have Crohn's disease, but I know which one is making me sick and it's certainly worth it to only be sick from Crohn's and not both.
Here are some things I've learned in the last year since I went to the allergist and was diagnosed with allergies to wheat, rice, oats, cashews, hazelnuts, and oysters. First, I am not allergic to rice, cashews, or hazelnuts. My GI doctor says that I am gluten intolerant, not allergic to wheat, but I sometimes break out in a rash when I eat wheat. I am definitely allergic to oats. I don't even like looking at oysters, so I will not be finalizing that allergy. I cannot eat peanut butter and have never liked eating peanuts. Nuts in general are not encouraged when one has Crohn's. I also was on a peanut/tree nut free diet when my ENT thought I had Meniere's disease, so I'm pretty used to it.
Here is what I do to manage my dietary restrictions.
I plan as much as possible. My lunch box is huge because everything I eat during the day should come from home. The cafeteria at work is a cross-contamination gold mine, not to mention unhealthy. I pack lots of fruit and as many veggies as possible. GF deli meat is great. The deli washes down the slicer before they cut my meat. I simply tell them I am GF and they automatically wash down the slicer. There is a woman at the deli at one store that I don't even need to tell and she tells her co-workers for me. I found GF wraps at the same store. I cut the wrap in half, add some mustard, and 4 oz. of natural turkey breast or oven roasted chicken breast and I have a great lunch. I usually add a side salad or baby carrots. Plenty of salad dressings are labeled GF. I have found many that are dairy free as well. I like Ken's Healthy Options. Yoplait now makes lactose free yogurt. It is GF as well. It has more sugar than I'd like, but I can eat it and it is important that I have dairy in my diet. Lactaid milk is also GF. I buy Enjoy Life gluten free/nut free granola. It is also oat, soy, and dairy free. If you can eat eggs, I highly recommend them.
Dinner is harder because my parents do not eat gluten free. However, they are very good about making sure that the protein and veggies are GF. They sometimes have a rice dish that is not GF and once in a while will have wheat pasta. Usually they eat corn pasta. I think someone mentioned being GF and vegan. I cannot eat a lot of soy (like soymilk, edamame, or tofu), so that would be very hard for me. I love eggplant and we do all sorts of things with it. Quinoa is great. My parents don't like it, so we don't it eat, but it is a great option. GF oats are another option, if you can eat oats at all. They are readily available. I buy almost all of my GF baking products at either Ocean State Job Lot or from
amazon. It depends on which one is cheaper. It varies by product. If you can eat rice, make friends with rice milk. I can have Lactaid, but rice milk is often what GF/dairy recipes suggest you use.
A big thing that I have found is that more and more "regular" products are being labeled GF. You can also go to companies' websites and print off lists of their GF products. I can't remember where I heard that suggestion and it has been one of the best things I did to help me eat GF. I have to be so wary of cross-contamination so these two things are very helpful.
Somewhere online there is a beginner's guide to eating gluten free. It tells you ingredients that also mean "there is gluten in this food." The one that I kept messing up on is malt. It is from barley. Maltodextrin is in some products and usually labeled if it is made from corn.
When I am at a restaurant, I always ask questions. Even if the restaurant has a GF menu, I make sure to tell them that I am gluten intolerant, not making a choice to eat GF. I ask what kind of oil food is cooked in if I happen to stuck eating nachos. There are 2 restaurants that I frequent that are very good about cooking GF. One is a local chain and the other is the 99 Restaurant. Something really important is flavoring. Burger meat is often seasoned and they season pounds of it at a time. French fries, if you chose to eat them, are often cooked in the same fryer as chicken tenders or beer battered fish.
Eating GF sounds complicated, but my feeling is that it is only more difficult when you are eating out somewhere. I do everything possible to avoid gluten and I am much happier and healthier because of it. Don't be embarrassed about asking for ingredients. You are taking care of yourself and that is what is most important.
No matter what dietary restriction and/or choice you are navigating at this time, advocate for yourself and do what is right for you!
In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Have a great, OP day everyone!
the toy soldiers and...well everything. It's magical!!!
Sshe is at the point where she is seriously considering going to another team, which I would have said would NEVER happen. And you are right...with no one left in her age group there is no hope for a relay team. It is just a difficult situation. Thanks for your good thoughts.
We were hoping to get to a corn maze, but we have a good chance of rain and corn maze+rain just doesn't sound fun to me!
Wish I could make everything all better like I did when she was little. Thank goodness there is no boy drama to add to this!
so can't have a favorite parade there but I as a general rule really like any parade.
