BuckWHEAT

I have been getting a few questions like this in my email...



Q. I just ate something that said GLUTEN FREE on the box and then when I looked at the ingredients it had BUCKWHEAT listed. Is buckwheat GF?

A. BUCKWHEAT is GLUTEN FREE! So eat it :) The wheat in the name is deceiving!

Remember, I have a Formspring link to the right, you can ask questions there and you can check there to see what I have answered :) And, you can be anonymous!

Mission:The Phoenix Zoo: Gluten Free

Today my son and I went to the Phoenix Zoo with my longtime friend Alica and her sons! I knew this outing would be fun but that mealtimes/snacks would be tricky due to my obvious gluten intolerance. So, my mission was to have a great time at the zoo with out getting sick! Would it be a mission impossible?

Lunch:

The food areas sent small shrieks of panic with in me! Not many options. The very safe but boring option was yogurt and applesauce. Pass! No way, I eat that daily. That was my last resort food. I saw french fries on the menu. OK, let the questions begin! I asked the dude, and I say dude because the lad was young and he seemed very uninformed if the fries were fried in a dedicated fryer. He quickly said yes but I asked him to make sure by asking a manager. SCORE! He came back with a confirmation of yes! So, I ordered fries. Next question: Were the nachos on the menu 100% corn tortilla chips and were processed in a plant that were free from cross contamination?

Dude looked at me and said that he knew that they were 100% corn chips and that they were not cross contaminated. I think he was humoring me. I asked to look at them. They were the multicolored corn chips. I thought they looked OK, so I told him to put them on the tab. I ordered my son a gluten filled lunch and off we went to find a seat.

So this was my lunch:
These were the items that came with my Jacob's lunch that a someone may think is OK to eat but would get them sick if they didn't know too much about celiac disease:
Hunt's Ketchup is not Gluten Free! GFSteph has a great post about why. Click here to find out why! Heinz is gluten free though. So, I ate my fries with out ketchup. I was happy to be able to eat fries out though! It was a treat at the moment. And one would assume that a RICE crispy treat is gluten free but it is not, it is wheat free, but not gluten free.

So, during lunch Jacob kept trying to touch my nachos. I would tell him not to and explain why to him. I know that he doesn't understand cross-contamination at two but I want him to be accustomed to this from an early age. His hands were covered in chicken nuggets and ketchup. He would touch an area and then I would take that area of my chips and throw it away in hopes that it would make it safe to eat the rest of my food.

Later On:

I was wearing shorts and I noticed bumps all over my upper legs. I also had a slight head ache but I didn't mention that part to my friend ( I didn't want to be a drag). I tried to take a picture of the bumps for the blog but it didn't photograph well. I have no clue if the dude from the food stand was mistaken about the food or if Jacob accidentally cross contaminated me. Next time, I will stick to the boring yogurt and I will pack some food.

Zoo Snacks:

I saw kettle corn. I have no clue if it was safe because I didn't ask. I am assuming it was but I didn't eat it. The one thing I did eat was:
Lugi's Real Italian Ice! Jacob had some too!

It was a great trip. Glutening and all. I will have to wait and see if the symptoms get any more severe but the experience was still amazing!

For more pics from the zoo, check out the Endless Possibilities Blog!

Let me stress how much this sucks... (this post has way too much information!)

OK, so I tried to nap with my son during his nap and it just didn't happen. I kept making trips to the bathroom to puke or crap. Then I would lay down in between rounds & my body kept thinking I was dying a slow death and I had the hot and colds. I knew that I needed to walk to the store ( I cant drive right now because of medical reasons...) to get some of the stuff for the fast and also some stuff for Jacob. So, I waited until I thought I was in the clear. I kept drinking water to keep myself hydrated and off we went.

I made it there only stopping to puke twice. Man, this was bad.

We got to the store and the food was making me want to die. Jacob kept asking for everything! I fed him snacks on the way so I told him no. I purchased my items and some Powerade in case I needed electrolytes.

I drank some and then I decided that I felt better. The store was right next to a Petsmart so I thought I would take Jacob in and show him animals. We were there for a bit and I had no issues. Then we were leaving and it hit me again. I hit the rest room and got sick again.

The walk home was awful. I was practically running. I cant wait to start this detox in the morning and rid myself of any toxins. I feel so sick.

I am afraid to eat dinner. I don't know how food will affect me tonight. Well, I have to eat, so I will make bland gluten free noodles and pray that I am fine.

WTF? WHEAT IN LOTION?

I know that the sellers of the Seacret products in Arizona are super pushy. They do not take NO for an answer. I was forced into buying this a few years ago when Jacob was maybe five months old and having a major meltdown/ crying fit. The lotion came with a nail kit they were pushing and I just bought the kit to get out of there and they brought the price down from $75 to $20.

I know, where were my hypothetical balls? I had none! My son was having a tantrum, these people didn't care that I was a new mother! They just wanted a sale and they had my hand in their possession and they kept rubbing oil on my cuticle.

So, this brings me to yesterday...

I had just gotten out of the shower and I was in a rush to get ready. My standard lotion had run out and I saw the unused and untouched Seacret lotion bottle sitting on my shelf. I opened the bottle and smelled it. It smelled like cucumber mellon and I decided to rub it all over me! It smelled like heaven. I got dressed and then I started to itch.

WTF?

