As the Cravings Slowly Die

My Dear Readers,

Finally my seemingly unquenchable gluten cravings have truly begun to die.  More than a week in and my entire way of eating is changing.  Turns out wheat bread is easy to replace.  It was my way of thinking about food that really needed an overhaul.

The past week has been full of risotto, lentils, sweet potatoes and quinoa.  My life is once again delicious!

Shout out to all the friends and family who have been so supportive of my major decision to kick gluten to the curb: you guys have been a huge help.

Con Orgullo,
Elena

Why Haven't Infertile Couples Been Told These Facts?

Millions of people have celiac disease, but most don’t know they have it, in part because symptoms can be so varied. It is an often overlooked digestive disorder that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, is eaten.

Infertility seems to be more common in women with untreated celiac disease. Other gynecological and obstetrical problems may also be more common, including miscarriages and preterm births.

For men, problems can include abnormal sperm -- such as lower sperm numbers, altered shape, and reduced function. Men with untreated celiac disease may also have lower testosterone levels.

The good news is that with proper treatment with a gluten-free diet and correction of nutritional deficiencies, the prognosis for future pregnancies is much improved.

Read the rest of this story at http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/5/why_haven_t_infertile_couples_2302100732.html

More Stories From the Weekend

This weekend was a test of my strength in the decision to kick gluten to the curb.  It turns out that gluten is an easy thing to eat...ramen, pasta, sandwiches and almost any food that is incredibly simple to throw together are all rich in gluten.  Eating well takes so much more effort in our society than eating badly.  Thus I have had to blow the dust off of my cooking utensils.

Friday night a lucky dinner guest of mine got to indulge in my reawakened culinary creativity when I decided to make pesto lamb chops with garlic red-pepper risotto.  All I can say is THANK GOD risotto does not contain gluten.  I would also like to add that dinner was divine.

I have decided to share my culinary genius with the world.  A word of caution to reading any of my recipes is that I never measure anything.  Cups?  Teaspoons? These are just guidelines in my kitchen.  Mostly I eyeball everything, tasting and tweaking as I go.  This trial by kitchen fire process of mine has made several of my boyfriends extremely antsy.  "How can you recreate anything if you don't follow procedure, Elena?!"

Elena's Diary and Gluten Free Pesto Encrusted Lamb 

Lamb Shoulder Cuts

Pepper

Fresh Bail Leaves

Pine Nuts

Olive Oil

Parsley Leaves

Sea Salt

Place whole basil leaves, parsley leaves, olive oil and pine nuts in your food processor.  The mixture should be 1/2 basil, 1/8 parsley, 1/8 olive oil and 2/8 pine nuts.  If your pesto is too sticky, simply thin with more olive oil.  Give it a test taste and add pepper and sea salt as needed.  Remember that pepper can really make this pesto pop.

Set your oven to broil.  Generously coat one side of the lamb with the pesto and place it in the oven (pesto side up)  for about 6 minutes.  After six minutes pull the lamb out of the oven, turn it over and coat the other side with pesto.  Slip it back into the oven for an additional 4-6 minutes.

Happy eating.

The Evils of Hidden Gluten

See these disturbing evil eyes above?  Well, they aren't nearly as unsettling as all the hidden gluten I have encountered in the past week.  I guess I didn't fully realize the gravity of my decision to give up gluten until I found out just how many food products contain hidden gluten.

Mustard, most salad dressing, soy sauce, blue cheese, grain alcohol, corn starch, baking powder and curry powder are just a few sneaky glutinous items.  May I add they are also all things I love to digest?

I have a renewed admiration for people who have to navigate their entire lives gluten-free.  It isn't always the most pleasant or easiest of experiences.  That said, the world is becoming increasingly sensitive to people with gluten-free diets.  Even here in interior Alaska, gluten-free products have their own strong hold in Safeway and Fred Meyer.

I now consider myself better informed and constantly on the lookout for the hidden enemy.

Gluten-free Find of the Week

As some of my readers know, my mother has been gluten-free for at least six months now.  In the beginning she did gluten-free the old fashioned way,  no rice-based bread or crackers or fancy gluten-free cereal.  She stuck to fruits, veggies and hormone-free meats.

Sadly, I am not as strong of a woman as she.  I miss bread greatly, even though it has been just over 48 hours.  I don't care if it is rice or millet based, bread is something I need to make my diet work.  The past few days I have felt lost without my usual diet staples (ie ramen, whole wheat pasta and multi-grain bread).  It's difficult actually having to plan what you are going to eat, to think about what you are digesting.

In any case, woefully wandering the aisles of Fred Meyers I stumbled upon something truly wonderful.  I found white rice-based bread from a small bakery in Portland, OR.  I eyed it carefully and suspiciously, the way I always look at the overpriced health food with organic stickers pasted on the sides.  Then, being the creature of impulse that I am, I threw caution to the wind and tossed it into my shopping cart.