WAS IT OLD? I have used older lotion than that. Lotions are like Twinkies ( well, when Twinkies were on the approved food list) they don't have expiration dates...

The itching got worse.

I grabbed the bottle.
It looked like that but said Cucumber Mellon on it. Upon further inspection I found out that there was wheat in the ingredients.

Remember, it was Christmas, I guess Santa did not like me this year :(

Foods to Avoid...I am sure I am missing some ... please..add them in the comments!

So, I have a list of items I personally avoid written on my fridge. I am going to share the list, if there is anything missing, please add to it if I am missing anything!

• wheat
• spelt
• triticale
• kamut
• rye
• barley
• einkorn
• emmer
• wheat starlen
• wheat bran
• wheat grerm
• cracked wheat
• hydrolyzed wheat protein
  
• durum flour
• bromated flour
• enriched flour
• farina
  
• graham flour
• plain four
• self rising flour
• semonina
  
• white flour
• matzo
• OATS
  
• MSG ( it affects me)
  

GLUTENED { contains Too Much Information and profanity)

(Posted on the Endless Possibilities Blog on 11/11/08)

After our walk and the music store, Kelly and I went to Whole Foods. I have been craving éclairs for months. I need to have one. Stephanie sent me a recipe for gluten free éclairs but they just seem like too much work...she even thought so.

I found an easy recipe for this thing that promises to taste like an éclair that is half of the work. You just can’t pick it up and eat it like and éclair. I am not sure what it looks like because it doesn't provide a picture. I am going to make it soon and I will review it...with a picture.

So, Kelly and I went to Whole Foods so I could get some of the things I needed to make it and also to see if I could get a gluten free pastry from their bakery. I have been dying for a pasty.

The only time I really hate having celiacs is when I pass by the baker’s case and know that everything is off limits, at Whole Foods they were bound to have something I could have...hopefully. We get there and ask.

The BAKERY BITCH (she earned the name because I feel lied to and deceived, my intestines hate her), pointed out the gluten free items. She then points to these amazing looking things covered in chocolate with this mouse inside. It says wheat free on the label. I point that out. She said something like it was gluten free and I would be fine.

BAKERY BITCH was so convincing. BAKERY BITCH swears it won’t get me sick. BAKERY BITCH gives me a description of this pastry, that for someone that has not had a proper baked goods in a long time could almost have a big O ( and by big O...I am not referring to Oprah) from listening to them. Oprah surely would have had a big O and she doesn’t have celiacs.

Yet again BAKERY BITCH says they are WHEAT FREE but with NOTHING IN THEM that would make anyone GLUTEN INTOLERANT sick. I purchase the baked good.

I eat the baked good. I praise BAKERY BITCH in my head, but for that short moment she was not BAKERY BITCH but BAKERY GODDESS. She had given me the satisfaction that I had been seeking for months. A really good pastry; I had great tasting cakes on my birthday but I craved a yummy pastry! I had now had it!

Well, it was short lived. I felt the all too familiar rumble in my stomach. I felt the hot and colds. I felt the impending doom. Jacob was up. My mom was not home. I felt sick and I knew it was BAKERY BITCH'S fault. I was trying to avoid getting sick.

Poor Jacob must have hated me. He had to be in the bathroom with me. As my insides ruptured in the bathroom I think I casted a plague on BAKERY BITCH'S house and her first born.

There were times where I thought the glutening was over and then it came back. My mom ended up going to the gym last night. I had to make Jacob dinner and put him to bed while dealing with one of the most violent glutenings of my life.

I got this horrible headache. It was so bad that I had to ask for an extension on my homework and I don’t even know if I got it. I couldn’t look at the computer. I was in bed early. I woke up through the night...GLUTENED.

This lasted for hours. I never had a glutening last so long.

I should have known better. I should have gone for the specific gluten free sign. BAKERY BITCH was too convincing.

Cravings

(Originally published on 9/22/08 on the Endless Possibilities blog)

The other night I thought I was going to nuts if I didn't eat melted cheese on a corn tortilla. I am not kidding. Then the next morning I had to eat fried fish (with rice flour) and eggs at breakfast. Later that day I needed more melted cheese. Last night, I got the cheese craving again. I don't have these cravings every day but when they strike, watch out!

Then I remembered Stephanie's blog post about her craving for tomatoes. It is unfortunate that one of my best friends also has to deal with celiac's disease but I am also very lucky to not have to go at this alone. She has had this for a lot longer than I have. I am a newbie with it, I am always asking her questions and learning from her.

So, Steph (and anyone else who wants to give it a go) ...help me figure out exactly what my body is lacking...


In order to reduce the chances of being contaminated by gluten, I eat the same foods daily. My staples are: yogurt, tuna, fruits, veggies,cheese, and chicken.

I was looking on an awesome website that Stephanie introduced me to, GLUTEN FREE FORUM, and it turns out food cravings are common with celiacs. I thought it was going to be people complaining that they cant eat scones. I read about people craving mushrooms, tomatoes, and other random foods.

Well, today I woke up not craving anything. I ate yogurt for breakfast. A standard for me. Then a craving hit for lunch... EGGS but not just eggs. It had to be eggs...sunny side up on french fries.

Maybe I need more protein? I already take a heavy duty gluten free prenatal vitamin. Hum..I am puzzled...what do I need to knock these cravings out? They are getting annoying! Steph, do you still crave tomatoes?