Turns out that was one of the best decisions I've made all week.  I love Angeline's white-rice bread!  It is a completely different experience than wheat bread, but I like it for completely different reasons.  For the first time in a long time, I simply enjoyed eating bread with nothing on it.

Maybe giving up gluten and actually giving consideration to what I put into my stomach will actually make my life more enjoyable...stay tuned.

Meeting set to plan gluten-free restaurant

In the movie “Field of Dreams,” a baseball player’s ghost urges Kevin Costner to carve a ballpark out of a cornfield. “If you build it,” he whispers, “they will come.”

In a twist on that Hollywood plotline, a group of local residents concerned about gluten intolerance have called a meeting in hopes of attracting investors interested in opening a gluten-free restaurant in Corvallis.

To read the full story follow the link: http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/article_ba10adb0-1cde-11df-b38f-001cc4c002e0.html

Celiac sufferers urge church to offer gluten-free communion

The Roman Catholic Church should offer a gluten-free Body of Christ during communion to accommodate those with celiac disease, says an official with the Canadian Celiac Association.

Interesting little article from the Vancouver Sun that I ran across this morning.

To read the entire article, click the following link: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Celiac+sufferers+urge+church+offer+gluten+free+communion/2536179/story.html.

Phat Tuesday

Yesterday was quite the day.  I took advantage of the free religious pass to gorge myself on all the foods I will be missing for the next 40 days.  I enjoyed pizza, cake, pie, cheerios and beer...not all at the same time, either.

Tonight, for the first time in many years, I plan to actually attend an Ash Wednesday mass.  I'll break it down for the non-Catholic readers.  On Ash Wednesday, Catholics go to mass and receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of the cross.  As young parochial school children it definitely turned into a competition, who could keep their ashes on the longest.  I usually rubbed my own forehead within an hour and took myself out of the running.  I'm none the worse for it.

This morning I had a can of pears for breakfast whilst I wistfully stared at the Honey Nut Cheerios box.  I need to chuck all the gluten or I will definitely find a way to eat it.  If anyone in the greater Fairbanks area is interested in half a box of cheerios, four slices of whole wheat bread, 3/4 a package of spaghetti, a package of Dunkin Donuts coffee or a can of split pea soup give me a call.

Exposure

I have been keeping myself busy filling these last few days with all the carbs I can find.  Last night I went out for Valentine's dinner and chomped my way through some excellent sourdough bread, asparagus tempura, sliced duck breast and rich chocolate cake.  Life is good.

The countdown is on and I need to make this year's Mardi Gras count for all it's worth.  I will be stuffing my face with bread and cake until midnight.  I am currently searching for someone to pig out on risotto with me Tuesday night.

Tuesday night I will also make a brief guest appearance on John Seiler's radio show, Spoiler Alert, as his comically overbearing guest "Margaret Thatcher."  I will be broadcasting my intentions to go gluten and caffeine-free over the air waves between 8:00 and 10:00pm on KSUA 91.5 FM.  If you don't live in the greater Fairbanks area you can listen in by going to http://ksua.uaf.edu/.

And While We're At It Caffeine Can Go Too

Two weeks ago I was having a fabulous day, the late January sun was shining and I was riding around Fairbanks in a car with one of my favorite co-workers. She generously offered to buy coffee on our way back to the high school. Never one to turn down coffee or a new adventure, I decided to follow her lead and order a triple-shot skinny vanilla latte.

I wish I would have thought that course of action out a little more thoroughly. I have a bad history with caffeine. My body, just hates it. It doesn't give me a happy productive buzz that most experience. It does make me dizzy, emotional and nauseous.

Throwing caution to the wind, I chugged down the ill-fated latte. An hour later I was feeling light-headed, almost drunk in an important committee meeting and growing increasingly sick. Two hours later I was crying for no reason and ready puke. Four hours later I came to a conclusion...no more caffeine.

Deciding to Walk into the Desert

In less than a week I will go cold turkey. I, Elena, lover of carbohydrates in all of their blessed goodness will embark on a 40-day journey into the gluten-free wasteland...

A few days ago it came to my attention that next week is Ash Wednesday. While most people wouldn't really highlight the observation of Lent as one of the more magical components of being a good Catholic, I always loved it. I remember looking forward to Lent and the way life sort of slowed down and became much more thoughtful and consciously lived.

I don't consider myself very religious. I rarely, if ever, step into a church, but I do believe that true sacrifice is an important part of self-discovery. Therefore, this year I will be observing Lent in the most dynamic way I could think up. I will completely give up the thing I love most...gluten.

I don't know what I expect to find out there in the desert. Answers? Peace? Health? Spiritual Awakening? I guess we'll find out.